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EDIT: This topic is just in case anyone is curious about what is going on with Peter. I figured this would be easier than starting a new topic each time. If there is something I need to address of concern I definitely will start a new post, but silly Peter things can stay bunched here without flooding the boards. Enjoy!
Original Post:
Pete has gone through some interesting little moods since he was neutered 12 days ago. About that same time we had to start having the heat on, and he discovered that the ceiling-vent is a wonderful source of warmth. He pulled the towel almost completely off his cage and made a nest, fluffing one of ‘his’ white hand-towels in front of it to use as a pillow. These must be fluffed every time he goes back to them, apparently; but it makes him happy. While he’s in his nest, protected by what used to be his playpen-gate (folded up against the wall like lean-to), he happily receives head rubs, nuzzles, back rubs, and even lets people pet his feet, all while he blinks and tooth-purrs.
Last night we gave him an alfalfa cube (one of his favorite chew treats) while he was in his nest. He happily nibbled on it and we let him be for a while. Later we came back in the room to check on him and found him semi-flopped and asleep, using his cube as a chin pillow.
I wanted to get a picture of him, but unfortunately I stepped on a squeaky floorboard upon returning with my camera and he woke up. -
Sindriona, he can be absolutely adorable when he’s happy. He can also be a little terror when he wants to be.
JR, I know exactly what you mean!
Here’s a quick clip I got before my camera battery died, last night.
And for anyone concerned about Zoeys weight, I would just like to note that she is not overfed and she does get plenty of exercise. She hasn’t been under 15lbs since she was about 2 years old.. She’s just a very rubenesque lady.
As far as Mr. Nest-builder goes, he’s becoming more affectionate. He never has been one to give lots of kisses, but this morning after obtaining a very-full breakfast belly, he returned to his nest for his naptime, re-fluffed his towels, and demanded rubbings. He stretched out past the remains of his alfalfa cube and nuzzled his face into the arm of my sweater and kissed my wrist and hand. I was really tempted to just sit there with him for the rest of the morning but unfortunately I had chores to attend so I had to let him sleep.
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JR, I understand that all too well. Pete is guilty of the same thing. ‘Run, run, run… oh, you have a camera? You must be looking for a close up. Running can wait.’ I’m still working on getting more video of Pete, but tonight he showed me yet again that although he’s very cunning at times he is not the brightest crayon in the box.
It’s no secret that Peter lacks the instinct to run away from most danger, but sometimes his prey instinct kicks in over the darnedest things. The first time I really saw it kick in was the first time he saw a squirrel on the patio. Not sure why, but squirrels are apparently the enemy. The latest random spat of terror? PAPER TOWELS! I was sitting having lunch and accidentally dropped my napkin on the floor. Out of nowhere Peter goes ballistic and runs into the corner with a crash. He starts to sneak back out only to come across the paper-towel still laying on the floor and runs away again. This goes on for a couple minutes with lots of reassuring that nothing is out to get him… FINALLY he sneaks forward and sniffs the paper towel. Now he’s mad. Apparently he thinks I tricked him on purpose, and now my paper-towel must be stomped and I must get the stink eye.He still wouldn’t make it ten minutes if left to forage outside like a normal cottontail, though. About an hour later, while Peter was munching on his hay, I bent down to change out his water bowl only to see an aggravated widow not even an inch from his face.
He was happily nibbling on hay and absentmindedly pulling fresh webbing with it. I immediately grabbed a paper-towel and squished the spider, which only prompted Peter to pull back into a meerkat position, huff, and slowly/deliberately chew his hay at me like “how dare you interrupt food.” I love him.. but a natural survivor he is not. 
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I haven’t posted any of Peter’s antics here in a while, so I figure I should share:
Peter has been doing fine, except for a couple little spats of gas… relieved by some chamomile and eliminating broccoli crowns from his diet (he still gets the leaves). I think I mentioned before on another thread that he does a victory dance when he gets somewhere he thinks he’s not allowed… well, today I caught him on the couch when my husband and I were out of the room. Normally at this time of night we’re sitting on the couch and watching TV, with Pete playing in the blinds or lounging under the couch… today we had some stuff to do on the computers, and I came back in to this:
He’s such a goof ball, but ooh the looks he can give when he sees the paparazzi! lol
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Yes… that is indeed a giant pile of hay and greens. lol He has a bowl for his salad and a box for his hay, but usually throughout the course of dinner (which is on and off through the evening) he will pull out most of his food and decide which pieces to eat first, digging through the rest as the night goes on. His hay box gets straightened regularly once the salad is all gone… if you try before that you just end up with an angry bunny that will dump the box and make a bigger mess in protest.
JR I can’t fool you, huh? lol. Did I mention that Kieko got that play date and you might not see her for a while?
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I’m sorry that this isn’t more frequent, but it’s been a long week for the world outside of bunnies… but I thought I’d share two quick little cute things from Peter since my last post.
JR, inspired by your mention of Kieko and the mirror, I decided to see how Pete would react. Granted I do not have a long mirror, nor do I trust him being up on my sink as he has a tendency to want to fly… but I do have a hand mirror. He decided to venture into the bathroom (since he discovered there’s a floor mat in there), and I instantly knew that’s where he had gone from the sound of him skidding around like bambi on ice. I held the mirror down in front of him so he could see his reflection and was immediately tickled by the result. His ears perked forward and he stretched himself forward to sniff “the bunny.” This was followed by stretching to the left to try and see the side of the bunny, confusion, and looking around to the right.. followed by more confusion. This repeated a couple times until I took the mirror away. He looked at me, laid an ear back and left the bathroom looking mildly perplexed.
The other cute thing was after dinner tonight. I was sitting on the floor eating an apple and my husband had an orange (yay, healthy desserts). Along comes Pete and he zeros in on my apple. He hopped up in my lap, sniffed my face, then stood up and placed one paw carefully on my apple-holding-hand. He actually kept eye contact with me while he started eating my apple the little fuzzy thief.
Now this was fine, but my husband decided to see if he’d react the same way to oranges. He pulled off a little piece of the juicy pulp and held it down for Pete, who got excited at the potential new treat. He licked it and twitched his ears.. after a moment he licked it again and hopped sideways out of my lap.. followed by lots of licking and occasional ear flicking. APPARENTLY, oranges are not edible. He did come back to finish his bit of apple, but when my husband reached out to pet him with his orange-smelling fingers Pete half-jumped and nearly fell over. He did accept pets after realizing there was no more evil-fruit. So dramatic… -
Pete is back from his first Thanksgiving!!
He had a long and exciting journey as we made a 10 hour trip (plus stops) back to the south to see family for the holidays. He did rather well in his carrier, discounting a couple rapid-fire-scratching episodes in his crate.
Once we got to my in-laws home we closed off a bedroom for him and Zoey, and made sure that they had everything set up… I swear half the stuff we packed for the trip seemed to be for them. They seemed to settle in pretty quickly, but Pete’s tummy did not hold up as well this time… I found what appeared to be dried cecotropes and tiny-tiny poos… so I quickly broke out the critical care… only to find that it is the ONLY THING from a dropper that he will not eat.
After some experimenting with different mixes and presentations, we finally made a CC-pumpkin soup with raisins torn up into it (2 shredded into 3 or 4 pieces each) that he thought was good enough to slurp up. He still had his limitless appetite, which made me feel better, but we gave him his soup with breakfast and dinner… after day two, I’m happy to say we haven’t had any more tummy issues.During his trip he discovered Christmas Wreathes. My mother in law hung one in our room, about 3 feet over the twin bed on the other end of the room… and Pete saw it. He danced around on the bed on his tip-toes trying to sniff it and reach it with his paws… and at one point we heard some crashing from the room after he had been left alone for a while. Upon checking on him we found he had gotten hold of the wreath and apparently fell, knocking over the cat carrier and some pillows. No injuries, and no hit to his determination… he was quickly back to trying to pull down the rest of the wreath, so we had to move it… Poor Peter.
He had a blast running around at my in-laws home last week, and on our way home we stopped at a hotel to break up the trip… Like last time we were there, Pete ran around the room and hopped on the furniture, while Zoey pretty much layed on the bed and ate her food. I woke up in the middle of the night to Peter running circles on the bed, us under the covers. He would stop, hop over to my husband and sniff his face… then zoom around the room, back on the bed, up on the hubby’s stomach, onto his feet, and repeat.
He decided to have one final adventure before the journey home…
When we came back to the room after breakfast Pete was no where to be found. Zoey was crying at us and we couldn’t find him anywhere; we were sure that somehow he had slipped out the door and was now wandering the hotel.. or worse, someone saw him and thought they would do the nice thing and let him “back outside.”
We lifted the bed, pulled out furniture,opened and closed all the doors, scoured the halls and enlisted the lady from the front desk to help. Finally, we pulled the entertainment center out again, further, and found that he had crawled underneath it from behind and was playing with a twist tie. Unfazed by his parents stress, he abandoned his toy and went to see what was left from breakfast. Now that we’re home again, he and Zoey have been very happy and very social. He’s got a healthy appetite and healthy poos… if anything he’s eating more hay than he used to. It was nice to see everyone, but it’s also nice to know that we won’t be having another epic adventure for a while. I’ll try and get some pictures posted on here soon.
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Zoey is generally a lovable lady that likes to play with her bunny-friend and try to steal his hay… but she is getting older and occasionally she gets moody due to arthritis. Tonight is one of those nights.
Several hours ago it was dinner time–an exciting time for both Zoey and Peter. I generally give Peter his dinner first, then Zoey… tonight I decided to give Zoey her food first since she was there and Pete was taking his time. Apparently this is a bad idea.
I gave Zoey her can of food on her plate and returned to the kitchen to get the salad for Pete. I was followed by a confused/hungry bunny who decided tonight was the night to brave the kitchen floor because apparently mommy forgot his food. Zoey noticed this turn of events and sat and watched instead of eating. He followed me back and I put his salad in his bowl. He munched happily until he noticed Zoeys dish was already full, and she hadn’t touched it yet (weird). He bounced over to it and got in between the stiff-hipped kitty and her food. She treated him just like another cat and bopped him on the head before I could stop her. Now he’s been bopped before, but with so little force that it generally only results in him hopping/stomping in place in response… This time he ran.
I’d like to point out that the bop was obviously meant as a reprimand on a kitten, and not outward aggressiveness, but this is the first time she’s ever been rough enough to scare him. She looked concerned/confused when he ran, and I quickly scooped her and her bowls up and placed her in another room so I could check on Pete.Oooh he was pitiful looking…! Head-fur ruffled, with one ear inflamed and held down almost like a lop!
With some reassuring, Pete came out and let me inspect him. He’s got a scratch in the fold of his ear, down near the base/canal, not deep but sensitive. After initial hesitation he let me clean it with a q-tip and put some neosporin on it. I let him clean his paws, since he had already been trying to clean the ear on his own and had given himself red-toes. I will report that he is now de-ruffled and doing fine, aside from a sore ear. We’ll be keeping a close eye on his ear and keeping in touch with his regular vet in case problems should arise.
After some down time he’s already back to having active/perky ears, eating, running, pooping, playing; and even did a couple binkies when he got his raisins. Apparently he’s also already forgiven Zoey as he keeps trying to get into the room with her to see what she’s up to.
I love my fur-babies… but they can give me such heartburn!
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Time flies with a growing boy!
Peter is now over 8 months old, and still going through little awkward growth spurts… Most of his growth is pretty uniform and hard to notice, but once in a while he gets a little gangly, or I notice his head and/or feet a proportionately a bit bigger than before (without weight loss). Well, currently he’s a bit more bottom-heavy than before as he gets a little longer/taller. This creates a little trouble in the bathroom, as his favorite spot for his front feet has not moved, but his butt is getting closer and closer to the edge… until last night when I noticed the tail completely outside the box. Once finished he turned to look and was perplexed that the litter was not wet (my carpet was). After a moment he seemed to shrug it off and munch on his hay… meanwhile I’m picking up a new mat for under the box. I guess sometimes it’s just above young boys to aim.
UPDATE on his ear: The scab is still in tact and he’s not fussing with the ear or holding it down. It looked a little bruised/pink last night after his normal grooming but not inflamed. This morning it was light pink right around his scab, but not looking so bruised/sore. I think it might just be a bit of slow heal since it’s on a very high-motion spot. So far so good though.
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Sadly I have 3 boxes… all in a row, for 1 cat and 1 bunny. Zoey had 2 boxes before Pete came because for some reason she doesn’t dig or cover… and if her box is “used” she will throw a fit and go outside the box rather than potentially coming in contact with her mess; the second box solved that. Pete came along and he was happy with his litter tray, until he discovered the cat boxes… but now if I try to remove any of the three I get a mess on the floor where the “missing” box or tray was. Oddly enough, no mess if I move it (even to another room), just if it’s gone.
Non-adventure of the morning:
Although he loves the animals, my husband has always tried to be the voice of reason and discipline. He didn’t want a cat because he’s a dog person… but we’ve had Zoey for 9 of the 10 years we’ve been together (and she’s a daddy’s girl). I promised him our next animal would be a dog… then we rescued Peter. He made it quite clear at first that he didn’t want a bunny.. and then that it was obviously MY rabbit… and was understandably upset when Pete discovered power-cords…
The bunny has secretly broken my husband.
This morning I was up early, before my husband left for work (which is not usual). As I was making breakfast I noticed Pete doing binkies and running 500s around the living room and just past the entrance to the kitchen… I mentioned to my husband that Pete was obviously in a good mood this morning, and he sheepishly told me that he had gotten in the habit of giving him raisins in the mornings. He also told me how he wished Pete would let him pick him up and cuddle him, but knew better. All this from Mr. “I don’t want a rabbit, we don’t need a rabbit, he’s obviously your rabbit…” lolPete ran off his sugar-high and sat on the couch for a while to catch his breath… which is usually where I find him when I get up anymore… I guess that solved that mystery!
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Ha ha My hubbie probably knows if he staked claims on any of the pets, he’d have to help with cleaning them. No desire on his part to be anyone’s favorite, though he and the dog have some pretty interesting one-sided conversations. We all spent time upstairs in the FROG last night and I think it was good for hubby to have some low-key interaction with Gus, who never left that room since we were all there. He and the dog get into the funniest poses up there. -
Mega, you do know that I’m going to steal Gus, right? The puppy may vanish too, but I assure you that my husband will love the doggy to death while Zoey, Pete and I play with Gus.
Here are some pictures of Pete during a pit-stop on our road trip over Thanksgiving.
Pete disapproves of being kept in a carrier.
Done looking out the window…
Oops. I slipped.
Are we there yet?
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Aww, we would take care of Gus, ears and all. His bills are nothing compared to the 5 figures I had to put down on my own health over the last year… and fur-babies always come first.
As for in the car, Peter got to hop around for about 20-30 minutes while we were stopped. He looked out the different windows, stole some apple, and checked out Zoey and her crate, too. Once he was done he got back in his crate like a good boy though. I’m happy to say the only pee and poops were in his carrier.
This morning’s mini-adventure:
I got up this morning only in order to feed Zoey and Pete. Peter was running around the living room until he saw me coming, then followed me into the kitchen. When I opened the fridge he discovered that it makes cold air (oooh!). He watched as I pulled out his greens and rinsed them… then he saw it: a bag of apples on the bottom rack of the door. At first he tried to let me know politely that the were there; look at me, look at the apples, repeat. When that didn’t work and I slowly started to shut the door (thinking he’ll get the idea and move) he stood up and put his front paws on the bag and just stared at me, shimmying his little feet backwards as the door slowly closed. He finally got the idea, moved out of the way, and huffed. After a momentary pout he remembered that I had his food and followed me to his bowl, ate the dandelion out of his salad, and then got back to morning play time.
I have a feeling that come dinner time I may have to defend the apples.
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Petes ears only ever stop moving when he’s sleeping or has horrible gas.
He’s been loving the Christmas music I’ve been playing throughout the day. I’ll find that he’s migrated from his normal sleep spots over to the middle of the living room, in front of the TV; loafed and listening to Christmas music play. I had to laugh earlier because the Nutcracker Suite came on while he was playing, and the sight of him running and doing binkies with that going was just too much. He’s such a clown. -
I admit that I have never definitively caught him in the act of farting… so I’m not sure if he does. He does make me suspicious of either a fart or burp at times though…
When he has gas you can hear tummy rumbles if you’re head is right next to him. Once in a while though (still have to be pretty close to him) there will be a distinctly shorter, louder sound, accompanied by a faint fresh veggie smell… but I’m not sure if the smell is from his breath from recently having eaten, or if it had more unmentionable sources. One day we’ll find out! The one thing for sure is that usually that louder single sound is at the end of his gassy episodes; or at least when he becomes active. Sometimes I wonder if it’s the bunny equivalent of “wasn’t me, I was over here!” lol
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Great new thing last night! (unfortunately did not have camera)
Peter has been spending a lot of time in his new condo, but has yet to venture higher than the first platform. He keeps standing up and looking at the second platform but has not tested it yet (I figure he will in time). Anyway, the big thing is that he’s spending less time under the couch and has now actually fully flopped out in his condo for about 30 minutes. He hasn’t flopped out in the open since he was about 2 months old; it’s always under or behind something. Another big thing is that this is the first time my hubby has seen Peter do this since he was about 3 weeks old and prone to rolling onto his face by accident while exploring.
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Peter’s New Game
He may be a dumb-bunny sometimes… but he’s creative.
Peter figured out pretty quickly that he’s not supposed to pull up mommy’s carpet; it makes her upset. He also knows that he’s not supposed to knock things over… it also makes mommy come running. That is exactly what he figured out: It gets him attention.
To be clear, he’s not being a bad bunny; just naughty. His new game involves taking a piece of hay from his pile and stuffing it between the baseboard and the carpet in a random room… then chewing it to bits so it looks/sounds like he’s shredding carpet. It gets mommy to come see him, say his name, and have him binky off like a clown. He also finds it fun to run over/into anything that can make noise. 99% of the time if mommy hears a crash it’s Pete. Yesterday he actually binkied himself into the wall with a loud thud. Although he was fine I have to say it was dramatic due to him getting his winter-coat in… He actually left a little clod of fur stuck to the wall!
He’s definitely still my little April-fool!
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Life’s gotten a bit busy for the holidays, but that just makes Peter try harder for attention, and for alone time.
He’s been spending more time in his condo since he has now figured out how to bounce between the floor level, first, and second platforms. I cut a small ‘door’ out the side of the condo on the second level so he could do his torpedo run in and out at a new angle; he seems to enjoy it. He has not yet figured out the top green platform. He knows that it’s there, but just hasn’t made it yet.
I tried the other day to encourage him to jump to it, the same way I showed him the second level was safe: by holding a raisin over it. For some reason, this time it just did not occur to the poor boy to jump. He stood up on his tip-toes and danced around on the platform. He leaned forward and back and kept his eyes locked on the raisin. Finally, instead of jumping he stood up on his tip toes, reached his front paws in front of him as far as they would go, and leaned forward as far as he could in one quick motion… not the most brilliant of his ideas. He tumbled forward and hit his forehead on the edge of the top platform before hitting the floor in a daze. I panicked for a moment, but was relieved when he quickly zoned in on the hand that still held the raisin. I gave him a couple raisins for his trouble and he seemed to recover completely; doing his normal sugar-rush-500s and tossing a couple binkies in as he passed through his condo.
I love him, but no one will ever accuse him of being graceful.
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Peter and his “Protection Money”
I believe I posted in another thread before that Peter has discovered radicchio and will dig through his entire salad to pick it out first. Well, over the holidays he got a little spoiled. I had been getting him his normal “spring mix,” dandelion, and cilantro, but since everyone else was getting special treats decided that I should also purchase a head of radicchio for him. Needless to say he loved it. He dug through his salads making big messes to pull out all the extra radicchio every night (since he always finished his salad by morning I didn’t mind). The problem arises in the fact that I am human, and sometimes forget to add the extra radicchio.
The first night without the extra “treat” I discovered the ‘down’ button on the remote was missing. At this point I did not make the connection.
A day or two pass and I forget to add it again. The next morning I lose the ‘menu’ button from the same control. Now we put away the controls at night.
Gave him his radicchio the next night. No trouble. Happy bunny.
Forgot it last night? My dust pan lost half of it’s rubber and I found a piece of spinach next to it.
My husband now thinks that Peter is in fact some form of mini-goat… I think he’s a budding mob-boss.
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Two-Faced Fuzzy Toddler
Okay… I had to sign back on to post on this one.
Peter is currently tearing around my home full speed; running off a sugar high.After dinner, I sat down on the floor and enjoyed most of an apple for dessert… I say most because whenever I have dessert, Peter must “taste-test.” Once we were finished, Pete retreated back to the upper level of his condo for his post-snack, pre-play-time bath. I placed the apple-core on a coaster and stepped out of the room to deal with some dishes. It was about 2-3 minutes later my husband comes in the room trying to hide a guilty grin, stating, “Well, it’s too late to do anything about it now…. but Peter might have eaten the entire apple-core.”
APPARENTLY, when I left the room Peter went and begged food from my husband. Since he only had chicken he placed the apple-core on the floor for about a minute, thinking that Peter would just nibble on it… NOPE! The whole core is gone–stem, seeds, and all!
I know that the core only had about 3 seeds (maybe 4 if there was a tiny one behind the others?) but I also know that they’re not good for anyone to eat. I’m going to make sure that he drinks plenty of water and gets fresh hay and keep an eye on him. In the morning I’ll check with his normal vet to see what, if any symptoms/complications I should look out for.
If nothing else, Peter has learned that my husband is a soft touch! “Mommy said no? Wait til she leaves the room then guilt Daddy!”
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JR – that is precisely why I was worried about the seeds.
I spoke with his vet this morning and he let me know that Pete should be fine. Although they suggest never to let him eat seeds if we can help it, the cyanide and arsenic that are naturally found in apple seeds are apparently non-digestible forms, and therefore unlikely to cause any problems–especially in small amounts. He did say that at worst case he would expect to see a little bit of stomach irritation, but again unlikely in this case… Just to make sure that he’s eating, pooping and acting normally (which he is). He even stated that “rabbits like to keep us on our toes!”
As for Pete, he seems perfectly fine. I cut back his evening pellets by about 1/3 just because I know from past experience that it will get him to eat more hay if done sporadically… and he ate a good bit of hay throughout the night. Apparently he’s in such a good mood this morning that he thought it would be fun to hop up on my nightstand and try to take off with my wedding bouquet!
(I used fake flowers so that I could keep them) Now he’s bouncing around the living room, disturbing Zoey’s nap-time. I’m betting that about now she’s regretting teaching him how to sound bigger/heavier than he actually is while he runs around on the floor. 
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Back-tracking to the holidays
I realize that several Peter-posts back I mentioned the return of sparkly poop right before New Years… I also realize I did not post proof that I am not-quite-crazy-yet and the sparkly poops did in fact happen. Enclosed is a picture of one of his “decorations.”
…This is probably the only place I can think of where I post shiny poop and not get booted off the forums. lol -
Moxie- I’m not sure which thread explained the sparkly poop, but it happened twice. The picture is from the second time when there weren’t so many shiny-poos. The first time he had gotten hold of some green foil from some Christmas candies, which came out as green and silver “glitter-poop.” The second time (and the picture posted) came from him eating the glitter-covered-paper-stars that hung on my little Christmas tree. He had waited about a week after he had discovered them before he destroyed them.
Breakfast with Peter
Every morning since he discovered that the kitchen floor is not lava, Pete is happily under-foot while I make breakfast. I’ll give him little bits of greens while I make his salad and my coffee and he skids around the floor nudging me for more. This morning while I was getting things from the fridge he decided he would help with that, too. He knows he can’t do anything about the apple bag, but the smart little bugger saw the juice jug. He’s seen me use it to fill his juice-cup, so he knows what it is. It only took about 2 seconds for him to zero in on it and grab the handle. To my surprise the gallon jug started sliding out towards the dumb bunny and I had to catch it before he squished himself! Needless to say he was miffed when I put the juice back where it had started, and I had to gently pop his bottom to get him to move so I could close the fridge. He gave up his grumpiness pretty quickly when he realized that I still had his breakfast and happily followed me to his bowl and started stuffing his face… and of course his radicchio vanished first.
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Posted By JackRabbit on 12/15/2014 9:22 PM
Cottontail — You be sure and let us know when you have evidence! A faint fresh veggie smell….that would nice. (Going to start feeding the men in my house lots of hay, cilantro, parsley….wish I’d known this when my dog was still living too…..)
And all this time all we had to do was tune in to Pete.
Just wanted to let you know… I caught him in the act. And boy was he annoyed that I did! lol
He’s had a little bit of a tummy upset the last few days because he has ingested too much hair (his, Zoeys and –as I discovered in his box–mine) He’s been getting tummy-rubs “against his will,” and I’ve been giving him CC and simethicone in addition to his usual hay and salads. He’s had some gurgles and a little tooth-grinding when it gets loud, but there has been overall steady improvement, with most of the hair/fur making it’s way out of his system already.
He was sitting in the hall with me getting his CC mixed with grape-juice (because apparently a little grape makes it a treat for him. Who knew?) After sucking down the CC he started bathing his face–a guy has to be clean!– and then it happened. He slowly lowered his paws almost to the floor, the ears went back and his eyes bulged a bit. A moment later there was a bzzt sound, and a small poop. Next thing I know he’s bounding down the hall full speed with that same bzzt bzzt bzzt every time his feet hit the ground on his way to the box.
I know I should laugh but after he came out of the box he gave me “the look” for about 20 minutes. I did check his poops (which look better) and also checked his tummy. I don’t hear the loud gurgles any more and he seems to be relaxing, watching the hubby play video games. I’m sure that if you asked him, he’d tell you that bunnies don’t fart and that he does not poop outside the box.. so obviously the stupid human is lying. lol I’m just happy that he’s been loafing out near the hubby for a while now, instead of curled up and gassy. -
Moxie, I haven’t actually weighed Pete lately, but I’m still trying to find a scale to keep at home so we don’t just get the update from the vet. If I had to guess I’d say he’s about 3lbs..?. When he got neutered 3 months ago he was 2.2lbs, and at that time had started gaining about a quarter pound a month. He has been growing like a little weed, so we’ll see once I either get a scale or get him in to have his mani/pedi at the vet.
And something tells me that the designers of that little plastic handle at the top of the jug never envisioned it being used by bunnies to drag away juice!
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I apologize for the lack of Peter-posts, but I’ve been temporarily distracted from my BB-time.
To make up for it, somewhat, here are two quick “Adventures” from the last few days…Not Doin’ Nothin’
Peter knows that if I’m having raisins, he’s having raisins. Normally he’ll manage to beg 3 or 4 off of me or my husband while we’re snacking, but the other day he didn’t discover our snacks until it was almost too late. He excited came bounding over and stood up and did his little tap dance to get his treats. I gave him my last raisin and he happily inhaled it before standing back up to beg for more. When I told him “all gone,” he seemed to be in disbelief and slowly lowered himself back to the floor. After a couple minutes of quiet I heard a ripping sound. Upon looking over I see him furiously pulling pieces of carpet away from the wall! “Peter, what are you doing?” He paused, carpet threads hanging out of his mouth. As I got up and walked over to him he dropped the strands… “Pete, you’re not destroying my carpet are you?” His response? Turn around and thump his butt down over the evidence, giving me a very insulted look.
“That doesn’t work… I saw what you did. No raisins.” Que the exit of the huffy bunny.Such a drama-queen.
Trauma in the Tub
I’ve gotten used to the fact that silence can mean something is getting destroyed, especially since Pete is not stealthy. So I was pretty relaxed hearing the hyper thump-thump-thump of him running from room to room being as noisy as possible… Suddenly that stopped. I was about to get up and check when I heard the cautious slip and skitter of bunny-feet on linoleum. Okay, so he’s checking out the bathroom again.. no big deal.
Then it happened. Thud!
…skitter, thud! Followed by frantic crashing and scratching. I quickly found him trapped in the tub trying frantically to get out, but only managing to get himself wet from the remnants of this mornings shower. It only took a couple seconds to gather him out of the tub and into my arms where he continued to kick for about 15-20 seconds. Finally he shoved his face as far as he could into my bathrobe and became a limp hyperventilating baby. I sat with him for about 5 minutes like that in the bathroom and then carefully brought him into the living room and sat with him still cuddled against my chest for about the next 30 minutes. I checked him over for anything that felt broken/injured but it seems he was just upset, not physically hurt. Finally he felt relaxed enough to come out of my robe and start cleaning himself up. I sat with him a while longer and gave him raisins, and Zoey came over and chirped, made goo-goo eyes at him, and laid down. He’s doing much better now, and he’ll probably get some CC later since he does have a sensitive tummy when it comes to stress… but I guess it’s back to closing the bathroom door when no-one is in there.
Although I feel bad that he was so upset, it was nice to be able to cuddle him like he used to insist upon when he was so tiny. Hopefully he’ll take 2 things away from this experience: 1.] Bunnies don’t belong in the tub.
and 2.] You’re never too big to cuddle with mommy.
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JR- I love the life-alert idea… I just picture finding the button on the floor somewhere with bits of chewed cord and Peter stuck somewhere throwing his apple-sticks at it. lol
LLH- I think I could forgive a little pee now and then for some snuggle time.
He’s not been very snuggly since he was about 2-3 months old… but since his tub-trauma he seems much more open to letting me pet him and muss his fur.Kir- That poor little guy! I admire his ability to just forget about the whole thing when he thinks there could be food, though!
And MB- a vole? Where’d you get a vole? I thought they lived by river beds?
This isn’t really a Peter adventure… but just wanted to note that he has been more open to receiving affection since his episode. I’ve gotten to pet him, rub him, muss his fur, and even have him in my lap without treats. I haven’t ventured to pick him back up yet, but I am happy that he’s being more affectionate with me.
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So he’s still letting me ruffle him and pet him, and I get my Peter-kisses; but being picked up is still a no-no.
Sometimes it makes me wonder why I ever thought that he would be any less maintenance than a spoiled cat or child.
I figured that I should also add this, even if it is a couple days early. -
He has come with quite the learning curve! –but we love him.
After the first wii wire died we thought we’d block him from under the tv stand (where he got to it), and discovered that he could get up next to the tv (where the wire and the tv died)… Luckily the TV was a quick electrical repair, and we barricaded it off until the mistaken thought of “it’ll only be exposed for a minute…” while we were packing/moving. 3rd wire dead… and the TV again. We thought we were smart when we set up at the new place… even took NIC cubes and built a cage around the electronics… but little did we realize that Pete’s skinny face could reach so far through the bars… There went the 4th wii sensor. 
Now everything that has a wire protected by NIC is kept a good 4+ inches on the other side of the grid so Destruct-o-bun can’t reach it. lol The only thing I can really figure with the Wii wires is that they are so delicate and thin… Some pieces of his hay are wider! Maybe he thinks it’s strange hay? Must be gourmet if Mommy keeps buying it and saying he can’t have it!
He and Zoey have developed lazy morning habits… Once the hubby and I are both up and about, if I don’t close the bedroom door while they have their breakfasts I won’t see them until dinner time. They’ll nibble breakfast and then rush back to the bedroom, where Pete snuggles into his nest and Zoey makes a nest out of my side of the bed… and they’ll just sleep until about an hour before dinner; that way they’ve got time to get up, finish their breakfasts, and then act like they haven’t been fed in weeks.
Since I have been closing the door whenever I can, they’ve both been pretty active throughout the day–following me around and begging for food any time I come within 10 feet of the kitchen. Pete has been playing pick-up-sticks with my hair-sticks (because they are apparently more fun than HIS sticks), and bouncing up and down like a looney tune behind Zoey whenever she gets food or attention before he does.The other day Pete decided that he wanted to play with Zoey, but she was asleep on the floor. He normally has the sense to approach at the tail if he’s going to sneak up on her, but instead this time went to sniff her face; which got him swatted. Luckily we had just done her claws, so no damage was done despite landing a direct hit on his nose before she realized what was going on. After a minute he apparently decided she was no fun and took off with her bell-toy; and she went back to sleep.
I’ve been trying to keep him from picking on her too much as we think she may be developing some sensory issues due to age (haven’t figured out to what extent yet) and she’s a bit jumpier than normal. He snuck up on her yesterday and she chirped and swung around quickly (no attacking, just turning), startling him face first into the bedroom door with a loud crash as it slammed shut; which naturally upset the whole household. Now he looks like a little bunny prize-fighter… as any time he runs into something full speed he seems to go into instant molt (probably because he’s still in shed-mode, and I’m sure it’s stressful even if it’s momentary). He lost a small tuft on his muzzle, and thinned out a bit around one half of his muzzle so it looks like we whipped out the sharpy-marker and scribbled on him. He doesn’t seem to care though… as long as he gets fed, gets rubbed, and gets to play with Zoey.. he’s happy. He’s a klutzy dork; but he’s happy.
Currently they’re both taking their post-dinner naps (him in his condo, and her next to it). In about an hour and a half their daddy will be home and they’ll start the “OoooOooh… we’re starving!” act.
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Renovations
After Returning from my doctor this morning, I decided that I would work on Pete’s condo a bit.
I found some cheap mats and bought a small stack of them all in green, and got to work re-flooring his condo. For now he still has his towels on each of his levels, but he now has flat carpeting underneath. After a while I plan to remove the towels and see how things go. I also finally constructed a ramp for him. He’s been too nervous to jump to the top level since the first time he tried (and failed miserably).
The ramp was made from a piece of balsa wood with cardboard attached to the top, and I inserted hooks to attach it to the existing levels. Although it is sturdy enough for him, it would never hold a 10lb bun (Yay for tiny guys!). He was suspicious of it at first… bobbing his head and looking at it from any angle he could manage at a foot and a half away. I waved a raisin over it and he stood and danced, leaning forward and then sitting back down. Finally he literally closed his eyes and put a paw on the ramp like if he did it too quickly or too firmly it might explode. Eyes still closed, he leaned forward to try and grab the treat… After a moment without success he peeked his eyes open and leaned back to his starting position. After a couple more tries he placed two paws on the ramp, winced his eyes and slowly crept up the ramp to the top platform, where he was rewarded with a couple raisins. He seemed very pleased at first, looking around and sniffing; but then he realized that he would have to get back down. (Oh no!) It took him about 5 whole minutes to finally decide that the ramp was apparently one-way, and the only way down was to leap to the lower platform (which he did with no problem.) Since putting the mats down in the bottom of the condo he has dug furiously at them, nibbled on them, done tons of binkies and happily tossed his ears. He even decided to bring one of his toys into the bottom level of the condo so he could chew on it there.
He’s had his renovated flat for several hours now and is happily munching some salad on the top floor, where he can keep an eye on everyone from an even higher level than before. I may not have accomplished much today, but at least it seems that I’ve made myself useful to a bunny.
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LLH- Don’t let him fool you, he eats a ton of hay and veggies every day… along with alfalfa treats and pellets and whatever he can get his little mouth on… he’s a fuzzy little black hole! lol
As for his ear; He is the sole survivor of his litter, which lost it’s nest to landscaping and a lawnmower. :\ The others were just too stressed and too young to make it, and mommy didn’t make it either.
He had some small cuts and scabs on the edges of his ear. He overgroomed the scabs a bit when he was tiny (2-3 weeks), and it actually looked like it was drawn together and might cauliflower a bit for a while… As he got bigger and his ears got longer the little cuts/scars became cut-outs, stretching out and becoming much more pronounced. They were already healed and not raw/irritated/etc… just getting wider as the ear grew longer. They don’t bother him but do certainly add to looking pitiful. This is a picture of him when he was 3.5 weeks old.. You can see his ear is not covered in scabs anymore and they’ve healed nicely, but it is withered (and felt thicker) on one side where they were… That’s the spot that became the cutouts as he got bigger.
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He was an absolutely adorable little puff-ball when he was tiny. It’s hard to believe that at one point I could fit more than one of him in one hand! He’s grown a lot but he’s still my silly boy.
Simple Joys
Peter has definite fashion preferences. I have a blue skirt that I love to wear around the house when I’m not doing a lot of heavy chores, and I wore it ALOT when he was tiny, since I was pretty much home-bound when he became part of our family. He got used to seeing that skirt and knowing that Mommy was going to sit and either paint, watch TV, or play with him. Now when he sees me wear it he goes bonkers.
He seems to instantly become slightly happier and give kisses (to me and the flowers on the skirt). The best thing about it is a little selfish on my part; if I’m feeling down I can just sit on the floor and have an instant bouncing baby bunny to cheer me up. [[ Click here to see what I mean ]]
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Peter has been a fuzzy little blessing to me, since he joined us in early April. He’s gone through quite a few awkward growth stages, and seems to love to learn about things the hard way; like what happens if you try to turn around on a thin window sill, or what happens if you goose the cat? Or the ever popular “is it tasty?” He has tried to defend the house from squirrels on the patio and from flying bugs that get inside… and he even got huffy at the maintenance guys for getting too close to his stuff, being dubbed by them “the attack bunny.” (even though all he did was glare at them from a distance). Still, he comes to me for comfort when he gets in over his head; and if he thinks he may be in trouble, or incapable of doing something himself, he enlists the help of Zoey.
I thought it might be fun to share some Peter pics from the last few months, so it would be easier to see the various changes in his coat and his gangliness so far during this first year.
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I’m glad that everyone enjoys the Peter pics as much as I do. He’s such a little goof!
Bathing Trauma
Peter is a VERY clean little man. Generally once he finishes doing anything (eating, running, sleeping, watching TV…) he has to take a bath. So last night while the hubby and I were going over some paperwork in the office, Zoey laid down next to him and I could see Peter in the other room, through the door, taking is after-dinner bath. It was quiet for a couple minutes and then there was a crash in the apartment next door. It startled everybody but we calmed down almost instantly because I know that maintenance has been tearing out carpeting and redoing drywall in there. When I glanced out to Pete, however, I saw him leaping out of his condo followed by a chunk of fur! I knew that he was molting a bit on his chest but decided to check just in case…
Apparently he had been startled while he was grooming his hip and scalped himself, poor thing!
Initially he wouldn’t let me touch the spot, but I kept an eye on him for the rest of the night. This morning he let me push the fur around and inspect the area and clean it, all the while just getting bug-eyed but not running. The skin is red and raw, but doesn’t seem to be hurting him (I’m sure it has to hurt to touch it). He still doing binkies, playing with me and Zoey, and letting me pet him and rub his hips. I called his vet and told them what happened and explained what it looked like. The receptionist there is very knowledgeable about rabbits and she knew immediately what I was describing. She reassured me to just put a TINY bit of plain neosporin on it if he’ll let me, and to try to keep the area otherwise dry to keep it from getting infected… and if I see any worsening (or non-improvement) to bring him in so that they might get him some medicine for it (topical and oral). At the moment he is running up and down the hallway, with breaks to stop and try to destroy shipping boxes. He doesn’t seem phased at all and even flopped on that side earlier after breakfast. I wonder if he knows that he causes my blood pressure to spike?
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UPDATE on Pete’s previous Misadventure:
He seems to have had no ill effects from his most recent “haircut,” and the site looks less red/irritated today. His fur even lays flat over it without sticking to it, and he seems like he could care less if I brush my hand over the spot while ruffling his fur. In fact, the only thing I’ve noticed change with him is a slight shift in interest from his salads to his hay. He’ll eat half or most of his salad, then switch to hay and eat a bit more than usual.. finishing his salad after he’s either had a nap or a romp (which could be anywhere from 1-3 hours later). By the end of the day he hasn’t lost any food along the way, so I’m not too worried.. After all, it’s not too difficult to distract the bunny… -
“Alien Abuction”- Peter goes to the Vet with Zoey
I haven’t done a Peter update for a while, so I figured I would let you know about his most recent adventure.
This morning he and Zoey got “abducted” and went and saw the vet. The young vet tech there got a crash course in the fact that wild bunnies do not calm down and/or trance like normal domestic bunnies—but instead turn into squirming flying feet and fur! We got him back into his carrier and his normal vet chuckled and explained the difference to the young lady. Pete was fine and acted like nothing had happened once he had his feet on the ground. They took him back and gave him just enough gas to make him drowsy for his check-up. Good straight teeth, good fecals, no unnoticed injuries, new fur growth where he scalped himself the other week; over all clean bill of health. They also weighed him and to my surprise he was only 1110grams! (about 2.47lbs) I could have sworn he was heavier than that, but I guess he is just very grounded. Zoey has taught him well on how to seem heavier than you are.
His vet was very happy with him. Zoey was in the room with him for her exam. She weighed in at 16.8lbs, and is switching to a special diet to help shift her metabolism and help ward of possible diabetic issues. She’s got some blood-work that will be back later in the week, so we can make sure she doesn’t have diabetes or any other unknown conditions. Fecal was clear, but we are still unsure of why she is suddenly afraid of the hubby and spending so much time hiding. While we were there she kept looking over the edge of the exam table to make sure that Pete was still there, and then tucking her head into either my hands or the hubbys hands. (apparently the vet is scarier than whatever she’s dreamed up at home). We’ve got some tricks to try out over the next month or two to try to reassure her, but depending on how things go and what shows up in her paperwork, she may end up with some mild anxiety medicine to help out.
I’m very happy with our current vet; as he is experienced with exotics and wilds, as well as dogs and cats. (They had some guineas and ferrets in the waiting room, and a barn owl in the next exam room over, today!) He was amused with the bond that Zoey and Peter have, and watching them keep an eye on each other while they were being examined. He started talking about a documentary he saw recently about animal odd-couples (birds/rodents and cats, dogs and deer, goats and horses, etc) but hadn’t actually had an odd-couple through his office like that before.
OH! The vet was also impressed with the fact that I was able to do Petes front nails.
He said that the front didn’t really need to be trimmed at this point, and that the back weren’t bad but he’d clip them back as far as he could without causing discomfort since he was already having his dental/health check. -
“Ever So Graceful”: Peter the Lovable Klutz
This will be a brief update: but notable.
I believe that it’s pretty well known that my Pete is not the most graceful of bunnies. He runs and tumbles and crashes into things, having a blast. Late last night he was up to his normal antics, running his 500s and making u-turns by bouncing off furniture, walls, his condo; whatever is vertical, really… so during his running spree I wasn’t surprised when I heard the sound of him crashing into the side of his condo. What got my attention was the fact that he didn’t immediately zip past the doorway afterward.
I went to check on him and found him sitting next to his condo looking shocked and ruffled. I checked him out, running my fingers over his head and back, and down his legs; and that’s when I found the problem. He had no problem with me playing with his first foot, wiggling and lightly squeezing his toes… but after feeling his right leg he pulled away as I started to play with his toes.
Upon inspection his middle nail seemed to be curved in a funny direction but there was no blood. He began favoring the other foot; and this morning he was reinspected. His middle toe looked swollen and he was still holding it up.. so OFF TO THE VET with Tilly (who is in for spay today after rescheduling due to weather).Turns out that my poor little Pete broke his middle toe.
It’s a clean break all the way through the bone, and had shifted. He’s so pitiful at the moment… They realigned his bone and put it in a splint and cast; which he will have for the next 4 weeks. He has about a week of painkillers, and they said that if he seems like he’s still in pain after that to bring him back in early. They’ve also instructed that he cannot have his levels in his condo while he heals, just ground floor.. so yet again; unhappy bunny. Since the first dose of “happy juice” has kicked in he’s clomping around the apartment and doing an awful job of cleaning his face. He’s also trying to figure out how to lay down with his new splint… as it’s wrapped all the way up his leg and seems to work pretty well as a kickstand. For now it seems that “Peter, my April Fool” has turned into “Pegleg-Pete” the grumpy pirate bunny.
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Here’s the side view that they gave me. It’s a bit easier to see the damage he caused himself.
He’s figured out that his cast/splint, in combination with his happy juice, makes his paw virtually invincible. So peg-leg Pete has been galloping up and down the hall and waving his little bandage around for attention. If you’re not looking at him and he wants your attention, his new tactic is to shake his cast up against the side of a box, his condo or a wall; to make a pat pat pat sound. He’s leaving most of the splint alone, except for soaking the end of it in spit to clean his face with it… The only tugging he’s done has been at the very top of the bandage, and I’m hoping that that’s the end of it because I really don’t want to have to take him back in early for a new splint.
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He is becoming a very expensive boy!
On my way back to the vet to pick him up again… We managed to resecure the cast last night, though not very well.. and he tore most of it off after we went to bed. He was so pitiful sitting there; he didn’t even want to go to his food bowl because he didn’t want to walk on his cast. So back to the vet to have the cast and splint re-set. Here’s some pictures of him from yesterday, before destroying his cast.
The first are from while he was waiting on his pain meds to kick in:
And then washing his face with his cast…
And then coming to look for loving and pity pets.
I’ll have to get some video and pictures of him in his cast version 2.0.. complete with sock.
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I would suggest cutting popsicle sticks and using chew resistant ace bandage to immobilize his foot/leg until morning, but doubt Pete would allow it.
Hubby made me a popsicle stick splint to keep my finger from bending when I almost cut my finger off (making pickles!), but I didn’t try to chew the splint off.
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Tonight has been horrible.
I was going to say that the cone was working well, but then I heard crashing. Pete somehow managed to squeeze his good leg through with his neck! Keep in mind that his legs are smaller around than my fingers, but I was not aware that he could work his paws at that angle! Needless to say we ended up having to corner him and the hubby held him while I cut the string on the cone. Just as I went to cut it he shot through the hole like a rocket! Remember that conversation about how wild bunnies could fit through 2inch grids? Apparently it’s more if their neck fits through something rather than if their head or body would logically fit, and we found out the hard way.
So Pete is now cone-less… and I have given up trying to protect the remainder of the splint tonight because I would rather him have a hurt toe than a heart attack. There was no greater feeling of failure tonight than listening to him whimper and squeak as we tried to free him of the cone. I sat with him for a while after, while my husband checked on Zoey and Tilly in their secluded rooms. He was pitiful and gladly took head rubs and let me check out his legs, neck and back. He ate his stress poops and a couple treats, and bathed my hand before settling down in the corner on a yoga mat.
We’re going to the vet in the morning, but the hubby actually brought up the point that if they can’t come up with some better solution that it may be better to let his toe heal as it will rather than risking stroke or worse. :\ I just wish that this was going smoother.
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The Continuing Saga of The Broken Toe
So we called up the vet this morning, after discovering that once I finally fell asleep I slept in; AND his doctor wasn’t in.
We went down and saw the doc on duty and explained everything to her and got the cast fixed. The good news is that the bone didn’t shift, despite him destroying the splint, so it was able to be repaired and bandaged without too much trouble. Now we just wait and see how it goes.
She did note that she was quite surprised at the difference of how calm and affectionate Pete was while I was sitting with him, vs how skittish he got when they took him back.
She had no doubt that he was a house-baby, and made every attempt to be calm and comforting for both me and Peter. She agreed that if he kept this up (destroying casts) it would be better to let it heal as is, but wanted to keep it stable as long as possible, so we’re trying one more cast. Since he got through the bitter apple, she applied “No-bite” to the cast itself, and “Yuk” to the new sock that covered it. He got a new cone… This time he wasn’t freaked out about it at all, but he slipped out of it within 20 minutes of being home (without our help).
Much to his dismay he is back in his “baby cage” for most of today, to keep him from running about too much on it. He got some cranberries for being good in the car, and now he’s moping in his cage (not depressed, just being pitiful to be let out). The hubby already felt sorry for him and was tempted to let him out but I said no. He’s got lettuce, pellets, water, and hay… along with his litterbox and his favorite towel.. so despite his fussing he should be fine.Thank you all for the vibes and input. I’m hoping that today is much quieter.
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Progress!
Quick update: Pete has been secluded to his cage today, and he has since has made a nest, used his potty, and eaten a bit of hay and lettuce. He has left his cast alone!!!
Apparently the combination of icky stuffs on his cast and being semi-confined has deterred him from nibbling. Instead he’s focused more on nesting and grooming. I don’t really care at this point if it is temporary or not, this is such a relief that he has lost interest in the cast for a full 8 hours! I was actually able to relax and do things without trying to distract him every 2 minutes. So no matter how long this lasts.. I count it as a win.
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I’ll Never Forgive You! Thanks Mommy!
Peter likes people to believe that he can be a feral, wild bunny… but he’s not too convincing. He doesn’t even believe it. My pitiful Peg-leg Pete has been on cage-stay since he got home from the vet on Saturday (his 3rd vet visit that week, and my fourth). I let him out after dinner time for a bit to stretch his legs and voice his frustrations at the world, but he had to go back in before bedtime.
Poooor Peter…
The result of him being in his cage is that I now have surround-sound bunnies-shaking-bars. Tilly has now made it to day 7 of her confinement, and although she is healing well she is destroying her rugs and has started inhaling hay to the amount of about 5-7oz a day! (anywhere from 1/3 and 1/2 the bag size that Pete’s oat hay comes in). So we’re going to start buying timothy in bulk and just top it with botanical for her. Pete’s appetite for hay has gotten a bit pickier, as he seems to only be eating the botanical and oat hays, and snubbing his nose at most of the rest… but he fills up on them fast and doesn’t eat near as much as Tilly does.
This morning the cast is still on his leg, although the raw spot on his leg is a bit dry and I can’t really put ointment on it because he will immediately clean it off, so more gets in him than on him… He was throwing a hissy-fit this morning, bouncing back and forth in his cage and nibbling and shaking the bars like a maniac. I gave him his breakfast and he inhaled it, salad and hay, and gave me a couple kisses; After, he returned to his pitiful prisoner routine. How do you soothe the savage Peter? Give him cartoons. I turned the TV to the Disney channel and “Sofia the First” was on, and he immediately settled down and got comfy in his litter box to watch TV.
He’s still got several days left of pain killers, and probably will be on cage and short bursts of HIGHLY SUPERVISED floor time routine for a while, since he’s currently not messing with his cast much. Zoey has taken up residence next to his cage for a good portion of the day, and for most of her naptimes… She’s keeping a close eye on her bunny.
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Quick update:
I let Peter out for an afternoon floor-time and it went very well. I had the balcony blinds open so there was a giant sun spot taking up the living room. Peter, Zoey and I all stretched out on the floor and watched some cartoons and took a nap. It’s nice to see him flopped out for the first time since he broke his toe, even if he woke himself up with what appeared to be some unsettling dreams, at the end there. Now he’s cautiously hopping around making sure everything is still where it belongs in his apartment. He’ll be back in his cage for bedtime, but he’s been a good boy so far and his cast is still in place; along with the sock (even though that is hanging a little long). Overall: Pete’s being a good boy and I’m proud of him for finally letting mommy breathe and relax a bit.
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MB – Pete has two different hay piles… one is in a nice little box, the other is a pile of hay that’s about 2x his size that sits next to the couch in “his corner” on a timothy mat. All together it’s probably just 2 big handfuls, but it’s a mix of orchard, oat, and timothy… He decided the orchard is great for bedding and arranged the rest of the pile around it like a little nest to chew on as he sees fit. Since he’s not a big hay eater (besides oat), he gets a bit spoiled with it to encourage him… and so far the edible nest is his favorite snack as far as hay goes.
Peter gets all the Ladies
Although we’ve just hit the two week mark for both Tillys spay and Peters broken toe; I decided that they probably should get the idea that they won’t be in trouble for being in the same room… so they had a chaperoned introduction date.
Peter and Tilly both get pellets with dinner. Tonight their pellets were held off a bit, then served on either side of the gate; so they could see each other as they ate. After they were done with their pellets they both got celery as a treat, Zoey supervised.
I was impressed that Pete was keeping his cool; even though I was a little concerned that his tail was up and kept acting like he needed to pee while they were getting celery. After the celery was gone Tilly flopped out against the gate with her butt-end toward Pete, tail down.. Pete climbed in my lap to see if there was any more celery. Once he decided there was no more he took off FULL SPEED to his bathroom; where he proceeded to pee a river! Apparently the reason it seemed like he was about to pee himself was that he actually was about to pee himself but couldn’t just LEAVE CELERY!
Over all; Peter did well, no aggression; even though he was a little jumpy and had to pee.
Tilly did well to restrain her enthusiasm for a meal buddy and not try to lick him through the bars like she does to Zoey.
Zoey watched the whole thing and was not impressed in the slightest. Bored kitty.
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Re-Pete
Peter has been in a cast for 2 of his 4 weeks now. The first week he had 3 visits to the vet for his cast getting destroyed. Last week he was very well behaved with it… The sock even stayed on all week! Last night, however, he was feeling great and doing binkies around my feet. He was so clumsy in his bouncing that he stepped on the sock that was on his cast and pulled the sock off without even noticing at first. Needless to say, once he DID notice a couple binkies later, he was quite proud of himself, trotting around and high stepping and bopping his cast against things to show that the sock was gone.
This morning the cast was still in place, although wet from him trying to soak it off during the night. He had his breakfast and settled down like normal… when play time started he started bouncing around again;…. then it happened. THUD! the cast just FELL OFF. I assume it’s from his soaking it since he hadn’t really chewed it at all during the night. Needless to say we were both surprised, and now he’s bathing his foot and removing little bits of bandage that stuck in his foot-fur. I called the vet within 10 minutes of it happening and they have an opening to see him in about an hour. This will be cast number 4, but at least we can see how the foot is setting.
How do you tell a bunny that this is getting old?
EDIT TO ADD: Just got back from the vet… His toe is still in place and now his cast is back on, with brand new sock. He seems to be doing fine at the moment, but is back in his cage for a little while since it reduces his urge to mess with the cast. One of the ladies at the counter had a laugh when I brought him in, because I was just there yesterday for Zoeys medicine and told her how happy I was with Pete for still having his cast and sock in place after a week!
I am glad that he has 2 doctors that will see him now, so he was able to be seen short notice today. We are still going with the original time period of his cast… so in two weeks the cast comes off and they run more xrays; and hopefully a clean bill of health!
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LLH – Maybe the two of us should ask for one of those little cards that ice-cream places give; that way every 5th visit is free!
Seriously, though; lots of love and vibes for you and your fur-babies!JR – Thanks! I think the sock will probably need the most vibes!
Pete was good last night and this morning. He was in confinement at night (which is probably what will happen for the remainder of his cast) and let out at breakfast time. After breakfast he did his bunny-yoga and then went and curled up in his “nest” by the couch. He’s so pitiful when he tries to loaf with that cast on… although he knows how to do it at this point, the first couple of attempts usually result in him having his shoulder pushed up, and the foot acting like a kickstand while he looks at me like I betrayed him… after a while he folds it under and goes to sleep; but I’m hoping that he gets back to where he was last week, when he would just lay on his side and stretch out. He seemed to be getting better sleep like that.
The day before his cast fell off; he did have a second “bunny date” with Tilly. Again, it was pellets on either side of the gate. Tilly was very interested to see if Peter had anything different than her, but was so thrilled to have a bowl of pellets that she didn’t keep bothering him for long. This time, Pete wasn’t as nervous about her sticking her nose through the gate. He was very focused on his pellets. Zoey still felt the need to sit about 2 feet behind Pete and keep an eye on the bunnies. She seemed a bit more interested in them this time around, and overall content with the situation.
Although Pete did not get a third date yesterday due to his sudden vet-visit; Zoey got to spend more time with Tilly. This time she sat on the other side of the gate and wasn’t upset by Tilly charging over, pushing her face to the bars, and desperately licking the air between them. I sat there and petted both of them for a little while and they both stretched out for back rubs. It was a nice little visit.
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Pirate Pete will Judge You
Mini- Non-Adventure:
I haven’t been as active as I’d like for some time now… so I decided that I’d pull out the Kinect and play some dance games to get myself moving. Peter watched from the safety of his condo; with that disapproving,”You’ve gone nuts,” look on his face. Once I stopped to take a breather he flipped his ears a couple times… came out of his condo, stretched, and then—without breaking eye contact-— flipped his front paws a couple times and then bounced around, swinging his little cast and kicking his feet as awkwardly as possible like he was mocking me. He was just so disapproving and had such a serious look on his face that I had to laugh; which of course got me flattened ears and a huff. I love him, but he can be quite opinionated. I just need to set up cameras all over my apartment just so I can catch his temper-tantrums.Apparently now I’m not worth his time and he’s taking a full bath.
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Last night I promised I had a new Non-adventure to post… Enjoy!
The Wrath of Peg-leg Pete
Some may recall that I have noted a number of times that Pete might not understand that he’s a rabbit. He’s the only rabbit I’ve ever seen get angry and puffy over a squirrel outside the window, and the only one I’ve ever heard of that will go after bugs like a cat… of course that could be partially due to the fact that he was raised by a cat.
A little while back a lady bug got into the living room. Peter and Zoey tracked it around the room, and once it landed Peter attempted to stomp it to death like that was his mission in life; defend the house from bugs. So it should have come as no surprise to me last night to find him sitting and staring up at the door to Tilly’s room. I wasn’t sure what he was doing at first, but then I saw it.. a great big beetle. Since I was mildly concerned he may get bit by this bug I grabbed a postcard and attempted to get the bug to release it back outside; but that was my first mistake. The bug fell to the floor and Pete’s gaze followed without missing a beat. We both quickly went for the bug. I pushed Pete’s little face back with one hand and scooped the bug up on my finger on my other hand… That was mistake number two. My frantic little pirate-bunny saw his “prize” on my finger and lunged! Unfortunately for me the bug was still moving and Pete’s jaws missed their target; taking a small chunk out of my index finger and landing the bug right back on the floor where Pete continued to chomp at it and smack it with his front paws. Now bleeding, I pushed Pete back firmly enough for him to roll onto his butt a moment while I grabbed the bug and put it outside. Pete followed close at my heels and stood dumbfounded as I opened the door and released his prey. Rather than fussing at him I patted him on his little head, told him good boy for trying to defend the house, and then gave him a piece of dandelion. He seemed quite pleased with himself and started searching the whole apartment, for what I could only assume would have been more “invaders” for him to destroy.
THIS is why I don’t need a security system. THIS is why I don’t need another cat or a dog.
Pete will defend us… even if it kills us. -
Pete’s a Binky Boy
Yesterday was Pete’s first birthday. He got celery added to breakfast and dinner; got extra radicchio, and a chunk of banana… but he also had a vet visit.
Peter did not have the happiest of birthdays, but that’s okay because he gets to celebrate it today! He got a brand new toy that dispenses pellets and raisins when he beats it up, and he got what he wanted most of all–FLOOR TIME! He’s currently running around the apartment sniffing everything and doing binkies. He discovered that Tilly’s gate is now at the door to the room, rather than several feet back from the door; and it only took him a moment to realize that he had more of the apartment than she did. How did he react? By bouncing back and fourth past her gate doing binkies and 500s, showing off that he has more space than she does! Very much a Nanny-nanny-boo-boo moment, but he’s happy!This is the type of ball he got. He’s currently bashing it against the wall.
His foot seems to be doing fine this morning. He let me handle it and happily took pets and ear-rubs. He also seems to have the common sense to land more on his other foot when coming down from binkies, so I think he’ll be fine. After all, common sense may not be his strong suit, but at least it’s being applied to keeping his toe safe.
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LLH- That’s great!
Tilly got one, too (since there were 2 in the bag); She figured it out immediately and rolls it around, eats, then repeats. Once it’s empty she hides it.Peter’s tactic is to pick it up in his mouth (by the opening) and shake it a bit.. then slam it down and pick up the pellets… He’s also picked it up and bashed it on the wall and the couch a couple times (not good for getting treats out, but makes lots of noise!)… but his preferred method of getting the treats is to nudge it, nudge me, nudge it again, and then just stare until I nudge some treats out. Little brat.
His main enthusiasm for it seems to be the fact that he can make noise with it. He loves being noisy! -
BM – I think that because they don’t grip food and lift it to their faces like mice and gerbils, that a lot of people don’t think of them as being able to grip things… when the real difference is that they just don’t grip for the same reasons. (but that’s just my non-professional opinion)
MB – It makes me chuckle, too. It’s almost as if it was his twisted little master plan to be able to flick people off for the rest of his little bunny-life. Now whether he’s lovingly gripping your hand or holding it defiantly after smacking you, he is simultaneously flicking you the bird.
How many bunnies get to do that? lol -
UPDATES!
It’s been a while since I’ve really been on BB, but I’m still a bit scarce on now since we’re bunking with family until I find proper housing for us… In the meantime; I thought I would give you some mini-non-adventures (many will probably be out of order) of things Pete has been up to since the move got underway.
The Hotel – Finally Restful
Last year, when we moved north, Pete decided to play hide and seek in the hotel room and make his mommy have a nervous breakdown. We tore apart the entire hotel room, moved the bed, the furniture, and scoured the halls and the bushes outside the building looking for him… only to discover he somehow got UNDER the TV stand and was happily lounging while we lost our minds.
This year, we learned our lesson (much to his dismay). He and Tilly got out and about time while we ate dinner, but they had their cages brought in for bed time. In the morning, the hubby bunny-sat as the buns ran around the room playing poop-wars, while I went and gathered breakfast for us… I even smuggled an extra banana and some raisins in for the rest of the trip.
The One Room “Apartment”
Currently, we’re staying with family in a guest room while I figure out our new budget, pay moving expenses, and hunt for bunny/3-pet friendly housing. Zoey recognized the place and instantly relaxed. Pete and Tilly are still somewhat adjusting… as they now share a room 24/7… but I’ll get more into that on the bonding thread.
Pete knew this room as a baby, and was quite confused as to why it “shrank.” He’d start leaping like he used to and run face first into walls or furniture because he forgot that he’s bigger now. He also has been doing some hunting…
There are skinks and geckos that run on the siding and the roof outside the room… and apparently he can hear them. He also still thinks he’s a cat. The result? 5am I wake up, not sure why I’m awake.. to see Pete sitting on top of his cage (about 2.5ft tall) staring at the wall. After a moment of his ear twitches, I was about to ask him what he was doing and he leapt. This was not just a bounce, but was akin to someone strapping little thrusters to his feet. He went from sitting like a meerkat, to making one fast leap straight up the wall and clearing the top of the closet door–only missing the ceiling by about an inch before sliding back down and landing between his cage and the wall. Naturally, this got the rest of us to just sit and stare at him a moment, before he got ADD and went on to hunt for something else to do. -
I love my little Pete.. but he keeps you on your toes!
He’s actually been the better behaved of the two, the last couple days… but that doesn’t mean he’s not up to his normal mischief… like jumping up on top of the xbox and hitting buttons while you’re trying to watch something on Netflix. Then when he tries to get down he has no traction so he practically swan-dives to the floor!MB – You’ll have to let me know when you’re working.
My father has been talking about getting some gladiolas soon, and I’m thinking we may make a trip over to meet you then! -
Pete wants his old Routine
As you know, we are currently staying with relatives while we look for a place of our own after a short-notice move.
Pete, Tilly, and Zoey all share a room (and Tilly occasionally gets to go see another slightly cooler temperature room alone because she has a very plush coat and gets warm). It’s been interesting. The poop wars are no longer in full force mine-field mode… but have become very selective to sneaking into the other one’s cage and pooping/peeing. Tilly will poop and pee on Peter’s food, while Pete will poop in her litter and eat her hay.
Then I get to fix it or have to deal with pouting bunnies.For the last week Peter has decided that he’s done with being confined to the room with the girls. He wants to follow me around the house and watch me cook and clean like before. He loves being my shadow, but gets huffy and disappointed whenever he’s not allowed to follow me out of the room. He’s getting sneaky, though! 3 times this past week he’s gotten out into the hallway! I had to protect him from one of the clueless cats and herd him back into the bedroom against his will. My first concern was the cats… then I quickly realized that he has never seen “upstairs” before, and it’s not all together unlikely that he would try to conquer the stairs or jump the railing since his motto seems to be, “Yeah… I can make that jump.”
He’s added a new trick to his pity-regime, as well. He stands on his back legs, front legs drooped down in front of him; and stares up at you. He then steps forward like he’s going to follow you, but when you block his path he hangs his little shoulders a bit and steps backward and just stands there staring up at you like you’ve betrayed him. …Pooooor Peter.
I love my babies… but there’s little reasoning with them.
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Posted By Roberta on 5/12/2015 8:11 AM
Baby barriers on the bannisters will fix that or some of the solid glass panels. Leaping from the top step Superbunny style however cannot be avoided.That is one of the things I was worried about; Super Bunny!
That was one of his favorite games when he was tiny; get up into the windowsill or the bed and go leaping as high and far as possible~~which at that point was only about 1-3 feet… Now he can bound just about from one wall to the other if he has good footing and some forward speed… I can just imagine how far he’d get jumping over railing or smacking into the wall and hitting the landing on the stairs!
I’ll keep the clear panels in mind if we end up with a house with an upstairs; I know where we can get some nice clear plexi-panels if need be.. and they may be a bit safer than glass.
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Kidding. I’ll try and stick it out for the next couple of months.
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