Salt block and drinking more water

[garden lady]

Only once a day? How can you resist?

Very hard, but Lulu seems stressed. I read does hardly go see their babies, but Lulu goes a lot. She thinks she hears a noise and runs back and looks. She does not get upset with me, but when I take them in the house she sits and stares at her door waiting for me to bring them back and usually when I pick them up they are asleep and I get them all stirred up. As soon as my husband got off work he said he had to see them. He has not seen them for 2 days because of work and getting firewood.

 

[ZRabbits]

So glad to hear no babies appeared from Zoup and Sunshine. Definitely the heat worked in your favor. Now you can enjoy getting to know your rabbits without the stress of worrying about more on the way.

Lulu sounds like a very Alert Mom. Good for her. As much as I would want to be with the babies as you do, smart that you are limiting the time right now. As the babies grow, and they grow fast, you'll have more time with them. But what you are doing will definitely help the babies know they are in a safe place other than being with Lulu. I see the benefit of handling kits from Day One. I have 5 that I know were handled (Willard was a rescue so don't know about him) and it was just easy for me to bond with them when I got them. Not skittish at all.

Can't wait to see the new pics of the babies. I bet those ears are growing. Love those big Flemish ears.

Karen

 

[garden lady]

So glad to hear no babies appeared from Zoup and Sunshine. Definitely the heat worked in your favor. Now you can enjoy getting to know your rabbits without the stress of worrying about more on the way.

Lulu sounds like a very Alert Mom. Good for her. As much as I would want to be with the babies as you do, smart that you are limiting the time right now. As the babies grow, and they grow fast, you'll have more time with them. But what you are doing will definitely help the babies know they are in a safe place other than being with Lulu. I see the benefit of handling kits from Day One. I have 5 that I know were handled (Willard was a rescue so don't know about him) and it was just easy for me to bond with them when I got them. Not skittish at all.

Can't wait to see the new pics of the babies. I bet those ears are growing. Love those big Flemish ears.

Karen

They are growing. My daughter wants to name one Willard. She called Lulu Willard until we checked and found she was a female. Today my husband had to put the wire gate up inside the box so that when we open the door they will not fall out. We had to take the babies out and she was locked out of getting into the box. She was stressed. Tomorrow I am going to just pet the babies or talk to them with the door open and pet Lulu too and see how she likes that. I have opened the door and checked and she will be there and I pet her and she is okay with that. Here is the newest picture.

 

[ZRabbits]

Thanks for posting the pic. They are absolutely sweet. Just love all the mixture of colors in their fur. Poor Lulu, think it is wise just to pet her and the babies and talk to all of them. She's definitely a Mom on a Mission, good for her. In a couple of weeks, Lulu will have felt she's completed her mission and won't be so stressed not seeing the babies.

BTW, since reading this thread, I've been watching Fawkes. The one thing I noticed is that he does clean his front and rear paws all the time. Maybe it's something the breed (Flemish) does? Not chiggers or fleas? Just a thought.

How are the others doing?

Karen

 

[garden lady]

Thanks for posting the pic. They are absolutely sweet. Just love all the mixture of colors in their fur. Poor Lulu, think it is wise just to pet her and the babies and talk to all of them. She's definitely a Mom on a Mission, good for her. In a couple of weeks, Lulu will have felt she's completed her mission and won't be so stressed not seeing the babies.

BTW, since reading this thread, I've been watching Fawkes. The one thing I noticed is that he does clean his front and rear paws all the time. Maybe it's something the breed (Flemish) does? Not chiggers or fleas? Just a thought.

How are the others doing?

Karen

She is an excellent mother. She covers them up at night and then when warmer she uncovers then. She just fusses over them. If she hears a dog bark or loud noise she goes and looks through the hole and sits and listens. She is very sweet and on the smaller size. I agree about the grooming. All of them clean their feet like you said. Whatever Zoup was doing she has stopped. I even wonder if she was thinking or wanting to have babies since she did have the litter that died and then knows Lulu has babies. Lulu is next to Zoup. I did see Zoup the first couple of days go back and kind of listen and looked so funny, come back and look at me like, did you hear that? Really, I had hoped if one of them did have babies it would have been Zoup since the other 2 are young. All of them are doing great other than this water thing with Snickers. I will put the apple cider vinegar in his water and see. I used to wonder about them when they were running loose. It would be so hot and I would go and put fresh water and nobody would come get any. Food yes, but water they showed no interest in it.

 

[ZRabbits]

Thanks for posting the pic. They are absolutely sweet. Just love all the mixture of colors in their fur. Poor Lulu, think it is wise just to pet her and the babies and talk to all of them. She's definitely a Mom on a Mission, good for her. In a couple of weeks, Lulu will have felt she's completed her mission and won't be so stressed not seeing the babies.

BTW, since reading this thread, I've been watching Fawkes. The one thing I noticed is that he does clean his front and rear paws all the time. Maybe it's something the breed (Flemish) does? Not chiggers or fleas? Just a thought.

How are the others doing?

Karen

She is an excellent mother. She covers them up at night and then when warmer she uncovers then. She just fusses over them. If she hears a dog bark or loud noise she goes and looks through the hole and sits and listens. She is very sweet and on the smaller size. I agree about the grooming. All of them clean their feet like you said. Whatever Zoup was doing she has stopped. I even wonder if she was thinking or wanting to have babies since she did have the litter that died and then knows Lulu has babies. Lulu is next to Zoup. I did see Zoup the first couple of days go back and kind of listen and looked so funny, come back and look at me like, did you hear that? Really, I had hoped if one of them did have babies it would have been Zoup since the other 2 are young. All of them are doing great other than this water thing with Snickers. I will put the apple cider vinegar in his water and see. I used to wonder about them when they were running loose. It would be so hot and I would go and put fresh water and nobody would come get any. Food yes, but water they showed no interest in it.

Snickers could just be a "water bottle" type bunny. Regarding wild rabbits here, I've only seen them drink (husband makes sure they had water) on the hottest days here when the grass was like straw. I think the greens give them the water needed. I know the urine output on my rabbits when given greens is more. And their water intake from the crock is less.

Karen

 

[garden lady]

Snickers could just be a "water bottle" type bunny. Regarding wild rabbits here, I've only seen them drink (husband makes sure they had water) on the hottest days here when the grass was like straw. I think the greens give them the water needed. I know the urine output on my rabbits when given greens is more. And their water intake from the crock is less.

Karen

I think he does like his water bottle, even though he has only had it for a little over a month of his life. My outdoor/indoor cat likes to drink from mud puddles. He will come inside to eat, but unless it is winter and everything is froze outside, he refuses to drink water in a bowl. He drinks from puddles where it rains or from me watering the garden. I usually have a bowl under the water faucet outside that the hose drips into and the bowl usually has dirt it in and so muddy water and the cat just drinks away. I even read where if you want to have water for butterflies to put a bowl of water with a rock in it and have dirt and gravel in the water, so Snickers got some muddy water today. :lol: My husband saw him drinking some, but I am going to take it out. I do agree he is getting moisture from his food and I had cut back on their vegetables and fruit some after the crab apples were all gone, but I got some different apples and gave a couple of slices and back to the same amount of other vegetables and greens. His poop looked normal today.

 

[Piper]

nice healthy popples!

 

[ZRabbits]

Snickers could just be a "water bottle" type bunny. Regarding wild rabbits here, I've only seen them drink (husband makes sure they had water) on the hottest days here when the grass was like straw. I think the greens give them the water needed. I know the urine output on my rabbits when given greens is more. And their water intake from the crock is less.

Karen

I think he does like his water bottle, even though he has only had it for a little over a month of his life. My outdoor/indoor cat likes to drink from mud puddles. He will come inside to eat, but unless it is winter and everything is froze outside, he refuses to drink water in a bowl. He drinks from puddles where it rains or from me watering the garden. I usually have a bowl under the water faucet outside that the hose drips into and the bowl usually has dirt it in and so muddy water and the cat just drinks away. I even read where if you want to have water for butterflies to put a bowl of water with a rock in it and have dirt and gravel in the water, so Snickers got some muddy water today. :lol: My husband saw him drinking some, but I am going to take it out. I do agree he is getting moisture from his food and I had cut back on their vegetables and fruit some after the crab apples were all gone, but I got some different apples and gave a couple of slices and back to the same amount of other vegetables and greens. His poop looked normal today.[/quote]

So glad to hear about normal poop for Snickers. One thing I learned from having rabbits, poop does tell all. And what you need to do to keep "normal" poop going. Plus, though you might have 5 of the same type of rabbits, they all are different. It will be interesting to hear about the personalities of the 5 litter mates. What they like and dislike. Their personalities. I think that has been the most fun part of having rabbits. They do have different personalities.

Karen

 

[garden lady]

It will be interesting to hear about the personalities of the 5 litter mates. What they like and dislike. Their personalities. I think that has been the most fun part of having rabbits. They do have different personalities.

Karen

I need to take pictures of them out of the hutch. They are really changing. I would love to tell about them. Zoup, she is not a littermate, but a year older. Zoup had littermates and I saw them in the spring running around and by fall they were huge. They lived with some chickens. Zoup would come over with her littermates and play in the yard and go home. I never saw her very often during the winter, but one by one the chickens died. Spring came and 1 hen was left and Zoup and all her littermates were alive. The man said he was going to get rid of them because they were chewing everything up, so he gave them away, but Zoup was over here and missed the ride and she went home and he caught her and she had 9 babies on the wire and they died. Then, he felt sorry for her, so that is how he got the other 4. He went to where he got Zoup and got the 4 when very small. I doubt they were weaned. He felt sorry for the hen and got a couple more. Zoup stayed in the hutch with the 4 from early spring until May. Then, they were turned loose and his wife said Zoup was mean and they did not want her. She would growl and try to bite, so I was scared of Zoup and the new people said she bit their son. He chased them and was shooting them with a water pistol and probably cornered her. Zoup was the leader when they were loose. I used to watch the younger ones follow her, so they started the same route she had, which was good because safe areas. I saw her chase the other rabbits away from her food. I never worried about catching her because she was always around and close by. After she was caught she did a lot of grunting and do not try to pet or do anything fast when feeding, but one day she came to the door and just flopped down and now she is just the sweetest thing I ever saw. She loves to be petted and groomed. She knows her name and wants to be baby talked.
Sunshine is growing. She is calm and likes to be petted. She plays. She really does not pay much attention to Lulu who is next to her. She was probably the shyest of the bunch at first, but now is right there when you open the door, but she will not come if a stranger is there.
Lulu was the friendliest and happiest rabbit. She loves attention. She looks like she pouts when you pet the others. She wants to rub noses. I was holding her some before the babies were born. She has an attitude right now with the babies. She thumped LOUD for her oatmeal this morning.
Cream has a lot of personality. I think both males are funny. They play more and with each other. Snickers is on the other side of Cream. Cream will push your hand to pet him. He seems really the happiest to be in a hutch. He looks like he never wants to leave. He is in his own little world. He looks like Sunshine and he also backs away if strangers come towards the hutch.
Snickersis all male. I saw him marking the pen where they used to be. After Cream and Zoup were caught he was the leader. He chinned all over the place. I think it might be when Lulu was bred. This was a day before Snickers was caught. He only had 1 day of being the leader. lol He seems like the one that would like to leave the hutch and have his freedom, but only at night. He seems almost like he is trying to get out, probably why he is so tired during the day and does his flopping over. His face is getting wide. He also pushes your hand to be petted and today stood up on his hind legs and put his feet on my chest and was looking at my face. I can see them changing in their looks, but also their personalities, very much they want attention. We are still trying to figure the best hutch and I want them to have an exercise area. I cannot believe they are so friendly when they had hardly any handling.

 

[ZRabbits]

Your bunch sounds lovely! You sound like me, totally enamored with your tribe. It is amazing how these big bunnies look for attention. Can see why some are more cautious with strangers, but so glad to see that they come to you when you are out there. They are finding out there is someone out there with their best interest at heart.

Hope you keep us updated on your Tribe. Loved reading about them. Also can't wait to see how Lulu's babies grow and hear about their individual personalities.

Look forward to hearing about possible ideas of a hutch/exercise area. Something else these big bunnies need. And it allows them to strengthen the bone, tendons and muscles. Plus great mental stimulation.

Karen

 

[garden lady]

Your bunch sounds lovely! You sound like me, totally enamored with your tribe. It is amazing how these big bunnies look for attention. Can see why some are more cautious with strangers, but so glad to see that they come to you when you are out there. They are finding out there is someone out there with their best interest at heart.

Hope you keep us updated on your Tribe. Loved reading about them. Also can't wait to see how Lulu's babies grow and hear about their individual personalities.

Look forward to hearing about possible ideas of a hutch/exercise area. Something else these big bunnies need. And it allows them to strengthen the bone, tendons and muscles. Plus great mental stimulation.

Karen

I have to remember rabbits are not dogs or cats. When they were loose all they did was eat. lol I am trying to think, what does a rabbit want? They were either in the shade staying cool and resting or as soon as it cooled off they were eating. It looks like they are hopping around having fun, but they are looking for food. I read somewhere rabbits do not like to be picked up, so it is not just that mine never were picked up, but something they do not like. Right now I can hardly type because I have a giant flame point cat named Blinky sleeping on me and he loves to be carried. I have noticed that if someone comes over like my brother and we are outside talking, laughing the rabbits are at their door and relaxed, washing ears and eating, but if my brother or even a strange woman comes to their door to pet them they go back, but they have learned who my 2 kids are and my husband, so they will take to other people. I want to plant more shade plants and cover so that when they do have a pen they will have shade, but some sun and different things to nibble on. I think exercise does help them grow and even though mine were in a hutch that was too small, they did have months of running free and I noticed today they are not that small and I might be wrong about them being stunted. I probably should weigh them.

 

[ZRabbits]

Your bunch sounds lovely! You sound like me, totally enamored with your tribe. It is amazing how these big bunnies look for attention. Can see why some are more cautious with strangers, but so glad to see that they come to you when you are out there. They are finding out there is someone out there with their best interest at heart.

Hope you keep us updated on your Tribe. Loved reading about them. Also can't wait to see how Lulu's babies grow and hear about their individual personalities.

Look forward to hearing about possible ideas of a hutch/exercise area. Something else these big bunnies need. And it allows them to strengthen the bone, tendons and muscles. Plus great mental stimulation.

Karen

I have to remember rabbits are not dogs or cats. When they were loose all they did was eat. lol I am trying to think, what does a rabbit want? They were either in the shade staying cool and resting or as soon as it cooled off they were eating. It looks like they are hopping around having fun, but they are looking for food. I read somewhere rabbits do not like to be picked up, so it is not just that mine never were picked up, but something they do not like. Right now I can hardly type because I have a giant flame point cat named Blinky sleeping on me and he loves to be carried. I have noticed that if someone comes over like my brother and we are outside talking, laughing the rabbits are at their door and relaxed, washing ears and eating, but if my brother or even a strange woman comes to their door to pet them they go back, but they have learned who my 2 kids are and my husband, so they will take to other people. I want to plant more shade plants and cover so that when they do have a pen they will have shade, but some sun and different things to nibble on. I think exercise does help them grow and even though mine were in a hutch that was too small, they did have months of running free and I noticed today they are not that small and I might be wrong about them being stunted. I probably should weigh them.

Definitely not a dog or a cat. Just a big bunny that loves human attention. And rabbits need to eat constantly because of their digestive system.

Definitely rabbits hate to be picked up. Fawkes is learning but not happy to be off his feet. I need to handle him to be able to groom and cut his nails. So much different handling this big, and getting powerful bunny, so lots of practice.

In our outside bunny run, I planted wheat grass and clover. The bunnies loved it. You could really make a nice place for them if you planted stuff that is "rabbit friendly". Just watch. We have plans for Fawkes to have the full run in the backyard, not just the bunny run we built for the little ones. I have to pull all my impatiens because they are toxic to rabbits. So next Spring, I think I'll be planting things like dandelions, rosemary, more clover where my impatiens where.

Karen

 

[garden lady]

In our outside bunny run, I planted wheat grass and clover. The bunnies loved it. You could really make a nice place for them if you planted stuff that is "rabbit friendly". Just watch. We have plans for Fawkes to have the full run in the backyard, not just the bunny run we built for the little ones. I have to pull all my impatiens because they are toxic to rabbits. So next Spring, I think I'll be planting things like dandelions, rosemary, more clover where my impatiens where.

Karen

This could be the most interesting topic. I have a lot of things already. Dandelions front and back, clover, weeds, thyme, sage, mint, lavender, oregano, comfrey, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. I also have bad things like rhubarb and foxglove. When they ran loose they never touched it and I am not sure what else is bad out there. Here is something that did happen. :x I saw the woman pulling up rhubarb from her plant and it grows on their fence and the leaves stuck through the wire and they could have ate it if they wanted, but she pulled it up with leaves and threw it over the fence to the rabbits and chickens. I hurried over and told her they cannot eat the leaves. She looked at me like I was nuts and said it never made them sick before. What could I say? I really figured I would see them dying in a bit. They ate all of it, leaves and all and all lived. Not that I would ever give my rabbits or anything rhubarb leaves or even rhubarb, and it might show up later that these rabbits have health problems, but they seemed to think also the answer to every rabbit and chicken's prayer was potatoes. Just threw out there whole potatoes for them to eat. When the rabbits were loose they never ate a potato plant, tomato plant or even the tomatoes. They would go in the garden and eat young cabbage, broccoli or squash plants. After the plants got bigger they never really went in the garden. They were eating grass and weeds. Last winter I saw Zoup and her littermates in my herb garden eating something. We had a lot of snow and the thyme and sage stuck out of the snow, so it might have been that they were eating, and also hollyhock leaves. They also sat under the raspberries and ate leaves. They would sit under the crab apple tree and eat apples. When I decide what I am going to plant I will post. I know I am going to plant mini pumpkins on lattice for them. I have a lot of kale right now.

 

[Piper]

During the depression - potatos, garden extras, table scraps and more was used as feed. Rabbits will have slower growth, when on natural feed, but (it can be possible that) the natural feed may lead to healthier rabbits. Rabbits and Guinea Pigs can eat the same foods, so you may find more about feeds/foods by researching guinea pigs and developing countries - like Africa (especially villiges displace by fighting, right before harvests) and Peru - rabbits and guinea pigs are an important source of protien.
http://world-rabbit-science.com/Develop ... roject.htm
"The animals will eat almost anything, including table scraps, leftovers from sugar cane harvests, various kinds of grass, and other local flora such as groundnut and sweet potato vines. Dried cassava provides good bulk for their diet, and brewer's mash, left as a residue from millet beer and formerly discarded as useless, furnishes an excellent source of protein.
http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/vita/rabb ... abbits.htm
http://ilriclippings.wordpress.com/2012 ... -cameroon/

 

[garden lady]

During the depression - potatos, garden extras, table scraps and more was used as feed. Rabbits will have slower growth, when on natural feed, but (it can be possible that) the natural feed may lead to healthier rabbits. Rabbits and Guinea Pigs can eat the same foods, so you may find more about feeds/foods by researching guinea pigs and developing countries - like Africa (especially villiges displace by fighting, right before harvests) and Peru - rabbits and guinea pigs are an important source of protien.
http://world-rabbit-science.com/Develop ... roject.htm
"The animals will eat almost anything, including table scraps, leftovers from sugar cane harvests, various kinds of grass, and other local flora such as groundnut and sweet potato vines. Dried cassava provides good bulk for their diet, and brewer's mash, left as a residue from millet beer and formerly discarded as useless, furnishes an excellent source of protein.
http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/vita/rabb ... abbits.htm
http://ilriclippings.wordpress.com/2012 ... -cameroon/

My parents lived through the Depression. My mother's family seemed to do fine. They had a cow, chickens and garden. My dad's family hunted and seemed like they were always hungry. I have no idea why they did not raise meat rabbits instead of going hunting and shooting rabbits. I have read that it was common in the past for rabbits to be in backyards. Kids gathered weeds for them. They were fed boiled potatoes and boiled squash in the winter.

 

[Piper]

after the depression, America went through a phase, where city folk were not suppose to compete with farmers.
- I intend to have a garden, but I have never, even, put a seed in the ground - I have had house plants and have bought about 20 tomato plants and herbs, but to actually grow from seed! Am still researching (and figuring) how to sprout grains for my rabbits and chickens. It is a bit overwelling for me, because I will have to have the sprout trays in the living room, so they do not freeze in the winter.
- I do have a push (reel) mower, and feed the green stuff to the chickens and rabbits, they love it!
- The wheel is turning, with chickens and rabbits in backyards. People are becoming intrested in their food, myself included!
Guess I need to learn how to grow (not just sweet potatoes but) regular potatoes, too.

 

[garden lady]

after the depression, America went through a phase, where city folk were not suppose to compete with farmers.
- I intend to have a garden, but I have never, even, put a seed in the ground - I have had house plants and have bought about 20 tomato plants and herbs, but to actually grow from seed! Am still researching (and figuring) how to sprout grains for my rabbits and chickens. It is a bit overwelling for me, because I will have to have the sprout trays in the living room, so they do not freeze in the winter.
- I do have a push (reel) mower, and feed the green stuff to the chickens and rabbits, they love it!
- The wheel is turning, with chickens and rabbits in backyards. People are becoming intrested in their food, myself included!
Guess I need to learn how to grow (not just sweet potatoes but) regular potatoes, too.

A lot of people here have chickens now. I did start growing my tomato plants from seed and a lot of others. I am going to expand more and more, but one year I saw a greenhouse in Walmart. It has shelves and a plastic covering. You can get a tray that holds 50 peat pots and turn them where you put 3 trays on a shelf. It has 4 shelves and you can start 600 seedlings. I transplant into bigger pos and then I have a room that I have grow lights and I put them in there and start more seedlings. This year most of my tomato plants were started from seed, all my peppers, cabbage, broccoli, kale, some of the squash, but the rest started in the ground. I start flowers and herbs from seed. I go nuts over seed catalogs. I saw a HUGE difference this year when I used worm castings starting my seedlings. I saved my small potatoes from the year before and they sprouted and I had potatoes planted all over the place.

 

[Piper]

I contantly have those spidery looking webs take over (most) of my indoor plants.

 

[3mina]

A spray bottle with a few drops of dish soap in the water will take care of those bugs