Bam was having problems with loose stools. It was a continuous problem but after finding out a little more about his diet, Kelly and Kevin made some slow changes and now Bam is healthy and back to normal. They made a couple of important changes - more hay in his diet (not alfalfa, but a mixture of timothy hays, grass hays, oat hays etc.) and they slowly switched him to a plain timothy based pellet from a brand that had all those little treats in them like pineapple, seeds, nuts, etc. Although Bam is not really happy with the plain pellets (he misses the sugary, fattening treats), he is eating them and now has firm healthy poops and is back to his normal self. It is good to remember that bunnies should not have too many treats, especially as many as were in Bam’s old pellets. Treats are to be given once or twice a day in small amounts. Of course a bunny is going to want more of them, it’s like a kid that wants to eat candy all day. A little education on bunny health and a little discipline on the part of the bunny’s companions will go a long way in saving on costly vet bills and the emotional trauma of caring for a sick bunny.

Here is a link to other bunny diet suggestions which will help keep your bunny on a path to a long healthy life….

Bam

We have been long anticipating this new book by Lucile C. Moore and Kathy Smith and it is now available!

When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care is an illustrated guide to the care and behavior of rabbits with special needs. This book provides information on topics as diverse as how to administer subcutaneous fluids to how sounds and color help promote healing.

This book includes quotes from top rabbit veterinarians, alternative healing practitioners, as well as useful tips from rabbit owners who have had experience in dealing with particular medical conditions. The text is illustrated with both photographs and drawings, making it easy for readers to follow.

Authors Lucile C. Moore and Kathy Smith provide owners of special-needs rabbits with information on basic care, pain control, digestive system problems, chronic illnesses, physically challenged rabbits, progressive disabilities causing mobility problems, dental care, elderbuns, and emotional issues. 456 pages, 6 x 9 inches (15.24 x 22.86 cm), paperback.

This article was written by our friend from 24 Carrot Lane, Tania Fardella:

Cute Bunny, Big Responsibility

Think twice before bringing home a live Easter rabbit

By Tania Fardella

Sweet precious faces, deep soulful eyes, unimaginably soft fur: If you’ve ever happened past a pet shop window and been charmed by the enclosure filled with adorable baby bunnies, and envisioned what a perfect Easter gift one of these enchanting creatures would make for your child, think again. It is imperative to know that there is much more to properly caring for a rabbit than meets the eye, and that, contrary to popular belief, rabbits are not necessarily suitable pets for children, and are definitely not good “starter pets.”

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I know this starts off negatively, but bear with me - I end on a happier note.

One of our customers asked a question about oyster shells and calcium. Her bunny and chicken like to hang out together. The bunny likes to lounge under the chicken’s heat lamp and nibble at the chicken’s oyster shells. Lisa was asked if oyster shells are bad for rabbits.

After a wee bit of research we found that not only do shells and bones have very high levels of calcium they can also have high levels of lead. Too much calcium can cause kidney problems, urinary problems and sludge for bunnies. We did not find any specific information regarding bunnies and lead, but lead is a toxic heavy metal that accumulates in the body so it can’t be good. The lead concentration in human supplements should always be less than 2 parts per million, so for bunnies it should be lower still.

The ASPCA recently posted an article on their website regarding Mistletoe. The berries, leaves and stems are toxic. When I was in the Boy Scouts many years ago, they taught us, “Berries white; Poisonous sight.” If you decorate with mistletoe, use caution.

As I am typing this, I am listening to Barenaked for the Holidays by The Barenaked Ladies. Lisa and I love this album - I bought it through iTunes because I am a 21st Century Digital Boy.

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and/or Joyous Yule. We will be taking some time off and will be back to work January 2, 2008. See you next year!

We received the following question and thought we would share it:

I heard Pine and Cedar produce fumes that can be fatal to rabbits, is this only for pine and cedar litter? I am planning on building a play/hiding structure, any suggestions on what wood would be best to use? Is there something that I should look for particularly in the types of wood? Which woods are poisonous to rabbits?

The short answer is, “We don’t know for certain.”

I did a lot of searching in Google as well as several House Rabbit forums. Based on what I read, cedar and pine shavings are a risk due to inhalation of fumes. I recall reading that oily hardwoods like redwood and mahogany are dangerous - the House Rabbit Handbook specifically states that redwood is toxic (page 27 of third edition). Oily or wet woods should be avoided, and treated woods should never be used. Splintery (is that really a word?) wood could be bad and most glues contain nasty ingredients. There are several non-toxic, FDA approved wood glues available.

I found two very good lists of toxic plants - this one from the Sacramento House Rabbit Society and this one from the Rabbit Advocates.

Based on all of this, we would use pine or maple (pine is less expensive but maple is harder and may last longer) and would use non-toxic glue and dowels to hold the structure together.

Candy and Eddie are envious; it sounds as if this structure will be much nicer than their area.