Why You Should #ChooseChocolate This Easter // Keeping Your Bunny Happy

Regarding the Secret Life of Rabbits

So you're thinking about getting a bunny this Easter? Easter and bunnies go hand in hand, it seems like a no brainer, right? Wrong. The decision to get a bunny is a big one, despite what many pet shops, books and websites will tell you, bunnies are not simple starter pets, they are exotic animals that need a lot of specialised care. This series of posts will take you through the basics of feeding, housing, heath care, happiness and cost to help you decide if buying a bunny is really the right choice for you.

Keeping your bunny happy 

Bonding

Bunnies are social animals who require companionship to be happy, you can achieve this in different ways. A bunny can bond with you if they are free range in your house and you are home a lot of the time, if you choose to keep your bunny in a playpen, if you work or spend a lot of time outside the house or if you don’t have the time to sit and play with your bunny for hours out of the day you will want to consider getting two bunnies. Bunnies pair bond, meaning they will form a very strong bond with their partner, however bonding bunnies is not always the easiest task. Just like humans and other animals some bunnies will have personality clashes and won’t get on. So, how can you ensure you will get a pair of bunnies to bond? Firstly, you could try adopting a pair of bunnies who are already bonded, this ensures they are already suited to each other and makes it possible for them to stay together. Secondly, ensure your bunny has been spayed or neutered, it is easier to bond bunnies without all of those hormones getting in the way, it is usually easier to bond male and female pairs however it is very important that both bunnies have been de-sexed before you begin or else you will end up with unwanted babies. It is not impossible to bond same sex pairs but a little extra patience is often needed and you need to ensure you are trying to bond complimenting personality types. Thirdly, you could try bunny ‘speed dating’ some shelters will allow you to bring your bunny in and meet prospective friends before you adopt one, if you are adopting two at the same time your shelter should be able to help you pick a pair who get along and give you tips on the bonding process. If you are bonding your bunnies at home, by yourself, you need to ensure your bunnies are never left alone together during the bonding process and that you have learnt the signs of stress and aggression in bunnies, if a fight were to break out bunnies are very capable of doing serious damage to each other. The House Rabbit Society has some excellent guidelines and tips to help you ensure your bunnies are safe and happy during the bonding process.  

Toys

Bunnies are very intelligent and active creatures, they need lots of exercise and toys to keep their minds active. This is particularly important if you decide to keep your bunny in a smaller area such as a playpen. One thing you can do is to regularly rearrange your bunnies’ playpen as this gives them a chance to explore the area and keep their mind sharp and active.

Treat dispensing toy from MoSuKi

Treat and puzzle toys such as these ones from MoSuKi are excellent as they keep your bunnies mind occupied as they learn how to get treats out, other good toys include hard plastic cat toys and baby toys such as balls, stacking cups and some teething toys. Make sure all toys are inspected regularly and that your bunny can’t chew parts off and swallow them, hard plastic or safe woods are a good option.

Homemade Toys

There are also many good options for cheap, homemade toys, Bunnies love cardboard boxes that they can chew on and sit in, you can also give them old toilet roll tubes either stuffed with hay and a few treats for them to find or empty for them to chew on and throw around. Just make sure that any boxes you give them are free from staples and toxic glues. If your bunny loves rearranging their house then they might like a digging box – find a box and fill it with shredded paper for them to dig in and rearrange to their hearts content. If you are stuck for ideas I have found heaps of great options on Pinterest, you can check out my board here or search up plenty of ideas yourself.  

A great article with suggested home made toys for bunnies here

Check back next week for a run down on bunny health care.  

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Life Lately // Life is Actually Pretty Good

Breakfast in the Barossa after a 6am wake up to get my car serviced 

Our lives are filled with Pinterest perfect images and the perfectly coordinated tones of Instagram, the curated lives of bloggers and the perfect shot posted to social media - it's enough to get you down! You find yourself wondering why your life isn't as pretty, perfect or well lit as all those online but, of course, neither are those shining example we find and greedily pin to our virtual pin boards. They are but a snap shot, a perfectly curated part of someones life, after all, who uploads a photo when they are sick in bed or when the dishes haven't been done in a few crazy day or you continuously seem to forget to bring the broom home from the other house (just me? ok then!)

A sneak peek at my new house with all it's red bench tops and faux wood panelling - definitely not Pinterest material!

These thoughts have been whizzing around my head a lot lately and, while I don't tend to document this stuff on my blog, I though this topic was maybe one I needed to write down and put out there. How do you write a lifestyle blog if you don't do anything interesting? I kept asking myself that and putting off posting until I did something 'blog worthy' but, of course, that's the wrong approach - my lifestyle blog should showcase my life and actually, my life ain't half bad right now!  

The hallway! A full 'before' house tour to follow - watch this space!

People who know me IRL know that I'm a bit of control freak (this is where I lose people because they are laughing so hard at the understatement of the year!) - I have to do everything myself because, in my mind, I'm the only person who can do it 'right,' most of this stems from my need to prove that, actually, I am very capable and I don't need someone else to tell me how to do things. This mentality has both been great, because I learn new skills and have become very capable in many different areas, and really stressful, because I need to do it all myself and really hate people helping - unless they are prepared to default to my clearly superior (read the sarcasm) way of doing things (i.e. letting me be the queen of my castle - and not always a nice one at that!) All that to say - sometimes I stress a lot, sometimes I need to step back and remind myself that life isn't always a perfectly curated Instagram feed, sometimes I need to remember that even if my life isn't picture perfect it can still be pretty damn great! So today I'm grateful my house is a mess because moving to my new home is taking precedent over cleaning; I'm grateful for coffee on the go because I don't have time for a relaxing cup of tea; I'm grateful for all those people who are still offering help despite my exacting standards and I'm grateful for you - whoever you are, reading this blog, being a part of my life in any way - thank you!

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Why You Should #ChooseChocolate This Easter // Housing Bunnies

A hutch is not enough - Regarding the Secret Life of Rabbits

So you're thinking about getting a bunny this Easter? Easter and bunnies go hand in hand, it seems like a no brainer, right? Wrong. The decision to get a bunny is a big one, despite what many pet shops, books and websites will tell you, bunnies are not simple starter pets, they are exotic animals that need a lot of specialised care. This series of posts will take you through the basics of feeding, housing, heath care, happiness and cost to help you decide if buying a bunny is really the right choice for you.

Housing

Bunnies are very active animals and require large areas to run around in to keep them healthy and happy. Many pet shops sell small hutches that don't even come close to giving your bunny the space he or she will need.

Where

The safest location to keep bunnies is inside the house, this protects them from predators, extreme weather, parasites and various diseases. In Australia we do not have access to vaccines for some of the terminal illnesses bunnies can contract, such as Myxomatosis and some strains of calicivirus, keeping your bunny inside away from flies, mosquitos and other insects can help protect them from these deadly diseases. 

Bunnies are also very social animals who thrive on the company of the people around them, there is nothing a bunny loves more than being in the middle of everything thats going on (except maybe bananas!)   

How Much Space

Bunnies make excellent house pets and can be kept as either free range pets, just as you would keep a house cat, or in playpens during times when they can't be supervised. I, personally, have chosen to keep my bunnies in playpens overnight and while I'm not home - this is a good solution if you have other animals, children or multiple pairs/groups of bunnies, it enables them to have their own space and keep all the bunnies things in one location. While playpens are a great home base for bunnies it is not enough space for the bunnies, like a dog needs more exercise than a yard a bunny needs more exercise than a play pen can provide. To give your bunny the exercise it requires you need to give it 'floor time.' Giving your bunny time to explore your house, either free range or a few restricted rooms, gives it the exercise it needs.

So, how much space is enough space? The House Rabbit Society recommends no less than 8 square feet (a little under 1 square meter) for your bunnies playpen with at least 5 hours of exercise in an area of at least 24 square feet (about 2 1/2 square meters). Bare in mind that this is a minimum and is by no means an ideal, the larger the area you have for your bunny the happier it will be.

Cleaning up

Cleaning day - Regarding the Secret Life of Rabbits

Bunnies can be litter trained to make suitable house pets, however it is not aways a simple task, The House Rabbit Society has an excellent guide to help you though this. Toileting habits aside bunnies can still create mess, like any other animals, they require food, water and toys. Bunnies eat constantly and need to have access to fresh hay at all times, this can result in hay litter around the house as well as fur and the occasional offering of droppings. The advantage of a playpen as a home base does keep all of this in one place but it will still require daily cleaning. 

This is just a run down of the very basics - for more information check out The House Rabbit Society or the Rabbit Welfare Association. Check back next week for a rundown on keeping your bunny happy.   

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10 things that made me happy this week

There has been a lot of happy and a lot of busy in the past two weeks since our house finally settled! It's great being homeowners but also really hectic as we had such short notice of settlement that we had to madly clean the place and prepare to move in. Some work still needs to be done before we can move in but we are in full swing packing and preparing for the final moving day! During this crazy busy time looking for the little happy things has been extra important, here's what made the cut this week:

1. A couple of easy days at work - extra appreciated in this busy time.
2. Finding and watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Netflix.
3. Finally finding someone to put fences up at our new house.
4. Leftover roast lamb for 3 days - easy, no fuss meals are the best!
5. Getting around to making a Facebook page for this little blog - follow me here
6. Ticking off another book from my reading goal - 10 down, 40 to go!
7. Having an electric kettle at both houses so a hot cup of tea is always within easy reach.
8. This dress being back in stock at Modcloth.
9. My own version of a ploughman's plate for dinner - crusty bread, sharp cheddar, crisp apple and chunks of mettwurst, yum!
10. Broadchurch being back on TV for its final season.  

*** Happy sharing inspired by Rosie ***

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Why You Should #ChooseChocolate This Easter // Feeding Bunnies

From Regarding The Secret Life of Rabbits Choose Chocolate Campaign 

So you're thinking about getting a bunny this Easter? Easter and bunnies go hand in hand, it seems like a no brainer, right? Wrong. The decision to get a bunny is a big one, despite what many pet shops, books and websites will tell you, bunnies are not simple starter pets, they are exotic animals that need a lot of specialised care. This series of posts will take you through the basics of feeding, housing, heath care, happiness and cost to help you decide if buying a bunny is really the right choice for you.

Feeding

Bunnies have very complex gastrointestinal systems and feeding your bunny the wrong diet can lead to illness and early death, once a bunny is sick it can die within 24 hours of the problem occurring. An appropriate, balanced diet is imperative for ensuring your bunny stays healthy and happy for years to come.

Hay

A good quality grass hay should make up the bulk of your bunnies diet - good quality hay should be sweet smelling and dust free. Hay can be found in some pet stores, fodder stores and through online suppliers. Hay is important to keep bunnies occupied and to help wear their teeth down as well as providing them with important fibre and nutrition. 

source

Pellets

While pellets are not necessary for a well balanced diet they can ensure you are providing your bunny with all the nutrients that they need. The important thing to remember with pellets is that they are a supplement food and should be fed in limited quantities and should never be free fed. It's imperative that you choose the type of pellets that you feed carefully, many brands that you can buy from pet shops contain cheap grains and additives which are bad for your bunnies health, muesli feeds should also be avoided to ensure your bunny is getting all the correct nutrition and not just picking the foods they like best. Brands such as Oxbow or Burgess are a good bet for a well balanced pellet. 

Greens

It is important that bunnies get a variety of leafy green vegetables daily, the usual recommendation is around one cup of greens for each kilogram of body weight. It's important to give your bunnies at least three different varieties of different types of greens a day to ensure they are getting all the nutrition that they need. Another concern with leafy greens is the oxalic acid content of the greens you are feeding, greens with a high oxalic acid content should be limited to ensure your bunnies aren't getting to much. The House Rabbit Society has a really good list of greens to feed and whether they have high or low oxalic acid content. The Rabbit Welfare Association also has some great fact sheets with safe foods to feed your bunny and diet tips. 

Treats 

Bunnies love treats but, like humans, too much of a good thing can cause problems. Fruits and vegetables with a high sugar content can be used as a tasty treat to help you train and bond with your bunny but they should be limited to 1 teaspoon per kilogram per day. Again, The House Rabbit Society has an excellent list of suitable fruits and vegetables. Oxbow also has an excellent range of treats designed specially for rabbits.  

I hope this gives you an idea of the complexities of feeding a bunny, check back here next week for an overview on the ins and outs of appropriate bunny housing.

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