Bugsy

Pears
While residing here in California, I've experienced a rather peculiar phenomena---I have been randomly crossing paths with animals that needed to be rescued. To date, I have rescued: A ferret (yes, like those cool creatures in the movie, The Beastmaster), a long-haired Chihuahua, a short-haired Chihuahua and now...a rabbit! On a side note, I've also fed a stray Pit Bull for a couple of months that randomly walked with me and Sky everyday (until the humane society caught her), and I've fed a family of stray dogs that were living in a church parking lot. Imagine if I owned a huge chunk of land, I would house all the animals and have the biggest, most random habitat ever!

Here is Sonic, the ferret.


About five nights ago, I happened to spot two white rabbits hopping around while I was walking with Sky at the park. And after taking a closer look, I noticed that they were the domesticated kind (one was skittish, the other was pretty chill). Unfortunately, I could not find the skittish rabbit after the first night so I quickly decided to rescue the poor bunny that got left behind before Bambi and friends the stray cats or hawks get to it first. Aside from the fact that I totally looked like a looney Asian (oh, the redundancy) crouching and talking to some random bushes for 30 minutes AT THE PARK---AT NIGHT, the rescue was successful.

Anyway, I sought for help and wisdom from my friend named Google and it looks like my new furry friend is a Lionhead Rabbit. Believe me, I was THIS close to calling it MUFASA...THIS close. Nah, let's just call it Bugsy, 'coz it looks like a Bugsy, doesn't it? I was curious to check out the sex of Bugsy too but once I found out that I had to flip over the bunny and tinker around its genitals, I'm gonna have to pass. No thanks, let's just call Bugsy an IT...a he-she. I ain't going near a bunny's genitals, is what I'm sayin'.

MEET BUGSY!


I don't really know anything about taking care of bunnies but I had to at least figure out the essentials, so I went to PetSmart and had an associate help me pick out the basic stuff that I needed for Bugsy.

Cage/Habitat  Rabbits need a good amount of space to hop around, so I got the All Living Things rabbit home to ensure that Bugsy won't feel squished inside his new home. The price was a bit steep at $104.99 but I got a $25 off coupon so it came down to $79.99! Yey! I think it's worth it because the cage is  very spacious, it comes with a food bowl, it's equipped with wheels to easily maneuver the cage and it has a detachable base for easy cleaning.



Hay Always have hay available for bunnies to nibble on, it helps with their digestion and overall health. There are different types of hay but Timothy Hay seems to be popular with rabbit owners, so I got the Kaytee All Natural Timothy Hay.


 Pellets Aside from fresh fruits and vegetables, rabbits also feed on pellets to have a balanced diet. I'm trying out Vitakraft Vita Smart and so far, Bugsy seems to like it. Although with further research, I found out that Oxbow is a really reliable brand for rabbit food too, so I might try 'em out once this bag is finished.


Toys Since rabbits like to chew a lot, they need toys that they could both play with and chew on. If this was about Skyler's toys, I'd be able to pick it out in 5 minutes. But rabbit toys? Uhhhh...Eff it, I just got this pack of veggie wood chew by All Living Things and we'll see how it goes.


There are still things that are missing on this list and I'm working on getting them---like a water bottle (because my stingy hiney wanted to just use a plastic bowl and Bugsy ended up kicking it around), a litter box, and a little bed or mat where Bugsy can comfortably lay on.

Look a those long black eye lashes and impressively styled fringe on Bugsy's head! Andy Warhol, is that you?

Welcome to the family, Bugsy!




Yes I know it's ridiculous to talk about a rabbit while Fashion Week is going on but I think this one is well worth the distraction, ain't it? :)

Toodles!


2 comments:

  1. It's great you are taking care of all those animals. People like you really help to make a difference. It looks like you've read up on rabbits and I wanted to let you know a great sight to visit is house rabbit society. They have everything you need to know about rabbits! I did want to mention though that rabbits should not live in cages with a wire floor. They do not have pads on there feet so it is very uncomfortable and painful for them. You can put down card board or something so he has something solid to stand on. I use a litter box in my rabbit, Sam's, cage for his bathroom and it works great. The rest of his floor is solid also but he doesnt ever pee on it. I keep his hay troff right by his litter box and some in it as well. That will encrouge him to go in there. They like to do there business while they eat. Make sure you use rabbit litter though and not cat. I use pelletized pine, 40lb bag at tractor supply for $6, and I change it out daily so there is no smell. Pine has to be pelletized and heated to get ride of the phenols or it can be toxic. Also if ever in market for new cage for less expensive options you can look at DIY cages with storage cubes, zip ties, wood, and vinly. We made a 3 story huge one for Sam. He still gets to run around about 6-8hrs a day out of cage too. They need that time to run around for exercize and also to bond with us. Keep a watchful eye and bunny proof though. Once litter trained they do pretty good out and about. I make sure Sam goes into his litter box every hour or so though or he may forget and have accident. Spay or neuter is also important, it will help with litter training and prevent spraying, aggression, and health issues. I just wanted to share some info with you as it sound like you really care about your bun bun and I am also an animal lover. Enjoy your new family member!

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  2. I can't believe I missed your post! Thank you so much for the great advice and care instructions, it's a little bit overwhelming but I will make sure to read this at least 10 times to get all the useful info in my head! HA! :)

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