Poppy Rabbit

2011-04-16T10:02:00.000-04:00

2011-04-16T09:45:00.000-04:00

2011-03-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

2011-02-21T19:48:00.000-05:00

2010-12-21T10:44:00.002-05:00

2010-08-24T23:01:00.002-04:00

2010-06-12T15:05:00.001-04:00

2010-06-09T15:01:00.000-04:00

2010-05-09T13:09:00.001-04:00

Afternoon nap with the patient

2010-03-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

Sterling gave up his usual hideout to stay with a still sick Willow for the afternoon nap.

Willow is sick: Day 7

2010-03-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

Willow had a second visit with the vet today for a checkup. The doctor says Willow is recovering well. I've also removed the barrier so Sterling and Willow can be together again.

Also, Willow is able to sit up for short intervals now!

Through the barrier

2010-03-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

Easiest bunny to force feed

2010-03-07T19:21:00.001-05:00

Out of the litter box

2010-03-07T15:16:00.000-05:00

Willow moved out of her litter box on her own today. Her belly was damp from sitting in the litter box all the time. I gave her a sponge bath to clean her underside and then placed a dry towel underneath her.

Willow sick: Day 3

2010-03-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

Willow looks better today. She is able to hold her head up. I even saw her nibbled on some hay. But she is still very weak and can't even sit up.

Warming Willow

2010-03-06T15:22:00.001-05:00

Willow seem to have a low body temperature. So I wrapped her up in a towel and held her on my laps this afternoon.

Willow resting

2010-03-06T13:15:00.001-05:00

Willow isn't moving much. At least she is eating when I feed her this morning and afternoon.

Update 3:47pm: The vet called and said preliminary results show that Willow has an infection. I'm to continue with antibiotic Baytril medication.

Video of Willow after a Critical Care lunch

2010-03-06T13:13:00.001-05:00

Willow is sick

2010-03-05T20:42:00.002-05:00

I took Willow to the vet today. The doctor haven't figured out what's wrong with her yet. (Update: It turns out from the lab work that Willow has E. Cuniculi. She has full recovered after the medicine after a few weeks) We'll get the lab results hopefully tomorrow.

As you can see from the picture, Willow keeps tucking in her chin and curl up. It's not a head tilt, that we know.

2010-03-03T19:33:00.000-05:00

Sterling shedding

2010-02-10T19:20:00.000-05:00

Green paws

2009-12-03T18:24:00.000-05:00

2009-10-29T17:09:00.003-04:00

Relaxing a Rabbit

2009-10-17T22:33:00.001-04:00

2009-10-04T22:08:00.001-04:00

2009-09-30T18:59:00.000-04:00

2009-09-29T21:09:00.000-04:00

Today is Sterling's 3 year old birthday!

2009-09-14T17:06:00.001-04:00

Technically, it's his 3rd anniversary since his adoption from Rabbit Rescue. He used to be so smaller. Here's a photo of Sterling from 3 years ago!

Sterling on my tummy

2009-08-26T21:55:00.001-04:00

Sterling's wound from fight with Willow last time

2009-08-26T21:45:00.001-04:00

They are almost healed before I discovered them this weekend.

Auto feeder

2009-08-24T22:51:00.001-04:00

Afternoon nap together

2009-08-22T17:08:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling are back together again. I just placed them together today and they seemed to have forgotten their fight earlier this week.

Eating together after the fight

2009-08-21T17:05:00.000-04:00

First fight after being bonded

2009-08-18T21:54:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling had a fight today right after I got home. It was so bad that I had to separate them again.

I tried to put them back together but they obviously are still not happy with each other.

Willow groomed Sterling for a while but they almost fought again. So they will be separated in their own cage for a few days.

Willow and Sterling's hideout

2009-08-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling bonded for a week

2009-08-10T17:41:00.000-04:00

48 hours together and counting

2009-08-04T22:10:00.001-04:00

Sterling and Willow have been living together without any barrier for 2 days and nights now. There hasn't been any fight so far.

A wild rabbit outside

2009-08-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 47

2009-07-27T21:46:00.000-04:00

Willow waiting

2009-07-26T13:44:00.000-04:00

Willow likes to sit there looking at me when I'm in the living room.

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 45

2009-07-24T13:42:00.000-04:00

I started bonding them in the kitchen starting with short sessions again.

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 36

2009-07-15T22:55:00.000-04:00

Willow voluntarily grooming Sterling, without apple sauce on his head.

Willow's afternoon nap

2009-07-12T16:19:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 33

2009-07-12T11:34:00.000-04:00

Willow binkying!

2009-07-11T10:01:00.002-04:00

This is from my second day of trying to bond them in their living area. She kept binkying for a while back and forth, so I was able to capture this on video.

Willow and Sterling Day 30

2009-07-09T22:17:00.000-04:00

moved bonding place to Willow's area

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 27

2009-07-06T22:16:00.000-04:00

apple sauce on both their heads

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 26

2009-07-05T21:36:00.001-04:00

With apple sauce on Sterling's head.

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 24

2009-07-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 23

2009-07-02T21:19:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 22

2009-07-01T17:51:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling had a vicious fight in the morning. This video is taken right after they got separated.

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 21

2009-06-30T17:51:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 19

2009-06-28T17:49:00.000-04:00

Willow licking the smeared banana on Sterling's head

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 17

2009-06-26T13:03:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 14

2009-06-23T18:20:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 13

2009-06-22T18:04:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 9

2009-06-22T18:03:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 7

2009-06-15T21:42:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 5

2009-06-13T21:48:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 4 - Laundry Top

2009-06-12T20:54:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling Bonding Day 4 - Dinner Time

2009-06-12T20:53:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Third Bonding Date

2009-06-11T22:34:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling Third Bonding Date

2009-06-11T22:33:00.001-04:00

Willow

2009-06-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Third Bonding Date

2009-06-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

Willow and Sterling Second Bonding Date - 2

2009-06-10T19:11:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling Second Bonding Date

2009-06-10T19:10:00.001-04:00

Willow and Sterling first meeting

2009-06-08T21:25:00.001-04:00

Willow eating veggies

2009-06-01T21:23:00.000-04:00

Willow munching hay

2009-05-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

Sterling

2009-05-25T21:21:00.000-04:00

Sterling

2009-05-17T21:20:00.000-04:00

Willow, Sterling's soon-to-be giant girlfriend

2009-05-09T13:45:00.007-04:00

I am fostering-to-bond Willow with Sterling. Willow is a 6+ lbs English Spot. She just moved in today.

Sterling moved into a new apartment with me

2009-05-09T13:41:00.008-04:00

On an October afternoon

2008-10-03T22:35:00.000-04:00

Sterling napping in the afternoon

2008-09-04T17:40:00.000-04:00

Who's this?

2008-07-31T17:39:00.000-04:00

Close-up of Sterling

2008-06-18T17:38:00.000-04:00

Sterling not feeling so well

2008-05-23T17:37:00.000-04:00

Sterling as pancake

2008-04-03T17:36:00.000-04:00

Sterling under the sun

2008-01-03T17:34:00.000-05:00

Sharing a seat

2007-11-18T20:32:00.000-05:00

Sterling really likes to sit on a throne. Even when I'm sitting on it already!

New decoration on my shelf

2007-10-08T13:26:00.000-04:00

Sterling got up to the stage and proclaimed himself as king of the world!

Sterling on standby

2007-09-18T11:03:00.000-04:00

Collateral damage

2007-09-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

I've been in my new place for less than 3 weeks and Sterling has already found a security hole. As you can see from the picture, he managed to sneak into the back of my computer (in a cage) and left a lot of damage. I had to replace 3 cables, taped many more, and buy a new network router. It was a close call too. When I got back to find him inside, he nearly got through my main power cord. It even had those black tubing protection usually recommended by rabbit people. So even "protected" wires aren't completely safe.

How to make a rabbit puppet shadow

2007-07-27T17:15:00.000-04:00

Rabbit Hand Shadow Puppet - video powered by Metacafe

Jack the one-day foster rabbit

2007-07-16T22:11:00.000-04:00

Jack is a foster rabbit that is staying with me tonight. Tomorrow, her (yes, Jack is a she) new family will be picking her up already. She haven't ventured out of her cage yet. She does seem to be a sweet rabbit though. As I've been able to pet her in her cage and she would just melt down. Her coat is soft and comfortable too. I bet she's great for snuggling!

If you may have noticed, the cage she came with has wire flooring. This is really bad for their feet (just imagine standing on those wire all day yourself) and I should put down a towel or something for her. But I don't have any extra at the moment and I'm keeping the gate door open, so I'll let that slip for tonight.

What's in it for rabbit breeders?

2007-07-11T19:53:00.000-04:00

Seeing the many rabbits up for sale on the local buy/sell directory got me thinking about the rabbit breeders. I am curious as to what motivates rabbit breeders out there to keep breeding rabbits. It's not like they're making much money with rabbits selling for $20 or so in pet stores. I'd imagine there are probably so much work involved in breeding rabbits. And if they really love the rabbits, as many would tell you, how can they be selling them to strangers? From my experience in fostering Coconut, it was difficult to let her go even knowing she's going to a rescue approved family with their insane background check. So for the breeders to be selling so many babies to people like they do, I highly doubt any of them really love their rabbit at all. It's like telling people you love your kids even though you're selling them to a sweat-shop. Just wondering.

The medical use of pineapple for rabbits

2007-06-28T19:32:00.000-04:00

I did a lot of research about hairball in rabbits after Poppy passed away last year. One of such work is this article which I sent to a local rabbit rescue. After sitting in my harddrive for over a year, I saw it again today and thought I might share this with the rest of the world in hope that somebody will find this useful. So here it is attached below.

The medical use of pineapple for rabbits

There are many myths circulating around the internet regarding the health benefit of pineapple for rabbits, especially for hairballs. So I did some research of my own using medical journals and trustworthy sources.

It seems that bromelain, the actual enzyme in question, is most abundant in the stem of the pineapple, the center part that we throw away. Fresh pineapple are best as the enzyme can be denatured once frozen or processed.

Although there are no definitive evidence that bromelain intake helps with hairball or GI stasis in rabbits, there are other positive results. They are summarized below.

From the study of [1], it seems that bromelain is good for diarrhoea. The effect is that it will reduce intestinal fluid secretion, which is the real cause of death from diarrhoea as patients literally excrete out all their nutrients and water.

From [2] and [3], these could be the direction to extrapolate that bromelain helps with hairball. They suggest that bromelain has mucolytic and digestive properties. So it’ll dilate the mucus coating of the GI tract as well as helping to breakdown proteins. The Ontario Rabbit Education web site [4] implies that the mucus is the source of the obstruction as it’s like adding gel with hair. However, if the hairball is big enough to obstruct motility on its own, then reducing the mucus coating would have the adverse effect of removing a protective layer of the GI tract and could pose other health issues as the it grinds with the hair. The risk is location dependent as thickness of the GI tract decreases further along. So the use of bromelain during GI blockage is risky and not advised.

Lastly, [5] concludes that bromelain acts as an agent to complement tumour therapy because of its metastasis efficacy. And they also suggest that it accelerate wound healing.

These attributes of bromelain apply to human and other pets as well. In summary, eat some pineapple if your rabbit have diarrhoea, receiving tumour therapy, or wounded. And be careful of feeding your rabbit pineapple during GI blockage.

References:

[1] T.L. Mynott, et al., Bromelain prevents secretion caused by Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli enterotoxins in rabbit ileum in vitro, Gastroenterology, 1997.

[2] A. Bernkop-Schnürch, et al., The Use of Auxiliary Agents to Improve the Mucosal Uptake of Peptides, Medicinal Chemistry Reviews-Online, 1994.

[3] G. S. Kelly, Bromelain: A Literature Review and Discussion of its Therapeutic Applications, Alernative Medicine Review, 1996.

[4] http://www.ontariorabbits.org/health/healthinfo8.htm

[5] H.R. Maurer, Bromelain: biochemistry, pharmacology and medical use, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 2001.

[6] K. Suzuku, et al., Experimental study of the effects of bromelain on the sputum consistency in rabbits, Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi, 1983

stretched out Sterling

2007-05-14T18:02:00.000-04:00

Sterling checking out what's for dinner.

Coconut has been adopted!

2007-05-05T10:37:00.000-04:00

Coconut has finally been adopted last week after being fostered by me for 11 months! She has gone on with a nice lady that will give her free run of her house. From what I've heard, Coconut has settled down nicely and is already warming up well to her new family. The lady said Coconut is "near perfect". Coconut has come a long way since I fostered her. She was found as a stray and I suspected she didn't have a good life before. She used to be easily startled and scared of everything. Over the time she's been with me, it's very obvious that she has gradually learned to trust, and actually love, human and feel comfortable in her home. The above picture is the last photo I took of her. She sits beside/below me every morning and evening while I'm at my desk. She would dance around me or lick my feet sometimes. She is grooming herself in the picture. Although I will miss her company, I am very happy that Coconut has found a good home.

Coconut excitedly eating a pear

2007-01-03T15:53:00.000-05:00

Sterling jumping on bed

2006-12-15T12:35:00.000-05:00


If you watch the first few seconds carefully, you can see Sterling jumping high and running around happily!

Invasion of the orange sphere!

2006-12-02T14:10:00.000-05:00

I left a ball outside of Coconut's favourite box/hideout for her to play. She was obviously intimidated by it and I thought I'll leave it there for her to work things out. When I came back in a few minutes, I saw the ball has taken over her spot and she's too afraid to go back in. The ball must have drifted in and she moved away (she was napping there, where the ball is now). Poor girl is hiding from the ball as you can see from the picture.

Fitting in

2006-10-23T16:39:00.000-04:00

Sterling is settling in nicely. I just witnessed his first binky last night. I've never seen a small rabbit binky. Also, he has claimed a corner on my bed and sleeps there with me. He knows when I'm going to bed and would run around on my bed then spend a few minutes grooming before laying down. He does that routine every night. His litter habbits haven't been perfect, but he's been very good this week. I'm hoping he'll keep it that way. During the day, he likes to climb up high and nap on this box you see in the picture.

Sterling is adopted!

2006-10-08T10:08:00.000-04:00

We've officially adopted Sterling last week! Then we found out he has bad litter habbits. Actually, he's very consistent to where he goes, just that not where we wanted... e.g. on my bed. But after almost a week of training, and many loads of laundry, I think he understands now. He's been free for two nights in a row in my bedroom and have been very good so far. By the way, he has claimed a corner on my bed as his own to sleep on. I'll let him out when I'm not home today too and see how it goes.

Coconut new eyelashes

2006-10-08T10:02:00.000-04:00

I just realized this morning that Coconut has grown some darker coloured eyelashes. either that or she's put on some mascara last night. Coconut is becoming a pretty lady!

On another note, I think I haven't posted the link to my photo album. So here it is. You will find both Coconut and Sterling's photos there.

new rabbit Sterling

2006-09-16T17:52:00.000-04:00

We are currently fostering to decide to adopt this 2lbs Netherland Dwarf. He is so tiny! Coconut's head is almost the size of his entire body! But this little rabbit is packed full of energy. He doesn't seem to like to sit still at times. If you pet him though, he'll melt right in your hand and let you pet him for a long time. He's really friendly and climbed all over us for attention when we sat on the floor. He also doesn't mind being picked up. So now I have two opposing personalities rabbits, Coconut is large and laid back, while Sterling is tiny and adventurous.

Bon Echo Provincial Park

2006-07-12T22:48:00.000-04:00

I went to camping for a couple nights at Bon Echo Provincial Park here in Ontario with my dad and girlfriend. The hiking trails there are excellent. Unlike many other trails in southern Ontario, this one actually has lots of hills and valleys to climb. The shower station near my camping site are also top notch. They seem very new and is well maintained on a daily basis. The showers themselves have good water pressure. One thing I don't like about camping there is the close proximity of the camping sites. I stayed on site Sawmill 59. It is surrounded by 3 other sites each just a few trees away. It's also pretty noisy at night as people stayed late. If anyone intends to stay there, I'd recommend some of the 60's numbered site in Sawmill. They're up the hill and provide more privacy. Overall, the place is okay, but I have no plan to return there as there are a plethora of camping places in Ontario.

Upside down

2006-07-04T22:40:00.000-04:00

Here is the front view of Coconut upside-down in the tunnel.