Hellobee

My favorite rescue dog Challenger recently killed Carrot’s mate, Pebble. I never thought he would attack the rabbits because we’ve fostered so many kittens and he was always fine around them. But cats are predators, like dogs, and even at very young ages they know how to hiss. When kittens are too young to hiss, the baby instinct kicks in for dogs and they leave babies alone. For instance my dog Happy is obsessed with all kittens and is fine with the cats we’ve raised since they were kittens, but she hates cats that she doesn’t know. Different species that are raised together when they are babies often get along, as is the case for my cats and dogs. I wasn’t overly cautious with the rabbits’ pen because Carrot escaped every day for a month but was fine because he is a very friendly rabbit who isn’t scared of dogs. Pebble never escaped and was always the much more scared one, so the predator/prey instinct probably kicked in for Challenger. One day when we weren’t home, Challenger jumped in their pen, took Pebble out and killed her.

It was absolutely devastating and we all cried. We buried Pebble under a banana tree in our backyard. All of us had grown attached to the bunnies and it was so, so hard to lose Pebble. I’ve rescued dozens and dozens of animals in the Philippines, even ones that were just born, and have never lost one. Challenger was acting on his animal instincts and I blame myself, but I can’t help still being mad at him. I just never thought Challenger was capable of doing such a thing, because he’s such a goofy dog. I’m currently looking for a female bunny mate for Carrot so he’s not too lonely. But he really is such a happy, friendly, affectionate little guy, and rabbits are way more awesome than I expected.

H O U S I N G

Now I keep the dogs and Carrot completely separate at all times. This is Carrot’s cage, which is a baby crib that I had a carpenter add wire to the sides, a lid that locks on top, and a little house for him to hide. Inside he has his litter box, hay feeder, water bowl, and a mat to sleep on. Rabbits need a couple of hours outside their cages each day to exercise. He is out of his pen all night when the dogs are sleeping in the bedroom with the door closed, and we also let him roam around in the daytime so that he can socialize with us. Carrot is such a good friendly boy that doesn’t chew or destroy anything like many rabbits do except the cardboard boxes we give him, and since he is litter box trained now, we give him plenty of free time every day.

L I T T E R  B O X  T R A I N I N G

Litter box training didn’t come instantly like it does for cats, and it took Carrot about a month to have it down. Carrot used to live in a wire cage outdoors where his poop and pee fell through the bottom, so he’d never used a litter box before. He’s about a year old now. When we brought him home, he would spray pee to mark territory. I knew that litter box training would be difficult if he wasn’t neutered, so I had him neutered right away like I do all my pets for health reasons. Little by little he started using his litter box more and more, but there were several things that were key. 1) Neutering. A couple weeks after getting neutered he stopped spraying. 2) Adding hay to the litter box. It took two weeks for the hay I ordered online to arrive. Hay is very comforting to rabbits and entices them to use the litterbox. 3) I put the hay feeder right next to the litter box so he could eat while pooping in the litter box. They poop hundreds of poop pellets every day!

I realized that Carrot was fully litter box trained when he pooped only in the location of his former litter box in the bathroom when he was roaming freely all day. Now we keep a litter box in the bathroom for when he’s out and about, and one in his cage.

F E E D I N G

Rabbits love eating and eat all day long! Carrot comes running every time I open the refrigerator because he thinks I might give him a treat. Rabbits’ diets should be comprised of 80% hay, 15% veggies, 5% rabbit pellets (optional especially if your bunny is overweight), and occasional treats like a small slice of fruit. I have to buy the hay and pellets online as they are not available on our island, and leafy green vegetables are also very expensive here. The main veggies they should be given are leafy greens like green/red/romaine/butter lettuce, kale, arugula, and bok choy (75%), 1 cup per 2 lbs of weight daily. I try to mix at least three different types of greens for variety (parsley, basil, mint, cilantro, and celery are most commonly available here), and feed him three times a day because he is spoiled. I introduce new foods in very small amounts to make sure that his stomach can handle it. And contrary to what Bugs Bunny led us to believe, carrots should be fed very sparingly (a small slice a couple times a week).

P E R S O N A L I T Y

Rabbits are very social creatures and love being around people. Carrot loves to be pet, sit in my lap, and fall asleep, usually with his eyes half open. Rabbits have a third eyelid that makes it look like they sleep with their eyes open.

Carrot doesn’t mind being picked up, although many rabbits don’t like it. Whenever I’m cooking in the kitchen, he’s always hanging out by my feet. I’ve had many cats in my life, and some can be super affectionate and some can be super aloof. Rabbits are similar, and Carrot is more like a dog than a cat. He comes running whenever we call him or he hears us coming, and he loves to lick us! And that nose that wiggles all the time can’t get any cuter!

That said, rabbits are very sensitive creatures. Dietary changes can make them sick and I’ve read that rabbits can even die of fright! Poor Carrot has been through a lot, and we plan on taking great care of him for the rest of his days. A rabbit is a wonderful pet, but I think best suited to children 8+ because you have to be gentle with them.