Make Your Rabbits Smarter

I'm sorry that I have not posted in a while. I have been immersed in reading my latest classic novel Ulysses. I was finally able to put down that piece of classic literature and post a new entry to my blog.

Could you imagine being confined to a cage all day with nothing to do? Even if your cage was very big, if it was completely empty and featured no activities and items of interest, you would probably go crazy. Just imagine your living room with no books...no TV...no music...no furniture...nothing! Life would get very dull, very quick. I can almost certainly assure you that your mind would go numb after a short time.

That same feeling applies to us rabbits. If we are in a cage with nothing to play with, chew on or look at, our lives can become very boring. By suppling your pet rabbits with plenty of items to play with (such as pet toys, tennis balls and cardboard tubes) you help to make them smarter. Giving a rabbit a toy helps make their living space a much happier and active place resulting in a much healthier and happy rabbit!

I have several toys I play with (not to mention my novels which I read daily). In fact, it seems like it may be time for my owner to get me a new tennis ball to chew on. I think I will e-mail him now. Cheers!

Don't Forget...Trim the Toenails!

Have you ever let your toenails grow for a really, really long time? So much so that they started to curl around into a semi-circle? I doubt it, since you wouldn't be able to wear shoes if you did. Then if you couldn't wear shoes, you wouldn't be able to go into a grocery store (i.e. no shirt, no shoes, no service). Anyway, I'm rambling...

My point is be sure to trim your rabbit's toenails every few months or so. Rabbits loved to be brushed and groomed, and toenail trimming is an important grooming step for your rabbits. You can trim a rabbit's toenails the same way that you would a dog's or cat's.

A few tips are:

1. Have a toenail trimmer made for pets and/or rabbits.
2. Make your rabbit feel comfortable. Have a friend or family member hold the rabbit in a relaxing position while you trim each of the front and back toenails.
3. Be sure not to trim the toenail too short...ouch! Doing so could hurt the rabbit and cause it to bleed.

Luckily, I being a flemish giant who lives out doors doesn't need as much toenail trimming done as the spoiled-rotten netherland dwarfs. But I thought I would mention it anyway, since I would hate for my dwarf friends to go months without a good toenail trimming!

Keepin' Cool

Holy hotcakes it was a scorcher out there today. It can get pretty hot around these parts in Winchester, Virginia. I can only imagine what it is like for some of my rabbit friends down south.

My owners do the best to keep me cool on hot days like this. First of all I have a nice shaded compartment to my house that I can go into and rest. I also always have plenty of cool water to drink. Nothing is more important on a hot day than keeping hydrated!

On the really hot days (like today), I get a tin full of ice cubes to lay down next to and sleep by. This helps cool off the air in my hutch. My owners will come by and spray down the hutch with a cool mist of water too during the afternoon when the day is at its hottest.

I'm a little jealous of those netherland dwarf and lionhead rabbits in the actual barn. They have an air conditioning unit to keep their living space climate controlled at all times. Oh well...I am a flemish giant after all and can handle the heat much better than the smaller rabbit varieties. I'm also smarter, so ha!

Cedar Chips Do Not Equal Potato Chips

I am not an aficionado of potato chips. I'm more of a pretzel rabbit. In fact I love to sit down during the fall in front of a TV with my owner and catch a football game on Sunday...complete with a variety of healthy snacks and beverages.

I just want to clarify and help spread the word that cedar chips do not equal a tasty snack or bedding for rabbits. In fact, cedar chip bedding can do more harm than good. Within the chips there are certain oils which can cause harm to rabbits in the form of respiratory problems. The dust from the cut-up cedar chips is also a potential cause for respiratory problems as well. Cedar in solid form is completely fine (for example: a cedar hutch for housing). Just be sure to steer clear of the cedar chips!

I'm giving my endorsement for using wood pellets as bedding for your rabbits. So the next time you visit your local pet supply store for rabbit bedding, choose pellets over cedar or pine shavings. Tell them the Amazing Cosmo sent you!

Don't Bathe Your Rabbits

I'm a clean rabbit. I know that for a fact. I clean myself frequently, almost as religiously as a cat. But I am not in the minority. For those of you that aren't aware, we rabbits clean ourselves all the time. Sure, we make a mess in our cage (you would too if you had to go in a corner), but as for our fur and appearance we keep it relatively clean.

Therefore it was to my surprise that when two new rabbit additions arrived the other day to the barn, I learned that the previous owner has been mistaken as to wash them almost on a daily basis. Really this is going to achieve you nothing as a rabbit owner, aside from a wet, smelly and angry rabbit. I'm not recommending you shouldn't groom your rabbit at all (we like a good pampering, toe-nail trimming and brushing every now and then). But baths? No way, José. Bathe your rabbit as much as you would bathe your cat.

That's all for now. I'm going back to reading more on public speaking (I one day hope to deliver a key note address at a rabbit show). Cheers....

My new journal...

I'm a rabbit. I am also a writer at heart with a need to express and entertain through the published word. Much can be learned by not talking...we must open our ears and learn to listen. My ears are large...so I listen well.

I communicate what I learn and how ideas can be improved through writing. That is what I hope to achieve with this journal. Stay tuned for continued musings and thoughts from a very large rabbit.

You won't be disappointed.