Two weeks old

April 24th - 26th, 2011

The kits are now two weeks old and what a change!

The look and act like miniature rabbits now. 
All of their eyes are wide open, they have learned to hop, chew, and explore.

They still like to snuggle in, and they still sleep a lot, but they are very playful now too (for short periods).

We put them into the "bunny condo" with hay, toys and a sleeping spot for about 30-60 minutes each evening now so that they can enjoy some play time with each other and social time with us. We do allow them to wander a bit outside of the "play area", but we keep a very close eye on them.

My boys are falling in love with them all , and will miss them dearly when it is time for them to leave. At least I know that all of the kits will be well socialized, used to being handled and human companionship.

My oldest son was told on the night they were born, that as long as they survived, he could pick out and keep one  for himself. (my younger son is too young for such responsibility). He believes that he has decided on "the one". He spent a great deal of time holding, cuddling, and just "chilling" with HIS kit last night. Even when it emptied it's bladder all over him, he just calmly put it down, changed his shirt, washed up, then came back and picked it up again. We believe that it is a female; however, I will need to have that confirmed before we keep it.

My younger son is learning to be quiet and still (or trying really hard to anyway), and allow them babies to come to him. He is enjoying petting them, and kissing their heads/backs now that they are a bit bigger.

In the last few days, they have all learned how to jump out of their "nest" and into Mom's side of the cage. A few have also learned how to jump back in. We believe that this is our cue to get moving and finish the "bunny condo" for everyone's sake. We are worried that if the babies cannot get back into the nest, then they will miss out on being fed. We are also concerned that if Mom wants to get away from then and cannot, then she may end up hurting them or herself while trying.

The babies are starting to show a lot of interest in chewing, and "real food". They love to chew on their play toys (chewable hoops and tubes made out of hay and paper), your fingers, clothes, and the carpet.

We have started to put a small, shallow dish of pellets and water in their nest area, for the experimentation. They also have hay mixed in amongst their bedding.

Cuddles have become very affectionate  and wants nothing more than to be constantly pet, and cuddled. She is constantly grooming me whenever I sit on the floor (licking my hands, clothes, face, and chewing my hair).
She is more affectionate now with both boys as well. 

Sugar is still somewhat distrustful of us. I cannot really blame him as it has only been a week since his surgery, and a few days since we stopped shoving the medicine syringe into his mouth. He will tolerate petting for a few minutes, but that is all. He has taken to resting on the treadmill (in our living room) when he is allowed out, but stays in a pose that will allow him to move quickly if needed. I have not seen him in a relaxed pose outside of his cage since before his surgery. Many times, he will choose not to come out of his age at all. Bunny version of sulking, perhaps?

More pictures will accompany this post later

Days 11 and 12

Friday, April 22
Saturday, April 23

The kits seemed to have doubled in size over the last two days.Suddenly, they are all round little fur balls.

Now that all of their eyes are fully open too, they are starting to become very adventurous.

It has become very apparent that within a few days time,  the cage that Cuddles and the babies are currently in will not be big enough for them all. Once they learn how to gt out of their nest at will, they will not leave poor Cuddles alone. For this reason, we have started to construct a "bunny condo".

The shell and shelves are in place; however, what I had in mind for the bottom is not big enough, so I will need to find something else.  In addition, the runt is still small enought to squeeze through the squares, so I need to find something to cover up/fill in the bottom two or three rows of squares on each side.

Cuddles also seemed reluctant to jump from shelf to shelf, so they may be too high. We will look into putting in more shelves halfway or perhaps some steps. Our hope is that the kits can have the bottom area, and Cuddles can then jump up and out of reach whenever she feels the need to.

Ten days old

Thursday, April 21st


The baby bunnies had their first trip put of the house today. We padded a large Easter Basket with a hand towel and baby receiving blanket and then wrapped the blanket up and over the basket. Being the last day before the Easter break, we stopped in at my youngest son's daycare and then at my work. We did not allow any of the youngsters at the daycare to touch the kits, but the adults at my work thoroughly enjoyed their bunny cuddle time. We will take the babies back to the daycare for a visit when they are bigger, livelier, and stronger.

I am thoroughly convinced that holding those warm little baby bunny bundles is very therapeutic for whatever ails you. The world just disappears and all your focus narrows to the feel, smell, sight, and sound of the tiny baby in your hand. It asks nothing of you except that you keep it secure and warm.

My husband was home this morning and helped me to administer Sugar's pain medication. What a different experience from yesterday. With my husband holding Sugar, I was able to use both hands to hold Sugar's head and insert the syringe into his mouth (one hand over his eyes helps to steady his head and calm him down). It was so much easier and more effective than yesterday. Thankfully, the medication is only for four days and my husband will be able to assist for the next two days as well.

Quite a few of the babies are beginning to open their eyes now. It is very cute to see, but it is also the start of their exploring. I had to put three escape artists back into their nest this morning. The box we are using for their nest is too high for them to get back into, once they climb out. Later in the day, after my husband brought the babies back home and put them back in their nest, he watched one climb out again. We may need to make alternate nest arrangements for them in a few days.

Cuddles (the mom) has been sneezing quite a bit lately, so we have removed all of the shavings from her cage. We have now gone back to recycled paper pellets in her litter box and a cage liner on the cage floor.We also removed the "hay rack". It hung from the outside of the cage and was constantly being knocked down (huge mess on the carpet).

Instead of the loose meadow mix hay, I bought blocks of straight Timothy Hay. I set a block of hay beside the food dishes in both of their cages. We also put the loose hay from before into an open box in the living room for when they are running out and about. We have noticed that they are eating a bit more of it now, but still not as much as they should be.

Sugar (the dad) has also had his cage arranged in the same manner (liner on the cage floor, paper pellets in the litter box). He did not have a litter box before and it is obvious that he is not quite sure what to make of it. He keeps jumping in and out of it, sniffing around. I did put it in the corner of the cage that was his preferred "bathroom" spot, so I am hopeful that he will catch on.

On a personal note, I am also hoping that by no longer using shavings in their cages and switching to blocks of hay, there will be less of each tracked all over the carpet and furniture. It used to stick to our socks, clothes, blankets,and the bunnies, so it got everywhere.

Cuddles nuzzles my youngest and waits for him to nuzzle her back.

Nine Days old.

Wednesday, April 20th.

The first of our little baby bunnies has started to open his/her eyes. it is startling to see, as we have become so used to them with their eyes closed.  A few others have a bit more definition where their eyes will eventually open.

When I went to have my morning peek at them (I no longer check their tummies, as it is quite obvious Mom is feeding them), I discovered that one of the kits was out of the nest and laying on the cage floor. As the "nest" is actually a (bought new and never used) litter box with quite high sides, I wondered if perhaps the kit was still attached to Mom (feeding) when she decided she was done and jumped out of the nest box. It seemed unharmed, and when I placed it back in the nest, it cuddled up to the others and went back to sleep.

Momma bunny (Cuddles) definitely has an appetite now. She is going through her pellets, greens, oatmeal and water very quickly. We have also noticed that she is feeding the kits a lot more than once or twice a day as well. She still does not seem to go through her hay very quickly, so I am wondering if it is the brand of hay. Perhaps, it is not to her liking.

The kits are certainly becoming more adventurous and take any opportunity to wander around a bit. Their legs are getting stronger, so they wobble much less than before. They do not hop yet, but do have a staggering walk.

I had to give Sugar (the Dad) some pain medication this morning (one dose each day for four days following his neutering surgery) by syringe. I was told to just place the syringe inside his cheek where  there is a space. Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG! I will never complain about giving medication to a toddler or preschooler ever again. That is an absolute walk in the park compared to trying to get medicine into a rabbit's cheek. I did finally succeed in holding him in one hand and getting the syringe into his mouth with the other hand. He pulled his head back and around, so some of the medicine missed, but I believe that he got most of it anyway. He was licking away at his mouth and surrounding fur, so hopefully, he got whatever I missed.

Both Momma and babies seemed to be in very accommodating and affectionate moods, so we did a mini "photo shoot" today and took lots of photos. I hope that you will enjoy them!