Phoebe is beyond delighted to have the coop to herself. Rabbits are tidy creatures – those chickens were impolite and got in her personal space, and she hated having to tip-toe her way through piles of hen poop. Now she has fluffy, dry shavings to loll around in, and she keeps her surrounding clean by using a litter box when the weather is terrible and she can’t use her designated spot outside in the corner of the run. When Phoebe wants company she talks with the goats. Her humans visit at least twice a day. Life is very good.
We close all of the animals safely up into the barns at night; when Phoebe sees us coming, she hops up the ramp and hurries over to see what bedtime treat she’s been brought. Well, most of the time she comes in. Sometimes, the weather is just too wonderful, or she’s too busy star-gazing, or munching on a squash outside. Sometimes we give up and come back out later when she’s ready.
In any event, Phoebe has good hay, fresh water, rabbit pellets and a mineral block all of the time. At night she might get a dried banana chip, or an apple, or a carrot. Phoebe has decided that these good things should come more often.
The other morning, Steve arrived to open up her door to the outside. Phoebe looked at him and knocked over the food dish. This was a clear message.
The rabbit was obviously demanding something more delectable to eat. Who am I to deny the Princess of Little Pond Farm?
My bunny, Charlie, is very demanding! He is also adorable, fluffy & so sweet :-) When we let him out in the yard to hop around with the hens, he has started to hump them ;-/ They don’t care for this attention & he’ll get a little peck on the head!
Patti be careful with that My Rabbit use to like to try to make cadberry eggs with the chickens also, and one pecked him and got him rite in the eye and did some damage to the eye luckily it was only 150 dollars and a week of eyes drops 3 times a day and it healed up, but the vet said it was very close to having to have the eye removed which would have cost about 1000 dollars. I was going to get him nuetered after that, but he now has a healthy fear of the chickens, and has turned his affections to my cat. So when he gets to be too much she just jumps where he can get her.
Phoebe has the most magnificent coat. She looks so, so soft. I had a jet black dwarf bunny for years and was amazed at how clean they are. In the years I had her, she never relieved herself anywhere but her litter pan, not one time. I did give her tons of fresh veg, though, in addition to her hay, pellets and mineral supplement. I think it was as much for the behavioral enrichment as the nutrition. Because I had two Jack Russells at the time, both with prey drive for days, my bunny lived exclusively in my finished basement, with the Cadillac of hutches, and we built her huge playgrounds of cardboard boxes connected together that she would play –and chew– for hours when at liberty every day. Terry, educate me– do you feel the pile of fresh veg every day isn’t needed with the pellets? Does Phoebe get plenty to gnaw on elsewhere? And, my favorite question: do you know how to “trance a bunny”?
There are always natural branches for her to chew. Right now she has that evergreen tree.
There’s often a hard squash out in the run for her, but no, I don’t do fresh greens daily. Those treats are sporadic, but several times weekly.
Well, I think an evergreen tree certainly does the job!
She’d prefer apple, but I don’t have access to those branches right now :)
Aww, sweet Phoebe! Gotta love how those animals let there feelings be known!
Wonderful. Phoebe’s really is enjoying her home. Will be interesting to see what happens when you eventually get some new chicks she may not want to share again..:)
It’s wonderful how your rabbits and goats seem to enjoy each other’s company. I remember that Candy was a special friend of the boys, and now Phoebe, Caper and Pip enjoy “howdy-do” particularly first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening.
She’s channeling Candy! She’s starting to get the imperious look and her winter coat is truly glam!
I like the idea of lots of run-around space for my animals. We recently fenced our yard in, and now the chickens can roam and forage at will.
I love Phoebe! She is so cute to watch.