All posts tagged: pet

Tofu Tuesday: How to give bunny a bath (and a recipe for a bunny burrito)

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Rabbits spend much of the day grooming themselves, but as they get older or rounder or sick, they may have trouble keeping their bottoms clean. When Tofu’s bum gets messy, he gets a bath. We usually bathe Tofu in the bathroom sink and it’s a two person job. But recently I bathed Tofu in the bath and found that it can easily be a one person job. Important: Get everything ready before you start. Never leave a rabbit unattended in water. Here are detailed instructions on how I bathe Tofu. Every bunny is different. Tofu doesn’t panic around water, he panics if he feels unsecure. Your rabbit might be different. The different smells, sights and water might be too much for him or her. Use this as a guide and use your best judgement. We have tried blowdrying Tofu, but he is very fluffy for a rabbit. It takes a really, really long time. If your rabbit is less fluffy, you could try blowdrying, but I find that the bunny burrito method works quite well …

Tofu Tuesday: Nothing to see here

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A couple of weeks ago, we noticed a white spot over one of Tofu’s eyes. It looked like a cataract and dilated at different times of the day. When we visited the vet, she said the damage could be permanent and supplied some eye drops. Dilating means that he is getting some light in there and the pupil is reacting. That’s promising. Tofu doesn’t seem bothered by the lack of sight in one eye. He’s his usual happy self and if anything, it makes it easier to wrangle him up at night. I don’t think he misses his full sight, he’s just adapted to function without. Being blind in one side is bad for a wild rabbit, but for rabbit that runs the entire backyard as his own domain, it’s not a problem. So no image this week. In honour of Tofu’s blind side. Check out previous Tofu Tuesday posts here.

A Taste of a Poison Paradise

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We had a bit of a scare this week when Tofu ran inside on his own and sat under my desk hunched up, trembling and grinding his teeth. Teeth grinding in rabbits can indicate pain and he refused food and water including bunny favourites like carrots and pellets. When he gets his cheeks and arms rubbed, Tofu stretches out his arms to say “OOoooOooh yeah, dat’s good”. So he got plenty of that and it was a relief that he was responding to touch. He was hunched up like this for over an hour. We kept him warm by covering him a folded towel, patted him and tried to entice him with food. Rabbits graze all day so it’s a concern if they refuse food for any period of time. It’s often bad news. Suddenly, he was fine again. All the untouched food we had laid before him, was demolished ate with great fervor. He devoured everything. Heatstroke? The last time he was sick (last summer), we suspected it was heatstroke. But Auckland is only about …

Tofu Tuesday: Bunny bath time and Monocle Morph

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Rabbits are very clean animals and spend a huge amount of time grooming. But from time to time they can get a bit messy underneath due to diet and/or weather. Usually, we trim away offending dirty fluff and dreads. Bunny bath time Last Thursday we gave Tofu his first bath ever. It wasn’t nearly as traumatic as we thought it would be, but it was a 2 person job. One to hold him firmly and dip his bottom into the sink and the other to shampoo and rinse. That was pretty successful and we got all the brown bits out. But then come Friday evening, Tofu was wet all underneath which is unusual for him and very uncomfortable. He was eating as usual and running around the backyard quite happily but his fur was wet, smelly and dreaded and the skin inflamed. Local vet visit We usually take Tofu to a miracle worker of a vet which is quite a long drive away, but this didn’t seem to be a life or death situation, so we …