Hi, Soon! All bunnies are really easy to litter train. The key is that you need to put a litter box where they want it...even if that's the middle of the floor! Some of the places our buns wanted boxes were darned inconvenient, but once we put a box there, they never peed on the floor again. Poops do get on the floor, but if you only see one or two at a time, they are marking territory, not pooping. A pile of them means they are actually defecating, and you need a box there. We have five boxes for our two rabbits. You can find tons of fantastic information on rabbits, (including why selling them at Easter is a bad idea ) at www.rabbit.org, the home of the House Rabbit Society. Dwarves are more persnickity, stubborn, and full of attitude than any other rabbits, so it might take some time, but your sister can train her bun to use a litter box.

Yeah, Californians and Himalayans look alike. We used to have a Californian rabbit that we bred ( back when I didn't know better!) when I was a kid. She was a sweetie! New Zealand Whites are gorgeous little guys! The sad thing is that so many people think that the red eyes are freaky that the poor REWs (Red-Eyed Whites) often are unadopted and euthanized. And there are lots of them out there since they are the ones most often used for meat ( ) and for animal testing.

Wow...how did I turn the pet thread into such a sad discussion??? Sorry!

I thought Denali's eyes were freaky at first, but I love them now. I actually think they are pretty!

Did anyone ever read the kids book Bunnicula? I think he had red eyes...

Love the pictures. Your Thunder is darling, Soon!

Ruth, I love that the girls get excited about scarves. Lady came with a scarf when we got her, but I haven't made a new one for her. I wonder if she would like it? I bet your girls look exceptionally lovely with colorful scarves against their black fur! Which one gets which color?

Birdlady, your poor Sidney! Sounds like he's had a rough time of it! So glad he has you to get him through! Are you giving him Rescue Remedy? A friend of mine highly recommended it for our buns. I'm thinking I might try it with our dog before a trip in the car, as she gets carsick and nothing (including dramamine) has helped.

SoCal, we almost named our Shelby Godiva. DF is in love with chocolate, especially Godiva. She's not prissy or Diva-ish though, but she certainly rules the roost!

I just had to share a cute story about my bun, Bella...but didn't want to bore everyone in the Daily. So I'll just bore everyone here.

Bella is a very independent bun, kind of like a cat in bunny fur. But she does love her pets, when she wants them. I guess I haven't been giving them enough lately, and she was determined to get them this morning. She dancing around my feet all through the upstairs hall and down the stairs. I then went in to the kitchen to make my breakfast, but she didn't follow me becuase she hates slippery floors. As soon as I made my way to the couch to put on my shoes, she started sniffing them and trying to get my to pet her. I didn't respond fast enough, so she periscoped (got up on her hind legs) and scratched at my leg with her front paws. She looked so darling I gave in and rubbed her eyes and her chin just the way she likes. She tooth purred loudly and then hopped off.

I just love my furkiddos!

Funny, I was going to pull this up this morning to tell you about Lucy and the ice in her outdoor water dish.
She licked it and then pushed it out of the dish and ate it. I think she thought it was a Mr Freezee which they get in the summer! Both Girls love an ice cube to chomp on when we have a pre-dinner drink.
Beachgal, part of Lucy's repertoire is a purr. I didn't realize bunnies did it too!

Ruth, your Girls sound like such fun that I want to drive to Delta now! (but I won't...no worries. ). I can't believe that Lucy purrs...how super sweet!

We gave Lady a doggie ice cream and some ice in her dish the other night because she was panting heavily. She loves to dig out the ice and run off with it...for some reason she seems to think she'll get in trouble for taking it. Of course, she loves to leave the pieces all over the rug, where they melt. But that's okay...she has fun with them.

my 2 cats are like my kids (cause i'm not at a pont in my life when kids are even thinkable). miatuck is a pure white deaf female cat with green eyes. her name means 'little fang' in blackfoot because she likes to chew on things. i have many disney videos and books that have teeth marks on both sides from her. i got her as a kitten when i first moved out of my parents. the guy who lived there before me left her there. she was covered in fleas, malnutritioned (she'd been fed cat food not kitten food) and hadn't had a litter box ever. so i took her in and now she's the best thing in my life. she broke her leg once and got a bright pink cast. now when she's wanting attention she pretends to limp. and instead of meowing she throws things off counters etc. to get attention (namely food). although i don't know when she was born she's about 8 years old.

nickademus (named after the rat in the kid's book Secret of Nimh) is a male, 6 year old, pure black cat. not a single white hair, which is extremely rare. he looks like a little panther always walking around with his long claws clicking on the floor, his fang teeth hanging over his bottom lip and his head down like he's stalking something. he has a bladder problem and can only eat perscription food... very expensive. but he is the biggest suck always wanting attention. and he's LONG....3 feet from tail to head. He can actually get into closet doors by standing on his hind legs and pulling down on the door knob with his front paw. he's a smart cookie.

the cutest is when the two of them sleep next to each other curled up and they look like a yin yang.

love the brats dearly.

nickademus

Hmm, now this could take a while.. so I will be short on each one!!!

Crash, 20mths, Belgian Malinois - my main man! He is my primary working dog, working at the moment towards his PSA title (Protection Sports Assn.), MR title (Mondio Ring), SchH title (Schutzhund meaning protection dog) and his narcotics cert. He just loves himself to bits!

Maggie, 2yrs, Belgian Malinois
Pistol, 19mths, Belgian Malinois
Burny, 15 mths, Belgian Malinois - these girls are my brood *****es to be pending health screening. All have been worked and evaluated for breed standard temperament.

Djin, 8 yrs, GSD - Hubbys working dog. Already has a string full of titles, currantly working on PSA. He is a meany old man, hates me.. grumpy!!

Zee, 2.5yrs, GSD - Zee is a crazy working girl.. imported from Germany, waiting to have some "special time" with Djin !!

Odin, 8yrs, GSD - this is out nice old boy. He is not a working dog, just a big goofy pet!

Moose, 6mths, Golden Ret - our special boy. Moose is our family pet and he is adorable! Our kids got so peeved that we have so many dogs and they cannot play with any of them, so we got Moosy!

Blaze, 17yrs, Quarter horse - But the greatest horse in the world!!! (to me anyways!) I can haul a$$ on her then 2 minutes later put one of the kids on her and she is good as gold! But WOW does she have an attitude! "Feed me! Pet me! Groom me! .. ok, now I am done with you!

Domino, Baby Sage, Frank and Hissy - all outdoor cats.. and my babies!
Studboy.. outdoor cat also that we "aquired" named because of his previously HUGE "set" !!!!

Spoogie, indoor cat - the witch of the whole house!!! Rules the roost!

Sweat Pea, Siamese with some BIG issues!! She is OBSESSED with my husband, gets all upset when he is in late from work, or doesn't let her in the bathroom with him.. very odd cat!!

Fluffer-Nutter, another indoor that we aquired, sweet, dainty little girl who adores my son!

3 kittens, 5 weeks old - We found them in the yard, newborn, belonged to Hissy, a stray (who is now fixed!) some critter had been at them and had actually nibbled off one of the babies legs .. we cleaned him up, stitched up his "stump" gave him antibiotics and in all honesty thought he would die within a day or so.. but he is still with us!!! Having a little trouble on those 3 legs mind you, but I am sure he will figure it out!!

... I *think* that is it LOL



.. and yes, I have a HUGE feed bill !!!

Oh what fun! I've enjoyed all the pictures and the stories of our babies!

I do not have a digital camera or a scanner, so no pictures:

I have 3 boys (cats):

Titi-age 4, maine coon imitation, absolute mama's boy, moody with the rest of the world

Timo-age 2, big fat orange tabby, little rescue baby who made his way alone across a field to a house to be found, he loves everyone, and thinks he's my husband

Thomas Baxter-9months mostly black and white fluff ball, skittish, but still comes to me kneading his little feet and purring. Someday I hope he will feel relxed enough to come pet my legs like the other two. He was also rescued with his 2 sisters and mommy. I think he had to learn to be afraid to stay safe.

Love Animals, they are the best !

Sandi

We are picking up dd's puppy today. DD is 4 1/2 puppy (beagal + ?) is 7 weeks old. I was not ready to get dd a pet yet but she saw the puppies being born etc. So what do I need for this creature? Sorry but I'm a cat person.

Lydia

Lydia,
Now I can help you! The supplies you will need I'll post below. But the most important thing you can do for a puppy is to socialize, socialize, socialize. The pup should be exposed to all kinds of people, kids, and animals. (Caveat: you might want to limit the contact with adult dogs until the pup has all her shots. In other words, some supervised greetings are ok.)

You will need: a crate or kennel to help with housebreaking (large enough for the pup to turn around.); stainless steel bowls; dry puppy food (look at the ingredients and don't buy anything with "corn" as the first ingredient; chicken is good. I used to mix my dogs' dry food with a tablespoon or two of canned food, which they seemed to enjoy.); a collar, possibly an expandable nylon/cloth type and a leather leash (the nylon ones will burn your hands if your dog is a puller); a brush made for hounds and puppy/kindergarten lessons! Training is so important for a dog and for the dog's people.

Please feel free to PM me. BTW, I love cats too.
Good luck!

Gladys

Good advice from Gladys. Socialization and training are key - especially with a beagle or other hound type dog.
The breeder should be able to tell you what kind of puppy chow the wee one was eating. It's best not to switch too quickly to a new kind. (I feed my two Girls the BARF diet - Biologically Appropriate Raw Food - but I doubt very much that you'll want to get into that right away.) Lamb and rice kibble is a good kind of puppy food. When we place puppies, they are usually 2 - 3 months and we suggest that they start eating adult dog food after three months. Feeding puppy chow for a long time can cause bones and muscles to develop too quickly and we don't want that as it can cause hip displasia in some breeds. It is much higher calorie than adult dog food and you want a slow and steady growth for the wee one.
I strongly suggest that you take your pup to a vet for a check-up and to schedule appropriate shots as soon as possible as he/she should not be with other dogs or in public places until they've been given.
Good luck but rely on patience and skill. And we want pictures!

Sheesh, this is more work then bringing a preemie home. Unfortunately Ariel was being given mostly table scraps. Right now she's eating doggie treats and crying. Thanks for all the advice.

Lydia

Yep, she'll be crying tonight too!

Ruth is right about the switching to adult food when the pup is three months old. Puppy food has too much protein/calories in it and can lead to fast growth spurts, which should be discouraged, especially in large breed dogs.

Do you know what other breed Ariel might be, other than beagle? Yes, post pictures!!!!

Ruth, when I had my beloved rotties, I tried the BARF diet. And that is exactly what I got from my dogs....lots of it...and lots of other stuff out the other end. I didn't stick with the diet (what else is new?) and switched to a good quality food they tolerated pretty well. But I know of others who have had really good results from BARF.

This is a great thread...
My family used to have a literal zoo here! but we've narrowed it down over the years....now all we have is:
Gidget: aka Puh, a 5 mth old lhaso apso/pekingese mix that we got from a neighbor...she's the most fun little dog ever! We had had cocker spaniels in the past and they aren't the brightest dogs!! This little girl is very smart...She was housebroken very quickly! I was amazed. Now she's my walking companion! as long as it isn't too hot outside..she is pretty close to the ground, so she tends to over heat! I wish I had a digital pic to show you, she is soooooo cute. she's white and I guess you'd call it apricot? very light in color.
The crate is the key in training the pups!!! She heads in there for a nap during the day a lot of times.

We also have Chili...the chinchilla, he's a real sweetie...loves to have his chin scratched, but really doesn't like to be held...he's fun to watch hop around the house. We don't keep him out, I'm afraid of what the pup might do to him...although the pup will get right up in his face at his cage and they'll just look at each other, touching noses! I'm not sure how old he is...he was given to us, and the was given to the person who gave him to us...so I haven't a clue how old he is.

I have a small aquarium with a bunch of different tetras in it. It's a nice calming thing to look at...I would love a larger tank!

we have had hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits (giant lop), rat, cockatiel, finches, parakeet, crawfish, cats, dogs, and 2 chickens.
The chickens are a hilarious story!!!!
I had gone to Wal-Mart to buy some chicken for lunch from their deli, and when I got out of my car I saw these 2 buggy boys running around the parking lot...I asked them what they were doing and they said trying to catch this little chicken...they said they'd been after it for 45 min!!! I saw the little terrified thing sitting on top of a car tire...so I walked up to it slowly, and just gently reached up from both sides of the tire and grabbed it! those guys were shocked!!! I said Now what am I supposed to do with it! I told them to go get me a box or something!!! I came with that little chick and my hubby was freaking out! I said, "Sorry honey, they were all out of chicken tenders, so I bought the kit!" LOL anyway i had a little fenced in area where we used to let the rabbit run loose..I made a little teepee shaped hut for it to hide in and it became a very happy little chickie...but then it turned into a rooster!!! and started crowing all the time..He was very sweet, loved the kids..when they would go into the cage to feed him, he'd jump on their shoulders...we ended up giving him to an older couple that had room to let him roam around...we really missed him!! his name was Rocky Rooster!

Wow, such great pet stories! Love hearing about your experiences!