So much despair.

Before I begin and delve into all the events that have happened since last month, I would like to apologize for this absence of posts. I have been lost lately: not really doing anything, yet busy. Summer is here, which should be great, of course, but I feel overwhelmed by the upcoming year. Oh well. It's time to let go.

Romeo and Tigerlily are a mess. I was so depressed about them because of a recent "situation" I have had to deal with. My parents and I went off to New York right as summer break began. Through lots of weighing my options, I decided to board them with Richmond HRS. It turned out to be NOT so great an idea.

They were boarded in a large puppy pen. It was cute, but there were lots of other rabbits around (they later informed me that some were even not fixed!). Apparently they had some sort of a fight, most likely due to new smells, territory, etc., and one rabbit jumped out. They weren't sure which one but later said it might have been Tigerlily. She had lots of nips but it wasn't bad and she's all healed by now. The worst part of it all was that they can't see each other without fighting anymore. It's so sad, just so sad. :'(

I tried re-bonding them again at first but they really hate each other. In fact, once, they stopped biting each other and just sat together. I thought they were okay but all the sudden, Romeo got up and Tigerlily over reacted. She nipped his behind and there was a huge wound. Oh my gosh. I was so worried. It was kind of deep and about a centimeter's radius. He kept grooming it and he obviously was uncomfortable. I rinsed it out with 1/3 part isopropanyl alcohol. I expected it to sting but he didn't kick. I later found out that it wasn't a great idea. I also applied neosporin for about three days. Surprisingly, after tossing and turning with worry, it began to grow together and it's totally healed now! I can't even tell where it was~ :) Anyways, I've paused the bonding process. I'm going to wait until they're older and more mature.

Awhile ago I found small beginnings of sore hocks on Tigerlily's back feet. Again, I could not sleep for a few days. It was horrible. I thought they might get infected but it turns out that they're not so bad and a lot of rabbits have this problem, even if their flooring is super soft already. I put a fleece blanket under each of their side's of the cage and am hoping it won't progress!

A crazy thing happened. THE RABBITS ARE OUTSIDE NOW. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! My parents have been insisting for awhile that my dad build a hutch with 3 sides and 1 side our window. What. I hated it, I opposed, I cried, but they would not give in. This is what sucks about living with your parents. Once I'm old enough, have my own place, they're coming inside with me. >:( Rabbits can get soooo many diseases from being outside, like fly strike, fur mites, etc. I'm so scared. The good thing is that they have a huge space now. The hutch is wood and totally closed in with only two windows that are covered in strong wire and that we close each night. The door is super strong with a good hatch. We open it during the day and have wire underneath the door. The wire is NIC cubes, actually. It's difficult to explain and I'll post pictures later. Anyways, I painted it white on the outside where the rabbits can't get to the paint. The floor is covered in laminate tile and I'm gonna get my dad to cut some carpet to put over it asap! They each have their fleece blankets, a hidey house, litterbox, hay rack, water bottle, food bowl, and lots of toys. They're pretty happy out there but I still worry.

I know it's as safe as it can be outside though. It's in our "side yard" where there's three walls. It's kind of like a dent in our floor plan. It has one side full windows where we can see them (this is also the one side of their hutch). The side where it's not our house is a super high gate where nothing can get through. It's also difficult to explain. I will take pictures as soon as I can, I promise.

Well. That's where they're at at the moment. Thanks for reading this long thing, haha.

By the way, I just got my bottom two wisdom teeth extracted through oral surgery. I look like a freaking chipmunk. It's horrible. D:

Easter~

I don't think I'm going to have time to post tomorrow (AP TEST SOON ; o;) so here is my

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Please keep in mind that no one, without proper education about rabbits, preparation, and devotion, should adopt a rabbit. Please visit http://www.makeminechocolate.org/ for more info.

Here is a chocolate Lindt bunny my friend Alene gave me today (thank you!):

Isn't it cute? 

Alright, enjoy Easter everyone!

Today~

Today my mom and I renovated the rabbit cage! We extended out the NIC cubes and took down the ones we used to cover the top. Romeo jumping out isn't really an issue anymore because all he wants to do is be with Tigerlily. c:

Here's what it looks like:

It's basically the same thing but lots bigger.

They have room to jump around now! Anyways, the reason we did this is because today was the one month mark to apply Romeo's ear medicine. Before we put him back we have to make sure everything's clean so my mom and I just switched out the old carpet for new carpet! It's very clean and nice-looking. They're still exploring though and it's confusing to them. They're already much at home though! (I'm really happy because I've been trying to advocate more space for a long time now haha~)

Here they are, enjoying~

Look at Romeo!

This is my favorite picture!

Haha! Tigerlily is funny looking.

Aww. Tigerlily is beautiful.

They're so cute...

Aren't they perfect? So that's all I have for today. Hope you enjoyed all the new pictures!
I also took a video of them awhile back so I will upload to youtube asap and post it here.

 Yesterday I let Romeo and Tigerlily out for a long time. Romeo ventured out to the rest of the house, just like the old times! I was so happy that he was binkying again. In fact, as I was sitting with him in the living room, he scared me with a sudden binky of joy! It was great.

Tigerlily chose to stay in the hallway. She binkyed like a crazy bunny and was very interested in the shoes! She ran around fearlessly. My little bunny is growing up. :) She came over and begged for treats with Romeo and their cuteness made me spoil them with sweets.


Fear not, they are having a wonderful time!

Thanks for reading!

Romeo's Left Ear

Today Suzi came to look at Romeo's ear. It has progressed and there's a LOT of the clumpy stuff in there now. He scratches it like crazy and the fur around it is thinning. It's very scary looking.

Yesterday night Suzi emailed me and said that I should put in a little bit of oil in his ear to soften the gunk. It was difficult getting him to stop kicking in my arms (he doesn't like to be held anymore, probably because of his ear pain) but we did it! My mom dropped in a little oil that got everywhere on his ears. I hope some of it made it to the gunk, haha.

Anyways, Suzi came over and she brought some Revolution mites medicine. It's the liquid kind that you can smear between his shoulders. She also treated Tigerlily just in case. We're supposed to add more oil after a week and re apply the meds after a month. Suzi mentioned that it might even be earwax but only a vet can tell after lab procedures. Either way the Revolution meds cause no harm so she used it just in case.


Romeo will get better soon-- back to his usual self. I just know it. c:









P.S. THANK YOU SUZI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tigerlily

New addition to our family: Tigerlily! Sadly, we had to take Apricot back last week and I miss her but we have Tigerlily now. She's a calm (very calm) Creme d'Argent. Although she's Apricot's sister and somehow looks like her, she is very different. She is well litter trained and sort of aloof. She's also pretty big. Haha. She has a funny looking spot on her forehead but I could swear that it's gotten smaller.

Yesterday I took her and Romeo outside, during different times just in cast of a fight. I accidentally spooked her and she went crazy. Her ears were alert and she raised her tail ready to attack. She mainly just ran away (SUPER FAST) whenever we got near her. We had to trick her into a box to take her home and let her calm down. All in all she's very easily spooked. She's not at all as outgoing as Apricot and often just sits in the corner of her cage. I hope she's not depressed. She eats little and has different habits than Romeo.

The flaky stuff in Romeo's left ear that the people at LPS said was ear wax has clogged everything up. I e-mailed Suzi and she said she'll come over to treat him. (yay!)

As for Romeo and Tilly (Tigerlily's super cute nickname) bonding, it's going better than it did with Apricot. I put them in the shower everyday for about an hour and they groom each other. I can tell it's still tense at times but Tilly isn't much of a biter. Sometimes she'll nip him gently and he'll lose a little fur but he hasn't fought back. The reason we adopted Tilly was that Romeo seemed to like her a lot. He started grooming her the moment Suzi put her in the bonding enclosure. I have a feeling they'll be fine with time. As for now, they're separated in the cage and although their personal space is small they seem to be doing okay. They haven't fought between the grids and they can see each other at any time!

Romeo and Tilly chillaxin'

Exploring the shower

Tigerlily

day six: home alone

Today Romeo was home by himself for a long time. We went out to Pigeon's Point Beach and walked around in the sand (in other words, we didn't do much). In the morning we prepared for him extra hay and pellets (which he consumed on the spot). I think he slept all day because it's super quiet in the hills when we're not home. He didn't drink too much water and didn't pee or poop a lot. He was probably pretty bored. My mom let him out to play before we left and he just wandered around curiously sniffing. After we got back I let him out to play again. He went binky-crazy after I fed him two large romaine lettuce leaves and a small bit of apple. He acted properly --just as a gentleman bunny should. :)

I kept thinking about him all day and watched his videos on my camera. I have no life except for little Romeo. :) I wonder how I'll survive once school starts. Anyways, he wants to play again so I'm gonna go let him out. :)

day five: romeo gets company

Charlotte and Julia came over today. Romeo wasn't shy, but he sure was naughty! I think he gets confused after he gets held (Charlotte held him today!). After that, he started chewing at the window sill again. After they left (it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo nice seeing them~) I let Romeo out again. He was perfectly perfect and didn't do anything bad until I held him. Right after, he went to nibble. I think it's his punishment for me...

Anyways, I filmed part of his adventure.

He's cute, isn't he? Anyways, he's doing great. During the video, he responded to each and every one of my calls for him to come over. He's really sweet and smart. He ignored me when Charlotte and Julia were here though. I think he gets really confused when lots of people are around. The same went for when Alene came over. He's either shy or crazy. :)

We fed him lots of apple. He's spoiled rotten. He kept begging and begging for more. We couldn't resist that little face...

So yeah, have a great break. Romeo is having a great time!


P.S. photos are updated !

BUNNY IS HOME ~

Bunny just came home a few hours ago. I never guessed I'd end up adopting Bugs ! He is the cutest little bunny ever! He's tiny, sweet, and curious! He settled into his little cage (which turned out to be the perfect size, maybe even too big) as soon as he set foot in it. My mom, dad, and I watched him scurry and binky around eating hay, lettuce, and stealing treats from my hands. I think he's still getting used to the idea of people around him all the time but he seems really comfortable. My dad made him a little "hidey house" where true to it's namesake, bunny won't stop hiding in! I think he loves that little cardboard box that he used for the trip home. All my dad did was cut a little bunny-sized hole in the middle!For padding underneath the cage, my dad cut a 30 x 30 inch piece carpet (we had some left over). It's really soft and bunny seems to be enjoying it.

It turns out that Bugs is really not as gray as the pictures. He was in a cage at the Lafayette Pet Shop with Grayson, his brother. Both of them are gray with tan and white splotches on their feet and belly! Carolina and Theodore (I think) were there too... they had already been adopted as a pair. Carolina was extra cute with tan fur and gray patches here and there. They're actually all from the same litter. I think it would have been nice to bring Carolina home but I'm not complaining. Bugs is ah-mazing! Clara was there too. She is a little overweight, putting it lightly. Haha. I never expected her to be THAT big! She is truly humongous. She was sweet all the same. :)

At the shop, the manager showed us and confirmed everything that we needed. We ended up buying a small litter box (for Bugs' small size, $4.99), Purina Rabbit Pellets (the manager said they were important but I think they're fattening), Oxbow Orchard Hay (it came free with the bunny!), and Cat Pellet Litter ($12.99 and huge). His adoption was $50. Everything plus tax totaled around $79.

On the trip home, Bugs was terrified. The road wasn't exactly smooth and bunny was tossed to and fro. Poor little guy! I felt so sad as I hugged his box and opened the top to comfort him. He stuck his little head out and stared at me. It was the sweetest thing ever.

I think Bugs is tired from the long trip and entertaining us afterwards. Now he's sleeping in his little hidey house. Wahh. He's too cute. c:

I kind of want to watch him run around some more but he really is tired. Maybe I can lure him out later with some yummy lettuce! It seems as if he eats his food in priority. He likes the lettuce the most, pellets next, and hay last! He's really not a fan of hay.

BUGS IS A SMART COOKIE! I never ever expected that he would know how to use his litterbox just like that. He pooed a tiny little poop on the side but I scooped it up and put it in his litterbox. Immediately, he started using the litterbox. There's no pee or poop anywhere but where it's supposed to be. What a smart little darling. c:

When I pet him, he slinks back. I think he doesn't know us too well yet. I'm sure he'll get to know us in no time! He's an adventurous, brave bunny.

Now I just need to settle on a name. Ollie doesn't really catch on...
I need to watch him some more. :)
Pictures  will be coming soon~