Monday, 29 February 2016

The Adventure Into The Garden

Is it just my bunny rabbit who adventures into the unknown to often, well my bunny certainly goes their often especially when he is not supposed to. And yesterday was one of those days...


It started off with someone not shutting the back door, so it was open for flies to come in and rabbits to go out. Five minuets after this event occurring my brother came in to let me know that Mr Nibbles has 'left the building'. Nibbles has gone into the garden many times before and I am well aware that he just wants to play, either by me chasing him through hard to reach places or just him digging in the dirt till his hearts content. So I let him be for around twenty-five to thirty minuets just to make sure that he had his fun in the sun.

After waiting a while I set off looking for the ratchet beast... Wait, this isn't a fictional story whops. Ok, lets start that again.
After waiting a while I got up from my laptop (I was writing my Thank-you For 2100 Followers blog post at the time) and went outside to look for my little munchkin. I searched in the front garden first just to make sure that he didn't go on the footpath or something (my worst nightmare, just kidding, but it kind of is) as he has done that before and somehow ended up in my neighbours backyard. But that was at night whilst I was asleep (That story may be a future blog post, if you want to know how he got out at night). Back to the story now,
I checked the front garden but no rabbit there, I even listened for rustling in the grass. Still nothing but the sound of crunching leaves underneath my feet. I decided that Nibbles was either inside, upstairs or in the backyard being mischievous.

I went back into the living room to find my mum sitting down watching TV, I asked her to see if Nibbles was upstairs whilst I looked for him outside. By the time I got down to the far end of my backyard I had found him (We don't have a huge backyard it's just like a jungle to get to the other side of it as it has crazy weeds because we are renovating which is taking a long time). I yelled to mum saying that I had found him but I don't think she heard me.

If you think that before this point in the story was hard just you read further along and find out the real challenge. I decided to try and catch him on my own, by trying to lure him towards me but it didn't work, he was like a fox running as fast as he could (or in this case hopping). I got quite frustrated as I kept having to go through a bush which casually whaked me in the face with its leaves, and the occasional thorn in the leg from our rose bushes, I wonder how Nibbles never seems to hurt himself. Every time he sees me getting closer to him he makes a run for it the opposite way.

I started to think about going into the garden where there is rose bushes everywhere, but I decided not to as I was wearing shorts (not the most ideal wilderness gear, I know) Nibbles raced to the right of me getting closer to the backdoor, but once I got close to him he ran back left. There came to a point of where he hopped so far left he reached the end of out garden (I can't access because these to much stuff there) He decided to go underneath it so I could not see him, so I had to rely on my hearing. I gave up, I couldn't reach him so I went to get help from my mum.

She got up off the coach and went outside armed with a broom ready for battle, just kidding we needed the broom to reach Nibbles and urge him to come out from the garden as we're to big to fit. My mum took charge and told me to go on one side and she'll go on the other side to try and catch him. I leaned forward into the rose bushes as I was centimetres away from his twitching nose yet I couldn't get him but what I did get was a thorn scraping my leg which started to bleed.
My mum gave up after thirty minuets while I was still determined to get him as it was getting dark. I some how managed to edge him closer to me with the broom in the right direction. I walked closer very slowly with no sudden movements then sprung on him reaching my hand to pick him up as quick as I could so he wouldn't try and make a run for it and have some more fun. Whilst pouncing on him I felt this sharp stinging pain underneath my shoulder, (I was wearing a thick jumper) I thought the stinging would stop within a couple of seconds... But no I felt the sharp pain all the way up to the house where I put Nibbles in his hutch.

Once I got inside I realised that I was bleeding underneath my shoulder, my thought was it must have been a throne but how did it get through my jumper. That my friends we will never know, I ended up having to put a bandaid on my shoulder as the bit where the thorn got me was stinging still because it was rubbing on my clothes, it was also because it was almost under my armpit so it was rubbing on my skin as well. So I ended up having to put a bandaid on it.
Ahh the wounds of a soldier... just kidding I survived, it wasn't that bad as you have guessed by now but it was an action packed hunt. Nibbles love to play at my expense.

I hope that gave you an insight into my CRAZY jam packed life of trying to catch peter (Nibbles) rabbit. Let me know if you would like to read more of his crazy adventures in the comments below! And let me know what you would like to read next. I hope you have a great day and smile!

links:
Instagram - @rabbitnibbles
https://www.instagram.com/rabbitnibbles/
Youtube - @rabbitnibbles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWAEVg2r9NY
Emai - rabbitnibbles.owner@gmail.com

Thursday, 18 February 2016

Thank-you For 2100 Followers

Thank you for 2100 followers I can't believe that it has grown this much over something like 2 years, WHAT?! I thoroughly enjoy taking pictures and videos of Nibbles, even though most of them are for memories... I am so glad that so many people are really lovely online and are nice to talk to. I love interacting with different accounts who comment on my posts and I always am so heart-warmed at your responses. Here are some posts with your lovely comments:


























I'd just like to thank you all for supporting me and nibbles, I truly love you all!
P.S once I hit 2.5k or 3k I may be doing a GIVEAWAY!!! So get ready for that, I love you all!

links:
Instagram - @rabbitnibbles
https://www.instagram.com/rabbitnibbles/
Youtube - @rabbitnibbles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWAEVg2r9NY
Emai - rabbitnibbles.owner@gmail.com

Sunday, 14 February 2016

Favourite Photos of Rabbit Nibbles

I personally love to take photos, I just love being able to see something so photogenic and taking a picture of it as a memory of either where you have been or of something that you love. My favourite kind of photo to take is where there is an object, which in this case is Nibbles and the background is blurred. It is a bit hard to be able to achieve that style of photography without a DSLR, but I make it work with what I have now (which is a little vlogging camera). So here are some of my favourite pictures of Nibbles!






















I hoped you liked my photos of Nibbles, Most of these photos are an incite into his bubbly personality. He is in a way so independent yet so loving and caring and energetic at times. Anything that you think would look amazing as a photo please let me know by contacting me at rabbitnibbles.owner@gmail.com I would be happy to photograph a person or an animal or an object (so basically anything haha).

Links:
Instagram - @rabbitnibbles
https://www.instagram.com/rabbitnibbles/
Youtube - @rabbitnibbles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWAEVg2r9NY
Email - rabbitnibbles.owner@gmail.com

Tuesday, 26 January 2016

Things You Should And Shouldn't Feed Your Rabbit


Their are many bad foods for your rabbit, here are most of them which you should try and avoid:
  • Lettuce
  • Beans
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Parsnips
  • Potato
  • Rhubarb
  • Spinach
  • Tomato leaves
  • Cereal/grain mixes
I strongly recommend not giving any of these foods to your rabbit as most of these are bad for their digestive system. Lettuce may cause your rabbit to have diarrhoea, as lettuce contains lactucarium. It will eventually go away but for the time being your rabbit won't have the best of times. Lettuce has also been known to cause GI Stasis, which is a fatal condition. So definitely stay away from lettuce.

If you let your rabbit out into the garden you must make sure you do not have the following plants in your garden:
Honeysuckle
  • Anemones
  • Arrow grass
  • Bluebells
  • Broken fern
  • Burdock
  • Buttercups
  • Clovers
  • Daffodils
  • Dahlis
  • Deadly Nightshade
  • Delphiniums
  • Fireweed
  • Foxglove
  • Hemlock
  • Horehound
  • Honeysuckle
  • Iris
    Dahlis
  • Ivy
  • Jimson weed
  • Lillies
  • Laurel
  • Lupine
  • Milkweed
  • Poison hemlock
  • Poppies
  • Primrose
  • Snow clover
  • Tarweed
  • Tulips
  • Water hemlock
As there are many plants that your bunny shouldn't be eating, the safest option is to not have any plant life except grass... Only joking! It isn't really necessary to get rid of all of the plants you have, your bunny may love to adventure into the depths of your garden but I can defiantly tell you your rabbits favourite part of your garden is the grass. I mean it's basically an all you can eat buffet, open 24/7! So whats not to like. But I just recommend keeping an eye out for your rabbit if and when he or she is in the garden, to just make sure they aren't eating those particular plants. If you see your rabbit eating any of the above contact your local vet.

Foods that your rabbit is allowed. There are many safe foods to feed your rabbit but some must only be feed to your rabbit in small amounts. They are:
  • Basil
  • Beet greens
  • Carrot
  • Carrot tops
  • Celery leaves
  • Dandelion leaves and flower
  • Dill
  • Mint
  • Parsley
  • Watercress
  • Wheat grass
  • Kale
I feed Nibbles carrots, parsley, kale and basil mainly. As a little treat during the day, if you would like to check out what else Nibbles eats daily I did a blog post.
What Nibbles Eats Daily

As fruit is very sugary compared to vegetables, only give your rabbit some fruit. I would say around one or two pieces every second day. Here are the following fruits in which your rabbit can eat:
  • Apple
  • Bananas
  • Blueberries
  • Cranberries
  • Pears
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
If you give your rabbit an apple or pear or just anything with pips in them, make sure to get rid of the seeds first. As they contain amounts of cyanide, which although does not harm humans, it can be harmful to rabbits. So make sure to take out the pips!

Tips:

Also provide a good quality of fresh grass and or grass hay throughout the day.
As a guide on what you should feed your rabbit daily, put two packed cups of leafy greens per kg body weight per day, eg if Nibbles weighs 1.5kg I'll give him two and a half cups of leafy greens per day.
Aim to keep feeding habits consistent (the types of food). If you feel the need to change their diet, you must do it gradually over a two to three week period, to minimise digestive discomfort or upsets.

If you feed you rabbit the right food and make sure they're kept away from the nasty yet beautiful plants. Then your rabbit too will be licking their lips just like Nibbles!

Links:
Instagram - @rabbitnibbles
Youtube - Rabbit Nibbles
Email - rabbitnibbles.owner@gmail.com

Thursday, 21 January 2016

About Nibbles

Age: 4 (at the moment)
Birth date: 17 of September
Type of breed: cute and fluffy?
Gender: male
Age when adopted: 6 weeks
Personality: VERY adventurous, and just in general crazy!
Loves:
  • Running (or in this case hopping)
  • Chasing me all around the house (and nearly making me trip over him all the time) 
  • Kale
  • Parsley
  • Carrots 
  • Getting rubs on the head
  • Flopping out (as shown down below)
  • Being cheeky and going out and adventuring into the garden
  • Going through the tunnel
  • Playing with a see through curtain
Dislikes:
  • Big dogs
  • Stairs (yet he is adventurous and enjoys going for a little wonder upstairs, even when he is not supposed to)
  • Dried corn
  • Going into his hutch

So as you can tell Nibbles loves many things but when he is put in a situation in which he 'dislikes' such as being put into his hutch which normally ends up with Nibbles running up and down kicking the sides of his hutch a couple of times, just to get the message across that he is annoyed and wants to be brought back inside (that cheeky munchkin). My favourite thing that Nibbles loves doing is playing with the curtain, he just runs around with a bit of the curtain in his mouth trying to twist it and just playing and having fun with it in general, which I think is adorable.




Links:
Instagram - @rabbitnibbles
Email - rabbitnibbles.owner@gmail.com

Sunday, 17 January 2016

What Nibbles Eats Daily

In the morning Nibbles normally wakes up before I wake up especially in the holidays. Every morning whilst I watch TV and eat breakfast, he hears the TV on and realises that I'm up so he starts to kick the sides of his hutch to get my attention. Once I have finished eating my breakfast I finally give into the urge of getting him out of his hutch and bring Nibbles inside to have his breakfast.

MORNING:
There is half a cup or less of pellets which is always at his reach throughout the day and also a bowl of water which he can drink or eat at anytime because they are the most important source of nutrients that a rabbit can have.

LUNCH:
Around lunch time or dinner time I would give Nibbles either a seed mix or some kale (which is his absolute favourite food). At lunch time I would let him go outside or play with him inside with some of his toys, if you would like to see what toys Nibbles plays with to help stimulate his brain check out my last blog post. http://rabbitnibbles.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/toys-that-your-rabbit-will-and-will-not.html

DINNER:
After Nibbles has gotten a bit tired out from either playing with his toys or running around outside, or I guess just chasing me around the house. I give him a carrot once finished if he is still hungry I'll give him either some parsley or a homemade treat which I have also written a blog post on how to make them. The good thing about making your own rabbit treats is that you know there aren't any chemicals or preservatives and you definitely get a lot of rabbit treats which will last you around 4 weeks or more.
http://rabbitnibbles.blogspot.com.au/2015/12/homemade-christmas-cookies.html









After dinner I let Nibbles stay inside until he needs to go into his hutch, which is bedded with hay and newspaper underneath. Nibbles also has a drink bottle. Small animal drink bottles cost from $5 to $15 here is a cheap one which seemed to last quite a long time.
 https://www.petstock.com.au/products/S0000670/pet_one_-_deluxe_drinking_bottle_for_small_animals

I hope this helped or informed you on what is good for your rabbit to eat and what Nibbles eats daily. As at times I am not at home with Nibbles, before I go I put a carrot or a couple pieces of kale into his hutch so he wont go hungry. For rabbits, it is ideal to have around 4 hours of play time and free roaming whether it's inside your house or on the grass area.

links:
Instagram - @rabbitnibbles
https://www.instagram.com/rabbitnibbles/
Email - markosvictoria.rabbitnibbles@gmail.com




Wednesday, 13 January 2016

Toys That Your Rabbit Will And Will Not Enjoy

As I live in Australia I'm unable to purchase quite a lot of rabbit toys because most rabbit websites that sell rabbit toys, treats and food, don't ship to Australia. I am a rabbit owner who likes to see my rabbit have fun and toss things around. (Fun fact : rabbits play by throwing things around). So I find other alternatives such as toys that are made for birds, cats and mice. Or basically anything that is small enough for a rabbit to play with.

Here are toys that Nibbles plays with:

"Avi one coloured wood parrot toy chain"
Price: $5.99 (similar types cost $5 to $15)
Note: The bell is easily detachable with a bit of force
Pros:
- Your rabbit can chew on on and grind their teeth down.
- Its got a hook that enables you to place the toy anywhere.
Cons:
- It has a bell on it, many rabbits get frightened with bells.
- It is rope so your rabbit may chew through it.

This item doesn't necessarily need to be hung up on the roof of a cage. Nibbles normally just chucks it around, even when it's on the ground. Even though the toy can be chewed to grind down his teeth, Nibbles does not often chew it and seems a bit pointless in that regards but it seems like he does enjoy this toy. So overall a good purchase but would only get one as it is not his favourite.
https://www.petstock.com.au/products/112111000255/avi_one_coloured_wood_parrot_toy_chain,_perch,_beads_&_bell_-_26cm_long


Cat tunnel
Price: $10 (similar types cost $5 to $10)
Pros:
- Easy to put away (folds up).
- There are three ways to get out of the tunnel.
- It's a good obstacle to use when training your rabbit.
Cons:
- The crunchiness of the tunnel (the sound it makes when played with).
- It moves around a lot due to the shape of the tunnel.

I must say Nibbles was not 100% on what the anonymous object was at first, so he sniffed and poked it here and there but soon got comfortable with the toy. This toy is definitely Nibbles's favourite, although it does take up quite a lot of room. When folded it can be easily stored though. If the size is a problem for you and want to be able to fit it into a small space there are quite a lot of lengths in which cat tunnels come in, just make sure to check the size before buying it. I would definitely recommend buying a cat tunnel for your rabbit... If you can stand the noise. Make sure to feel the fabric before buying to see if you can stand the noise or not.
http://www.cheapaschips.com/products/pet-accessories/pet-accessories/product/cat-tunnel-90x25cm-canvas/


Cat toy spring with ball
Price: $4
Pros:
- You can put food such as kale in the middle of it and make it a challenge for your rabbit, by doing this the challenge stimulates their brain.
- Nibbles also likes to put it onto it's side
Cons:
- Due to Nibbles size the toy is a bit bigger than him which does effect him playing with it.
- The ball rattles.

I must say this object does have many ways rabbits can play with it. One problem I have come across when I bought it, is that the ball on the top rattled, rabbits are not all that fond of objects that rattle when moved. A quick solution is to take the ball off which is quite simple to do and by doing that Nibbles seems to interact with the toy a lot more. Overall not the most interactive toy in which Nibbles is attracted to, I would not bother buying another one if it breaks. The toy is a good way to stimulate your rabbit's brain now and then but overall Nibbles doesn't seem to be attracted to the toy.
http://www.cheapaschips.com/products/pet-accessories/pet-accessories/product/cat-toy-spring-with-ball-27cm-x-13cm/


I do not have a photo of Nibbles with this
as it broke a while ago, apologies
Cat swat and swing
Price: $2.50
Pros:
- Nibbles enjoys playing with anything he can move.
- It's easy to store away.
Cons:
- The mouse fell off after a while.

Nibbles wasn't all that interested in this toy, and it also broke quite easily. The toy is thin but if you don't have a cupboard to store it away, it is rather quite noticeable. I do not have much to say about this item as I will not be repurchasing it due to it breaking quite easily and Nibbles wasn't all that interested. He would play with it for a couple seconds at a time but it was definitely not his favourite toy.
http://www.cheapaschips.com/products/pet-accessories/pet-accessories/product/cat-swat-and-swing-pet-toy/


Trixie natwood flex wicker bridge
Price: $10.99 (similar types cost $10 to $31)
Pros:
- Can grind down rabbit's teeth with the wood.
- The toy is very flexible and can change from a tunnel to a wood mat and others.
Cons:
- For a rabbit of Nibbles's size it needs to be a bit bigger.

apologies for the bad quality, this is
 the only photo I have of the item
The wooden bridge was a bit of fun, but for a rabbit of Nibbles's size it was a bit too small and it is more suited to hamsters or guinea pigs. I may in the future buy this item again, but only if it is bigger. Nibbles did go through it and also sit on top of it but still was a bit too small. If there was a bigger size I would have definitely opted for the larger one. The bridge was not chewed very much and I would say if you wanted it so your rabbit can grind down their teeth, go for a different option as this is not what you're looking for. Instead go for a hard food block or a pine cone. Over all this toy is worth buying if you want your rabbit to have some fun (just make sure to check the size).
https://www.petstock.com.au/products/S0000962/trixie_-_natwood_-_flex_wicker_bridge_-_for_small_animals



Links:
Instagram - @rabbitnibbles
https://www.instagram.com/rabbitnibbles/
Email - markosvictoria.rabbitnibbles@blogspot.com
Contact me if you know a rabbit website that sells toys and ships to Australia via my email or instagram.