Category Archives: Welcome!

To all my Bun Luvin’ Readers!

Hubby and I are leaving first thing in the morning to celebrate our 4th Wedding Anniversary in Watkins Glen, New York.  It has been a dream of mine for quite some time to visit Farm Sanctuary, a place that rescues farm animals who have been neglected or treated cruelly.  As a vegan (me) and a vegetarian (Hubby) we are very excited to finally visit a place that so highly values compassionate living and recognizes how sacred all life is.

Ella hasn’t changed much since my previous post but that’s okay, there’s lots of time for recovery.  She is going to be living with my sister for the next four days so she can be closely monitored and so she doesn’t miss any of her medications.

Genevieve and Murray (our two Golden Retrievers) are going to be staying at the most wonderful in-home boarding facility I have ever seen!  With a large fenced in area, an in-ground pool to swim in and other dogs to play with we’re sure they won’t have time to miss us for a second!

The rest of the fam – Rocky, Honey, Willow and Ollie (our 4 rabbits), Lucy (our hammy) and our 2 cats, Charlie and Indie will be staying at home.  We’ve spent the last few days trying to really tire out the rabbits since they’ll be in their cages more the next few days.  Leaving them at home is easier so they aren’t stressed and because their cages are so massive we’d have no way to move them! We have air conditioning and family nearby so I promise they’ll still get daily attention and love!

And as a send-off here’s a few photos of the bunnies enjoying the last few days outside.  Rather than having to worry about cleaning up play-pens and bunny messes while trying to get everything in order for our trip, we decided to spend a few hours here and there outside enjoying the beautiful weather and letting the rabbits frolic in the backyard with us.  Plus it’s so cute when they realize how much space they have and they just start doing giant bunny leaps and binkies running at full speed!

Honey enjoying a bunny flop in the tunnel haven.

Willow lounging under the teepee.

Ollie getting ready to explore the deck.

Rocky does a big flop and relaxes on the deck under a chair.

Enjoy the rest of your week!  Bunday Sunday will still be featured so don’t forget to pop back!

Just wanted to take the time to post a couple of photos I received from one of my reader’s.  Alison recently built this cage for the new addition to her family, a Holland Lop Rabbit named Cookie!  Taking advice from BudgetBunny’s Build Your Own Rabbit Condo, she constructed an amazing cage out of storage cubes!  At only 3 months old, that is definitely one spoiled Bun!

Cookie is absolutely adorable Alison, thanks for the great photos!

Inspired by one of BudgetBunny’s blogs?  E-mail your pics to info@budgetbunny.ca!

Finally BudgetBunny is back and with a brand new look!  There are still some minor changes you may notice take place in the weeks to come, but the overall layout is pretty well done!

Other than the change in appearance, following BudgetBunny is now easier than ever!  The top right tool bar allows you to to keep up to date on all things BudgetBunny through Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, all by just the click of your mouse!

At the bottom right you’ll notice links to some excellent Canadian rabbit websites.  One an educational tool on rabbits and the other, a perfect place to contact if you’re thinking of adopting a bunny!

So check back often!  Now that BudgetBunny is back it will be updated regularly with great DIY toys and all things Bunny!

We’ve been watching a show on pet hoarding lately which got us thinking about what makes a responsible pet owner.  After all, the people on the show truly believe they’re giving their pets a great life.  They think they’re rescuing them from a life of cruelty and neglect but in fact are putting these animals in unsanitary and stressful situations.  Their love for animals has prevented them from seeing the bigger picture – their lives, the animal’s lives and their homes are being destroyed by a severe overpopulation of critters.  It’s so saddening to watch how emotional the same people get when they have to give up their animals.  In their hearts they truly believe  the animals were safest and happiest with them.  Many of them are so ‘in love’ with animals they breed them so they can ‘enjoy’ all stages of life.  It’s scary that it makes sense, there is not one ugly baby animal out there!  On the other hand, there are many who only have a few pets who still fail to give them the basic necessities they need to live.  It’s heart wrenching to see an animal being neglected or abused.  In one sense the person ‘cares’ too much and in the other, just not enough.

So after mulling it over here’s what we think demonstrates Responsible Pet Ownership:

A Well Balanced Diet

No matter how well you treat your pet, if you’re skimping on their food, chances are you’re going to run in to health problems down the road.  There are so many foods out there that may cost less, but also sacrifice your pet’s health, stuffing it full of fillers and empty calories.  These foods are basically junk food and we all know what too much junk food does to us!  It can cause us to be sluggish, gain weight and be deficient in certain vitamins our body needs so why would we continue to feed our animals the same kind of junk?  There are tons of websites and books out there specific to the pet you have that can help you determine what is and isn’t the right food for your animals.  If you have a rabbit that means a pellet based food that doesn’t contain any pieces of dried fruit, nuts or corn, unlimited hay and fresh veggies daily!

A Clean, Warm and Safe Home

Okay what we really mean by this is that we do not under any circumstances advocate keeping your animal outdoors by themselves for their entire life.  Your pet deserves more than being stuck outside day after day, lonely and braving the elements.  It’s proven that an outdoor animal is ‘out of sight and out of mind’.  It’s easy to forget your pet if they’re not a part of the family.  This also means that you’re providing adequate indoor housing for your pet.  See our blog on building your own rabbit condo for the minimum requirements your rabbit companion needs to stay healthy and happy.  The area your pet is confined to (if any) needs to be cleaned regularly to promote a healthy living environment.  You keep your house clean, why wouldn’t you keep your pets home spiffy too?!  Your pet should also be fed at regular meal times and have unlimited access to drinking water.

Lots of Playtime!

It’s the middle of January, freezing cold  right now and we’re bored of sitting inside the house!  Now imagine how your pet feels everyday!  Most of us have to get up and go to work in the morning ( Yay!  Insert sarcasm here ) which means our pets are left all day by themselves.  Just like people, our furry companions are going to be lonely and itching for some fun!  You need to devote daily exercise and play time to keeping them happy, plus it’ll help to strengthen the bond you share with them.  No matter how cold or hot it is, your dog still needs his daily run at the dog park, your cat would love to chase the laser pointer you got for Christmas and your rabbits are dying to run laps and binky for you to show their gratitude!  This time of year is also great for teaching some new tricks!  Rabbits are incredibly intelligent and there are some great books out there for clicker training your rabbit.  And after all that play you’ll all be so tired out it’ll be time for a good snuggle!

Regular Grooming

This again depends on the type of animals you have as well as whether they are long or short haired.  It’s safe to say for most pet owners, weekly grooming should be sufficient enough.  You may be grooming your pets daily if they have extremely long hair (like Angora rabbits).  Start by brushing your animals fur with the appropriate brush.  All of our pets love Saturdays because they get to feel pampered, having a nice snooze while being brushed and massaged.  This shouldn’t be painful for your pet because if you’re doing it regularly, mats and knots won’t have long enough to develop.  If there are mats that are too bad for you to brush out, gently clip them using a pair of sharp scissors.  Be very careful if you’re doing this to a fidgety pet – rabbits especially can have a hard time staying still!  The last thing you want is to hurt her, so if you don’t feel comfortable you can always have your vet cut the mats out for you.

While you’re brushing check for warning signs to illness, allergies, or bug infestations.  Are your dogs ears smelly and red?  Does your rabbit have patches of dry skin behind his ears?  Does your cat have bald patches?  These are all warnings that something is not right with your pet and you should contact your veterinarian!  Next up is the relaxing massage.  Make this gentle and calming.  While your pet feels like he’s in heaven, you should be thoroughly feeling for odd bumps and protrusions.  It’s not a good sign if your animal yelps in pain when you touch a certain spot.  If you’re doing this weekly, it’ll also be easier to tell if there’s a sudden drop or gain in weight which could also be a sign of illness.

Next up are nail clippings.  You can probably get away with only doing these once a month or so, depending on the pet.  Skip if your pet’s nails don’t grow very quickly.  To clip their nails look for the quick (it’s that pink vein you can see in their nail) and cut about an 1/4″ in front of that.  Sometimes it’s hard to see the quick if your animal has dark nails.  In this case you can shine a flashlight from underneath to find the quick.  You can usually tell when you’re getting too close to the quick if you apply pressure with the nail clippers and your pet jumps or moves their paw quickly out of the way.  If you do cut the quick, you can use styptic powder (which you can find at pet supply stores) or in a pinch flour, to clot the area and stop the bleeding.  This took us a while to get comfortable with so in the mean time we took our pets to the vets to have them cut their nails for us.

Regular Vet Checkups

This is really dependent on the type of animal you have.  My dogs for instance, are at the vets every couple of months because they’ve always got one thing or another, my cats and rabbits are there roughly once a year for a general check-up or more frequently if a health issue arises.  My parrot has been for a general checkup plus an emergency visit and my hamster has never left the house!  Depending on the type of pet(s) you have you may be at the vets a lot or a little.  Either way you need to be prepared that if or when something happens you’re going to act responsibly by taking your pet to the vet.  There are some things your pet may develop that just can’t be fixed on their own.  Rabbits especially have mastered the art of hiding illness or disease but through playtimes, snugglefests and your weekly grooming it shouldn’t be difficult to know when your Bun isn’t acting like herself.  Rabbits are very sensitive and delaying a trip to the vets as the first signs of illness could be fatal.  Put away some money every paycheck dedicated as your vet fund.  That way if an emergency comes up, you can focus on the health of your pet and not how much debt you’re racking up on your credit card.

Spaying / Neutering Your Pets

As Bob Barker always said, “Spay and Neuter Your Pets”!  You may be asking yourself why you need to have your animal fixed if it’s never going to leave the house?

• Accidents happen.  Your cat may get out of the house and come home pregnant.  Your dog may be taken advantage of at the dog park before you can stop it.  And don’t even get me started on having two unfixed rabbits of the opposite sex.  That’s just asking for trouble!  Don’t be naïve about siblings.  When it comes to the animal community, everyone is fair game.
• It’s been proven in many animals (and especially in rabbits) that fixing them keeps them healthier.  There are several types of cancers that affect your pets reproductive organs.  Female rabbits for instance have an extremely high death rate from uterine cancer.  So high, many unspayed females die before their middle aged.  Unaltered male dogs are known to develop testicular cancer when reaching older ages.  Even if it isn’t cancer, there are several infections that affect these organs and can still lead to unnecessary sickness and sometimes even death.  Female rabbits are also more likely to go through false pregnancies which can lead to internal bleeding and scarring.
• It prevents hormones from dictating the actions of your pet.  Your puppy is reaching sexual maturity and starts humping your leg, the couch cushion, your friend’s leg because he just can’t get enough!  Your male cat starts marking his territory – peeing on your curtains, your plants, pretty much anywhere he feels fit.  And your rabbit?  Well let’s just talk about your darling bunny!  Your female may start becoming cage protective.  Every time you reach your hand in, she’ll get really low to the ground and box you when you get close.  That’s her nesting space!  You male rabbit will start marking his territory with lovely extra smelly poops, peeing all over your stuff and frequently peeing on you!  After all, you’re his territory.  It’s endearing, in a gross kind of way!  He may even try humping your leg or chasing your cat to hump him….sound like fun?
• Forget having multiple pet households!  If you’re thinking about a companion rabbit for Buns, think again!  Rabbits have a hierarchy to maintain and even same sex rabbits will fight over their territory!  This aggression will prevent them from ever becoming friends – there’s just too many hormones in the way!  The same goes for cats (we’ve broken up some pretty nasty cat fights outdoors during the warmer months) and have you ever watched your dog at the dog park?  The first thing they do is establish a pecking order.  You can bet Humpy McGee is going to create some extra tension there!
• Babies – Yes we know, baby animals are freakin’ adorable!  On rainy days you can bet we’re surfing YouTube looking for baby animal vids to swoon over but the fact of the matter is there are way too many homeless pets out there!  And think about it, sure they would be cute for the first 30 seconds, then you’re going to realize you have a full time job and those little munchkins are going to be a ton of work.  You’re going to have to make sure their Mama is taking care of them properly.  You’re going to have to make sure Mama is being cared for properly.  If she neglects any of them, it’s your responsibility to take her place.  As they grow you’re going to have to feed them and play with them and clean up after all of them!  And then when they’re old enough you’re going to have to find loving homes for them because if you don’t we may be watching you on the next episode of the pet hoarders show!  Sounds like a lot of work doesn’t it?!  Spay and neuter your pets!

Love and Compassion

If you can’t give a certain type of pet the love it deserves, then perhaps that pet just isn’t for you.  You should be figuring this out before and not after you bring home the new addition.  The great thing about animals is that there are so many types of pets – there really is something for everyone!  Whatever pet you decide on, you’re making a commitment to yourself and that animal to love it unconditionally.  If you can’t feel confident in providing the above characteristics to any animal, then a pet may not be right for you at this time in your life.  However, if you’re anything like us, you’ll be so head over heels in love with your animals that these ‘rules’ will just feel natural!  You’ll always strive to be the best pet owner possible, because you want what’s best for your pet!

Rocky Having Too Much Fun On New Years Eve!

BudgetBunny returning after a joyous but busy holiday season!  I hope everyone else enjoyed their holidays and had a great but safe New Years!  If you’re feeling a little worn out from last night’s festivities (or perhaps from spending the night beside the loo), snuggle in to your comfy bed with a good book, a classic movie and your favourite pal (that would be your rabbit) by your side!

This year is a special year for us bunny lovers as it’s the Year of the Rabbit!  Kind of cool right?!  The rabbit represents sophistication, manners and sensitivity.  If you’d like to read a little more about the Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac check out:

http://www.gotohoroscope.com/chinese-zodiac-rabbit.html

Beginning a new year for most brings reflection and a determination to better one’s self through resolution making.  If you didn’t spend as much time with your bunny last year make a resolution to better your relationship!  Maybe these last few weeks were really busy (like at my house!) visiting family and friends for the holidays and you want to make up for some lost time spent with Buns.  Or perhaps you just never understood your rabbit in the first place.  Now’s the time to make a change and start developing that bond.  I promise you, the reward of having such a gentle and wonderful creature love you will be incredibly fulfilling!

Now that things are settling down and were heading in to the long and cold months of winter, BudgetBunny will be updating frequently with great DIY toys and tips so make sure to check back regularly!

And don’t forget to check BudgetBunny out on Facebook and Twitter with regular updates on new posts and some adorable rabbit photos you’re all dying to ooooooh and aaaaaah over!

Hoppy New Year To All!

Your source for awesome Do It Yourself crafts and housing ideas to keep your Bunny happy and healthy!

Did you know a bored bunny can lead to a sad and sick bunny?  It’s true!  A rabbit that lacks mental stimulation can develop a weakened immune system!  Plus a rabbit without a roomy cage to properly stretch their legs in can lose strength in them, leading to muscle problems.

Willow Excited About BudgetBunny!

Keep your rabbit stimulated by providing lots of toys for them to play with!  Fun toys can minimize or stop destructive behaviours like chewing on bar cages or ripping up your carpet!

BudgetBunny.ca will be updated frequently with great ideas to keep you and your rabbit busy, Busy, BUSY without the worry of scrounging through your couch cushions to pay for it all!

BudgetBunny.ca isn’t just for the Rabbit Community; you’ll also find it’s a great source for money saving crafts, projects and tips for your other critters too!

Plus you’ll also find great advice on living with a Rabbit!

And sometimes it’ll just be about my experiences as a Photographer, Vegan and Animal Lover!

So check in regularly for great ideas to make living with your Bunny unforgettable!