Outdoor Treasures

 

All the trees are changing color and they look so beautiful! And to think that it's the last day of September.

 

Zoey and I went up with my mom to do the bees.  Zoey was far away from the smoker, and it looked really neat, but it didn't work out very well when I tried to take a picture of her...

 

 

There were a lot of yellow leaves.  I like yellow leaves, but I always love the red and orange ones :)

 

It was really pretty.  The pictures don't do it justice.

 

Zoey enjoyed liking up the spilled sugar water.  Her face got a little sticky after that.

 

She also went romping through the woods and got covered in burrs!

 

I was getting ready to wash Zoey off a little, when I discovered the bones of a lizard who apparently got trapped in the bottom of the watering can.

And there was a pair of stick bugs....making little stick bugs :)

 

Zoey found a bee that she kept trying to catch...she was unable to get him, but he was really cute.

 

All in all, Zoey did great! She had a wonderful time checking out all the bugs and what not.  She and I even ran around in the field a little bit.  She's such an awesome puppy!

 

 

So as you can see, there is beauty and treasure  all around you...literally everywhere! All you have to do is take the time to really see it.

My Papaw

Since I started my blog, my grandfather (who I call Papaw) has been beyond supportive of me. 

He lives close to me, so almost every time I would see him originally when I started my blog, he would compliment me on my posts and tell me how much he loves reading everything.

It was always such an awesome thing to have so much support from a grandparent.  Even though all he was doing was telling me he read my posts, it meant the world to me and still does.

At my cousin's wedding about a week back...he came up to me and I quote, "I can't wait to read your post on the wedding!"

My Papaw is one of the sweetest men I have ever met in my entire life.  And I love him so much for it. 

Sometimes, when I feel like I don't have time to work on the blog or update things or take pictures for it, I think of how much my Papaw enjoys reading it and that makes it all worth while to me. 

The reason I'm posting this, is because to those of you who read my posts daily, should know that I can do this because I have such awesome family who's always so supportive of what I do. 

Getting Ready for Fall Weather!

With the fall weather setting in, it just keeps getting colder and colder each day.   Underneath my bench/table in my rabbitry I store all extra water bottles, feeders, and bunny huts.

The bunny huts are basically so that the rabbits have a place to go that has 3 solid sides on it which will help keep them warm during the fall and winter months.

Extra water bottles...

Extra food dishes (which are obviously washed before usage)

So as you can see, without the huts under there, it's looking much cleaner under there and I'm very happy with that!

I do not have huts for all the bunnies yet, but I'll show you the ones I do have.

 

When I got Oreo, he came with this wooden hut and it has been a wonderful asset in my rabbitry.  Especially when I have litters.

 

Kayla (above) and Pumpkin (below) both have these plastic huts with no floor so they can go to the bathroom in there and not get soiled.  These huts came with Piper and Lucky when I had bought them.

 

Then, my mother actually had an ingenious idea!  Whenever it was trash day, we would go around town looking for old tidy-cat containers that people were throwing out.  Turns out, they make awesome huts for my larger rabbits!

 

Dadooshka hopped right in and began checking hers out!

Then here's Rhett with his...

 

I only have 3 of these though.  I'm going to get the other one out of the garden today and most likely will put it in with my female LE. 

So there you go! They might not look pretty, but they get the job done and are an wonderful price too.

Even though it's been cold and a lot of the spiders seem to have died, there are still a lot of really BIG spiders out and about.  This being said, I didn't want to just stick my hand in and grab the stuff out from under the table.

But a while ago, my grandfather had given us this extremely wonderful tool...

The end grabs things...

...when you pull the handle up at the front.

Anyway, this little thing is great!  I highly recommend getting one.   And so there you go!  That's a little of what I was doing yesterday in between school and other things. :)

Natural Rabbit Cures - For Pregnancy

Through many reliable resources and my own experiences, I've accumulated a fair bit of knowledge as to some natural rabbit cures for when your rabbit is pregnant/in labor. 

These are all herbs.  Some are easier to find than others. This is not 100% guarantee that it will work, but hopefully it will help your rabbit if she's having issues while pregnant/in labor.

Blackberry - both the leaves and the fruit are good for your rabbit.  It will help keep your female cool in the summer heat.  Not only this, but after she's had her kits, it's a good was to introduce them to greens

Blue Cohosh - do NOT give to your female until she is in labor!  It is meant to induce labor and help if she has any stuck kits.

Borage - It helps with the increase of milk in the nursing female.  It's a good treat for the female after she gives birth and it will help keep her calm.  Careful though as it does act like a laxative

Comfrey - This is a way to get your pregnant/nursing female some extra vitamin A.  Not only that, but it's one of the best herbs for rabbits ever

Dandelion - Helps increase the milk flow of nursing females

Goats Rue - Helps increase the milk flow of nursing females

Fennel - Helps increase the milk flow of nursing females

Lavender - Induces labor and helps expel the placentas.  You must use VERY sparingly as it acts like a tranquilizer to rabbits!

Mint - This helps STOP the milk flow of a female who's trying to wean her bunnies.  NEVER feed this to lactating females!

Nettles - Helps increase the milk flow of nursing females

Parsley - This just helps productivity in your females but is also good for helping with the males in their fertility

Raspberry - This helps to prevent any birthing problems for your female.  It helps the condition of the pregnancy and ensures a good birth. 

Strawberry - The entire plant is good.  It helps to prevent miscarriages in your females and keeps your female cool in the summer

Then I cannot remember where, but somewhere on the internet I found this:

Pregnancy Tonic - You combine the following herbs: dried raspberry leaf, nettle, and goats rue in equal parts and half part milk thistle.  (ALL ORGANIC!)  Feed 1 Tbs. each day during feeding time.  Do this starting a week before your female is due and continue for a month.  This will help with the birthing process and give the female extra nutrition and increase the milk flow.  Remember though, only ONCE a day. 

Pure Pumpkin - Good for Rabbits?

Pure pumpkin can be found in cans but is only a seasonal item.  It's most commonly used for pumpkin pies and pumpkin breads, etc.

However, is it good for your rabbits? The answer is...Yes, it is.  In fact, since it's a seasonal item, you'll want to stock up on it if you own rabbits! 

The reason?  Well, just as prune juice is for older people, pure pumpkin is for rabbits.

If a rabbit gets constipated, this will cure them in no time!  I have used it on my rabbits before and it worked like a charm.  You just need to be careful that it's 100% pure.  If not, some of the extra ingredients may be harmful to your rabbit.

So make sure it says 100% PURE pumpkin before getting it/giving it to your rabbit for consumption.

Pure pumpkin has saved the lives of 5 different rabbits of mine. 

It's not hard to give it to them either.  You fill a syringe full and stick it in their mouth.  They might resist at first, but once they taste it, they love it! 

They'll want more after they've finished, but don't give them too much.  A 6 ml. syringe is more than enough for them. 

So my advice to anyone who owns a rabbit is to stock up on pure pumpkin while you can! Remember it's seasonal...now is the time to get it.  It can literally save your rabbit's life. 

Fall Décor and More!

I added a few more touches to my rabbitry for fall.  I got two little scarecrows as well as some ribbon.  I used the ribbon and put a little bow on each post. 

The posts that support the rabbit cages look nice with a little pop of color added to them.

I like the polka dot bow better, just because it's easier to see :)

They're cute scarecrows

 

Then, after watering my mums the other day, my mum plant in front of my tin owl came back to life! It was looking sad before, but it looks  much healthier now.

 

So pretty!

 

I really love the color of them.  I wouldn't normally pick purple, but I think it's a nice color especially next to the orange pumpkins.

 

Then with all the leaves falling off the trees, there are TONS of dead leaves laying around back there!

 

Instead of racking them, I actually feed them to my bunnies.  They really like leaves! And they really enjoy the crunch of the dead ones.

 

This is Cottontail

Oreo...

Dustin...

Chuck...

Kayla...

And Pumpkin! :)

 

Obviously, you want to look up and find out if the trees near you are safe for rabbits or not.  But the leaves really are a good snack for your bunnies! They absolutely love them.  And with it being fall, we certainly have a pleather of them.

 

While I was out with my rabbits a little bit ago, I cleaned out Button's hutch area.  They all seemed to enjoy the clean area.

 

The bunnies are all very happy back there!  And I'm glad they're going to get a break from breeding until spring.  They deserve a break.  They're so good. :)

 

Also when I was back there, I took out some browning lettuce for the chickens.  They seemed very happy to have it.

 

 

Last but not least, I took some new pictures of my 'porch bunnies' this morning.  I think they turned out really well!  It can be hard though since they're so used to people that they won't sit still for the camera.  Instead, they hop over to you...behind the lens! :)

 

He's so cute :)

She kept trying to chew on the camera! :)

The box is what I use to transfer them all from their crib to this outside run and vise-versa. Then the container holds extra water for them.

 

So as you can see, things are going quite well for me and my rabbits.   And I'm very pleased with how my rabbitry looks all spruced up!  I'm already looking forward to searching for winter decorations to put up back there. :)