Michelle is the proud owner of Whiskers the Holland Lop and Miku the Pomapoo. Follow @whiskers_hollandlop on Instagram and Miku and Whiskers on twitter to see more of their mischief! https://twitter.com/hl_and_pp
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGZc20ED5Bh/ Typical playtime with my bunbun <3
When Singapore went into circuit breaker near April last year, schools nationwide announced that students will not be attending lessons in school but rather they would be accessing their lectures and tutorials from the comfort of their homes. Adapting to full-time HBL was no easy feat, as it was a huge transition for many students across the world.
For me personally, at first I was thrilled to hear that I do not have to come to school physically for lessons (since it was banned) as I do not need to wake up early to travel to school and I do not need to be reminded of the unhappiness in the classroom in late 2019. Little did I know that learning through a computer proved to be way harder for me. While Year 2 of Polytechnic is known to be the most stressful year, it was more stressful for me as compared to previous cohorts since it takes more effort to memorise lecture content for exams if taught through HBL than if it is taught face-to-face. Completing assignments was also much harder as it is inconvenient to arrange consultation sessions with your lecturer who is also working from home and adapting to the handling of their heavy workload and overloaded schedules without going to the office which is the best place for asking your lecturer questions regarding your assignment/presentations/exams.
With the stressors of an overloaded academic schedule and adapting to full-time HBL taking a toll on me, my mental health took a nosedive. I realised how much of 2019 I took for granted. I was about to lose hope, until one fine guest lecture I attended on Zoom, which gave me an idea of how to heal mentally.
Petting Whiskers helps me to relax
During a guest lecture for my programme planning module, the guest speaker was answering a question posted by someone from my cohort during the Q&A segment. I could not remember exactly what the question and response was, but the guest speaker did mention these two words “animal therapy” when talking about the types of therapy his agency does to clients. He mentioned that animal therapy is commonly used as companions for the elderly, mental health, disability and children’s settings in social services. They would allow clients to interact with the animals directly by letting them carry, pet and play with animals like birds, kittens, puppies, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and so on.
Hearing about animal therapy sparked my interest and made me want to try this out for myself. Fortunately we already have a rabbit as a house pet and she has been with us for more than three years as of this writing. Since Whiskers is very fond of me and enjoys my company, interacting with her was easier and it ensured a smooth bonding experience.
Whiskers likes to relax between daddy’s legs
Whenever I feel stressed from assignments or projects I would let Whiskers out of the cage so that she could play with us. Spending time with my rabbit allowed me to forget the stressful feeling of submitting an assignment in two weeks. My bun would run around the house and expect head rubs from us which forced us to focus all of our energy on her and take our minds off our books for a while, helping to relieve stress.
When we observe Whiskers’ antics, it allowed us to destress
At first, my mum did not know what animal therapy was until I introduced the term to her. She was rather surprised that such a thing existed until she searched it up and learnt the benefits of animal therapy. Just like me, my mum really agrees that playing with Whiskers helps to relieve stress, cause after spending time with my bun we would feel a lot better than before. When you already have a pet, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on an actual therapist because your pet can be your therapist! Not only does it cost less overall, but it is also more convenient, cause why leave the house to visit the therapist physically when you already have a therapist in your home in the form of a cute furry little friend? <3
She will always roam on our sofa đ
Aside from handling your rabbit’s poops and shedding of their fur, spending time with your bun can actually make you feel a lot better, even when you are sad. When your family or friends have never been there for you, your rabbit can be your best friend, just like music is to Taylor Swift. đ
Whiskers started her own Instagram account just last year, and ever since it has garnered 130+ followers as of today. Every time she comes out to play, there would be at least one post of her mischief in the house. Now that there is another member of the family – Miku, we would need a combined social media page – in the form of a twitter account.
Typically, we would post at least one to two times whenever Whiskers is on the loose. Once, we caught her in the act of peeing on our sofa (cause she’s shameless) and it garnered just about 9 likes as of today.
Sometimes, we would just post about her being lazy and sleeping in her cage or elsewhere in our house cause rabbits can sometimes be lazy and not come out to play. Even as she lazes around, she still is cute!
Even when lazy, she still is a cutie! <3
Oftentimes, this is the spot where she likes to “camp” out since it is dark and rabbits prefer to hide in a place that is dark and sheltered from outside so that they will feel safe from predators. (Here is a vid of her eating her favorite snack while in her favorite hiding spot! => https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEbEX_lDLhR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)
Another time, I took a pic of her lying down under our wooden cupboard and edited out the background to make her look like she’s at the beach in summer for a photo competition, as using filters or background effects can add more magic to your photos to make them really stand out.
This shows that sometimes, your furkid doesn’t need to be awake and active in order to be cute. Their cutest moments can come even when they are out like a light.
The day finally came when Whiskers hit 100 followers on Instagram, and she is ready to do a sponsored post. I celebrated it by doing an IG story with party filters (which has now disappeared due to the nature of IG stories).
When Miku finally came to our family late last year, I was wondering whether to make a combined page for them since someone already started an IG account for her. Then, I decided to turn to twitter and make a combined account specially for both fur kids. One of the pics I uploaded for Miku was this:
Hey guys! 2020 will be ending in about 10 hours right now. Miku here is so excited about 2021! How about your furkids? pic.twitter.com/MF2iEb444J
With a combined twitter account I can finally post pics and vids of both of these two furry friends, or simply type a tweet like making a 10-word blog about the rabbit and the pomapoo. Occasionally, I would tweet about some cute bunny vids that I find on IG. Twitter can also be a way to promote Whiskers’ Instagram account, while I use instagram to promote their twitter at the same time so both pages end up helping each other.
So what are you waiting for? Go and follow Miku and Whiskers on Twitter and Instagram to show them some love! Links are embedded in the first paragraph! <3<3<3
Toys your bun can play with based on my personal experience
Ever wondered how intelligent your furry friends with long ears are? Well, they are actually more intelligent than you think. Rabbits have about the same IQ as the average cat or dog, and given their IQ, they need constant mental and physical stimulation with toys and plenty of exercise. It is important to change toys every once in a while so that they do not get bored. Just like us humans, rabbits will get bored very easily if they were made to eat the same foods, do the same things or play with the same exact toys everyday without a change in routine.
Here are a few of the toys that we have that may actually be useful for your little furry one. đ
We got this toy for her about one month ago from RHQ Rabbit Headquarters. The ball is made of apple twigs that is safe to consume for rabbits. Just like any other bunny, Whiskers likes to chew on stuff, so this ball would be perfect for her. Since rabbit teeth are constantly growing just like our nails, they need to chew on something to prevent their teeth from overgrowing to the point that they become too long for them to eat anything.
Any chew toy should be made safe to eat for bunnies, and this ball manages to kill two birds with one stone by being both a chew toy for her to use her teeth on and a consumable product made with delicious apple twigs that she can feast on whenever she’s hungry. This can help to keep her busy while we’re at work so we don’t have to worry about her not being occupied with something. Since it’s a consumable product, it will run out once your rabbit has ate all of it and you will have to replace it with a new one. The ball can undo itself easily so you will need to pick up the pieces when it happens.
Pros: – Made of natural edible material – Allows them to play and eat healthily
Cons: – Untangles itself easily due to weak material used, forcing you to clean up the mess whenever it occurs – Not an infinite object – will run out once your bun consumes all of it and you will have to get a new one
2. Dangling wooden toy
The wooden toy hanging in Whiskers’ cage after the string broke and we have to fix it
Bunnies like to chew on anything, especially if it’s made of wood. Chewing not only prevents their teeth from overgrowing but it is also therapeutic for the bunny’s soul, just like hitting a punching bag is therapeutic for a human’s soul. If you have a lot of wooden furniture at home that you do not wish for your bunny to chew on, then this wooden toy should serve as an alternative to wooden furniture for them.
This toy is made entirely out of wood, attached to a string that connects it to a wooden hook to hang it on the ceiling of the cage. It is perfect for little critters who just can’t help but find wood to chew on. The toy stimulates them mentally so that they will not get bored, but the string is so brittle that it will break when your bun pulls it too hard.
We got this toy for her since she always likes to run into the master bedroom where most of the furniture is made of wood and we’ve had enough of her chewing on the wooden tables, walls, and any furniture from our living room that is made of wood. We thought that this toy would keep her from chewing other stuff so we got this for her. We also got this as an alternative to a small wooden log that we got for her before since she chewed only a small portion of that log and got bored of it that she resorted back to chewing our wooden furniture.
The wooden toy was hanging in her cage for two years until one day, in a fit of rage, she pulled it down, breaking the string that held it up. She probably got bored of it for being in her cage for two years. We had to put it back together since the string broke. Right now, it is still hanging up there in her cage but as a decoration rather than as a chew toy. She hardly ever touches it again since right now there are other toys that she prefers to this and her body is too obese for her to lift up her front legs to reach it.
Pros: – Made of wood so it is good material for chewing and relieving stress – Keeps rabbit entertained when left in the cage for hours
Cons: – String is too weak. Will break if rabbit pulls it too hard – Design is too simple and rabbit will grow bored of it after a few months. – Some rabbits may not be able to reach the toy if it’s placed too high up
Do you know that toilet paper rolls are actually safe to consume for rabbits? It can also serve as a chew toy!
Toilet paper rolls are made of cardboard material that is safe to ingest for rabbits and satisfying for them to chew on. To make it even better, you should stuff some hay and other smaller snacks into the cardboard tube to add more variety to his/her diet. Make it more challenging by stuffing the hay in tightly and hide the tube with food in one place for extra difficulty đ
Likewise, cardboard boxes are also a good toy for them and safe to consume. You can take pieces of cardboard and put them together to make a little house! đ You can cut square holes in the cardboard for them to jump through and play hide-and-seek. Just make sure to file the sharp edges with sandpaper so that they don’t get hurt from playing. Who knows? Maybe one day the cardboard house will become your little one’s favorite playground! đ
Also, if you have some old phone books, don’t throw them away! It’s good to keep some old phone books and get your friends to do the same thing. Your little furry friend will really love to tear through the pages and rip the phone books into shreds, so be sure to save some old phone books for them! đ
As you can see in the IGTV vid here, Whiskers really likes to play with the toilet paper roll. Ever since, we don’t see her chewing on our wooden furniture anymore now that the toilet paper roll has already made up for her boring wooden toy. The toilet paper rolls have proven time and time again that you don’t have to spend money to keep your little furry friend entertained. Sometimes, all it takes is a little creativity. đ
Pros: – Cost effective – Can be used as a foraging toy – Safe to consume
Cons: – Not infinite. Must be replaced if all is eaten up by rabbit
The toy in question is seen in most of Whiskers’ IG vids and photos
This is a round-shaped metal cage for you to stuff with hay. As they eat, the cage will shake and cause the bell to make a satisfying “ding” sound for their ears to pick up. Every time Whiskers brushes past it, she would trigger the bell sound. The bell sound is quite relaxing for a rabbit and not as loud as music from the radio.
The metal ball cage needs to be replenished with hay frequently since they consume hay in large amounts every day because hay forms a large part of a rabbit’s diet. Whenever there is no more hay left in this ball, Whiskers will get annoyed and thump her feet at us to show her disapproval. She’s like a five-year-old human kid who is addicted to sugar and gets mad when he runs out of sweets so he demands his mom for more sweets. These little critters are so adorable even when they get mad at us. XD <3
It’s best to replenish it with hay when it’s left half-full as their rate of hay consumption per day is quite high. They’ll get dissatisfied when the metal ball of hay is less than half-full and thump their feet at you like an angry rabbit. After all, it’s hay that they should consume more of and not carrots, so take that Bugs Bunny! đ
When they’re not eating, you can ring that little bell for them to signal that it’s playtime. Sometimes, when your eyes are not on them, they may even ring the bell to communicate something to you, or to just show you that they are awake and hyper and cannot wait for playtime! XD
Pros: – Metal chain is strong enough to hold the ball up so that it won’t break when pulled – Perfect for hay storage. Can possibly be a foraging toy. đ – Bell ringing is soft and ASMR. Most relaxing sound for a rabbit.
Cons: – Not a suitable toy for chewing.
Conclusion
So here are the toys that we own which may be useful for your little one. What do you guys think of this list? Do you have any rabbit toys that are not listed here which can be fun and beneficial for your bunny? Share with us in the comments below! đ
A storyof how I made up with my bun after grabbing it
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAZv2JXATQf/
Read til’ the end for a happy ending! đ
The mistakes
Many young and inexperienced owners like me would not hesitate to pick up their bunny and put them on their lap or stomach so that they could stroke their little one, like how you would cuddle a baby. However, owners do not realize that picking up their rabbit would only cause them great fear, for rabbits are prey animals.
When Whiskers first came to our home, I would try to pick her up and put her on my lap so that I could cuddle her like a baby. I used to think that doing so would let her get used to me but it only made her more scared of me. Back then, I didn’t quite like the idea of letting an animal roam freely around the house since I was afraid they would go missing or ingest things that they shouldn’t eat. Plus, I liked the feeling of putting her on my lap to feel her affection and getting fur all over my clothes. Even though I let her roam freely sometimes, she would not leave the cage until I am out of her sight because she feared me for grabbing her from the cage every time I played with her. And when she does, she will hide in a dark corner and remain there until she feels like going back to the cage.
Sometimes, I would put her on a table or a very tall drawer so that she can pose for pics, and putting her high up would confine her to a small area since I wasn’t that fond of letting an animal roam freely, but doing so would only make her feel stressed out because being put in high places would simulate the experience of being too far above the ground that predators can see them.
Whiskers posing in front of a Koko Krunch Cereal box on a white table
Rabbits do not like to be picked up since they are ground-based animals and the higher above the ground they are, the more stressed they will feel.
Reasons for their behaviors
In the wild, rabbits will stay as close to the ground as possible or even better for them, dig a hole underground and hide there. A rabbit that is higher and further away from the ground will be exposed to predators like eagles or vultures. Being low on the ground would lower their chances of being spotted by airborne predators while being at higher altitudes would make them easily visible to their predators and more likely to get eaten. This is why these lagomorphs need to be left on the ground as much as possible, as they feel more sheltered when they are not being picked up
Like their wild counterparts, domesticated rabbits will feel uncomfortable with being picked up. Whenever an owner picks them up, it will remind them of being abducted by an eagle or vulture in the wild (Not saying that your bun has been captured by predators before, but picking them up will simulate that experience of being abducted by a predator if they were in the wild).
Back then, I didn’t understand why she would be so scared of me. I thought she was just scared of humans, only to realize she was just scared of me. As she got older, Whiskers became more rebellious and difficult to control. Picking her up got even harder now that she became more defensive. She would refuse to eat from my hand and even bit me once because she thought that I was going to grab her out of the cage.
I want to bond with my bun, the RIGHT WAY
Tired of being feared by my little furry one, I went to research on ways to gain back her trust, to no avail. Then one day, I came across a reddit post by this bun owner who also had a similar situation to mine. He said that his bun became scared of him ever since he grabbed her and doesn’t know how to win her trust back. He also shared that he didn’t trust the experts’ articles either because he has Asperger’s.
Then, I was enlightened by one commenter on that reddit post. According to that comment, one must sit near their rabbit while occupying themselves with their phone, book, TV or Nintendo Switch for a few days, while still attending to the rabbit’s basic needs such as replenishing their hay, cleaning their cage, etc. After the rabbit is used to your presence, you can try hand-feeding it to see if it’s comfortable being near you.
So I decided to try this out. I started by sitting near her cage while using my phone or playing with my switch lite so that she gets used to me being around. After a few days, I tried feeding her dandelion delights, her favorite snack by hand. This time, she ate it from me without fear. She took a few more pieces before getting head strokes from me. I was thrilled!
Ever since that day, Whiskers isn’t scared of me anymore. Now, she likes to follow me around whenever she is on the loose. She would crave snacks from me especially if I whip out a piece of heart-shaped carrot/apple dill (she used to refuse eating from my hand before this). Unlike before, I would not pick her up, knowing that she needs to have the freedom to explore the house by running around to get some exercise. I also do not put her on surfaces above the ground knowing that she doesn’t like it, but she will still climb onto the sofa herself just to be near me when I sit on the sofa.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBViEn1Dvtx/
Whiskers happily playing on the sofa đ
So if you ever need to win back your rabbit’s trust after grabbing them, just do what I did, and in just a few days they will like you back. Just remember not to grab them again and let them roam around the house freely for more exercise! đ
