Double Trouble

These two are so fat and happy.

girl

boy

They've been gaining more and more weight every day. So proud!

4/14: boy 7.3 oz.; girl 7.4 oz.
4/15: 7.3; 7.6
4/16: 8.3; 8
4/17: 9.1; 8.2
4/18: 9.3; 8.5
4/19: 9.7; 9.2
4/20: 10.9; 10.1

Alex is a champ at feeding:

Post bottle daze

She likes to perch.

At this rate, we'll have them another 2 months.

Boy and Girl

We haven't named them yet. I think we'll wait until they're a little older before we choose names for them.

The boy kept walking around the back of the crate, but I got a couple good shots of the girl.

Chinchilla butt

They used to be really quiet, but now that their eyes are open and they're a bit more mobile, they meow constantly when they aren't be fed or asleep.

This is from back when his eyes were gooed shut and he couldn't see at all. He used to hiss:

Now he's a cuddler.

This is back when we were syringe feeding, before the bottle:

This is my girl, crawling up my arm:

Adorable Toffee

This is the kind of kitten we like to foster:

Toffee, a 4-6 week old female buff tabby. Stinkin' adorable.

Honey loved her, she ate and pooped on her own. She was learning how to play.

We only had her overnight because a foster was picking her up in the morning.

She was very good, and we miss her. The little ones we have now are just too darn small and infecty. But they got eye meds and we got confirmation that we were not starving them, so things are looking up.

Still searching

Sky had his first sink bath. He did not enjoy it. I didn't realize he still has feeling pretty far down his back, so the way I was holding him probably didn't do him any favors. I'll try to make him more comfortable next time.

He's such a great rabbit and I really hope we can either find a sanctuary for him or at least make him happy with us. He runs around like a crazy guy and seems to forget sometimes that he can't use his back legs. He tries to groom, then falls over and ends up grooming on his face or side.

We're still working on the cart thing. If we can't find someone to make one that we can afford, we'll have to try and make something for him. There are some really nice ones out there, but they are at $250+ and I can't justify spending that much right now, even though he might be using it for 10 years.

So angry.

Tomorrow, I'll go buy him some good food and hay and maybe some diapers. We'll see how it goes.

Petra's teeth

Today, Petra had her teeth and nails trimmed. She was very good at the vet and at the shelter. She saw Dr. Dan at Avian & Exotic (who is awesome!). He said her back teeth were quite overgrown, causing her pain and reluctance to eat. With her teeth trimmed, the skin inside her cheeks should start to heal and she's getting meds for the pain. We should see improvement within 3 days. With proper diet, it shouldn't be a recurring thing, but she should see a vet in 3-6 months just to be sure.

Everyone remarked about how sweet (and so skinny!) she is. She'll make someone very happy.

Success!

Tiger Lily was adopted today! The family really liked her and were totally okay with her being more sassy than cuddly. The mom had really done her research and it sounded like Tiger Lily will be living it up. Good luck to her!

Sky- wheelchair-ho!

Sky went back to the vet Friday. He's lost a little weight, but not enough for it to be a big deal. I'm hoping that once we get Petra out of the room, he might start eating a little better. As long as he keeps eating his hay and greens, he'll be fine, but pellets is where the real weight is.

Once the exam was over, they put him on the floor and let him scoot. He explored the room, and when satisfied, plopped down under the bench behind my feet.

This dude can't be bothered.

The doctor decided that there had been no significant change, neurologically, though the spine has healed a great deal. She said we can't really break him more, and since he almost certainly won't regain movement or feeling, we might as well hook him up in a chair.

He was filthy, since we've been too nervous to bathe him. His last real cleaning session was Monday, I think, and he was really gross today. He got a bath, though, and some medicine to help clear up some spots on him. Once he gets fitted with a chair, hopefully he won't be sitting in urine all the time.

Petra's first day in foster

Petra (86082)

Petra is an adorable little cotton ball head.

She's all over the place, exploring and getting into even more places than Tiger Lily did.

Her balance is off because she's so skinny, so she thinks she can go some places she can't. That doesn't stop her from trying, though.

She met the dog, and didn't seem to mind. She even stuck her head through the baby gate to check her out. She tried to fit her whole body through once and I was worried I'd have to unstuck her. She is seriously the most adorable rabbit ever. She's so sweet and she stinks like swampface.

I spent a good half hour just holding her, grooming and warming her up. The dog sat next to me and Sky chilled out in his cage, as he does.

Petra might need to be evaluated by a specialist. Our vet looked at her teeth and said they were fine, but talking to Dr. Leo at Avian & Exotics, I'm not sure if she looked at all the teeth or just the ones in the front. If the ones in the back are over grown, they could be wearing on the insides of her cheeks and causing her a lot of pain. If that's the case, it would be hard to find her a family willing to have her teeth trimmed every 2-4 weeks.

I hope she'll find a good home. She's too sweet to give up on.

Tiger Lily- on the adoption floor!

Tiger Lily is now back at the shelter and on the adoption floor. I'm hoping the exposure will help her find a family faster.

She's a beautiful girl and a lot of fun to watch. She's not the most people-oriented, but I think that she could get used to affection, if someone were willing to take the time with her. She's not mean by any means, she's just perfectly happy to hop around by herself.

This rabbit isn't scared of anything. She likes to explore new surroundings and would love to spend a lot of time outside her crate, just lounging around.

Once she gets a good feeling for her environment, she'll flop right down and just watch what's going on.

She's not skittish, so you don't have to worry about her darting around if you walk near her.

If you sit down, she'll come check you out. I'm pretty sure that she could grow to like people, with a lot of time and maybe some treats. She's a good girl, and I hope she finds a home soon.

Petra

Sweet girl is home tonight. She'll be spending the night in her cage, and tomorrow we'll get her settled in. If she can get used to the dog, she might come sit in the living room with us. That way she'll get more socialization and won't upset Sky. Once Tiger Lily left, he started to eat more. After he tried to mount her, he may have been too agitated to relax. If he starts eating less again, Petra will definitely have to come down.

I'm looking forward to having her. She's very sweet and very cute.

waiting

Petra has a potential family going to see her tomorrow. She is spending one more night at the shelter. We'll find out tomorrow. She was out today, exploring and being social. Hopefully, she'll go home.

Tiger Lily has settled in and is looking cute for a new home.

The ol' switcheroo

Tomorrow, I'll be taking Tiger Lily back to the shelter. I'll be bringing home Petra, fka Peter, an emaciated rabbit.

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If you look at the picture, you can see some dark lines on her side. That's where her fur is clinging to her bones. A rabbit has to be pretty skinny to be able to tell through their fur.

Here's her story:

Her previous owner was told by her vet that the rabbit's teeth were overgrown and needed to be trimmed. She was told to bring the rabbit in once a month for trimmings. At one of these trimmings, one of the rabbit's teeth were cracked. That made it painful for her to eat and caused some more vet visits. You can see in her photo how her chin is messy, which is a big sign that the owner tried to feed her a liquid diet (Bailey used to have a strawberry mustache).

In addition, at another visit, the rabbit's gum was cut. The owner was not told, did not know, and the cut got infected. She had to pay to have the abscess treated. She was also told to bring the rabbit in every two weeks. At this point, it became difficult for her to pay for the frequent vet visits and subsequent injuries.

At the time of surrender, the owner was so upset that she sat out in the parking lot and cried for at least half an hour.

What I don't understand is why, if the lady was so upset, she didn't bother to fill out a surrender form. We know nothing about this sweet girl other than her sob story. I guess we'll just have to get to know her.

Sky

This is Sky.

His spine is broken. He can't feel or move his back legs. He has no control over his bowels or bladder.

He is only 9 months old and has no idea that anything is "wrong" with him. He knows that he can still scoot around and doesn't know why we won't let him out for a little freedom.

He eats and drinks like a normal rabbit. He loves treats and is getting used to being handled. In his previous home, he lived in a small, wire-bottom cage with his sister. Their cage was not cleaned very often and was covered in urine. It was so small that they could barely move around. They were being fed mostly baby carrots, which makes their stool very soft and unhealthy.

Since he has come to live with us, his diet is much better and his stool has improved. He has more space and gets more attention. He and his sister, Tiger Lily, are both looking for homes. He would love a home with a companion. He also needs to be neutered.

Sky is in our care because he would have been euthanized at the shelter. Once he is healed enough for a wheelchair, he will be able to get around and play. Not the same as before his injury, but he will still be very happy. We are looking for anyone who can help, either a rescue or individual with the resources to ensure his quality of life is good. Please contact me at diadrascritters@gmail.com if you can help.

Tiger Lily

This is Tiger Lily.

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She is a 9 month old rabbit with very soft fur. She is litter box trained and is a very happy girl. She is quite dominant and is content being alone, though she has lived with another rabbit. She likes to do her own thing and explore.

Tiger Lily loves to run and jump and explore her surroundings. She's never peed outside her cage since she's been in foster. She test nibbles, but does not chew like some other rabbits.

If you'd like to adopt Tiger Lily, please email me to arrange a meeting: diadrascritters@gmail.com