Furry Butts Fursday

This one is for you Hans and your furry butts family. I bet there are other furry butts out there if you go on the hunt!

Have we met?

Just go get my salad hoomin. I really dont need to see you.

What is head tilt?

One of my blog visitors asked a very good question. "What is head tilt and what causes it"? So for those of you who dont know what it is I will try and give a quick explanation.

Head Tilt, Wry Neck or Torticollis: Is when a bunny's head is on sideways. This can also strike rodents and human babies. I dont know if other animals can be affected. If you do, please let me know. Head tilt can be slight or to the point where a bunny is rolling uncontrollably and not able to get to their feet. Left untreated a rolling bunny will die. They are unable to eat or drink. Most of the time quick treatment will stop the rolling. Some bunnies recover completely from head tilt, some always have a slight tilt, like my Nemo and some have a severe tilt but live happy lives and adjust to their sideways view, like my Haven.

Causes of Head Tilt:

Head Trauma
Ear Infections from various problems including but not limited to Pasturella or Staph
Encephalitozoon Cuniculi (fancy name for a parasite/protozoa)
Stroke
Cancer
Something toxic like lead paint.

My personal opinion is we have a long way to go in treating head tilt. My experience at home and at the rescue is that every bunny responds differently to treatment. I know that bunnies with head tilt, especially with severe tilt are so precious. They need a little special care but that's no big deal. My Haven cant get in and out of a litter box due to his balance. We just put down a couple of puppy pads and he knows where to go.

If you want more information on head tilt there is a ton of info on the net. The House Rabbit Society is a great place to start.

Nemo aka Neep Neep, Lilliput, Nemo Mcgruder

Where to begin with little Nemo................

Nemo is my very special little bunny. He is my bunny equivalent to a soul mate. I try never to patronize pet stores. I will only seldom go to the one that starts with a "P" and ends with an "art" and that is only if I cant get something online. Bunnies like Nemo are the reason.





November 07 I was out of bunny chow and went into my local pet store. The woman who runs the place swears up and down that she is a responsible breeder (oxymoron) of rabbits. As I was leaving and trying hard not to look around me, I spotted a bunny in what seemed to be a hamster cage. There was a sign that said "free to a good home". Said bunny had a pretty severe head tilt. The serpent, uh pet store woman I mean, said she couldn't possibly try and sell a head tilt bunny so anybody could have him for free. Here began my education about bunnies with wry neck.






I went home with a sick heart. Not prepared to take another bunny especially a sick bunny I fretted about him all night long. I was at the pet store when it opened. I talked to Nemo and we made eye contact. He look said "please take me home and love me". The spawn of Satan, uh I mean pet store lady said she usually sent her "abnormal" bunnies to the boa constrictor breeder for free food. I guess she is a responsible breeder. If its not a money maker she discards it. Huh.


Nemo went to the vet. He had antibiotics, lots of room to run around, fresh greens everyday and was introduced to hay. Yes, Cruella, uh I mean the pet store woman sells hay in her store but doesn't bother to give it to her bunnies. Its a good thing she is so knowledgeable about bunnies. After a couple of weeks Nemo all but recovered from his head tilt. It is only slight now. I wait with baited breath that my little silly will get sick again.


Nemo is the sweetest most loving little bunny I have ever been around. Every morning when I come home from work he runs up to me and circles my feet without fail. I think its his way of saying "Hi mom, I missed you and I am glad your home" He very much loves his bondmates Stewart and Haven but he is a straight Momma's boy. He will almost always leave their side to sit by Mom. He loves to get in my purse and has to have his nose in everything I do. He grooms my hair and always gets up close to stare into my face. I often wonder what he is thinking when he stares at me. It may be "you need your roots done Mom!"

If I sound bitter towards the demon, uh I mean pet store woman, its because I am.


Love you Neep Neep. Thanks for coming into my life.

5 dead people!

Okay folks, this is my favorite question to ask people: If you could spend the evening with 5 people who are already passed who would they be? I dont list family members as that is who most would choose first. It can be anyone!

Mine are:

1. Geronimo

2. Lewis or Clark

3. Lee Harvey Oswald

4. Edgar Allen Poe

5. Jimmy Stewart when he was about 30

Tell you anything about me? I showed you mine now you show me yours.

My Pink Boots

These are my favorite foot decoration. My friends hate them. They have issues with the real cowboys and cowgirls trip they lay on me. My friend Rick loves them. Thank goodness his feet are too big to borrow them. I will most likely be seen wearing them on my way to a Rob Zombie concert with my ragged jeans with the knee out and a Rolling Stones t-shirt. I really dont fit a mold. I love my boots!!!!!! Wanna borrow em sometime?

Haven aka Haven Mcgruder, Sugar Bear

First of all let me just say that any jokes about putting bunnies to sleep or eating my bunnies will be deleted immediately. When you work in rescue and have seen what I have, the horror inflicted on animals. I have zero sense of humor about it. Zero.

Haven is one of the Mcgruder boys, he is bonded to his bro's Nemo and Stewart also of the Mcgruder clan. Haven is a pasturella bunny. I wont go into his whole treatment and history as I blogged him on Heartlands blog. Haven is again on antibiotics and will probably have to take them on and off his whole life. He has severe head tilt and often loses his balance. He has improved somewhat but may never come all the way back. We make him comfortable, spoil him rotten, and he is a happy well adjusted bunny. His sideways view of the world around him doesnt slow him down at all. If you have any questions about head tilt buns, I will be happy to answer them for you if I can. He is one of two head tilt bunnies I have adopted.

Haven holds my heart in his precious little paws. His "try" makes me weep. I am not a mushy person but boy does Haven bring it out in me. He was sent by a higher power to teach me lessons. I work harder, complain less and treasure all my bunnies even more because of Mr. Haven.

Facts about Haven:

He is a toe nibbler, never bites down just likes to nibble my toes

He loves a good long scratch on his jaw

He favorite yummy is banana

His eyes weep constantly

He adores his bondmates Nemo and Stewart, he works hard to follow them around the room and sometimes steal their treaties.

Just because your bunny has a head tilt does not mean they need to be put down. If your vet tells you that, change vets. They know diddly squat about bunnies. There are a few extreme exceptions of course but that is very rare and it has numerous factors to consider.

Head tilt bunnies are often culled by breeders or given free to snake owners and breeders. It is a sorrowful thing when a little meds will often cure the problem. But that is strictly a money issue for greedy breeders or lazy people.

If you cant afford the vet, you cant afford the pet.

Adopt a rescued bunny!