Meet Buster the Flemish Giant

Buster the Flemish Giant 4.5 weeks old

This past Saturday, we took a little field trip out to a farm in another small town to pick up our new furry family member.  He's a 4 week old Flemish Giant rabbit.  He's the cutest, softest little guy we've seen in a while.

Although he's small now, he'll grow to be 15-20 pounds as an adult.  Flemish Giants have a gentle, sweet disposition and make great family pets.

For now he's a house bunny with a decent sized cage and is able to come out to play when the cats are preoccupied with napping.  The cats, as well as Charlie (the mini dachshund), are very curious of him and would like to snack on him.  Phillip & Koa don't seem to care much either way about him. For Buster's safety, he'll eventually live outside near the pigeon & chickens and will be out of harms way from the cats & Charlie.

While Buster will be kept as a pet, we are thinking of adding other breeds to raise for meat rabbits, possibly next year.  They'll have a separate rabbitry when we do take the plunge into that.

I'll post more pictures as Buster grows into a handsome giant.

Kitten Update & A Little About Our Dogs

Today's garden update will be a day late since I didn't get a chance to take photos yesterday.  Instead, I bring you these adorable fur kids.....

 7-28 Onyx (red) & Nox (blue)

They're coming up on 9 weeks old now....we think anyways

This is what happens when they have their bellies full.

 7-28 Onyx

They're both eating very well and have little bellies that protrude after every meal.

7-28 Onyx

They're both still taking the virus-fighting supplement since they're still sneezing.

 7-28 Nox

Nox is almost finished with his antibiotic...just a few more doses.

7-28 Nox

We decided to put break-away collars on the kittens to tell them apart.  It was easy in the beginning to tell who was who since Nox was just a skinny, fuzzy skeleton.  Now that Nox is eating so well and gaining weight it's getting more difficult to tell them apart.  Onyx's coat is shinier and smoother than Nox's.  Nox has hair that sticks up a bit and was really dull to begin with, but it's getting shinier and laying flatter now so it's been getting difficult to tell them apart quickly. We're hoping that as they age, there will be a noticeable difference in their tabby stripes which are very dark brown. 

I haven't introduced the dogs on the blog yet so here is a quick introduction to them.  They are all 3 just "house dogs".  They do play in the yard and get walked for exercise, but aren't left outside alone since they like to eat every bit of grass, dirt, mulch, moss, rabbit poo, etc that they possibly can.

 7-28 Koa & Charlie (Charlie is smiling because he's annoying Koa)

Koa is a Sheltie, almost 5 years old.  We got him as a little 9 week old puppy from a breeder while living in Hawaii.  He's a typical sheltie- loyal to us, but has some strange quirks.  He's scared of silly things like cardboard boxes and suitcases and anything that's "different".  

7-28 Koa & Charlie

Charlie is a long-haired miniature dachshund, 8 months old.  We got Charlie from a breeder last January at about 9 weeks old.  He's very active and is either "on" or "off".  There is no "in between" with him.  It was difficult just taking a picture of him as he was biting Koa and rolling around, trying to get him to play.  He's a cute little dog and very smart, but a little stubborn. 

 7-28 Koa & Charlie

And then we have Phillip, the Italian Greyhound, almost 10 years old.  We got him as a puppy while living in Connecticut.  He moved with us to Maryland & back to Connecticut & then to Hawaii & of course here.  He also went on a road trip with us from Connecticut to Florida & back.  You'd think that with all that traveling around, he'd be a social butterfly, but he doesn't like strangers- at all.  He knows who he likes and has a difficult time accepting anyone new.  He'd rather just sit on his bed or lay in the sun and not be bothered by anyone....including Charlie......

He didn't want his photo taken with Koa & Charlie.  He waited for them to leave his bed so he could reclaim it.  This is pretty much where he stays while indoors.  He does however, show interest in the kittens and tries to play with them.  Actually, everything Phillip knows about being a dog, he learned from a Siamese cat.  ;-)

7-28 Phillip

In Training ~ Mousers & Rabbit Hunters

 

July 19th- Onyx & Nox

Last Friday we added two little kittens to our family.  After many conversations about the rabbits in the garden and possible ways to deter them from visiting our yard, we decided to adopt these little babies in hopes they'll make fine hunters some day.

July 18th- Onyx

They are approximately 8 weeks old now and are very small and underweight.  While Onyx is the more active, healthier one, Nox has been sickly, but is on the mend. 

July 18th- Onyx

On the drive home Friday afternoon, I heard Nox breathing loudly and sneezing.  I hadn't noticed much when we checked him out before adopting, just that he was skinny and needed lots of food.  It wouldn't have made a difference though, I wouldn't have adopted one and left the other behind.  Once we were home & settled, I called the vet to schedule an appointment for both of them.  At this point, Nox was blowing bubbles from his nose.

July 18th- Onyx

It was recommended that we place Nox in the bathroom for about 10-15 minutes with the shower running to give him some steam therapy so we did that Saturday and Sunday morning.  We would see him drinking a little water throughout the day, but hadn't seen him eat anything except a few nibbles Friday evening.

July 19th- Nox (sitting) & Onyx

At the vet appointment Sunday evening, Nox's diagnosis was an upper respiratory viral infection and he was very dehydrated.  He was given a subcutaneous fluid injection and looked like a little hunch back kitty, but those fluids were quickly absorbed by his body.  The doctor prescribed an antibiotic to fend off pneumonia, which he was headed for, a nutritional supplement to help fight the virus (for both of them, Onyx had begun sneezing as well) and an appetite stimulant.  We started the meds Sunday night and saw a little more activity from Nox on Monday, but he still wasn't interested in eating.  His eyes looked clearer and he wanted to play more, but that was it.  We, of course, continued the meds as scheduled morning & night.

July 19th- Onyx (left) & Nox

Tuesday morning I gave Nox his meds and hoped he would eat, but again he just turned away.  A couple hours later, I put just a little canned food in his bowl (I'd been mixing canned & dry) and he still turned away.  I picked him up in one hand, scooped up a little canned food in my other hand and put it up to his mouth.  After a few seconds, he started licking it off my fingers.  Once that was gone, I sat him down at the bowl and he slowly began eating.  Finally!  After 3 days, he finally felt like eating something!  He ate for a while and I gave him more once he was "finished".  He ate a few times over the afternoon and then ate his dinner.  Fresh dry food is left out overnight for them as well. 

July 22nd- Nox finally eating

Nox is very thin.  He's really just a furry little skeleton, but once he kicks this virus and eats several healthy meals, he should begin to fill out.

At the vet appointment Sunday night, Onyx weighed in at 2.6 pounds and Nox weighed 2.01 pounds.  It's amazing what a difference a half pound makes for a baby this size.

July 22nd- Nox (eating) and Onyx

They are both playful (especially Onyx with enough energy for both of them!) and are showing off their hunting skills attacking the little faux birdies.

July 22nd- Nox, after filling his little belly with his first meal in several days

Once Nox is feeling better, we'll properly introduce them to the dogs, who have only seen & sniffed them through the safety gates in the house.  I hope they'll all get along and not turn the house upside down chasing each other.

July 22nd- Onyx, feeling frisky, ready to pounce

They are due for their shots today, but have to wait until they are both 100% better.  We'll introduce them to the outdoors a little at a time, but for now they can practice stalking the dogs and faux birdies in the house.   I'll update again with any news of health improvements and weight gains.

Welcome

Welcome to Nurturing A Simple Life.  I have been wanting to start this blog for about 2 years now and am just now digging in and doing it.  I plan to share mine and my family's venture into homesteading and creating a sustainable, simple life here in the Pacific Northwest.  

A little about us.....We are a Navy family, 22 years in the submarine service, originally from Florida and transplanted to Washington state after many previous duty stations.  My husband and I bought a house here last May and moved here from Hawaii in July.  We have nearly 3 acres which consist mostly of Douglas Fir and some other evergreens.  We have just constructed several large raised garden beds and have been growing vegetable, herb & flower seedlings indoors for a few months.  There were a few fruit trees and a berry patch here when we moved in, but we've changed things up a bit and have added more. We plan to add chickens this summer and hopefully honey bees next year.  We're taking things slow, but plan to add more in the future.  I hope you'll stick around and follow along as I share our homesteading journey along with natural cleaning solutions and easy ways to incorporate nature into our daily lives.   ~Bettie