Moon Hops

Dutch adopted December 2022 -- Aspen 2011-2020🪦 Charlotte 2018-?? 💕 Billy 2022-2024 🪦 Onyx 2024-2026 🪦 Personal blog @rainsnires

[spindle-and-nima]

howdy! hope y'all are well.

ive got a question about my pet rabbit, thomas. i adopted him from a shelter about two years ago, and they had his breed listed as "american". however, he sure looks like a wild cottontail to me

the shelter said he was picked up as a kit with his siblings after a cat attacked their mom, and after a few months of TLC, they were adopted out

even if he is a cottontail, he's been living as a pet rabbit for 3.5 years now, so i dont think he can be released (not that i'd want to release him! i love my baby)

y'all seem familiar with wild cottontails and house rabbits alike, and i'm wondering if you'd be able to tell? attached are some pics of him (pay no mind to the cage mess)

thanks for hearing me out!!

Nope definitely not a cottontail! I couldn't tell you what his patterning is called bc thats not my forte but I can definitely assure you that's no wild bun

That sure is a cute chunky fella though he's adorable

[themoonhops]

Op if I'm not mistaken that's agouti or "wild type" coloring. So I can see why you thought he might be a cottontail - the patterning is roughly the same! But the big chonky body, big long ears, and wide face that lacks the sharpness that defines cottontails are a dead giveaway for being a domestic European rabbit. Cottontails are defined by angles - they have a really sharp triangular face with smaller ears and bigger eyes proportionally than domestic/european rabbits.

He looks like he might have some rex in him actually!

[lezbi0nic]

Its so hard to take bunnies seriously when they're mad. Like okay, yes you're upset but you're also wiggling your nose and stomping your little foot. That's not threatening in the slightest.

[bagool-the-wizard]

Somebody ate a hole in the flour.

Any idea who it could be?

[themoonhops]

he scream

[themoonhops]

sometimes i put Dutch's pellets in a water bottle I poked holes in, mainly for enrichment and to stop him from eating too fast and choking but I'm pretty sure he just thinks I'm ragebaiting him for no reason

he's going to kill me in my sleep for this

[themoonhops]

Onyx passed away unexpectedly last night. When I got home from work, she wasn't acting like herself and was very weak/somewhat ataxic, but didn't seem to be in stasis. When they sedated her for x-rays at the emergency vet her heart rate and respiration dropped and they were not able to get her back. Necropsy is pending

I will be taking a short hiatus but plan to continue posting soon as I think it will help. We will not be attempting to bond Dutch again - it's too much to put both him and me through again.

[nyxandshion]

This is late, but I'm so sorry for your loss. I should have gotten a necropsy done on Chewie to find out what it was that took him from me 😔

She sounds well loved 💕 And one letter away from Nyx!

[themoonhops]

I haven't done necropsies on every rabbit I've lost, but for her I was concerned about something environmental or (god forbid) RHDV since the wild rabbit population is high around here and she died so suddenly. And I also just wanted some peace of mind because she was so young.

Thank you for the condolences. 💗 Maybe she and Chewie are goofing off in the afterlife together somewhere.

[stellabellabun]

Hewo!! My name is Stella Bella, I'm an adorable full grown Havana bun in the loving home of Stoni Fae.

I'm the newest edition to their family and already have made myself comfortable. I can't wait to make my mom's life so much better everyday!

Adoption Date: Feb 22nd, 2026

[themoonhops]

Onyx's necropsy came back and confirmed that she died from peracute septicemia caused by pasteurella. Pasteurella is a very common bacteria to be found in rabbits with anywhere from 20-90% thought to be carriers. Typically it causes snuffles/chronic URI or is symptomless, but if the strain is particularly aggressive or the rabbit experiences immune suppression (often due to an episode of stress) it can spread through the bloodstream and cause sepsis. This process moves so quickly that death with little to no symptoms is typically the result.

In Onyx's case, massive amounts of Pasteurella multocida were found in her kidneys, liver, blood, and brain. By the time she showed symptoms her body was shutting down and there wouldn't have been anything we could have done for her.

I've been in contact with my exotic vet and he advised me to assume Dutch is a carrier since he was exposed. No way to tell if Onyx got it from him or if she was exposed prior and passed it to him. What this means in practice is that avoiding stress and monitoring closely for signs of URI are going to be important for maintaining his health. Any signs of URI/snuffles will be aggressively treated as he is considered to be potentially immunocompromised. For now, he's doing well and is not showing any signs of illness.

[babycheesecake]

so-called "free thinkers" when it's cilantro time

[themoonhops]

Onyx passed away unexpectedly last night. When I got home from work, she wasn't acting like herself and was very weak/somewhat ataxic, but didn't seem to be in stasis. When they sedated her for x-rays at the emergency vet her heart rate and respiration dropped and they were not able to get her back. Necropsy is pending

I will be taking a short hiatus but plan to continue posting soon as I think it will help. We will not be attempting to bond Dutch again - it's too much to put both him and me through again.

[themoonhops]

he's been pretending he doesn't like her but then he inches closer and closer to her and loafs

[spindle-and-nima]

The crime:

The culprit:

[themoonhops]

WE DID IT GANG

[themoonhops]

She's a cat

[themoonhops]

Bonding efforts continue. They still mostly don't like each other and I have to break up spats pretty often but I got a flop out of Dutch today and that's progress! They are slooooowly getting more comfortable with each other.

[themoonhops]

he loves his salads

[themoonhops]

Today's bonding session was crashed by Scary Cat, who totally ruined the vibe.