Thursday, May 29, 2014

Bunnies munching hay cubes

We put one of the bunnies treats (Timothy hay cubes) in a separate box, just to try to keep the hay dust factor on the lower side. They still carry them off sometimes and we find them when we step on them. Not quite as bad as a Lego.

Here's a video of Bunya and Lucy munching this treat that they all love. Bunya keeps his head down, but Lucy shows us how a bunny chews, which I still find amusing. Near the end, she slows down and then goes to intermittent before deciding I might try to pick her up so she'd better hop out and leave.

Bunya never breaks his hay cube munching stride.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Bunny Art at the Decatur Arts Festival

Thank you to the artists who allowed us to take pictures of their artwork. Pictures are in the order of our stroll. We were looking for bunny things but the artists have lots of non-bunny art, too; you can check out their websites. The artist's business card appears before their works, so you can contact them if you see something you like or want to check out their non-bunny art (but why?).












This was actually a food booth,
but we spotted a bunny tattoo.
And it's a bunny thing and bunny art, so it's included. 


















Karen Fincannon was also at this arts festival. We saw her a couple of weeks earlier at the Dunwoody Arts Festival and you can see her bunny art here.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Memorial Day

The holiday rules and cautions:
Don't drink and drive.
Don't text and drive.
Don't drink and text (you can get in a lot of trouble).
When boating, wear a big orange life vest (you humans look so funny in those).Play with your bunnies and give them lots of treats!

Have a safe & wonderful holiday weekend!
And thank the members of the armed forces, past and present,
that we have the freedom to celebrate.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Couple of new bunny-human look-a-likes

After having received sufficient votes on the RR Facebook page, we introduce the following doppelgangers, now added to the RR Look-a-likes page:

Wolverine

Batbun ................. Batman
(Was just struck by stern look, black costume, white mouth/chin, ears.)
[In a hoarse whisper...] "I'm Bat-bun!"

Monday, May 19, 2014

Bunny Monday Meme*day

Bunnyhugga's website is here and Facebook page is here.
Bunnyhugga is a rabbit information resource for new and experienced owners alike, featuring a simple guide to rabbits, an A to Z rabbit library inc. health, housing, diet, breeds, behaviour and house rabbits, the latest news from the rabbit world, funny bunny articles and photos... and much more.





Bunnies do NOT belong in little cages like the pet stores sell. They need space to jump, periscope and run. And they time to run around a very big space to get exercise and avoid boredom. Since they are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), they need running around time twice a day (for at least a total of 3-4 hours a day is best). Be sure to bunny-proof their range.

Here are a few links to bunny housing concepts:
GHRS
Bunya, Lucy & Ethel's pen
HRS Housing FAQs
House rabbit habitat by Bunnyhugga

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Bunny Loving

More than once, we've declared Ethel to be the most giving and loving of our little trio. She proves it again in this clip displaying bonded bunny behavior. She and Lucy were snuggling...

Lucy & Ethel snuggling, watching The Big Bang Theory.

When Ethel started grooming Lucy, Bunya comes over to lay flat and wait his turn - which never comes, at least on this video.


Occasionally, Ethel gets distracted and grooms herself a little, but you will see why their vet told us," Your bunnies must really love each other because they have the cleanest ears I have ever seen!"

Friday, May 16, 2014

Bunny bummer

[Begin rant]
Yesterday, the local rag published a story about the resurgence of rabbits as food. Some local DJ posted a picture of himself with the article... as a trendsetter who served his daughters rabbit for Easter.

What people don't realize is:
- what they are likely eating are domestic pets, just like their cat or dog - NOT wild game
- this food was likely raised in horrid conditions - animal cruelty (more on that below).
- it didn't make the grade for other wonderful purposes such as sales for laboratory testing, for shows or to pet stores.

So they are eating the rejects. Here's an example:

--------------------------------
Hundreds of Bunnies Confiscated After Two Breeders Are Busted (from June, 2013)
[Emphasis marks and bracketed comments added]

What would cause someone to stack rabbits four high in wire cages inside a ramshackle garage or yard, and allow the urine and feces to pile up so high that animals are living in their own waste? [Sounds yummy,right?] You might guess that only a hoarder—or someone with a similar psychological condition—would do this. But there is another reason someone might be driven to keep animals in such horrid conditions. Profit.

In Indianapolis on Tuesday over 375 rabbits were seized after neighbors complained about the smell. When Animal Control officers showed up they saw cages caked in feces, and rabbits standing in their own waste. Many of the rabbits had the fur rubbed off their paws from standing on wire bottom cages. Animal control officers confiscated the rabbits from the home of Rick Cartheuser, Vice President of the Indiana State Rabbit Breeders Association—an organization which has promoted rabbits for meat, wool, fur, and laboratory use throughout its history. He sold the rabbits as pets, as “feeders” for reptiles, and used the “best” rabbits to display at “rabbit shows.” Despite previous warnings, Cartheuser had not improved the living conditions of the rabbits.
--------------------------------

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. On occasion, RR has posted these type stories as the occur.

Not expecting people to become vegetarians.
Just wish they would not eat pets and encourage this "cycle of death":
> Restaurants want to be avant guard, be trendy or at least, not be left behind, so they offer new dishes.
> Pet stores sell cute, little baby bunnies that are too young, and for next to nothing so that they can sell a bunch of supplies that ring the cash register. But they know next to nothing about rabbits and their care, so they leave them all in a group, without the hay that is the staple of their diet and sell products to customers that are dangerous for the rabbit (cages that are too small and "treats" with ingredients that can be deadly).
[See the post: Pet store bunnies ... make me very sad]
> People buy the cute little baby rabbits, often around Easter, as impulse buys. When they realize that they know nothing about how to care for it or get bored with it or harm it, they may relegate it to a corner of a too hot or cold garage (ignored, with no socialization or proper food and care) or let it go (a domestic rabbit is a pet and has no coping skills to protect itself from predators, or find food and water, like its truly wild cousins).

So there's a profit to be made and like the "entrepreneur" in the story above, a torturous factory is set up. Keep costs low. Sell them for any purpose possible. A lot of the same thing goes on with other pets, like cats and dogs - except restaurants don't offer them on the menu.

Some are saved... Raids by Animal Control. Rescue volunteers find and catch bunnies let loose. Knowing pet owners realize that a friend is clueless about how to care for their impulse buy and take it into his or her own home.

Not sure how to end this except to ask that if you want a pet:
- Understand what is involved in taking proper care of it.
- Adopt from a rescue shelter, do not buy from a store.
There are too many great animals already looking for loving homes to encourage more heartless cruelty.
[End rant.]

Thank you to the thousands of volunteers that rescue, rehabilitate and re-home abandoned and abused pets... these are the lucky ones.





Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Bunny art at the Dunwoody Arts Festival

This festival had a fair number of bunny things.
Thank you to the artists who allowed us to take pictures of their artwork. Pictures are in the order of our stroll. We were looking for bunny things but the artists have lots of non-bunny art, too. You can check out their websites and many of them will also be at the upcoming Decatur Arts Festival. The artist's business card appears before their works, so you can contact them if you see something you like or want to check out their non-bunny art (but why?).








Small stool or play table

Hang on wall (about the size of a coaster)




Alternative view so you could see the one on the right
is a bunny bank.















This is the opposite side
of her business card





Teapot with a little bunny on top

Assorted dishes with assorted animals.
This is the bunny, of course.