First, Lucy & Ethel and I want to wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Please be careful in your celebrations.
If you drink, don't drive.
We don't have anything against moderate imbibing ... the humans don't know it but we've fermented a little carrot juice to celebrate, too. But we are staying home to celebrate. We hate cars.
Even if you don't drink, be careful driving out there, because not everyone is as smart as you.
Don't text while driving either. Just concentrate.
Also, be kind to each other next year. And beyond.
Be kind to all pets and animals, too. (But especially bunnies.)
Take care!
P.S. Here are a few vanity plates with good thoughts and wishes for the New Year...
As usual, we were hanging in the basement with the bunnies. Gate was open but since no one was handing out treats at the moment, all three were in their pen.
Ethel must have just tuckered herself out grooming Bunya and Lucy. She flopped on the floor, but rested her head on their book, using it like a pillow.
Eyes open, Ethel is watching TV while resting her head on the book
Ethel's not even bothered by Lucy's attempts to get cheek-to-cheek.
I guess Ethel had finally chewed the book down to a comfortable height for herself.
Bonus: Check out Lucy & Ethel - and Mr Cookie - on The Daily Bunny!
My wife bought me a book of wonderful cartoons: The New Yorker Cartoons of the Year 2011. And guess what - there were even a few bunny cartoons in it. The "job" one is on the cover, which I'm sure is why it caught my wife's eye as she was scouring the airport magazine racks for some cooking magazine to which she does not already subscribe. (And yes, she is an incredible cook and baker.)
If you want to get a copy, it's supposed to be on magazine stands through 02-20-2012. (Appearing at an airport near you)
Check out these sites to shop for the book or buy individual cartoon artwork.
Noticed some activity in their pen (even though the gate was open) ...
Turns out, Lucy was leading the discussion during their book club meeting ...
Lucy: Do you mind? We are trying to discuss the merits of this book. Ethel: Well, I think it's delicious. The spine glue is quite delicate. Bunya: I agree, and the pages are so light, easy to chew ... mmmmm ... I think crisp with a hint of oak.
Some friends sent us this. Now it's possible they bought a bunch of bunny cards to send out, but I think not. I think they found this one for us, which is really considerate. The rest of their cards probably had doggies. > : )
As usual, I tried to track this down so you could buy it if you wanted and - surprise - this artist has a bunch of great bunny cards. Here's the scoop: Artists to Watch - CC Barton
Finally remembered to video Lucy in one of her trances. This is from a Sunday morning after we cleaned out their pen. We then groom all the bunnies and give them the brief physical exam they taught (my wife) at GHRS Bunny 201. Lucy is usually last because she is so hard to catch.
Her eyes wide during and after the indignity of being caught, restrained, brushed and fondled (in a medical way), Lucy's level of trauma is probably second only to going for a car ride to the vet.
After all this, my wife figured she would flip Lucy over and mesmerize her.
And Lucy fell back like a brick - zonked.
I did not cut down this video - I added to it. The three "shorts" were so amazing to me that I used them all. Here are the three segments to it:
1. The trance, laying Lucy back and rubbing her forehead and ears.
2. Same thing, but with the other hand so you could see more of Lucy's head.
3. Looking down on Lucy - not even stroking her, but just letting her meditate, all four little feets sticking up in the air.
"And here we go..."
It really transformed Lucy. We put her down and gave her a little treat. Instead of hopping away from us, flicking us off (got to get a video of that bunny behavior), she wandered around in a little circle in front of us and then finally went back in her pen. Here she is immediately after her massage:
Wow ... thanks ... that was really great. Um, is the tip included? I think I'll go take a nap now.
Having a few mind-stimulating games on your smart phone helps pass the time if you have to wait in line or just wait anywhere. While my sister and brother-in-law are hard-core Scrabble addicts, I play it on my BlackBerry in a far less competitive mode.
But I was excited to find a great 7 letter word with the tough letters I had been dealt:
Just as important, I was excited to find an excellent place for it on the board:
But sound the "foul" buzzer!
Noooooooo!
Lucy: What kind of lame game is this!?! Ethel: Hmph! They need to update their dictionary. Bunya: Where's the phone - we're calling these guys. They add it to the dictionary or we want a refund! That's just plain bunny English, acceptable on any bunny blog!
Actually, just a reflection made by a couple of CDs that my daughter thoughtfully laid out at the right spot between the basement lights.
What made me think of this (other than it stays there on the wall as long as there are lights on in the bunnies' room) is what I saw as I was driving earlier this week. It was too brief and I had no chance to get a picture.
I was in the car heading toward an intersection and coming in my direction was a man on a motorcycle, wearing a black leather jacket, briefly paused to take a left turn. (Think of all the things that had to line up perfectly for this to happen.) The sun was shining from above/behind him at just the right angle to hit his rear view mirrors and project pretty much the image above in the center of his chest. I did a double take, he made his turn and it was all gone.
Wish I had a picture of Bun-man on his Bun-cycle to show you, but you will have to look at the image above and imagine it.
How appropriate that our first year was the Year of the Rabbit!
On a note of Thanksgiving: Thank you to all you bunny fans out there who are members, followers, subscribers and especially, the commenters, including: bunny-whipped.com, Bunya Momma, Crafty Green Poet. dius, HareForce, Helen, Jay, Joy, Karen Nelson, Kat, Lavender Rabbit, lazeebones, Lisa, Me, Name, Rabbits' Guy, RobynLS, Rose, Sid, SixBunnies, Stiliano, Taylor, The human, thef1chick, tianning, Two Bunny Blog, zoeybunn (apologies if I missed anyone)
Thanks to Bunya, Lucy & Ethel for making our lives so entertaining. Thanks to our daughter who smuggled Bunya into our basement. Thanks to my son who suggested I start a blog. Thanks to my other son, who mocks me as totally nuts and whose laugh as he's seen something that amuses him on the blog is a joy to hear as he says: Just to be clear, Dad, I am laughing at you, not with you. [He is not alone.] Thanks to my sisters who, before this blog, probably never realized how many Bunny Things cross their paths almost every day. Thanks to my wife, my partner in life, bunny crime and bunny care ... she with the bunny mesmerizing touch.
A few RR statistics: Members: 12 (it says 13 but one is Bunya) Bunny Things: Over 100 Posts: Over 300 Comments: Over 160 Pageviews yesterday: Over 200 Pageviews - last month: Over 7,500 Pageviews - all time: Over 45,500 Countries we noticed making those pageviews: 102
Wishes for the next New Year:
Healthy bunnies Greater capacity at HRS and all animal rescues - but not the need for it More "members/followers" (see right hand column*), comments & page views To get at least one of our bunnies on Disapproving Rabbits Whirled peas - Tolerance among humankind, joint efforts to repair the world, good health and prosperity for all
* Hint, hint! Please figure it out, join/follow, subscribe somehow and make comments!
At the end of everybunny exam's, my wife showed how Lucy can be mesmerized by flipping her over, cradling her like a baby and gently stroking her forehead and ears.
This is the flattering picture of Lucy in said repose ...
Look at those little bunny teef!
I could not believe Lucy could get into her Zen trance state after all the anxiety of the afternoon but she zonked right out.
I may be uncool (especially to my kids, and in soooo many ways), but for other bunny geeks like me (which you might very welll be if you are reading this) - this is cool.
After you have read and explored Rabbit Ramblings, be sure to check out Disapproving Rabbits, also listed in the right hand column under Funny Bunnies.
Ethel seems to be the go-to bunny when Lucy and Bunya want comforting. They snuggle into her. Here, it's kinda' hard to see, but Ethel is resting her paw on Lucy.
Ethel's little left paw is resting
on Lucy's right shoulder, under Lucy's ear.
Batting order was Bunya up first (the easiest), Ethel on deck, batting second, and Lucy batting clean-up ... we figured everyone would be exhausted after her, so she's last.
We wanted to follow-up on Bunya's embarrassing condition (Poopy Butt). As those things go, it was deemed not a big problem ... they've seem major P.B. and this wasn't it, so Bunya gets to slide. Lucky Bunya, we get to keep an eye on his P.B. when we groom him. Lucky us.
I asked if it would help to trim the hare's hair down there. Dr. Mike suggested a Brazilian for Bunya. Bikini pictures to follow in a future post. Maybe a Speedo.
Ethel is always the polite young lady.
Hey, Buster, you better bring me flowers and treats
before you touch me there!
Lucy was last and I don't know why that's when we really got into the details of a bunny exam (my wife has a medical background). A very important thing to check on bunnies is their teeth. You want to make sure that they haven't gotten too long or are curved to where they injure the bunny's mouth. This could be one of a few critical reasons a bunny stops eating and why you have to monitor their behavior.
Minimum of two to hold Lucy down
Ig oo gon't get ur han outta my mouf...
Lucy finally went back in the box (carrier).
The bunnies did well. We were very proud of them ... they love each other and keep themselves and each other very clean, even their ears ... no one needed any orthodonture. Our vet told us some stories of not-so-well-cared-for bunnies. And it's only because people don't know any better. All you have to do is learn a little about them, like from your local HRS chapter or online (check out the Rabbit Resources in the right-hand column of this blog).
Hopefully, everybunny stays well and we are done with that until their next regular check-up.
We scooped up Bunya and Ethel relatively easily, although they then get the wide-eyed anxious look that breaks your heart.
Lucy bolted like a bat out of hell.
Her clear first choice in hiding places is in their pen ... lots of boxes and tunnels to hide in or run around when one is being pursued.
We had closed the door to the pen.
So Lucy did an about-face and headed for the box we call "the warren". They all really love it.
Bunya in "the warren"
It is one very big low box into which we cut a number of "flapped" windows and doors (we did not cut holes and remove cardboard - we cut 3 sides and left it for the bunnies to chin, chew and push). Unlike the picture above, inside the big box is now a smaller box in the center, also with doors and windows. The buns can run all around the smaller inside box or take a shortcut through it.
If you can find the right boxes, try it for your bunnies. They're fun to watch ... more than one will get in ... they hop in one opening and out another ...
Anyway, back to the round up. With the pen gate closed, Lucy bolts to the other side of the warren, to keep it between her and us. When we get close to her, she jumps inside.
Borrowing Ethel's brain cell, we thought: Aha, we best block her egress (that's an exit, not an organ). So we each blocked as many of the windows and doors as we could by closing (what was left of) the flaps and planting a leg or hand in front of it. Think of a really bizarre 3D game of Twister but all in brown cardboard instead of primary colors.
Then we opened the top of the big box. Lucy was huddled in the corner, all big-eyed and scared poopless (well, not quite, because she left us a little rabbit raisin to show us her opinion of us).
My wife was closest and went to pick Lucy up - and that's when Lucy became the bucking bronco. This is an important rabbit care point, to get a proper, firm grip on your bunny - even more so when they are scared. They have powerful back legs and will use them to kick while twisting their bodies to get away from perceived danger. She perceived danger and my wife has the scratch to prove it. Fortunately, Lucy was still close to the ground and there was no injury to her when she got away.
Lucy hopped into the inner smaller box.
Rinse. Repeat.
Except with a better grip the second time.
Shaking ears show their "nerves".
(Pay attention to verse lyrics on which video soundtrack starts -
a "tip o' the hat" to one of my favorite bunny sites and
definitely what these little dawgies were)
All three were in the carrier, barely in time for our appointment, and we headed to the car.
We briefly interrupt the Vet Visit series to say how happy we are for Dougal and his new human slaves at Disapproving Rabbit. Cinnamon will never be forgotten ... but once Dougal settles in, he looks more than capable of continuing her legacy of disapproval.
As one of the DR commenters noted [you will have to do the heavy breathing, deep James Earl Jones voice in your head]: The disapproval is strong in this one!
Disapproving Rabbits is one of my favorite bunny sites (Did you order your T-shirts in time? I did) and is listed under Funny Bunnies in the right-hand column.
Check out Dougal's story, some photos and an adorable video of his little mouf processing treats into rabbit raisins ... all that and more at Disapproving Rabbits where you get "All disapproval, all the time."
Wishing Dougal a long, happy life of disapproval in his new home.
One of the bunnies' health tests is a fecal float test, looking for parasites. I labeled 3 little plastic bags with each of their names and set about to procure separate identifiable specimens (read: poops).
This entails erecting one of their little pens and giving the targeted bunny a clean litter box. Bunya was the first volunteer.
Lucy and Ethel were curious. Ethel ventures in for some fresh hay while Lucy observes from the outside, wary of a trap.
The best laid plans of bunny and man...
Didn't get the required cooperation in time. If they turn up any parasites, they would all be treated anyway because of their close proximity. So at the last minute, we gathered up a random sampling of poops and put them all in a single bag labeled Group-on Poop-on.
By dreading it ... but maybe not as much as the bunnies.
So, assuming the appointment is made and we are within a week, we start by taking the bunny carrier off the top of the frig and setting it on the floor in the bunnies' kitchen. They explore it, bonk the door with their nose, etc.
The day before or day of, the carrier is put in one of their their regular travel paths.
Lucy periscoping to peek in through the top
Lucy inspects this thing inside and out, like Houdini preparing for an escape. That reminds me of Lucy and Ethel's "Bundini" escape act they pulled when we first got them, but that's a story for another post.
Lucy's the first one in the carrier! If only we had been going right then, we could have closed the door and top-loaded the rest of the bunnies. Of course, this will leave us wondering for next time: Do we put the carrier down moments before we are ready to go? Will she hop on in like this time?
Probably not.
Lucy is passing her skittish ways onto Bunya. He used to be the easiest to pick up. Well, he still is, the little tub o' bunny, but he's started shying away from the round-up. But he's nothing compared to "Don't pick me up" Lucy...
You might have noticed on the Buncam, especially in the morning, that with winter approaching, the angle of the sun has changed and is shining into the bunnies' pen.
Bunya has noticed it and appreciates it. He will stretch himself out to flop into a sunbeam, close his eyes to slits and start chanting his mantra:
Treats, treats, treats, treeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaats....
Sometimes, the size of the sunbeam and the size of Mr. Bunya only allow for partial exposure ...
... in which case, he must reverse position in order to sun his bum.
He manages to warm himself all over.
And don't worry, he won't burn - he uses CopperFur lotion.
As far as we can tell, bunnies watch TV. And it's nice to have the company.
The quality of this video is poor, but it's easy to see that Bunya is concentrating on this TV show.
But that's probably because it's the Food Network.
(So he was watching TV with my wife.)
Tear it up, Ethel! Take a gander at the Hopper Hideaway...
Although I am at work, one of my screens is tuned into the buncam and every so often (less than you'd think), I peek in on the bunnies to see what they are up to, and so I can see that they are okay.
This is what I saw today. Earlier, I did see the destruction in process, but it was nowhere near this point.
Screenshot from the buncam
What the Hopper Hideaway is supposed to look like
You can see Ethel, having expended all that excess energy, has made her little self into a bunny loaf in the lower right-hand corner of the pen, from where she can look out over her domain.
Bunya is peeking out from the top of the tunnel, surveying the destruction up close and wondering at the needless expenditure of calories that it must have required.
If things are as usual, Lucy is lounging in the Cheerios box, snoozing until suppertime and thinking evil thoughts about humans who try to pick her up to snuggle.
Our daughter was home (with fiance!) for Thanksgiving, a wonderful visit. She lightened her return load by leaving behind many, many bunny things she found in her travels. Look for them to be posted in (can you guess?) ... Bunny Things!
Bean bag bunny
(If I had to guess, the manufacturer might switch the body
with a long tail and short ears to make a mouse.)
This and more, coming soon to a "Bunny Things" bunny blog page near you!
Bunya will often pancake himself near me for a head rub. Within reach, but not conveniently located.
Sometimes, a curious bunny will snuggle alongside and participate, most often Ethel. That's what happened here. About the first half of the video was cut, so it's only obnoxiously long but not considered torture under the Geneva convention (they may reconsider).
Anyway, as it starts, they are already in position, enjoying their massage. About 20 seconds in, I stop momentarily to get a better picture of them - and they don't move. Near the end, Ethel gets up to shake off but Bunya stays for more.
I think this is a way for them not to have to juggle for position as to who will groom who. They can each imagine him or herself as the dominant bunny and still snuggle with each other.
I don't mind rubbing his little keppe* at all - I love it - I just wish he were a little more geographically desirable so I didn't always have to stretch and twist like a pretzel to reach him.
It amazes me how little noise it takes for the bunnies to realize you have picked up a baggie with treats.
And who seems to have the best hearing when it comes to treats? - The Bunya. This is a bunny who burns no calorie carelessly. His biggest disappointments come when the bag he hears is for a human. But then he runs over so fast, and the girls follow him so excitedly, that you end up giving them a treat from their stash anyway.
Bunya was here for a while before he bonded with the dynamic duo and is much more comfortable around humans. So here's what he'll do that they won't - jump on the human (who's laying on the sofa) to get to the treats first and to get more of the treats.
This is what you call an "extreme" close-up.
More cinéma vérité from Rabbit Ramblings, your bunny blog.
Ethel has been taking the high ground lately. Sometimes on top of the warren, sometimes on the top of the cardboard condo, and sometimes on the couch. All of a sudden, you notice this little head bobbing and weaving, exploring the seat cushions.
Then she gives her final push and crests the side arms. Pop! - in your face.
Hmmm, do I want to change the channel, or chew the spit out of his camera?
Look into my eyes - You will give me treats... You WILL give me treats!
While she's up there, she tries to whip Bunya's "give me treats" staredown on me. But it doesn't work - she's too cute. Bunya needs to give her some more lessons.
A little treat for you shoppers too pooped to slide a credit card even one more time - FREE!
Here are some pooped bunnies, as in yawning, not pooping from the butt (for a change).
Yawns are so cute, my wife and I smack each other ("Look! Look! Look!") - but quietly, so they don't stop - when one of the bunnies is yawning and even better, stretching, too. They are so loooooong!
I can sit there with the camera, praying for a picture or a video, and nothing.
Until I put it down.
By the time the stretch/yawn starts, I can try to grab the camera, turn it on, let it cycle until it's ready to take a picture and, well, it's long been over. Very elusive.
A friend sent me a link to someone who has accumulated bunny yawn pictures and even a few movies. The movies will lead you to some more on YouTube, like the lionhead bunny who yawns, and someone overlaid a lion's roar on it.
The first thing I give the bunnies for breakfast is their crumbles. Usually, all three of them home in on them and start chomping, maybe after a stretch. And after Bunya gets his brief head rub - but not too long ... he doesn't want the girls to get a jump on him food-wise (like that will ever happen).
The light bulbs in the bunnies' den are fluorescent. Therefore, they take some time to warm up and really light the room. This clip is too dark (tried to lighten it with "special effects") but the bunnies behavior so amused me (surprise!) that I had to share it anyway.
The crumbles are spread among three bowls, so they can share or not. This morning, they all three decided to crowd into the same bowl. Even with the view from above, you can see them chewing at 150 mph. And they stay all mushed together, with their heads bobbing up and down like those little toy birdies that drink water.
All-in-all, a model of cooperative eating. They started out with in their classic position, with Ethel squished between Bunya and Lucy (but that part was really dark).
It was reminiscent of my favorite picture of them...
Love the little heart on Lucy's shoulder, formed because her black ear was laying back in just the right place. You can get this picture on a mouse pad and benefit GHRS - help rescue bunnies - here.
This is from a Facebook page but I was able to locate the artist's blog. Go check it out and you will see a few really cute and funny pictures of rabbits. I hope bunnx of abunnydance gets the time and inspiration to grace us with more bunny drawings.
I think this was from their latest Halloween Treehouse of Horror episode, at least in part a take-off of Avatar. In this clip of Nature versus the Machines, Nature is represented by giant bunnies - who "thump" to destroy the enemy!
Prior observations of TV bunnies were here.
TV commericals with bunnies were in 3 posts: 1, 2, 3 (so far)
Most bunnies are not particularly fond of being picked up. Various explanations seem to center around that they are prey animals. So if you do pick up your bunny, snuggle with them. Don't, for example, hold them straight out from your body, suspended in the air.
Some bunnies can be mesmerized. Lucy, for sure ... if you can catch her. This usually happens after my wife has turned them upside down, often cradling them like a baby, as in this video.
We have posted some stills before, but here is an "action" video. You can see Ethel gets the full facial treatment - ears, cheeks, forehead... all while her little feets just stick up in the air.
Everybody's blood pressure goes down.
Chant your mantra: bun-ny, bun-ny, bun-ny, bunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...
My wife had to stop at a shopping center and next door to where she had to go was a pet store. Actually, it was the pet store from which my daughter surreptitiously purchased Bunya, on sale for $10.
Unfortunately, I went in.
The gray bunny is blurry because he was in motion,
basically flopping right there to snuggle.
In divided huge glass "cages" were tons o' buns. There were a couple of more in a cage on the floor. Some looked like siblings and there were different breeds ... rex, lionhead .... they were all so cute.
And that is the problem.
My initial reaction is "so cute", which is what will attract people to buy them, but then I immediately start thinking about what's wrong with this.
Why don't they have more room? That's not enough.
While some customers were gently stroking a few buns, others would just grab them;
I cringed.
How many are already pregnant?
How many will get sick because the store personnel don't know enough about bunnies to educate potential purchasers about their needs and how to feed and care for them?
How many domesticated bunny babies will be let go into the wild after people get bored with them?
How many would essentially be abandoned in a small cage in the corner of some ice-cold fume-filled garage?
And why wasn't there any freakin' hay in their cages?!? A bunny's diet is about 85% hay.
Very nicely, I asked one of the store clerks if they sold Timothy hay. They did and I asked her if she could put some in the bunnies' cages, which she did. They practically pounced on it and began chowing down.
I love and have had all kinds of animals (dogs, cats, hamsters ... and now bunnies). Bunnies are not our sole focus. We know there is a lot of stuff wrong in the world with the way so many people are treated ... I do not understand why people do the things they do to other people. We are partial to charities benefiting children, education, disease research and food for the hungry (don't send us solicitations - we already picked ours out and have been giving to them for decades). But this is a bunny blog.
And I was in a pet store and looking at bunnies. I have these stupid "business" cards I made up for the blog and on the back are a list of Rabbit Resources, the first of which is for the Georgia House Rabbit Society. So a few of them ended up in the hands of the people around the bunny cages, with the explanation that there were rescued bunnies available for adoption ... already fixed (which makes them really bargain priced). One lady overheard me and, bless her, came over and asked for the site. If these people go to HRS, they will at least get some education and be knowledgeable adopters if they still decide they want a bunny.
Well, you may have discerned that this has been another personal therapy blog. Or vent. Or rant.
I'm done now.
This time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FYI, the Rabbit Resources are in the right hand column.
These are the ones I squeezed on the card:
