Animated virtual bunny for "leap" day

Here's something you may find fun, a virtual bunny.
Click your mouse on the sitting bunny and he hops (which makes this a good post for "leap" day).
Click on the "more" tab in the lower right hand corner and you can grab a carrot to feed him. To feed the carrot, click on it, move the tip to the bunny's mouth and click the mouse again. The bunny eats a bite of carrot with each click until it's gone. With crunchy sound effects.

adopt your own virtual pet!

If you know anybody that wants to get their kids a rabbit for Easter, suggest one of these bunnies.
The website offers many different virtual pets you can adopt. But, hey (or hay), this is a bunny blog. You have options for naming your pet, naming the adopters, changing the pet's color and selecting the code for where you put it (like Facebook). Virtuoso is now here on RR and on my iGoogle home screen.

A Bunny PSA (Public Service Announcement)

This is your mouse.

 This is your mouse on bunny.

Any questions?

Ethel wants ...

... maybe just to be left alone, after loving on all the other bunnies.

I'm just going to lay down for a minute ...

... rest my eyes ... call me if there are any treats ...

... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ...

Lucy wants loving

Lucy flops in front of Ethel,
a little less aggressive approach than Bunya,
but no less desirous of grooming.

Ethel, ever-loving, sweet and generous,
licks Lucy ... and helps her keep her ears clean, too.

Ethel loving on Mr. Bunya

Sometimes, they do let me get a picture that is not through their pen fence. And once in a great while, it is taken with a real camera and not a cell phone.

Bunya was in heaven as the lover of the trio, Ethel, was grooming his head.

Bunya leans forward to help make sure Ethel does not miss any licks.
(His shaggy butt can't seem to stay groomed this season.)

Even got a close-up!
(There - now you can't see the shag haircut his butt's sporting.)

Hope Bunya appreciates her sweet bunsonality.

Bunya wants loving

Bunya trying to nudge himself into Ethel's good graces
and get groomed by her.

Bunya, trying harder to do the same a few seconds later.

Gotta' try soomething else, Bunya, I don't think just changing your angle of approach is going to make a difference. Perhaps if you did not bowl her over every time there are treats for everyone?

Treat for Lucy

This is Lucy eating her treat, her share of a Probios. As noted previously, they love them and she runs off with hers to insure that it is all hers and there is no undesired sharing. Very protective she is (last sentence written by Yoda, I guess).

The piece she gets here is bigger than normal, but one hand held the camera and the other was trying to break the treat into smaller portions.

They are shedding. Again. Wish she had done her hair before this, so the little feathers of falling out hair weren't sticking out of her butt, but that's bunnies for you. Bunya sheds the worst ... he is looking like a shaggy little hobo bunny.

Near the end (about 55 seconds in), her ears go into independent movement alert mode. The right (white tipped) ear cocks back and forth, listening for any intruders who might try to snatch her snack (or try to pick her up).

Treats!

The sound of my opening the treat jar is a call to arms for any bunnies within earshot. Bunya is so excited, he's trying to jump in and get his own. Lucy hangs back - she wants hers, but plays it safe just in case it's a trap to pick her up (mmmm ... could be ....). She is so nervous about that possibility that she drops the treat and then ducks in low to grab it.

Then Lucy runs off to eat it by herself. This behavior, however, was inspired by Bunya. If they eat in a group and Bunya finishes first, then he starts looking around to see from whose mouth he might snatch another morsel or if anybunny dropped some crumbs big enough to snack on. So, purely a smart defensive move by Lucy.

Pardon the shaky camera work (and I don't know why the first couple of seconds are green ... was  not that way before uploading). The camera was in one hand and the other was trying to break the treats into smaller pieces for distribution to the most anxious bunnies. This particular treat is Probios, which we get through GHRS. It helps keep their systems on track (or tract, as in digestive tract). It helps that they LOVE them.

Don't tell Mikey it's good for him.

More bunnies in commercials

Bunny outlaw in this one...

They'll never catch her ... that's Bunny of Bunny and Clyde.

You can see the full commercial here.

And check out this cute little white bunny ("LWB") in another new commercial...

Bunnies tell you straight...

and are exceptionally fair-minded.

Of course, it's the time of the year when this bunny starts making appearances....

Bunnies must be good salespersons.

Go to this post and find links to more bunny commercials posts.
Or enter "commercials" in the "search this blog" box in the right-hand column.

Which came first...

... the chicken or the bunny?

My sister was shopping and came across these salt and pepper shaker displays Thursday. They're bunny enough to be presented here, so ....

HRS has a new bunny video!

Be sure to watch it all the way to the credits.


HRS Rabbit Center! from C Parshall on Vimeo.


Great film ... too short - but I still give it 5 binkies.

Bunny gifts

Not gifts for your bunnies, but bunny stuff you can give to humans as gifts.

My sister found this stuff:

Here's the web site I found: My Baby Pie, Authorized Mud Pie Baby Retailer

Just put "bunny" in the search engine and you'll find stuffed bunnies, bunny dishes, bunny dresses, and generally plenty of cute stuff to show your friends and relatives just how bunny nutz you are.

Happy shopping! Help stimulate the economy!

Lucy knows her name - for a treat

The boxes we get when we buy vinegar in mass quantity from Costco were used by my daughter to construct a honeycombed plaything for the bunnies. The boxes hold four HUGE bottles of vinegar and have a divider. Basically, you remove one of the dividers, turn one of the boxes 90 degrees and smash them together - but not all the way. The result leaves four openings and 2 levels. Recently, the old ones were disposed of and replaced by some new boxes.

The new one has become Lucy's favorite cardboard playground box and that's where she spends most of her time when she ventures out of the pen. You can hear her in there ripping that fresh cardboard to shreds.

Well, the structure must make some kind of sound baffle (not to mention an echo chamber for tearing cardboard) because Lucy can't hear the jar being opened to give them their favorite treat. Bunya and Ethel are already at the jar as soon as they hear the lid being rotated. Even crumpling the treat bag didn't get Lucy's attention (although Bunya and Ethel were about to pee in their pants they were so excited).

So we have to call Lucy (in a high pitched girly voice - and I don't want to hear anything about it - it's what she answers to). She pops out of her new favorite box and runs to be included. Lucy hesitates just a second (staying out of "pick up" distance) until she sees what's happening and then dives in with the others. She even forgets to run off with her treat to eat by herself. (She got a small piece, so she got a second small chip to make up for it.)

Funny bunnies.

What do your bunnies do for treats?

Bunny mail on The Colbert Report

Knowing our bunny fetish (that's a reference to my Valentine's Day gift), our friend alerted us to a bunny appearance on TV.

The bunny is absolutely adorable, but as a bunny person, I worry about the bunny's reaction to the (audience) noise. And at the end, where he pushes the bunny toward the edge of the desk and it starts backpedaling...

Anyway, you can see the full episode here.
If you want to get to the bunny part, check in at about 14 minutes 25 seconds.

My Bunny Valentine

Got a bunny fetish for Valentines Day...
Well, guess I always have a bunny fetish.

It's small, about the size of my upper thumb joint, carved from a single piece of turquoise.
Even cuter in person.

(Yes, post title is a song reference.)

A Rabbit Ramblings Submission: Clyde & Marley (and Ronnie)

Here are a couple of loving bunnies on Valentine's Day: Clyde & Marley.
They are shelter adopted bunnies - the best kind! - originally from the Motor City but who now hail from the Windy City.

Clyde & Marley - such a cute couple!

After-dinner power napping

After the power nap, settling in for some serious snoozing

Ronnie - being fostered in the same home as C&M,
to be up for adoption soon.

If you are in Chicago, check with the shelter about adopting Ronnie or another bun (or buns). If you adopt a bunny from this shelter after you see this post, please let us know by posting it in the comments. Thank you!

Bunya - the LUCKIEST bunny in the world

Bunya is soooo lucky and this clip is proof. Ethel is so sweet and affectionate, that she gives Bunya ear licks while he is eating his bunny chow.

Wow.

Guys, this is like being served your favorite dinner while watching the football game (hey, this is a family friendly blog, so get your mind out of the gutter).

She keeps at it whether he has his head down in the bowl or up. I do think he appreciates her. Catch his major ear waggle at about 20-ish seconds in. (The background noise is Lucy tearing into some cardboard.)

You got some 'splainin' to do!

?!?

Bunny care - Bunya feeling puny

When I got home Thursday, once glance at Bunya had me worried about him. His behavior was off. He did not come to the gate to greet me. He didn't come to the table for evening greens. Of course, if a bunny's feeling puny, my wife is out of town.

One way to tell how seriously your bunny doesn't feel well is offering them a treat they usually go bonkers for, like papaya for our bunnies. So, I whistled and made the usual kissy noises. Lucy & Ethel ran out and then hesitated, like they were waiting and asking "Where's Bunya? He always gets first bite!"

So then I went for the ultimate treat, a Probios. With these, just opening the lid usually has them scrambling on top of each other and the jar. Lucy & Ethel were front and center but Bunya didn't even come out of the pen. That's way bad.

I went and gave Bunya his piece of Probios through the fence and he did eat it, but very lethargically. So I was going to keep a close eye on him. When I sat in my chair and tried to spot him, I didn't see him at first. I looked around and found him in what we have dubbed the "mobile home" ("MB") because it's the smallest box in there and they move it where they want it. It has "windows" they can hop in and out of, but no real doors.

Bunya laying down in the mobile home,
peeking out the window, maybe at the TV.

When I went to peek in on him, he turned around and looked out the other window.
Another "not good" sign for a usually sociable bunny.

They are shedding and as they jump in and out
some of their hairs latch on to the opening.
When we clean the pen, we get these with a lint roller.

To give you some perspective of the "mobile home", here Ethel, the smallest of the three, is on top of it.

Well, Ethel sensed Bunya wasn't feeling well and hopped into the "MB" to keep him company for a while. It was very cute and I am sure crowded. Ethel, still the sweetest bunny...

When Bunya finally left the MB, he sequestered himself in their tunnel. I am angsting about how bad he is - bunnies can go downhill very fast. Because they are prey, they will give it their all so that they don't look like the weak one a predator would pick out. When they finally show they are sick, they can be pretty far along. Do I call the GHRS thebunnylady? Do I haul him to the emergency vet?

Later that night, Bunya finally hopped out of the pen. That he came out of his self-imposed seclusion was a good sign to me. He actually went up to a new box I put out for them in the cardboard playground (outside their pen) and gave it a couple of tentative tasting nibbles. No binkies or NASbunnnies. Eventually, he got around to eating a few of their pellets (meaning their food crumbles) - we had turned a corner on the road to recovery.

The next morning, Bunya was a the gate when I came in. He ran around around and just looked like he had a smile on his face. When I brought them their morning greens, he was kicking his heels and waggling his ears like usual. Whew! Yay!

This is another reason I like having the buncam. I have been looking in on them more than usual and see that he is not in hiding and often snuggling with someone or eating. Hopefully, this episode is over and he'll be fine.

Know and be aware of your bunny's personality, eating and pooping. These habits will help alert you when something may be wrong.

Bunya absorbs his vitamin D

Finally starting to be a little chilly in the morning here. It might actually be winter soon.

Bunya does like his sun beams. After breakfast, he wiggled his bod between the shadows, closed his eyes and just sat there like a little bunny Buddha, catching some rays and getting warm.

Bunya catching the morning sun

You can almost hear him chanting his mantra: Treats, treats, treats, treats....

Tough life.

Bunny care - Bunny Proofing

As I have previously invoked the HopperHome blog's Ten New Years Resolutions for 2012 from a Long Time Rabbit Fanatic, I must do so again: 
I will not take for granted my home is “bunny proofed”

Or that I will always remember to put things away IMMEDIATELY...

"Another one bites the dust" *
(and not in a good way)

(* A Queen song reference, just FYI. Somehow, seemed appropriate for a vacuum cleaner.)

The bunny pen was clean, but the vacuum is headed to the repair shop.
Again.
For another new cord.

*sigh*
The theory of bunativity:
Electric cords + Bunnies = Repair bills

One day in the bunny pen ...

If you are a Regular Rabbit Ramblings Reader, you know I use the buncam to peek in on them from work. This is a screenshot from yesterday.

What caught my attention was this was pretty much the same view as maybe a half hour earlier peek that I had of them. I thought maybe the transmission was stuck (or, knowing them, they had put the camera video on a loop, so they could make another escape unnoticed).

But then I noticed that Lucy's ears were moving, in bunny-scanning mode, independently twitching back and forth. So, it was still "live".

I thought their arrangement interesting. Lucy is in the upper right corner, laying her body around the chew mat that someone has half pulled inside the pen ... I wonder if this is how the door may have opened for the Great Escape (maybe tugging on the mat lifted the door enough for it to unlatch).

Ethel is perched on top of one of the boxes, almost in the center of the pen. When she is like this, laying flat, peering down over the edge, she reminds me of when Snoopy was being a vulture. She does like the high ground, peering down over her domain.

Bunya is in a bunny loaf, in the lower right hand corner (waiting for food, treats or loving). The box in front of him is new. Ethel has been trying out its roof, too, because it is now the tallest surface in their pen. We put that inside because they chewed the tunnel that went between the two Hopper Hideaway boxes so much, it wouldn't stay assembled or stand up anymore. They boss that new box around the pen, too, so we call it their "mobile home".

The box has two openings big enough for them to get in and out of, but neither is at ground level (more like windows than doors). So they have to hop just a little to get in. There's another small hole they can peek out of. They have all been in it and I have seen Ethel stick her little white nose out the little hole (but not captured a picture yet).

Yesterday morning, I went in to give them breakfast and was calling them to "the table". Bunya and Lucy responded and then all of a sudden, Ethel pops out of one of that box's windows, like a little jack in the box. It was so funny and so cute. Maybe that was her sleeping quarters overnight.

Last night, Ethel was running "NASbunnies", trying to figure out how the new box fit into the escape track she was imprinting in her head in case of danger.

Funny bunnies!

Bundinis - Lucy and Ethel demonstrate escape skills

Bunny Houdinis = Bundinis

A friend captured this video of the bunnies bossing around the fence that used to limit their territory (it has been replaced by the door until we figure out something more secure ... or they start standing on each others shoulders to get to the door knob).

Previously, Ethel pretty much does the effective escape moves all by herself. In this instance, Lucy lucks into one of her patented brute force moves that aids the cause. But it's still Ethel who remembers the secret formula ... working on the side panels closest to the wall, lifting the fence by the bar at the bottom, and - the most important part - when it pulls away from the wall, go around it!

There's no doubt that Ethel could handle all this by herself.

(This video is embedded from my friend's site, so if it stops too soon, just press "play" again.)



Just a couple of juvenile bunlinquents.
(You figure it out: juvenile ----- ----------- = bunlinquents)

Earlier related posts:
Escape! Escape! Release the, uh, human!!!
The Great Escape
The Mastermind of the Great Escape -- Ethel?!?

Adventures in Grooming

We've showed pictures of grooming before, usually Ethel. She's such a little lady, so sweet, and it goes so quickly.

Ethel: Woo! That tickles!
Ethel stands up as she
gets her weekly physical
(Check out her gorgeous blue eyes,
just like her sister's)

On the other hand, there's Lucy...

You must hold on to Lucy when grooming ....

Firmly!

Does this look like a Disapproving Rabbit or what?!

But my wife makes it up to her by mesmerizing her afterwards, so she relaxes into a micro nap. Then she's given a papaya treat and released back into the wild (of the basement).

Love the little fore-paws - one laid down and one cocked up.

Do your bunnies (or other pets) like to be groomed?

Bunya gets a facial

Bunya compressed himself next to Lucy, so her personal grooming carried over to him, which is what he was hoping...

They do this all the time. One will be grooming, or eating, or drinking, or just sitting there minding their own business, and another bunny will slide underneath to try to get some licks. It often works, so they will keep doing it. Even if it doesn't, the slidee seems to be satisfied with the companionable movement in close proximity ... just to be touching.

Bunnies Everywhere

Coincidentally, this blog recently made reference to the tortoise and the hare.
And in a post a few days ago, the semi-rhetorical question was posed:
Is it just me or, if you like bunnies, does bunny stuff just seem to find you?

And then I open my magazine and this is the picture for the article:

 Insert spooky music here.

Demolition Squad - Lucy

Lucy decided that she was not in imminent danger of being picked up by me and so ventured out amongst the cardboard jungle to play.

She got intense! She was giving it a piece of her mind and a lot of her teeth. You can see how she rears up with it in her mouth and bosses that cardboard all over. I love how she curls her little paws over the lip of the box she's wrestling with and tugs it to her.

Is this clip long? Yes, kinda'.
Is it substantially shorter that the original? Heck, yes.

Don't answer the phone - it's not for you (about 33 seconds in).
The second gnawing sound you hear is Bunya working on another new piece of cardboard in the foreground, near my feet (one of those honeycomb-like inserts from a box that keeps glasses or bottles separate - they love those).

What are your pet's favorite playthings?

Cute little bunny cup

We were seated at the sushi bar of the best sushi restaurant in Atlanta, enjoying incredible food (hey, I gave up meat over 17 years ago, but don't get between me and my sushi). I was in a state of culinary ecstasy, enjoying the aforementioned sushi when my wife elbowed me to look at something - right in front of my face (often where things I can't find are located). I looked up on the shelf, spotted the little toothpick holder and said, "I've got to get a picture for the Bunny Things page."

Bunny pottery from Japan (sans toothpicks)

I just think the few simple brush strokes of this are as sweet as little Ethel (who it kinda' resembles). Very Japanese. Something similar might make a cool logo for some bunny shelter out there.

Anyway, we were finally sated and about to head out when the chef/owner (a genuine Japanese gentleman, trained in his home country and blessedly transplanted to grace us fortunate sushi-lovers here in ATL) came out with a small package, the above-mentioned bunny pottery from his homeland (he knows about our bunnies). He is a too generous soul but it now graces my home and I treasure it.

And seriously, if you want pristine, delicious, world-class sushi and you happen to be here, go. We are not the only ones who say this ... plenty of magazine and newspaper chefs have reviewed this restaurant and feel the same way (well, except for that one sushi novice who, in her on-line anybody-can-write-a-review post, did not know that unagi is supposed to be served warm).

Is it just me or, if you like bunnies, does bunny stuff just seem to find you?