Bond, Re-Bond

So, who was you favorite Bond?
Well, never mind ... another time.

My favorite bond would be if our 3 bunnies would get along again.

Bunya getting Ethel licks through the fence.

"I can just stan's so much and then I can't stan's n'more."
 -- Famous visually impaired, vegetarian sailor

It was time to SHAKE 'EM UP!!!
First ingredient - all three into the carrier.

Why? They don't like it.
The drama pulls them together.
Took a ride to GHRS, let them out in a small exercise pen and brought them home again.
About 2+ hours in close quarters and unfamiliar surroundings.

There's a method to my madness.
Well, maybe not. At this point, I am just so tired of the three of them not being a couple.
I mean, uh, trio.

To be continued.

One day at the bunny gate ...

Ethel: So, what time do you open?
I think it's Lucy's and my turn in the big pen.

Zen Buns - the book (Volume 1)

There have been many Zen bun references in this blog, usually when one of the buns is zonked under the spell of my wife's touch. The book Zen Buns is by Bonnie Tomek. It is part book, part journal and looks all cute. She has also set up a gift site, A Rabbit Hutch.

And get this special offer - a HouseRabbit Society Fundraiser - the author,  a rabbit lover since 1970, will donate a portion of book royalties to the House Rabbit Society.

But wait! There's more! 
Buy a book online to get a 10% RRR* discount: www.createspace.com/3791878 

Enter this promo code: ENR676XC 

* RRR = Rabbit Ramblings Reader
CreateSpace is a division of Amazon.com [Is this some kind of legal thing I have put here?]

So you get a 10% discount and HRS gets some bunneh munneh - such a deal!

Here are a few page samples Ms. Tomek shared with RR:

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A second volume is in the works -- you heard it here first!

Rabbit Ramblings - bringing you all the bunny news fit to print.

Bosu Ball Bunya

In the beginning, there was one bunny.

And his name was Bunya.

And it was good.

As the first bunny, and a solo bunny for a while (until GHRS was discovered), Bunya became the most acclimated to humans. Of the three, he will go up to a stranger proffering a treat, while Lucy & Ethel will hang back timidly; the girls only accept treats from familiar humans.

While working out this morning, I realized that Bunya's territory was limited because of the other bunnies' behaviors. Bunya used to keep me company while I exercised. He pretty much stayed out of trouble and would flop somewhere, often against the door, where he looked like a bunny doorstop (in the bunny loaf position).

Then along came Alice. While Bunya has a healthy respect for the treadmill (and an occasional taste for the rubber trim), Alice wanted to get ON the treadmill. While it was running. While I was already on it.

Taking a leap of faith (onto the treadmill and my 3 or 4 mph foot), Alice got her little white fuzzy butt punted a good one. Funny now in retrospect, but we rushed her to the vet to make sure she was okay. ($he was.)

So Bunya and Alice's turf was reduced to exclude that part of the basement.

Along came Lucy & Ethel. In the attempted re-expansion, it quickly became apparent that Lucy loves to munch on the carpet on the stairs. We assume she was the one leaving the little poop necklaces, strung together by fibers. Not a good thing. So, territory was again restricted.

But until the bunnies are re-bonded (praying for it), boys and girls run around separately. This morning, it was Bunya's turn to run around for exercise while I was exercising and I let him have back his old full roaming range.

I think he liked it. He got to chin things he hadn't chinned in a couple of years. He ran around the base of the walls (and stayed away from the treadmill). And there isn't much funnier than watching a little bunny butt bouncing down the stairs.

After his exploration, he flopped near the Bosu Ball and just kept me company.
It was wonderful.

The bunny digging box

Just an update. Ethel still loves her paper digging box.
Lucy will stroll by, grab a piece of the paper and hop off to nibble on it somewhere.

If this is too long, jump ahead or go do something else. She just tunnels around in the paper, digs here and there, pops her head up to see what's going on above the "surface" and, at the end, hops out.

When the clip starts, she's towards the back left (then to right, then back left...).
About 55 seconds in, she periscopes so you can see her. Briefly.
Another head pop up at about 1:15.
At 1:55, there's a brief head pop and she starts digging, which you can hear in earnest at about 2:15.

Earlier posts about Ethel and her digging box are here and here.

The Bunny "You First" Dance

If you are a regular Rabbit Ramblings reader ("RRRR"), you know that we need to re-bond Bunya with the girls. This requires a fair amount of time, which we can not spare in abundance at the moment.

The bunnies do interact through the fence. Their primary pen has openings big enough that anybun might poke his or her head through. Sometimes, the efforts have resulted in a brief period of detente, and in really good instances, both parties to the negotiations might get head licks.

However, while that was what I was hoping to film, such was not the case here.

Ethel stands firm, pokes her head through for licks and closes her eyes, waiting. And waiting.
Bunya wants licks, too. When he sees that her eyes are closed and she is not going to budge, he relaxes back into his bunny loaf position. However, he does keep an eye on Ethel and as soon as she opens her eyes to see what's happened to him and her licks, he lunges forward into the "lick me first" position. Eventually, he lays himself flat, to make his desire to be licked abundantly clear, which Ethel ignores, until she sits up, having given up on Bunya as another utterly hopeless male. (All in about a minute)

Another kind of bunny stamp

Bunny postage stamps were explored in conjunction with the "Year of the Rabbit" (here and here).

These are a different kind of bunny stamp I found puttering around some shops...

Yes, yes, I did actually purchase these bunny things.
But in my defense, these two were not all the bunny style stamps they had.
So, it's under control...

Prepare for major bunny "Squeeee!"

Recently posted (here) about the bunny family intake at GHRS. Here are a couple of the latest pictures from Facebook:

All together now: Awwwwwwww....

Bowl o' bunnies

You can see these and more pictures on the GHRS Facebook page.

And there's lots of great info on the GHRS website including the story of these baby bunnies' momma, Zazzle, the mommy bunny with a little pink cast (she was found with a broken leg).

Zazzle, the mommy, in her pink cast

Stuff bunnies do ...

... to entertain themselves when we aren't around.

Ethel: Look! I can turn myself completely backwards!
Lucy: That's fine, but can you get your butt outta' my face?
I'm trying to nap here.
Bunya: Why are there 2 fences?

One day at the bunny races...

Kids have soap box derbies.

Maybe bunnies have litter box derbies.

 Looks like Lucy's racer won by a hare.
(Groan amongst yourselves ... my mind ... a terrible waste.)

Vanity license plate - SALADO

Salado -

It's what's for dinner-o!

(If it doesn't cost too much dinero
and it's not too salty)

What makes that perfect piece of hay?

I am not a connoisseur of hay myself, but I was wondering about the bunnies who seem to search for that perfect bite, the blend of hearty, sweet, earthy, al dente or crisp...

Because they certainly seem to have some selection criteria. The box may be full of hay, but they will sniff around until the bite or flavor or aroma they seek has been located.

Sometimes, they may have to push a less desirable stalk out of their way to get to the good stuff. That must be what Bunya had to do below ... and he ended up wearing a couple of pieces of the reject.

Bunya: I smelled here it a second ago...

Bunya: Got it! *nom, nom, nom ...*

Prepare to "Squeeee!"

A recent intake to GHRS consisted of a family of bunnies, a Mom, Dad, 2 teenagers and a litter of very new baby bunnehs.

Baby bunnehs at GHRS, all huddled together

The babies are now big enough to be cared for at one of the GHRS volunteer foster homes.

Bunneh family in the carrier, about to leave GHRS, headed to foster home
(Looks like they lost that orange tint of Georgia clay, er, soil)

After a few more weeks, the bunnies will be big enough to "fix" and be available for adoption. To see about adopting one of these bunnies or another of the many wonderful adoptable bunnies at GHRS, check out their great website of the Georgia House Rabbit Society. If you already have a bunny, their Care Health & Diet page has lots of great information.

Another Paris Bunny

In case you don't read the comments, Furbeast posted a link for us to another of Robert Doisneau's photos.

See what you might miss!
Thank you, Furbeast!

Happy Birthday, Robert Doisneau

Saw on Google that today is Robert Doisneau's 100th birthday. I mention this in a bunny blog because one of this famous photographer's pictures was made into a postcard - I am sure lots of them were but the one I recall was of a bunny.


See it and read about it here: Bunny Postcard

Nothing says loving like ...

... grooming through the fence. Or something from the oven.
I forget which.
Well, maybe the former for Bunya and the latter for me.

Bunya considered himself lucky. He stuck his head through the fence while Lucy was grooming Ethel, and she switched over to him, just like "old times".

Gives us some hope for the re-bonding efforts.

Bunya has settled in for some long head-massaging sessions with me, but I think he prefers them from the girls.

Bunny positions

Maybe we should catalog the positions bunnies flop into. Like Two Bunny Blog recently informed me of a "full frog". There are names for some others already, like the loaf or the Sphinx.

Here I propose the "parenthesis", illustrated by the girls:

Sometimes Lucy is the parenthesis...

... and sometimes Ethel is the cute little parenthesis.

Maybe this position is more applicable to snuggle bunnies.

Ethel hatches a bunny plot

Ethel, whispering conspiratorially directly into Lucy's ear:

So, when the big human has the treat jar in his hands, I'll thump -

Then you run out of that box and between his feet.

When he trips and the treats go flying, it's everybunny for herself.

I gave this op the code name "Trip or Treat".

Lucy in a daze

After her most recent mani-pedi, Lucy's spa visit was completed with the bunny mesmerizing massage (courtesy of my wife).

Once set back down at ground level, Lucy just kind of wavered there for a few moments, with a dazed look ... in a mini-stupor.
Since it wasn't her usual paranoid disapproving look, I took a picture.

Bunny bonding goals

This post was originally called:
Double the bunny pleasure, double the bunny fun
(Well, for Bunya anyway.)

It was to prove again that Bunya was one of the luckiest bunnies in the world. When Bunya got sick and they un-bonded, it was held.

Now it reflects our goal for the bunnies, to be able to re-bond them so that they are like this again. Or if not the same, to at least establish some peaceful hierarchy among the three of them.

Time will tell.

(About halfway in, Ethel tries to sneak her head under Lucy, hoping Lucy will continue on automatic pilot and groom her, too. Bunya never budges - he knows a good thing and does not want to interrupt.)

Bunny Things in Austin, TX

Bunya's Mom and Bunya's Mom's Mom are in Austin, Texas. This means I get emails with pictures of bunnies spotted on the road. Texas must have its own concept of bunnies, as illustrated below.

Antique store bunny - on skis???

Bunny art in airport:
Bunny with horns???

By comparison, this airport bunny art
seems tame. These bunnies are
merely dressed and playing musical instruments.

No matter -- Rabbit Ramblings is an equal opportunity bunny blogger. These items shall receive their place in the Bunny Things page gallery.

Bunya update

Yesterday afternoon, Bunya had an appointment at the vet to update his x-rays. Just to remind the three of them that they belong together, all three of them made the trip together.

Carrier bunnies, on the way to the vet's office

Happily, good news. Where the original x-rays showed such a large obstruction in Bunya's gut that it pressed the air/gas into a narrow crescent around the circular mass, this internal picture showed a bit of this and that, here and there ... whatever it was (hairball?) has broken up and is being expelled (you could see the little evenly spaced poops marching in an orderly fashion through his digestive system and towards the exit). We are cutting the medicine dose in half and will finish off the little bit left in the bottle.

When Bunya was first x-rayed, one nurse was able to hold him in position ... he was so pooky, they could see it in his attitude. This time, it took two nurses; we will take this as another sign of recovery - they said: "Now that's the Bunya we know and love!"

Thank you to all the RR readers thinking good thoughts for Bunya and the well-wishes and inquiries sent via the comments. And thank you to our wonderful exotics/rabbit-savvy vet and staff.

Coming soon: Attempts at re-bonding.

Pull over - I gotta' use the facilities

When you are pulling into the hay station to refuel, you just have to hope that they have clean rest rooms.

Oooh - crowded here, but worth waiting your turn.

Or hop back into your transport and try the next stop.

Snuggle bunnies - girls club

It was Lucy and Ethel's turn in what we hope is the "temporary" pen. Just like the big pen, the gate might be open, but the sisters lounge together inside.

Here, Ethel makes herself at home,
leaning on Lucy like she's a big soft sofa.
In this position, Ethel can watch Bunya through the fences.

Lucy still gives us that semi-paranoid stare. If she could, I get the feeling she would point her paw at her eyes and then at us, in that "I'm watchin' you" gesture.

Ethel, however, is perfectly relaxed.

Fold your napkin into a bunny - Part Deux

An earlier post links to one set of folding instructions.

Found another set of instructions (for paper napkins) and a video, in case you are interested.

If you go here, they have a more detailed diagram to fold it their way (click on "Bunny").

Bunya lounging about

It was his turn to run around. He decided to stretch out, but outside the pen.

Two Bunny Blog - Does this qualify as a "Full Frog",
or must the rear legs be straight back and apart?

Ethel ... alpha bunny?

Recently explored this "Ethel Alpha" possibility (here).

Then found Ethel at the prestigious and favored lounging position at the threshold bar to their pen...

Looking mighty comfy and sure of herself.

Just sayin'...

Fold a napkin like a bunny

This is just to remind you that if you would like to fold napkins into a rabbit for Easter (or Passover), a link to instructions was previously posted in: How to fold a bunny napkin.

Don't wait until the "day of" ... start practicing now.

Happy Holidays!

04-05-2012 UPDATE: See alternative and video here:
Bunny napkin fold - Part Deux!

Money bunny

This graphic is from the Wall Street Journal, from an article about spending this Easter (and how consumers are hopping to it).

Just thought you might enjoy...

Thanks, Sis!

Bunny health insurance?

BCBS ... Bunny Cross Bunny Shield?

Given what we have experienced over the years since we have become bunny slaves, we have had some costly "episodes" (with Alice, Ethel and now Bunya).

Most pet insurance seems to be for cats and dogs; they do not even cover rabbits. When Alice was sick, we found one for rabbits; but when we tried to figure out what it would have paid for her versus the premiums, it didn't seem to cover much (or the benefits were capped at a lot lower than what a sick bunny incurs). Wish we could just add them as dependents under an employer group plan.

So, does anyone out there in bunny-land have a bunny health insurance plan with reasonable costs and benefits? If so, please leave a comment with the specifics and/or a link to their product.

Thank you!

In Memoriam - Lucky

Another blogging bunny has passed away...

Lucky (Passed to the Rainbow Bridge 03-30-2012)

You can read about Lucky and family, and offer your condolences at A Houseful of Rabbits.


Please make a donation to a bunny shelter near you in Lucky's memory.
If you don't have a shelter, here's a great one.

Rainbow Bridge was posted here.