HRS Educator Conference

House Rabbit Society’s first ever Educator Conference, "Taking Rabbit Knowledge to a Higher Level", will be held September 26-28, 2014 (to coincide with International Rabbit Day), hosted by the Humane Society of Missouri.

Information about the conference is here.

Another bunny adoption video ... a "failed" foster

Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue can be found here.

Bunny Monday Meme*day

Very cute bunny, too!

P.S. As I look past the "funny" aspect of this picture, I now notice a few things:
(1) That cage is way too small a space for the rabbit to live in, even if allowed time out of it to exercise.
(2) You should provide clean fresh water for the rabbit 24/7 in a heavy crock type bowl they can not overturn, not via a drip bottle as shown in the picture.
(3) It is possible to bond bunnies with other pets but if they are not bonded, they should be well-separated because bunnies can be scared to death or hurt themselves from fear of a nearby predator.
(4) There does not appear to be any hay in the picture and clean fresh hay should also always be available to bunnies; it is 80+% of their diet.

Rabbit family unearths archaeological treasure trove

Story in The New Zealand Herald: Rabbits unearth Stone Age treasure

Rabbits unearth Stone Age treasure

Tuesday Feb 4, 2014

Burrowing bunnies have uncovered an 8,000-year old treasure trove buried near Land's End.

The family of rabbits are believed to be responsible for unearthing the archaeological "gold mine" less than 200 yards from the Cornish landmark.

Archaeologists said that the animals had uncovered arrow heads, flint tools and hide scrapers dating back to the Neolithic Age.

Although a formal excavation of the 150-acre site hasn't started yet, the discovery suggests there could also be a large Neolithic - or New Stone Age - cemetery, Bronze Age burial mounds and an Iron Age hill fort buried there.

Team leader Dean Paton, 30, told the Daily Mirror: "It seems important people have been buried here for ­thousands of years - probably because of the stunning views. It's a million-to-one chance rabbits should make such an astounding find.

"They dug two little burrows right next to each other and all these ­treasures were thrown out of the earth. No one knows the scale of it but it's a gold-mine. A family of rabbits have just rewritten the history books."

A team from Big Heritage, based in the Wirral, are to spend up to two years excavating the site.

Dean added: "The bunnies are quite nosy and come out to see what we are doing."

Big Heritage also plans to create an "archaeobunnies" children's trail at Land's End.

The iconic spot, which is the most south-westerly point of mainland Britain, is a popular tourist destination. It gained widespread attention in May 2012 as the starting point of the London Olympics torch relay.

- UK Independent

More bunny things

Have you visited the Bunny Things page? Been collecting and adding these pictures for years now. If you need ideas for bunny gifts (for humans) or just want to see what things can be made with a bunny theme (or everyday objects that we think look like a bunny), check it out. Here are the latest:

Our very sweet neighbors returned from a trip
to New Mexico and brought us some local art.
In case you can't tell,
they are aware of our bunny obsession.
(Source is at right)

Dr. Mrs. Bunnymom ("DMB") found this treat for me.
The wrapper has lasted a lot longer than the delicious contents.
(For HUMAN consumption - NOT bunnies.)

Centerpiece spotted by DMB
(Source is at right)

Spotted by DMB on a business trip
in a DC Papyrus

Have bunny fun!

A short adoption video

Wonderful video. Our little Alice was a REW (ruby-eyed white).

Larger size of this image in on the Bunny Advocacy page

Bonded bunny snuggles

If you get bunnies, consider adopting a bonded pair. They keep company, groom each other and play together. We have a threesome and here they are snuggling in different pairs and sometimes all together.

Lucy & Ethel

Ethel grooming Lucy.
Ethel seems to do most of the grooming.

Bunya joins in for some licks.
We call this the Bunmuda Triangle.

Hanging out in the sunbeam.
Bunya indicates to Ethel that he wants her to groom him
by sliding under her. A little too far.

Some side-by-side snuggling
at the pen gate (a favored bunny spot).
Bunya is down low, a way of asking Ethel to groom him.

Sometimes, when the bunnies are offered a treat BUT
THINK they are going to be picked up for grooming
or their at-home physical,
they will line up for the treat inside their pen,
behind the perceived safety of their fence.
Understand: The gate to their pen is wide open -
this was their "defensive" positioning choice.
Just bonded bunnies, hanging together.

If you have learned what's involved in having bunnies as pets (your masters, really) and want one, please adopt and consider adopting a fixed, bonded pair from a shelter. Rescue shelters will soon be flooded with abandoned "Easter" bunny impulse buys. House Rabbit Society (HRS) chapters teach a Bunny 101 class and fix the bunnies before adopting them out to new homes (at an adoption fee much less than the vet's fee to fix them, making it a bargain). Check out HRS here (chapters listed in the left hand column).

Bad idea: Bunnies on the TV news desk

Yeah, bunnies are gonna' do what bunnies do.



Even bunnies that have been properly "fixed" still exhibit this behavior to reinforce their hierarchy... who is alpha bunny.

Bunny Monday Meme*day (The shadow knows)

How do bunnies do that?!?

We've seen people post about finding a bunny poop on the ceiling or somewhere equally improbable...

Do you see it?
OVER the top of their pen fence.

How do they get a poop THAT high?
And get it to stick to the wall!?

Bunnies plot in secrecy.

"Shhh - it's the human ... act natural."

TV News report: Just say "No" to impulsive "Easter bunny" purchases

In this video, the president of the New Mexico HRS appears on the news to warn off potential "Easter bunny" impulse purchasers:

At the bunny rescue shelter

The bunnies were due for their mani-pedis and so we rode to the GHRS shelter.

While there, we checked out the adoptable bunnies (including some bonded pairs). The pictures below are just some of the bunnies housed at the shelter; even more are cared for in a foster home network. Lucy & Ethel were adopted from GHRS.

Please adopt, don't shop.

Lucy & Ethel anxiously wait their turns
while Bunya gets trimmed.

Ethel's turn!

Rearranging the bunny furniture

To keep the bunnies entertained and not bored, one thing we do is occasionally mix up their pen. Most recently, the pen had The Two Towers, two castle towers that is (from The Blissful Bunny). There was a bridge between the two.

For this iteration, we removed one tower and placed it on the top of their funhouse. The bridge was stored and replaced with a ramp.

Bunya beat Ethel to the high ground.

One tower on top of their funhouse.
Lucy watching TV.

The latest version of their pen.
It gives them a little more running around room.
The three bunmigos are gathered around their dinner dish
in the upper right corner.

Here, Ethel claimed the high ground first (her favorite)
but Bunya is underneath her and Lucy by the side.

They seem to have adapted quickly and be enjoying it.

Easter bunny napkin folding

Martha Stewart bunny napkin recipe

Materials: Cotton or linen napkins, starched

1. Fold starched napkin into thirds to form a rectangle. (If you're using a square napkin, you'll need to fold in half, and then fold in half again to get a long rectangular shape.)

2. Crease in half to create a center line for reference; fold top corners down along this line.

3. Fold up from bottom corners along dotted lines.

4. Bring left and right edges together on center line.

5. Flip upside down and over. Turn up bottom point.

6. To fasten: Fold left and right corners back; tuck one corner into the pocket of the other. Pull out bunny ears first; open up base.

If you are a little less formal, here's a video showing how to fold paper napkins:

Bunny Monday Meme*day (Wake up!)

It's not Easter yet but...

... 27 abandoned rabbits need help. Read about it and how you can help here.

Please do NOT abandon domestic rabbits into the wild. They do not have the same coping skills as wild rabbits and it is very often a torturous death sentence.

Check out the Bunny Advocacy memes here.

Do NOT give a rabbit as an Easter present or for kids. If you want to do that, get a chocolate or stuffed rabbit.

ADOPT - Don't shop.

Thank you

Bunny cards

Received a couple of unrelated cards recently and had to share...

Thank you note cards from Mara-Mi

"Just because" card with photo of bunny
(and that's the "just because" reason of why we received it from a friend)

Credits for bunny photo

Special Bunny Monday Meme*day

A larger version of this is on the RR Bunny Advocacy page.

Learn before ADOPTING a rabbit. Unfortunately, pet stores that sell rabbits are usually NOT reliable information sources and sell products that are HARMFUL to rabbits; this meme explains several reasons why. Here's a post about one pet store experience:

Pet store bunnies ... make me very sad

Here's a great resource for some rabbit care articles.

Recent Easter Bunny caution posts are here and here.

Here's a blow-up of just the examples:

Bunny enjoying banana treat (video)

Ziggy nomming some nanner...

Post by Mango Steen.

More bunny baking

Wow!
(Hint - done with a cake form pan they sell)

William Sonoma recipe & instructions