Treat or Treat

Bunya and Ethel enjoying their favorite treat. Bunnies chewing amuses me, so I'm sharing. (~40s). The treat is a Probios, apple flavor. It's really a horse biscuit that aids digestion, so they share and each get half of one cookie every evening. If I am not on time, Bunya stares at me until I look at the clock - really! Proof bunnies can tell time (see this post). When Bunya finishes, he runs to check if Ethel has any crumbs left he can Hoover.

A Halloween Bunny Tale

(Another Rabbit Ramblings "traditional" seasonal post)

Found at: http://www.larping.net/bunny/SFR.html

In the mythical land of Trigiorria there is the legend of The Spirit Festival of the Rabbits.

At the end of the month of Octobré, when the veil between the worlds of the spirit and the real would thin, those who had lost family during the previous year would make a journey to the Spirit Woods. The recently departed would inhabit this forest during the year, awaiting the veil to be thin enough to cross over and thereby give their loved ones one last chance to say goodbye.

The family would sit and camp outside of the woods, sometimes as long as a week, awaiting for a messenger to arrive. That messenger - a white rabbit. As it approached, the family would gather and sit, patiently and quietly. The rabbit would find a spot near the family and sit down, regarding them with its ruby eyes and large ears turned towards them. At that point, the family would tell the rabbit the name of their recently deceased and give a final message to their loved one. Upon finishing, the family would offer the rabbit a token of their thanks, usually in the form of some sweet greens such as the tops of carrots or radishes. The rabbit would stand on its hind legs, taking the offering and, at the same time, folding its ears back, thereby trapping the family's message within them.

Turning around, the rabbit would sprint back into the forest, carrying the message for the spirit. Their ruby eyes able to see the other worldly spirits and their twitching noses able to find the scent of the family even upon the ghosts. Once they found the family member, they'd open their ears once again, imparting the whispers of the message still resounding within them and allow the family member to pass over with their family's love.

However, not all ghosts within the Spirit Woods are benevolent. As the noises that come from the forest are often eerie and vicious, it is the reason the families remain outside of the woods and uses the messengers. On a few occasions, dark shadows were seen lumbering forth from the tree line, but they never made it far for nipping at their heels were the guardians - the black rabbits of the forest. Whereas the inky claws of the spirits could rake furrows into the ground, they would simply meld into the rabbit's own obsidian fur. Wherever the black rabbits touched these creatures, there would be nothing but emptiness left behind. And when dozens of the guardians attacked a shadow, it dissolves so quickly that many people weren't sure they saw a shadow at all - only the frolicking of the rabbits was left behind.

Today, many families keep such rabbits in their homes as family members themselves. In fact, adopting one after the passing of their loved ones is seen as a blessing upon the house. When a white rabbit would stand on its hind legs and stare towards nothing, it is often thought that the animal is welcoming a friendly spirit into the house. The black rabbit would keep the family safe from any spirits that were not welcomed.

[Mark Mensch is a published author and volunteer at SaveABunny rabbit rescue - www.saveabunny.org]

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day

Now that I have bunnies, I wish this comic was still around (syndicated by United Feature Syndicate, 01-25-1988 to 08-18-1991).

Bun o' lanterns -- Bunny pumpkins for Halloween

Rabbit Ramblings traditional pre-Halloween post. If you carve a bunny pumpkin, please post a picture on the RR Facebook page so it can be added to the "library".
Have fun! Be careful carving pumpkins and have a safe celebration!

Happy Halloween!

Carving a "bunkin" (bunny pumpkin) for Halloween?

Here are a few "Boo! Bunnies" to inspire your creative carving...

A classic lop image

Another approach to bunny pumpkin carving

Was this bunny in "Lord of the Rings" or something?

Don't forget "EB" - the Energizer Bunny

Bunny from Prickly City?

Bonded duo

                                                         Models for bonded duo pumpkin

Bunny Butt!
Talk to the butt, 'cause the ears ain't listening!
(Bernie Bunny from Annie's)

Additions (submitted through the Rabbit Ramblings Facebook page)

Bunny model: Pinki Larue

Model for pumpkin above

From Licorice Bun

Trix casting call for real rabbit!

Submit your entries here.
Official rules are on that same page, but at the bottom in small type.

Also send or post your cute bunny pictures on Rabbit Rambling's Facebook page for possible future captioning (Remember to "Like" our FB page). Read about it here.

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day

More bunny giggles await you on the Rabbit Ramblings Funny Bunny Memes page.

Another bunny-human doppelganger

The Silence of the Buns (by Eli) ................ The Silence of the Lambs         

See all the bunny-human doppelgangers here.

Ethel versus the gate

Ethel is having some bunny discourse with her pen's gate. They all have done it, although not necessarily on the gate. The pen is 7'x7' (this is where they reside when no one is home; otherwise the gate is open). They will go up to a wall of the fence and tug on it with their teeth; now that I think about it, it seems they only exhibit this behavior when they are outside the pen, looking in. Lucy could really raise a racket; if we made her stop, she'd just go back to it after we sat back down.

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day

Memes are accumulated on the Funny Bunny Memes page.

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day

DO NOT ABANDON PET RABBITS OUTSIDE "IN THE WILD"

IF YOU WANT TO GIVE UP YOUR PET BUNNY - DO NOT JUST "LET IT GO" OUTSIDE!
Domestic pet rabbits do not have the coping skills to survive in the wild. It can be a tortuous death sentence from starvation, predators or parasites.

This beautiful bunny was abandoned in a huge park (while there's a small chance he escaped from his home, no one else appears to be looking for him). This video shows him in the scrub near a parking lot and then munching some hay, pellets and papaya left for him. He's otherwise surviving off the weeds growing through the parking lot cracks. GHRS volunteers were finally able to capture him.

Safe -- and headed to the GHRS bunny rescue shelter

BUNDERFUL NEWS!!! Whole Foods to stop selling rabbit meat by the end of the year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHOLE FOODS MARKET ANNOUNCES THE END OF RABBIT MEAT SALES

September 15, 2015: Rabbit Advocacy Network, House Rabbit Society, and SaveABunny, on behalf of tens of thousands of house rabbit lovers, are thrilled to announce the end of rabbit meat sales at Whole Foods Market (WFM).

Whole Foods Market's sale of rabbit meat began in Summer 2014 as a pilot program and drew widespread criticism from pet lovers across the nation, attracting dozens of protests at their stores as well as a petition signed by over 50,000 people.

A House Rabbit Society member and long-time Whole Foods shareholder traveled 800 miles to attend the annual Whole Foods Market Shareholders Meeting in Charlotte, NC today to speak on behalf of the bunnies being killed for the grocery chain’s meat case.  She does not consider herself an activist, but felt strongly that the shareholders meeting would be an integral outlet to bring up her concerns as both an investor in the company as well as a lover of pets. After her heartfelt plea to the Whole Foods leadership team, she was told by Whole Foods’ Chief Operating Officer, A.C. Gallo, that Whole Foods had decided to cease the sales of all rabbits by the end of 2015.

According to the 2012 American Pet Products Association (APPA) Pet Owners Survey, 2.5 million households now live with rabbits, who are now the nation’s third most popular (behind cats and dogs) furry pet. Their 2009-2010 survey found that 6,678,000 rabbits were kept as pets in the United States in 2010, and that number continues to increase.

Margo DeMello, President of House Rabbit Society, had this to say about Whole Foods’ decision: “We could not be more excited that Whole Foods has decided to listen to their customers, and pet lovers across the country, and ended their sale of rabbit meat. We thank Whole Foods for putting pets before profits. We hope that other grocery chains will follow in Whole Foods’ footsteps, and make a similar decision: that rabbits, or any pets, are not a viable meat.”

Tara Baxter of Rabbit Advocacy Network commented, “We are extremely grateful that a monumental amount of rabbit lives will be saved moving forward.  We hope that other grocery chains will follow suit so that the cruelty inherent in rabbit farming will cease forever. The undercover investigation done by Last Chance for Animals of the Pel-Freez rabbit farm proves that there is no humane way to farm and kill a bunny and that these animals suffer immensely when they should be treated like the beloved companion animals they are.”

For further information, visit www.rabbitadvocacynetwork.org

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*Day

Yeah, we all understand this.
Bunny-proof your home for the safety of your bunny. And your stuff.

It's a bundown!!!

Watch this video to see the best end zone binky of all time!

The original embedded YouTube video has been taken down.
Try this link instead.
It's very cute. About 50 seconds and the epic end zone binky is in slow motion at the end.

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day

Live  --  Love  --  Binky

Adopt - don't shop.

Bunya on Bunny Shaming!

Bunya got his picture on Bunny Shaming!

The post is here.

If you look, you can pick out his ears and closed right eye (head is facing bottom right corner). He just kept munching the treats until we made him get out.

Guess we really shouldn't be bragging about this.

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day

Animal House

This is a TV show we need - it's like Extreme Home Makeover but for animal shelters. Please help them sell more episodes - which means fixing more animal shelters - "Like" this video and their Facebook page. Leave positive comments on FB and YouTube.
Thank you!
www.animalhouse.tv
www.animaltime.tv
www.youtube.com/animaltimetv
www.facebook.com/animalhousetv

Things Lucy did, the difference she made

Lucy passed over the Rainbow Bridge August 1, 2015

As explained in earlier posts, we recently lost Lucy. You can read about that at:
In memoriam: We lost Lucy today...
and
Lucy

What I have observed since her passing is how much she was an integral part of the trio of Bunya, Lucy & Ethel, what a difference she made. To us, too.

For a black and white bunny, Lucy added a lot of color. With off-white walls and a beige carpet, Ethel and Bunya can blend in, be almost camouflaged. Not Lucy. She stood out.

She was also "color commentary". Every bunny has her own personality; discovering its various aspects is part of the fun of a bun.

Lucy's personality was clear and she communicated her feelings to you. Her philosophy was to be front and center for treats... UNLESS you even gave a passing thought to picking her up. No need to even reach for her or actually decide to do it - just contemplating it would make her scarce. She could read your mind. Then she would only accept a treat if you were on one side of their pen's fence and she was on the other, so she knew you couldn't pick her up. If that wasn't possible, she just disappeared. When she wasn't pleased with something, maybe you would get thumped at... or maybe she would just give you her dreaded "stink eye".

Lucy protecting her Probios treat by
taking it behind their pen door to eat.

When the coveted evening Probios treat was being handed out, she would take her piece and run off to eat it alone so that no other bun would try to snatch hers if he or she finished before Lucy ate hers. Maybe she just let Bunya think he was the alpha bun. --->

It turns out that Lucy must have been a prodigious pooper, too. Now, I sometimes change the litter box based on habitual schedule rather than actual need.

Hand in hand with litter box habits is the consumption of mass quantities of hay and crumbles (or whatever you generically call your bunny chow - the compressed pellet food). Although we give them smaller amounts, Bunya has no serious competition for food now and I think he's eating most of it, possibly regaining some of the weight he lost. There is not as much activity at their homemade hay buffet either; Lucy would lean against it and eat so much of the treat hays that her head could disappear inside.

When we loaded their Einstein puzzle with treats and put it on the floor, the three bunnies used to race to open it. Lucy was Bunya's competition. She figured it out first and had the recall and brute strength to lift and toss the lids off and snag the treats. Now, Bunya and Ethel have to be encouraged to try it. And they only lift two of the three lids - it's like they leave a "missing bun" formation.


Since she's been gone, we continue to clean the bunny pen on our regular schedule. We take everything out, vacuum and put it all back. The end result is that their little wooden chew toys and bell balls get dumped in a pile. At some point thereafter, Lucy would bulldoze her way through the pile, picking up a toy in her mouth and tossing one to the left and then one to the right until she had carved a path through them all. Then, at some point, all the buns would play with the now separated toys.
Now, they just sit in a pile.
I finally went in and tossed them all over.

When Lucy was sick and we visited her for what turned out to be the last time at the vet, before the surgery that attempted to save her life, looking into her eyes was killing me inside. Usually wide open, bright blue, and reflecting tons of attitude, her eyes were heavily lidded and reflected nothing but pain.

I wonder how long bunnies remember. And mourn.
I wonder when it won't hurt so much.

Bunny from the past...

For TBT - Throw Back Thursday...

Came across a (really old) picture of my oldest, looking "too cool for school" (actually, too young), with a bunny in the background.

If I knew then what I know now about bunny care, I would have been freaking out for that poor bunny.

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day

HRS Rabbit Center
House Rabbit Society

Oh, they judge us.
Constantly...