Sleeping in the sunshine … This is the concrete cottontail that sleeps in the patch of fuzzy green rabbit ears that grows by our back door. The expression on this sleeping bunny’s face is so sweet, it always makes me smile.
Yuck, icky tasting grass!
Popping in quickly here this evening. We were with power and without power on and off as thunderstorms rolled through here this afternoon. That is a mixed blessing. We need the rain, but not being able to trust the power to use the Internet is hard when you have web based businesses!
And this video shows why you want to keep a close eye or a leash on a bunny in your yard even if it is fenced. I have heard of bunnies digging their way under fences and disappearing completely. Although I would love to let our little Shadow go and get a whole lot of digging out of his system, our area is very rural with lots of wild animals and predatory birds. So our bunnies stay inside house rabbit only.
Here is the You Tube link for the video: http://youtu.be/ycQIiA7dnKQ
Not a rabbit, but who can resist the cuteness of Mocha the hamster!
Here is the You Tube link for the video: http://youtu.be/r0E-0ntoNWo
When it comes to running, Tigger and Shadow are like little bunny race cars. They are sleek, corner with ease, and run fast as the wind. Portia, the bunny we lost a few years back, was different. She moved fast for her, but in comparison to Tigger and Shadow, Portia was a scooter. Her version of a run was funny and funky rather than fast and sleek.
She was so cute to watch when she would decide to use her scooter run. We could count on seeing it when we would leave the door to our half bath open. Portia treated the bath and alcove like area created behind the open door like her forbidden territories.
Portia would either sneak in to the bath or the area behind the open door when we weren’t around . The half bath was at the bottom of the stairs to the first floor. When we would start to come down the stairs into Portia’s area, she would come zooming out of the bath or out from behind the door. They were her little guilty pleasure areas to explore all on her own.
Since Portia came to us as a rescue bunny at about a year old, we didn’t know her full history. We thought her funny run and inability to jump up on things were possibly due to a past injury. However, it turned out she had an unknown congenital heart defect which led to a sudden and early death at just four years old. We realize now that she probably didn’t have the same energy as Tigger and Shadow and paced herself according to her limitations.
Thinking back to that cute scooter run is even more special knowing that it was Portia full-out at her peak speed.
Just some lighthearted fun today with a playful summer mood!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, in this case a video can show you what a binky is if you haven’t seen one before. This little bunny has all kinds of variety of binkies down.
I don’t know who coined the term binky for these leaping bunny moves, but it has the right lighthearted happy feel to match the act. Bunnies will binky as they run and play. I have seen our rabbits use them to change course in mid-air. When they touch down, they will be running off in a completely different direction. I have seen them do twists and turns and click their paws together before they come back down. It is not only a bunny having a lot of fun, but is so athletic and acrobatic!
It is another one of those unexpected facets of rabbits. With their proportionately heavy looking backsides, who expects them to be aerodynamic like this?
Here is the link to the video if it isn’t working for you here: http://youtu.be/O_XJss15fj0
Ready to run ...
Rabbits are fast. Think animal world race car fast, out run a predator fast. In fun terms, someone coined the phrase “Bunny 500” to signal a rabbit racing around, usually in laps around a room or house (see yesterday’s blog for a video example). Sometimes they are pure unadulterated motion and speed and sometimes they take the turns on two legs, clip the wall or crash into each other.
I have read cottontail rabbits can reach speeds up to 35 mph and jackrabbits can reach 45 mph. I would say our rabbits easily reached 25 mph in their youth. We would see them sitting across a twenty-foot room and feel it was safe for us to move. In just one footstep, we would have a rabbit underfoot. I cannot tell you how many times we almost drop kicked a bunny. We had to learn that when they were out running around, we absolutely could not move without watching our feet as we moved and being ready to quickly side step or dance out of a running rabbit’s path.
Even at 10 years old, they are still incredibly fast. Recently, I was walking down a flight of stairs. I was about to put my foot down on the next step down when Shadow appeared out of nowhere flying up the stairs, landing right where my foot was going. I ended up doing a one foot hop on the stairs trying not to step on him or fall down the stairs myself. Thankfully, we both came out of the encounter safely.
Living with roaming rabbits, means always having human eyes and ears open for where they might suddenly appear . We also take our shoes off at the door, so that we can more easily feel them as they come close to our feet and ankles.
Later today, I will blog about binkies.
This video reminds me so much of just how very fast and active Tigger and Shadow were as young bunnies.
Here is the You Tube link if the video isn’t working properly here: http://youtu.be/7HiO9rzU_aw
Tigger just presented herself to me to be petted. For Tigger that means she hops up to where I am and gets my attention. If I am sitting somewhere reading, she will rise up on hind legs so that her head peaks over the edge of the seat. Once our eyes meet, she goes back down and hens up on the floor. Tigger is a bunny who wants to be petted by invitation. It is an invite we gladly accept. She has the softest baby fine fur that is so incredible to touch and stroke. When she settles down and starts to tooth purr, awwww!
There is just something wonderful about the quality of light in the woods coming down through all the tree branches or breaking free in a meadow by the forest. These items on Etsy all captured the feel of a day in the woodlands from sun up to sun down. Enjoy!
Pirabbit ~ Hand over your money ...
Early on with Tigger and Shadow, I was doing lots of online searches for help on bunnyproofing. Some of what I found was lighthearted and funny, but really good information at the same time.
The following piece is one I had printed out years ago from a page on www.showbunny.com. I am no longer finding the page on their website. So I will type it in here for your enjoyment. It is funny but also too true.
Lose Money: Raise Rabbits
It begins with the free rabbit that your friend offers you. He thought his was a male, and was surprised to find that he now owns seven rabbits instead of one.
So you get the Rabbit Starter Kit (~$60).
Then you buy all the rabbit books that the pet store has, along with $100 worth of Rabbit Treat and chew toys.
Then you find out that the books were written in 1950 and are mostly wrong. The Rabbit Treat is too rich for them. The starter kit is full of things like alfalfa and cedar shavings that are bad for rabbits. The bunny ignores the chew toys – what they really want is paper and cardboard.
You also discover that the cage you bought is inappropriate for rabbits and just about any other small animal. Moved by guilt, you purchase a better cage with a nice pan underneath ($85+).
You hear that rabbits can be litter-trained, so you buy a litter pan and kitty litter. (~$10). The clay litter turns out to be not so good, so you replace it with a flushable litter (~5).
The paper and cardboard cause intestinal blockage which requires treatment ($500).
And their nails grow too long and you try to cut them, but the bunny amputates one of your fingers, so you pay a vet to do it (~$15 for nail clipping; $75 for YOUR doctor visit).
You discover that you have one of those rabbits which need their teeth trimmed, too! (~$15).
Then he pees all over and humps your foot, so you pay to have him neutered (~$100).
Then he discovers your computer and chews through the power cable and printer cord (~$100).
He ruins your antique furniture and chews up the baseboards (~$a whole lot).
He starts digging in the wall to wall carpeting, creating a huge hole. He eats the stuff underneath, requiring another trip to the vet. The landlord finds out and you are forced to leave, forgoing your security deposit ($300 and up!). That’s not mentioning the new security deposit and moving costs …
The phone goes dead and you see the last of the cord disappearing into bunny’s mouth. He eats the phone book for desert.
You get smart and you rabbit-proof the house ($~100-$200).
And then he jumps up on your lap and rubs your nose with his. “Awww,” you say, “It’s all worth it.”
Addendum … Rabbit dies after 8-10 years of senseless destruction and you go out to get another because you miss having a bunny around. 🙂
~Author Unknown
I only wish that some of the current prices were still as low as when this was first written!