Mystery & Rabbits

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Rabbittude

I saw an article in a magazine that talked about what a person’s choice for a pet revealed about their personality. It said that rabbits are a favorite for people who like mysteries, because rabbits are unpredictable. You never know what a bunny will do next.

This is both the fun and exasperation factor of having a rabbit. Watching a rabbit is wonderful entertainment, but can also be nail biting suspense when you realize your rabbit is doing something bunnyproofing never anticipated.

From the very first time that Tigger and Shadow set paws in our home, they have been determined to stretch all the boundaries of known bunny activities. They have thrilled us, made us laugh, and had us holding our breath hoping their stupidest stunts would work out okay. We’ve never been able to reach them fast enough when they have appeared to lose their little bunny minds and go for the all out stunts and acrobatics.

Shadow must think that he is part flying squirrel. He launched himself off the back of the sofa with his legs spread out like wings. Fortunately, he was only winded from the four-foot drop to the floor. However, it was obviously a thrill for him. We keep catching him up there looking out, obviously thinking about trying it again. One night he was on the floor and sat up on his hind legs as if he was begging and then launched himself straight up into the air about three feet and came forward into a binky and landed four or five feet from where he started and raced off top speed.

Tigger loves to do the bunny commando crawl. She has wiggled her way under almost everything in the house and seems to be attempting to rescue all the dust bunnies, since she brings so many of them back from her adventures. She didn’t limit the commando crawl to just the floor either. When she was just a two-pound baby, she decided to scale the wall behind the privacy screen of a desk. I walked into the room to see the tips of her ears peeking above the back of the desk and one tiny paw hanging below the privacy panel. The inevitable fall to the floor that occurred before I could reach her took my breath away. Fortunately, it was a well padded carpeted floor. She just took off running to her next adventure.

After ten years with Tigger and Shadow we have learned one thing for certain. We have no idea what they might try next. We have become bunnyproofing experts over the years trying to protect our little death-defying stunt rabbits. One vet told us that their willingness to do so much is an indication that we have created an environment for them where they feel completely safe and free to explore.

We intend to enjoy every moment of the rabbit mysteries that they still have ahead for us!

Rabbits As House Pets

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Rabbittude

There are more and more places where people are seeing baby rabbits available to bring home as a pet. Babies can be irresistably cute. If you haven’t had a rabbit as a house pet before, is it a good choice for you?

It depends on how much you know about rabbits. Unfortunately, many baby bunnies are taken home during Easter season and are given up just a few months later because new owner’s weren’t prepared for what they got.

Size Does Matter. There are dozens of recognized rabbit breeds. Of course there are innumerable combinations if breeds mix and well bunnies do mix and mingle and multiply freely when allowed to. The size of a full-grown rabbit can range from 2 or 3 pounds to over 20 pounds. You could get a lot more bunny than you bargained for if the baby rabbit turns out to be one of the giant breeds!

Whoa, They Live How Long? Many think a bunny will be like guinea pigs or hamsters and live just a couple of years. Well cared for house rabbits can live for ten years or more. Bringing home a bunny is a long-term committment.

The Importance Of Being Altered: Like cats and dogs, rabbits make the best house pets when they have been spayed or neutered. Rabbits become “teenagers” at four to six months of age and have raging hormones making them harder to handle. Since rabbits are social animals, it is good to get pairs, but if those pairs turn out to be boy and girl, you could end up with way more bunnies than planned. Baby bunnies can easily hide their true gender even from experienced vets.

To be successful with a pet rabbit, you need to be aware of the importance of a good diet and just how well a bunny can hide being ill. It is good to have knowledge of common rabbit diseases and illnesses and the early signs that say bunny needs a rabbit savvy vet. Vets for rabbits are usually exotic veterinarians and their fees can run higher than those for cats and dogs.

For good health, rabbits need a minimum of 30 hours of free runtime a week. If they are in the mood they will run top speed around rooms, up and down stairs, and bounce on and off furniture. They hit speeds up to 25 miles an hour. Bunny lovers call it the Bunny 500 and just sit back and enjoy the show.

Where Is The Bunny And What Is He Doing? For your sanity and the rabbit’s safety, you need to learn how to bunnyproof your home. Rabbits can wiggle into unbelievably small places and like to chew everything in sight. They are very curious and sometimes very stubborn.

Okay, We Are Rabbit Crazy: Once people learn these things about rabbits, they can’t understand why we actually have multiple rabbits. It’s because rabbits are unbelievably fun as a pet. See yesterday’s post for all the playful things they like to do. They can be litter box trained and can learn their names and understand many words and commands. However like cats, whether they respond to a command depends a great deal on whether they are in the mood.

To Mystery: We read an article once that said rabbits are the pet of choice for people who love mysteries, because you just don’t know what they will do next. We have always been well entertained by them. It is hard to stay in a bad mood when a bunny decides to play the clown or hops up beside you on the sofa and flops down to be petted.

Surfing Time: Rabbits are not for everyone. If you are thinking of one as a pet, do some Internet surfing to get a good handle on whether a bunny is your pet of choice. A good site to start with is the House Rabbit Society. They have loads of information and also local chapters in many areas where you can check into adopting a rescue bunny.

Bunnies Just Want to Have Fun!

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Rabbittude

You should have seen him when he took off running with it!

Had a delay here today while storms rolled through causing the power to flicker. That is always the signal to power down and take a break. Sunshine is back and here I am to share some bunny fun!

Previously, I posted about ways to protect your space and your bunny with bunnyproofing. Now its time for fun! A bored bunny is a destructive bunny. Helping a bunny have fun will aid your bunnyproofing. Find things they enjoy doing and they will leave other things alone.

What each bunny likes is different. There are jumpers, chewers, diggers, throwers, and a few do like to play chase. Do some trial and error to find out what your bunny likes best.

TOYS

You can find toys at pet stores, baby stores, or online sites. Don’t limit yourself to just rabbit toys. Look for untreated wood chews or wood toys. There are cardboard chews, cardboard tunnels and rabbit “bungalows or cottages” available.

Hard plastic toys are great: Here are some ideas and the sections we found them in: keys on a ring (infant/baby), linked chains (bird), balls with bells inside (cat / ferret), bounce back treat dispensers (small animal), rattles (infant/baby), and Slinkies (kid) are all possibilities.

If you have a problem area where your rabbit likes to misbehave, try “mining” the area with belled toys. When you hear the bells, you know it is time to check and see if your bunny has taken advantage of the toys or needs to be escorted out of the forbidden zone.

DIGGING & TUNNELING

If you have a safe space for it, you can try a sandbox for a digger bunny. If not, try filling a box with shredded paper and watch your bunny go burrowing through.

We remembered the fun of childhood sheet forts and created a sheet tunnel. We took two cardboard boxes with cutouts at each end and on one side, placed them five feet apart, and stretched a sheet over. The bunnies love to run through, burrow in and out under the sheet, and sometimes just nap. We play peek-a-bunny by lifting the sheet up and down at the side peering in on them.

Tigger flings this like a shot putter does. She will grab it with her teeth and whirl around to get it airborne and throw it.

GAMES

Some bunnies like to play chase. Our Shadow will start to run and look back to see if we’re following. He will run back and start again until someone chases him. His happy binkies tell us we have the right idea. Be careful to know your bunny well with this one, since most bunnies fear being chased.

Our rabbits love to hop up with us while we read magazines and try to chew them. We take the pull out ad cards and hold them sticking out a bit at the edge of the magazine. They grab the edge of the card, yank it away from us, and run off with it. Shadow and Tigger like the game so much that if we want to continue reading, we usually have to gather the cards back up and keep letting them “steal” them away.

We take cardboard tubes from paper towels and load them into a small lightweight plastic wastebasket which we set upright in the play area. Tigger and Shadow love to overturn the basket and unload the tubes. We also put a boatload of cardboard tubes under one bookshelf Tigger liked to commando crawl under. It would take her awhile to pull enough tubes out to try to get under. That would give us an opportunity to stop the secret carpet chewing that would occur if we didn’t catch her in time.

The more time you spend with your rabbit learning about their play style, the more you will learn about just how playful and fun a rabbit can be. Just be careful to stay back a bit until you learn whether your bunny is a thrower like our Tigger.

Tigger likes to pitch and bat. She will pitch her weighted bounce back bunny as in the picture, or small wire or plastic belled toys. She will take cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls and use them like a bat to hit things. I had one vet visit where I brought one along to keep her distracted while we were waiting, not realizing how she would use it. She was smacking everything she could with it so loudly that even with a closed-door, the vet techs kept coming in every few minutes to make sure everything was okay. Silly me thinking I could get her to be playful and forget where she was.

Let the games begin!

Honorable Mention in NonTeam Challenge #35

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Rabbittude

I just found out that my robot infiltration treasury has earned kudos. This week there were 209 treasuries in the NonTeam Challenge. I am honored to have my treasury chosen as one of 10 Honorable Mentions. It was a lot of fun creating this with Quentin the Robot by Snookums & Me as the inspiration item for the treasury. It was also great to read the judge’s comments and find positive mention there too for the creativity of my treasury. Thank you, thank you, positive feedback is always welcome!

Tuesday Treasury – Animal Quirks Mode

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Rabbittude

I was in the mood for a laugh. So I created this quirky animal treasury on Etsy.

~ Click Here to go to the treasury and see these items.

Fun Photo

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Rabbittude

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!

Follow Friday – Mocha in “His First Broccoli!”

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Rabbittude

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

Follow Friday – The Language of Lagomorphs

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Rabbittude

Click to go to website

Ever found yourself wondering what on earth your bunny was trying to tell you? The Language of Lagormorphs has in-depth information to help you learn rabbitspeak.

If you are new to rabbits, I would recommend the sections on Offendedness, Territoriality and Anger first. Misunderstanding rabbit language in these instances can lead to bunny bites, not fun. Here is a full list of the behaviors and corresponding articles:

Introduction
Hierarchy – Prove That You Love Me
Grooming – Yeah Baby, I Like It Like That
Gazing – Ah, This is the Life
Nose Wiggling – Follow My Nose
Offendedness – R-E-S-P-E-C-T is What My Bun Demands of Me
Territoriality – Gimme Some Space, Man
Anger – Why, You Fiend!
Sadness & Fear – Alas, Woe is Me
Curiosity – Hmm, What Do We Have Here?
Begging – Pleeeease Oh Please Please Please!
Play – Yippie Skippie!
Racing – The Need for Speed
Shudders – Shiver Me Timbers!
Binkies – Did You Say Binky?
Signoff – In the Interest of Interspecies and Intraspecies Relations

I have a fun You Tube video, I will post later today!

A treasury for Thursday – Twacking Wabbits

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Rabbittude

: Click on image to go to treasury on Etsy

Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh, Elmer would be having a bwast twacking wabbits on Etsy in this year of the wabbit!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Numbers

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Rabbittude

This photo challenge was a tough one, I discovered I really don’t think in numbers and don’t really have things with numbers around me except clocks and calendars. However, I do have this print in my kitchen of a recipe and recipes are one thing I do go by the numbers. Here is the text of the Happy Kitchen print:

Happy Kitchen

4 cups Love
2 cups of Loyalty
3 cups of Forgiveness
1 cup of Friendship
5 spoons of Hope
2 spoons of Tenderness
4 quarts of Faith
1 barrel of Laughter

Take love and loyalty, mix it thoroughly with faith.
Blend it with tenderness, kindness and understanding.
Add friendship and hope, sprinkle abundantly with laughter.
Bake it with sunshine. Serve generously daily.

Binkies !

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Rabbittude

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

Fur Therapy

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Rabbittude

: Ahhhhh Yes!

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!

Shadow doesn’t give special invitations, he is ready to be petted whenever your hand touches his head. He also seems to have petting radar and comes running anytime that Tigger is being petted. He just can’t get enough of having his head petted. If you stray off his head, you will be reminded by his head butting your hand to stay focused.

Petting a rabbit becomes addictive. Their fur is so wonderful to touch and having them stretch out and start to purr and become putty under your hands provides a special bond.

So it is no wonder to me to hear that some rabbits have become Fur Therapists and visit hospitals or senior centers. Both rabbits and humans benefit from the loving touch of stroking the bunny. However, my two would never be candidates for professional therapy bunnies. They are way too crazy active even at ten years old.

I worked for an assisted living center once several years ago that had cats and dogs visiting and someone suggested I should bring my rabbits. Well that would have been like creating a bunny version of the Mississippi Squirrel Revival as sung by Ray Stevens.

We will just keep the fur therapy private between us and the two rabbits here on their home turf. It is a real joy to take regular bunny breaks, taking time out of the day to pet the rabbits, everybunny wins!

Rabbittude

Rabbits + Attitude = Rabbittude

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