Happy Rabbit Awareness Week!

This week is Rabbit Awareness Week: Yay! I could not help smiling watching these joyful bunnies rolling, flopping, and doing binkies;) Enjoy, everybody!

Make it Chocolate. . .

It's time for my annual post on the joys (and realities) of owning a rabbit. Easter sees a huge bump in rabbit-buying by well-meaning but ignorant parents. The weeks just after Easter see a huge bump in the number of rabbits abandoned at shelters. You do the math.

Rabbits are wonderful animals to have around the house: they are highly intelligent, relatively neat (yes, they can easily be litter-trained), and very quiet. They don't bark at strangers, yowl for food, or need to be walked. They can be sweet daily companions: they love pats from their human, lick the ones they adore, and anyone who's ever seen a rabbit do a binky knows what rabbit joy looks lie.

But, rabbits are advanced pet-ownership.

Some quick facts:

-Rabbits' teeth are always growing. Always. They must chew on things to keep them filed down, and they will not just chew toys you provide for them. Rabbits will chew anything with an interesting texture, including: wires, books, plastic bags, shoes, the legs of tables and chairs, cardboard boxes, mail left lying about, even clothing. If you leave it near the ground where a rabbit can get it, expect it to be chewed. Every wire in my house is taped to the wall, out of harm's way. A house with a rabbit must be bunny-proofed.

-Rabbits need fresh greens and timothy hay to keep their bodies happy and healthy. A steady diet of pellets is fattening and not good for them. Fresh greens can get expensive, but they are the best, healthiest way to feed them.

-Rabbits have complex and often delicate digestion systems, and when they begin to go wrong they go wrong very fast. If a rabbit stops pooping, even for a few hours, and seems listless or lies hunched up in a corner, get them to the vet immediately. A rabbit with GI stasis, a common rabbit ailment where the intestinal tract stops, can die within hours. Exotic vets are not cheap, and a rabbit owner can look forward to spending thousands of dollars on their rabbit during its lifetime.

-Rabbits do not live happily in hutches or cages. They are quick-thinking and inquisitive and need a lot of stimulation, and unhappy, bored bunnies are destructive and moody. The happiest rabbits have the run of the house, like a cat or dog.

-A rabbit will live eight to ten years. Some live even longer. That means that buying a rabbit for yourself or your children is making a commitment for a decade of care, feeding, and love. This is not something that will be amusing for a year or two, and then disposable.

Please, please, please: if you are looking at that cute little bunny in the pet-store window, on sale in time for Easter Sunday, and your child is begging you to buy it, think twice. A real living, breathing rabbit is a creature with complex needs and feelings. Not a toy. Not something to be discarded when the novelty wears off. More rabbits die in shelters every year around this time, and many are simply abandoned outdoors on the erroneous belief that they will be fine in the park or on the streets. You would never buy a dog on a whim, so don't think a rabbit is an impulse-buy. Unless you're ready for the committment, pass that pet-store window and take your child to get a stuffed rabbit, or a chocolate one instead.

If you are ready to be become a rabbit-parent, consider getting your new companion at a shelter:

House Rabbit Society has links to shelters all over the country, and a lot of very good information on raising a happy rabbit. For those in the Chicago-area, think about adopting your bunny from Red Door Shelter.

I will never regret my decision to become a rabbit-mom twelve years ago. Alfalfa, Sebastian, and Viola have so enriched my life, and I hope many of you can find that kind of joy. But, only if you know what you're getting into.

Five Faves . . .

Happy Weekend, everybody! I'm still playing with the five faves format, so let me know what you think!

This week's feature theme is obviously bunnies;) Not only do I live with one, but I collect them too; every time I find one somewhere I can't resist!

Row 1: Little Bunny Foo Foo Collage, Rabbit Napkin Rings

Row 2: Vintage Ceramic Rabbit from Japan

Row 3: Vintage Brass Bunny, Nesting Glass Bunny Candy Dish

Have a lovely weekend, dear readers!

You'll notice this posted a little early. I'll be participating in the Blogger's Day of Silence tomorrow, so that's why I'm wishing you all a lovely weekend a day early!

Miss Kitty Fantastico

I'm almost positive she belongs to someone in my neighborhood, but this kitty has taken to following me home and meowing plaintively for attention (which, of course, I give). She's very well-groomed and not skinny, so I know she's no stray, but she seems to have adopted me a bit. Every time she sees me now, she mews and runs over for love, following me along the fences leading up to my building, and into my yard.

Sigh. I wonder if Viola would tolerate a cat companion better than a rabbit? I dunno. But, I'm starting to think she's getting a little neurotic on her own, and needs someone else besides me to keep her company. We'll see. . .

The Stress Monster Returns . . .

Arthur P. Monster here, live from the West Coast. After a brief hiatus, stress-levels have been ramping up in advance of the end of the month. It seems employment situations are different than previously believed. For the word on the street, we talk to Viola, rabbit about town.

"It's not so bad. I mean, there's always fresh greens, isn't there?" Viola reports, munching on a hay stalk.

"What is Ginger's mood like? Can you tell us if she's sleeping at night? Is she still doing that alarming humming-to-herself thing?"

"Humming?" Munch, munch, munch. "No. Can't say as I've noticed. But, if you think she's sleeping too much, I can fix that. I've got this combination chewing/scratching thing that I do at 3am--"

"No, no. Thank you. That'll do."

As you can see, so far it seems Ginger is dealing well with the stress. Of course, we'll keep you informed as the end of the month approaches. This is Arthur P. Monster, the Stress-Monster, reporting in.

My Little Buddy. . .

My Sebastian passed away last night. It was very fast; I came home from work and he was dying. I rushed him to the Emergency Vet, but there was nothing they could do. I drove all the way there with him on my lap, talking to him, knowing he wasn't going to m,ake it and dtermined that if he died before we reached the vet, at least I was holding him, petting him. He knew I loved him.

I know mothers aren't supposed to have favorites, but he slept on my bed. He laid on my chest while I watched movies and petted him. He was my fuzzy faced boy. I miss him so much already. I know Viola is going to miss him too; she doesn't know it yet. They were finally, at long last, together. Bonded.

He's gone, and my heart is broken.

Make Mine Chocolate!

My Viola and Sebastian were adopted from Red Door Animal Shelter. Viola was found outside, and Sebastian was surrendered.

Every year, pet stores around the country are flooded with rabbits in the Spring, hoping to capitalize on the scores of parents who think it's a good idea to get their kids real bunnies for Easter. They hop and flop and look fuzzy and cute, and parents and kids oooh and ahhh through the cages at them, plunking down $30 to bring home a piece of the holiday.

But, rabbits are not toys, and these are not stuffed animals.

After Easter, shelters are flooded with these "gifts", surrendered by parents who thought they could stick the animals in a cage in the corner and forget about them. Many of these rabbits are traumatized and eventually euthanized, shelters overcrowded and rabbits usually not as popular and adoptable as puppies and kittens. And, those are the lucky ones; many are simply released into the wild, under the false assumnption that an animal raised in captivity can somehow "take care of itself". These rabbits die of exposure, are killed by predators, or are struck by cars when they run terrified onto busy streets.

 A rabbit is an 8-10 year commitment, and they are just as much work as a dog. They require special vets that can care for exotic animals and need constant maintenance of teeth and claws and digestive tract. If kept in a pen it needs to be cleaned regularly, and they crave interaction and stimulation with their human and animal companions. They are lively and boistrous, but can also be nervous and excitable and startle easily. They chew everything, including power cables, and must be kept on a good diet of Timothy Hay and fresh greens to stay healthy. They have personalities, likes and dislikes, quirks, and they can be the most intelligent and loving of pets. But, they are not disposable.

My Alfalfa was from a pet store. I got her at Easter, but she was one of the lucky ones. I kept her long after the holiday.

This year, before thinking of buying that cute ball of fluff in the pet store window, think about spending the next 8 years with him or her as your bunny companion, and then head over to your nearest shelter and adopt a bunny waiting for a home from there. Rabbit-parents will tell you: it is totally worth it. But, if all you want is something cute and furry for your kids to play with, get a stuffed animal to put in the basket.

Some rabbit rescue foundations and shelters:

Red Door Animal Shelter

Make Mine Chocolate

The House Rabbit Society

ASPCA

Favorite Site Tuesdays: Hot Digital Dog

Smiling Pitbull Terrier

This week's favorite site is Hot Digital Dog, whose name does not immediately suggest the vintage kitschy crazy inside;) Hot Digital Dog's photographer has been working in the field for 20 years, and her Photoshop skills are pretty darn awesome. Who doesn't want a picture of their pet made to look like a vintage tin type? Well, I know all my friends would want one.

Bunny Boy

I can just see Viola or Sebastian in one of these, him looking very dapper, and she looking rather elegant and refined;)

Vintage Joon

I don't think we could get Guinevere to sit still long enough to get a shot like this. Still, how cute would that be?

Ballard

I love that she does other animals too. This duck looks like he's smiling, and the litle top hat just makes the shot.

Miss Dewdrop Mouse

This is so frigging cute. I have a thing for mice and rats, but I'm smart enough to know that I would take them out of their cage and they would insyantly hide in my apartment and I'd never see them again. But, this pic just makes me want to defy logic;)

Check out Hot Digital Dog; she can turn a picture of your pet into one of these quirky works of art.

What do you think, dear readers? Would you immortalize your pet in one of these portraits?

10 Things That Make Me Happy (10 TTMMH) . . .

1. Beautiful Sunsets

The last few weeks have been a little stressful for me. I could dwell on the things going wrong, or I could be grateful for the things that make me happy. Guess which one I pick;)

So without further ado:

2. Great umbrellas for rainy days

3. Bunnies

4. Chocolate

5. Cupcakes

6. The Deadwood Dress

7. Banana Shpeel tonight

8. Holiday decorations going up everywhere

9. Vanilla Chai

10. Star Trek on DVD

Today is the start of greatness, nothing else to it;) What makes you happy, dear readers?

MIA Yesterday . . .

Source: Saylisk

Sorry about the dearth of posts yesterday; it was a bit of a crazy day. It's been an interesting week, actually. For a small recap:
-Sebastian is doing very well after his abscess incident. Only one more very expensive cab ride to go before he gets a clean bill of health.
-Faeries are not waterproof. Hello precious behavior: I can sit in a pile of wood chips and dirt in my white silk dress, but a few drops of rain sends me running--running--for the shack.
-My sister is now hooked on Avatar. Cue evil laughter (mwah, ha, ha, ha!) We started viewing Book 1 this week, and are about three disks in. Last night, the conversation went something like this:
"So, do you want to watch another episode, or stop here?"
Extremely tiny voice and large eyes, limpid as with some sort of manga character: "Another episode, please." My work here is done.
-I used to love "Thriller". Perhaps someday, after we have had time apart to think over what we've done, I will again. But, I'm not making any promises.
-It's just about time to start the next crazy, out-of-the-blue project that has no practical applications to my life. I'm thinking of becoming a master of Tai Chi, or finally starting that fabric-sculpt 30" Temeraire. Why not, right? My life was missing some pointless self-gratification.

We're heading into 7th weekend at Faire, and the end is in sight. As tired as I am, I am going to miss it more than I ever have, I think. Still, I'm starting to look forward to sleeping in. Like, ever. Yawn. . .

Bunny Update . . . .

So, my Sebastian had surgery on Friday. It was very minor; they knocked him out and removed the abscess on the side of his face, most likely from a cut or bite courtesy of Viola. I was at the vet with him from 11 to 2 in the afternoon, but I didn't mind it one bit; I was so glad to be told it wasn't serious, and they could fix it.

Of course, he isn't too pleased with me now; I have to give him medicine and treat the wound twice a day for two weeks. But, he's such a little warrior, that I thought the picture of Usagi Yojimbo was appropriate, in his honor.

Worries . . .

There is no fear like that of a mother for a sick child, especially when you don't know what's wrong. I remember the all-encompassing terror I felt when I found out that Alfalfa, my friend and companion of eight years, had a tumor growing in her chest that would eventually cause her death. Now, I'm afraid I'm about to go through it all again.

Last night, my sister discovered a tumor growing on Sebastian's face. It is just to the side and slightly under his jaw, and hidden by his bushy fur. A month ago, when we brought him in to the vet for his regular checkup and teeth filing, it wasn't there. Now, there is a knot of lumpy skin the size of a walnut there. He doesn't seem to be in any pain from it; he's eating and behaving normally. If it hadn't been discovered by chance, I probably wouldn't have known until the next checkup.

He's hopefully going in to the vet today at 4pm to be checked out. I feel this shaky, panicky feeling in the pit of my stomach, radiating out to my fingertips. I just don't think I can go through this again, so soon after losing Alfalfa.

The Bonding Chronicles 6: Trouble in the Water

So, after my recent triumpth of a few days ago, where I caught Viola grooming Sebastian through the bars of his enclosure, we had a setback last night. I had taken Sebastian out and sat on the couch with him, and she came around very quickly. She hopped, nervously and a little agressively, around on the couch, trying to get onto my lap to get at him. I tried to pet her to calm her down and stop her from possibly charging him while he was on my lap, and she bit me. Hard. And drew blood.

I immediately took him back to his cage and closed him in it, and she came right in, where I sat on the ground and started to cry. She hopped around me, nudging me territorially, and acted very jealous when I tried to pet them both at the same time. I feel at the end of my rope emotionally here: I can't part with either rabbit; they are both part of my family, and I'm their bunny-mom. But, what if she just refuses to accept him? She seems fine with him in the cage, but doesn't like it whenever I take him out.

I'm just not sure what else to do here . . . .

The Bonding Chronicles 5: Caught in the Act!

Yes, you are seeing this. I know I said I caught her licking his head the other day, and here is the proof.

She's licking his head.