Category: bunny

Turbo bunny boost!

Laying down some bun-fu on that blanket.

Sometimes Noe has energy to burn.

So she digs.

This can go on for quite a while.

She can’t understand why we don’t like holes being clawed into our pillows.

“Why do you keep taking my photo?”

“That better not be going on your blog.”

Here’s a photo from the past: Noe, circa 2004, in Honolulu.

Our apartments in Honolulu never had air conditioning- usually the trade winds make it unnecessary. However, sometimes the trades stop, and it gets hot and humid- bad weather for bunnies. Our last apartment in Honolulu also didn’t have a great cross-breeze at floor level, because the windows were pretty high up.

Knowing that pets usually really hate electric fans (or at least cats do, my major pet experience at the time), I was really concerned about introducing Noe to a fan to help her cool off. I shouldn’t have worried- she absolutely loved the fan. She was a little concerned the first time, tiptoeing up to it and sniffing away. But then when she realized it was pretty much staying in one place (unlike the evil, evil vacuum cleaner), she flopped down right in front of it.

From then on, whether the fan was on or off, she would lay down in front of it. Sometimes, we’ll feel guilty that the fan is off, and turn it on just for her.

Obviously, air blowing on her ears is just fine with her. And she’s never tried to chomp on the electrical cord, as she does with other cords- though we definitely do keep an eye on that.

She still likes the fan, though nowadays the blue ice is her favorite nap “companion.” All that great condensation to get on her fur, I guess.

Rabbit vision is really different from ours. While rabbits have poor color and depth perception, they are excellent at detecting motion. Aside from a blind spot right in front of their nose (which can lead to accidental finger-nipping when getting a treat), they have nearly 360-degree vision, and can even see above them. This is an excellent adaptation that helps them from raptor attack.

They can also pretty much see behind them- one of Noe’s typical “I’m annoyed at you” behaviors is to sit across the room from us with her back turned, peeking at us out of the corner of her eye.

We had an unusual winter thunderstorm system this week. For Noe it was great- not enough thunder to be scary, and plenty of rain to make the patio all wet. Apparently, it’s great fun to sit on wet, cold concrete while being drizzled on.

Of course, after she got bored, she got to come in and lay on the nice soft carpet in the living room before being served some chopped-up cilantro bits. It’s so hard to be a spoiled bunny.

The Year of the Rabbit is upon us (or coming up, by the lunar calendar). Since I blog a lot about Noe, our pet rabbit, I thought I should put in a word or two about buying a rabbit.

Apparently, many people buy rabbits around Easter time, and during the Year of the Rabbit. Is this a good idea? Well, would you buy a dragon because it’s the Year of the Dragon? I think not! You might want to think really hard about that rabbit purchase, too! There will most likely be less fire-breathing with a bunny than with a dragon, but probably more peeing on the carpet, gnawing on furniture and electrical cords, and general shedding.

More seriously, several weeks after Easter (and a few weeks into the Year of the Rabbit), animal rescue organizations tend to see a huge upswing in the number of abandoned rabbits. Here are some things to think about from the House Rabbit Society, a great place to go for rabbit information:

• Housing: Bunnies need a roomy indoor cage that is approximately four times the size of the adult rabbit. The cage should not have a wire bottom, as the wire can cause sores on the rabbit’s feet. There should be room for a litterbox, toys, food and water bowls.
• Playtime: Rabbits need plenty of exercise and should be allowed at least 30 hours out-of-cage running time in a rabbit-proofed area of the home per week.
• Outdoors: Rabbits should never be left outdoors unsupervised. They can literally be frightened to death when approached by predators such as dogs, cats, raccoons and owls. They can also dig under fences to escape.
• Litter Box: Rabbits, once spayed or neutered, will readily use litterboxes that are place in one corner of the rabbit’s cage; the rabbit’s running space should contain at least one additional box. (Noe has 4!) Use dust-free litter–not the clumping kind, and no softwood shavings.
• Diet: Bunnies need fresh water, unlimited fresh hay, 1-2 cups of fresh vegetables, and a small serving (1/4 c per 5 lb. rabbit) of plain rabbit pellets each day.
• Health: Like dogs and cats, rabbits should be spayed or neutered. The risk of uterine cancer in unspayed female rabbits is alarmingly high, and unneutered males are likely to spray. (Rabbit urine smells vile! Their poop is relatively benign, though.)
• Grooming: Rabbits shed their coat 3-4 times per year; use a flea comb and brush away excess fur.

A person who chooses a baby rabbit as a pet must:

• Have lots of time, a household that can withstand some chewing, and a stable residence. They will never stop chewing on your belongings (unlike a puppy).
• Expect an unneutered/unspayed baby will spray urine on the walls (or on your bed). Know that neutering/spaying (at four to six months) will stop the problem.
• Expect accidents when baby forgets the location of the litterbox.
• Allow the energetic young rabbit at least 30 hours a week of free time outside her cage.
• Know the cute baby will soon be an adult rabbit and may have a different personality.

Rabbits can be great pets, with interesting and interactive personalities. However, they’re also a lot of work. They are ‘exotic’ pets, so vet bills can be exotic as well. Keep in mind that rabbits can live up to 12 years (8-10 is common; Noe is 8-1/2). Getting a rabbit is like getting a dog or cat, not like getting a gerbil or goldfish. They’re a lot of work, but can also be a lot of fun.

Now, if you will excuse me, Noe is demanding a veggie and I must comply…

Some days, it’s just not worth it to get out of your cage in the morning…

Sometimes you see an awesome (to you) pet toy, and buy it, and the pet just does not care. This was the case with the “Bunny Bungalow“- a Noe-sized basket made out of hay. What bunny wouldn’t want to nom her way out of a yummy basket?

Apparently Noe.

This is as far as she’s willing to enter the basket:

She refused to eat it after an initial sampling- even though it’s made of the same type of hay she eats every day. We now put hay inside it, and she seems to enjoy pulling it out & eating it while making a mess. At least she’s using it, I guess.

According to Yan, one of the more stressful events that occurred when we started dating was the time I asked him to bunny-sit for Noe for a week. Apparently, petsitting for a new datee can be seen as a rather stressful test of responsibility (definitely not intended!) Add to that that the first thing Noe did, when let out to explore his apartment, was to jump onto his couch and pee on it to mark her territory…

Anyway, Noe eventually decided that she liked Yan, especially when he began to bribe her with yummy treats like leftover guava juice.

Of course prunes are her favorite, but guava is apparently acceptable. Here she is, licking her chops.

Oh, and the pee incident only happened once. Which I’m sure helped Noe win Yan over 🙂