Friday, December 28, 2007

Imaginary Bunny Friends


This is Spick, my imaginary friend... Actually I just drew him and gave him a few spots. He's not a Checkered Giant rabbits, even though he has the spots. If you can tell me the difference between Spick and a Checkered breed rabbit, via a comment on this post you'll get an extra entry in the drawing I started when I first began this blog. It's ending soon, so hurry :-)

This guy is shy (it is a boy bunny) so I'm trying to encourage him to be more outgoing! Forwardness is one of my qualities and since I also like to help others I thought I'd spend some time with him. So, I've got to soon leave or he'll get lonely.

BUNNY FACT: Rabbits have a very wide range of personalities. From silly to shy, aggressive and adamant, a bunny's moods can change in minutes or take months to redirect. Understanding and separating the fixable from the unmovable in your own bunny's behavior can help the both of you.

BUNNY WISDOM: Always assume that faults in your life and the lives of others are changeable. It provides a backboard for improvement to spring from.

Silliness is probably one of my habits that will never change... but I'm glad it's that way!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Trees, Trees


Trees!

If you know me, you know I love them. The leaves are great for jumping in. The sticks are delightful to chew. A tree's shade is always welcome on those warm summer days.

Some trees besides "evergreens" keep most of their leaves year-round. Think of the palm. They do drop their fronds, but not all at once like most deciduous trees. That doesn't help me very much, though.

I wonder if an in-house tree could work for us. Any ideas?

Now for a miscellaneous bunny fact and piece of wisdom...

BUNNY FACT: Bunnies like to rub noses, lick, and nudge. They are all signs of affection and should be responded to by giving back more love!

BUNNY WISDOM: It's not necessary to break the silence on a quiet day. Seldom do rabbits make noises. Absorb the sounds of nothing every now and then!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Can You Tell?


Can you tell what the fellow in this picture is doing? I suppose if you check the source code it would be easy to tell, but really, do you know?

I'll give you a hint, some people still do it. Other wait for "them" to be brought to their mailbox.

He's looking at and buying garden seeds! Hooray! I can't wait for the garden to be full again. My friend started getting seed catalogs already, so she's been poring over them. She's sure to get things like kale, beets, kohlrabi, beans and carrots : ) She'll probably get most of her seeds and roots in an actual store, though. The success she's had with mail-order garden products has been only moderate.

Enough of my reverie over fresh vegetables, well, almost!

BUNNY FACT: The biggest carrot ever was about 19 pounds. You can read about it here. The longest carrot was more than 16 feet long! A bunny could feast on those for quite a while.

BUNNY WISDOM: Good things not only take time, but also hard work. Gardens are a joy, but take hours of patience and "spadework."Don't give up just because you don't reach your goals right away.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

From Mountainous Regions...


Have you ever thought about the ancestors of modern day pet rabbits? They weren't just frolicking around in the woods as Holland Lops, Flemish Giants, and Dwarf Hotots :)

The mysterious family tree of the lagamorphs we love has confounded evolutionists. Obviously they are related to similar animals like perhaps the pika, coney, hare, and cottontail. After this kinship, however, there is little else showing a positive connection. Some think rabbits are related to rodents, while other claim they're more like ungulates (including cows, etc!)

It is clear that animals produce after their kind. It is unscientific to say that a few similarities to each other prove they all came from a rock. I mean they lived in and around rocks, but their lives did not spring from the rock!

BUNNY FACT: Wild rabbits, sometimes called "cottontails" have free run of many areas in the United States including suburban ones. It is illegal to capture or molest them, whether you're trying to help or not. Even little wild bunnies are able to make it on their own at 4-6 weeks of age, so human intervention is not necessary.

The bunnies in this picture must know they're safe; it looks like they're relaxing!

BUNNY WISDOM: Some people make extravagant claims about which animal came from a few certain bones. It's best to check it out for yourself, as even the bones may tell you otherwise. For an interesting collection of information about evolution see this website.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Reading


Chilly, rainy, or snowy days all call for some reading to be done. I mentioned before that I do like to read. History, classics, suspense, and biographies are some of my favorites.

With a book propped open, against something sturdy I can read all by myself. I generally need someone to help me turn the pages, though :)

Can you guess what I'm reading? I'll give you a hint - it does have something to do with rabbits.

BUNNY FACT: Rabbits have contributed parts to various books. Among them are Watership Down, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Alice in Wonderland. Countless children's books have been graced with a rabbit theme. The Velveteen Rabbit, The Beatrix Potter series, the Max the Bunny series, Brer Rabbit and so many others included.

BUNNY WISDOM: Reading is a gift that actually keeps on giving every time one opens a book, magazine or browses the internet. Involve yourself with helping the illiterate around you. It will improve not only their lives but yours as well.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Hay, hey , hay!

Today, I'm going to talk about hay.

Have you ever heard some say "Hey!" and yelled back "Straw!" to their surprise? If you haven't, try it next time someone uses the homophone for one of a bunny's favorite foods. We often do that in our family, and occasionally someone puts in "Oats!"

On a slightly more serious note, have you ever wondered how that bag of timothy or alfalfa came to sit on a shelf in your local pet store? One thing is for sure, it was grown by a farmer somewhere. We don't live on a farm, but we live in a semi-rural area and my friend knows some families who farm.

Fresh hay is often sold by these country farmers at much more reasonable prices. In fact, a large rectangular can bale go for roughly $4, compared to $6.99 for an average sized bag in a store. If you have room to store in out of sunlight, moisture, and rodents, it's definitely the way to buy hay.

Besides the savings, you're also supporting local agriculture. As I've mentioned with the apples, that's something I truly enjoy supporting.

BUNNY FACT: There are various types of hay, and some are better for different ages of rabbits. Alfalfa is typically fine for younger rabbits, under six months of age. Timothy or other grass hays are preferable for rabbits over that.

BUNNY WISDOM: With hay as an example, in some cases you really can't get too much of a good thing. You can't be too nice to people or too honest in your life.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Shortness

Rabbits sure are short in comparison with people. In honor of that difference, this blog post is going to be short ;-)

BUNNY FACT: When I stand on my back legs, I can be almost two feet tall. I can't find the info online, but I'm supposing the larger breeds can get near three feet tall.

BUNNY WISDOM: Our mouths can get us in a lot of trouble. We can be thought wise by keeping out thoughts to ourself for the most part.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

All Snuggled Up


I like snuggling! One of my favorite things to curl up with is my friend's sweater, as you can see. Blankets fresh from the dryer are nice, too. I'd post a picture of me totally hidden under something, but then you wouldn't even know it was me!

BUNNY FACT: Angora bunnies have a snuggly coat of wool already wrapping them! A shaft of hair (or wool) is about 3+ inches long. When harvested by brushing or clipping, Angora rabbit wool can be spun to make yarn.

BUNNY WISDOM: This time of year there are often food, blanket, and clothing drives. Find out what's going on in your area. If nothing is, organize a drive!


Monday, December 17, 2007

Chives

I was reading an article this morning about chives. They're similar to onions in many ways. At The Free Dictionary, you can see the whole article. Chives also have pretty pink or purple little flowers. What really caught my eye was that chives can help lower blood pressure. Not that it's something very out of the ordinary, but it made me think, "Does it have the same effect on bunnies?"

I really don't know.

My assumption would be yes, in a small way. I'm going to look around to see if I can find out.

BUNNY FACT: Bunnies love most anything out of the garden - except for marigolds. They're often planted to keep us out :(

BUNNY WISDOM: Don't run in Mr. McGregor's patch alone unless you're sure you can get out!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Middle of Summer

Since it's cold out today (as it has been and will continue to be here, in my area), I'm thinking about when it will get warmer. I'm thinking 80+ Fahrenheit... ahh!

BUNNY FACT: When it's hot out, you can spray water on a bunny's ears to help him cool off. Don't do that when it's cold though :) You could also lay a frozen bottle of water in with your rabbit - that's like air conditioning for rabbits.

BUNNY WISDOM: To say much in few words - be a friend to somebody.

I'm sure summer will be nice. I like the fact that we can rely on the seasons changing. It would be a drag to live in only one type of temperature/weather pattern.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Goodbye Apples


I'm not saying goodbye to all apples, just a particular type - the straight from the farm, picked a few hours before you bought them kind. They're certainly tasty and healthy. We're running low on them, and of course, they're out of season for us now.

I saw a great cartoon that explains the choice of apples we have in the grocery store. You can see it here. If you're concerned with buying healthy and eco-friendly foods, you'll really get a kick out of it. I understand why they didn't put in a fourth apple option (the farm fresh type); those apples are only available a few months out of the year. So, they are somewhat of a treat.

BUNNY FACT: While rabbits love apples, the flesh shouldn't be given to very young bunnies and the seeds shouldn't be given to any rabbit.

BUNNY WISDOM: R&D (research and development) is a good thing. Maybe someday we'll be able to grow great apples anywhere, year-round! Doing R&D in your life could be helpful to figure out problems.

Bye for now :)

Friday, December 14, 2007

Money & Piggy Banks

Everything costs money. And I would like to know why we keep our money in banks that look like pigs rather than say - bunnies! That just isn't fair.
I actually like spending money. Maybe it's because I don't really have to earn it. Have any parents noticed that with their children? If you didn't work hard to get it, it's easier to part with. Like I mentioned, I wish instead of "piggy" banks there were bunny banks... oh well.

BUNNY FACT: Sometimes rabbits or bunnies are given away for free. That isn't such a great idea, since some people would take less care for something that didn't cost them anything. On the other hand, some show rabbits cost much more than $100!

BUNNY WISDOM: Two parts today - One, I shouldn't complain about things as often as I do. We should be content with letting piggies have banks made in their likeness. Secondly, we shouldn't gripe about paying reasonable prices - they go to covering other people's paychecks so that they can get by.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Technorati Check

Just trying to get the post through for Technorati.com

Technorati Profile

See ya later!

Kitties


Today I woke up nice and early to wake up my friend, then I went back to bed. I think she would have appreciated it if I wouldn't have got her up, since she had things she needed to do this morning. She wanted to be "refreshed" and "alert." Whatever...

BUNNY FACT: Rabbits and cats can get along as pals! Many people report the different animals grooming and playing with each other.

My friend doesn't have a cat, since she's allergic to cat dander. But she's read stories where adult cats nurse baby bunnies, and adult rabbits nurse kittens It's definitely interesting. I wonder if rabbits could ever get along with these cats??


I'm just kidding (mostly). I don't really think lions or tigers would accept baby bunnies as anything but lunch.

BUNNY WISDOM: Know your friends! House cats may or may not get along with rabbits, and so bunnies, along with their owners, must be on the lookout for ill conduct. In the human realm avoiding lion-like people might save you some trouble.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

24

Twenty-four is quite the number isn't it? There are 24 hours in a day, a show called "24," there are now 24 posts in this blog... and my friend even remembers a math program in school about coming to the number "24."

BUNNY FACT: Rabbits can have many baby bunnies at a time. Sometimes they have a ton of them! The record is 24 bunnies in one litter. I can't even imaging having that many siblings!

My friend and I each have one brother. We do get to see our families fairly often, and that's another thing I'm thankful for.

BUNNY WISDOM: You've noticed we can't pick our families! There are differences among every family, as well as between family members. Spending time with family is more important than watching TV or going shopping. So, snap off the tube and ask a brother/sister/mother/uncle, etc. something worthwhile. For example, "what are you're goals or problems right now?"

They say that the worst of us can serve as bad examples, so even if our families are a mess, there's no reason not to stretch out a hand and involve ourselves with them. We can learn so much from the people intrinsically close to us. I know I have :-)

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Thousands of Years Ago

What happened thousands of years ago? Well, lots of stuff, that's for sure. But, what happened that concerns us just now?

BUNNY FACT: The first recorded incident of contact between rabbits and humans was over 3000 years ago! The Phoenicians declared the Iberian Peninsula, "The Land of the Rabbit."

And from that, our relationship budded and blossomed! There are now millions of bunny owners around the world. Are you one of them? With many average families living in apartments or small houses, the popularity of rabbits is on the rise. Some landlords are more lenient with small animals like rabbits or hamsters, then they are with dogs and cats.

BUNNY WIDSOM: Try something new! If humans hadn't reached out for bunny contact many years ago, we might not be such friends. Wild rabbits are naturally very wary of larger animals or people, so humans had to take the first steps.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Another Monday

I'll bet everybunny reading this post loves Mondays!

Everybody probably doesn't. Bunnies tend not to care which day it is :)

BUNNY FACT: A male rabbit is called a buck. A female is a doe. A baby bunny can be called a "kit."

I guess that means when I was younger I was a buckkit! Get it? Like bucket? LOL. Not that it was that funny... oh well.

BUNNY WISDOM: Humor is a salt of life. Even when a joke isn't very funny, it can be kind of funny that someone else thought it was. It's been said that you don't stop laughing because you got old, you get old because you've stopped laughing (Daffid, Braingle member).

Even though rabbits don't really laugh per se, you know they like funny stuff.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

XX (Twenty)

This is the twentieth post of My Bunny Life. I hope you're enjoying it... I am!

BUNNY FACT: Can you guess how many toenails a bunny has? No counting! It's not twenty. It's 18 - with 5 on each front paw and 4 on each back paw.

Honestly, I hadn't even noticed that before. Although I'm somewhat familiar with my back paws (I wash them often), I never took the thought of counting my toenails. Kudos to anyone who already knew their bunny well enough to know that :)

BUNNY WISDOM: It's nice to have lots of knowledge stored away in our heads, isn't it? There may come a day when a quirky tidbit of wisdom saves our skins. But, someone who knows loads shouldn't look down on someone else who doesn't yet have the knowledge they do.

That's all for today. See you tomorrow!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Piece Of Cake!

Well, finding a free clip-art picture of cake wasn't quite as easy as I thought it would be, but I got one...

Right now I feel as if life is just a "piece of cake." I'm well over the slipper incident. All the normal stuff I'm supposed to do is pretty easy. At times I think I'd like to start something big... but then I decide I want another nap!

Like... now! But first I'll give you your "bunny fact & wisdom" :)

BUNNY FACT: Did you know that rabbits cannot throw-up like many other animals can? They can "gag" a bit, but care should be taken so they don't get hairball buildup.

BUNNY WISDOM: Take an optimistic approach to life. I think optimists live longer... ?

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Hopping Down The Bunny Trail

As I was searching online for a picture of an actual rabbit trail, I came across was at this website. At first I thought that couldn't all be rabbit tracks! Upon closer inspection I noticed it was. Apparently, that area is overrun with wild cottontails.

I haven't been outside lately, due to the cold and wind. I would like to, but I'm not allowed. So, I only get to look out windows and at pictures online.

Yesterday we found out what a bunch of rabbits are called, today, let's see what their habitat can be named...

BUNNY FACT: A herd of bunnies may live in a "warren." Warrens are usually underground, containing various connected tunnels. Sounds like a playground to me :-)

BUNNY WISDOM: While the wild rabbits living in warrens may have survival at the top of their to-do list, they still have a good time! That I'm sure of. It's part of a bunny's nature. Let the everyday stuff become fun - you'll be in a better mood.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Eating Slippers

Has anyone ever tasted the pink kind? They're my new favorite! Perhaps I shouldn't be so happy about it... at least I didn't totally destroy them. Sort of just nibbled them a bit.

BUNNY FACT: A group of rabbits can be called a "herd." Used in a sentence: A herd of pink-slipper-eating bunnies came running up to me. LOL

It's a good thing I'm so cute or I'd have to stay on my best behavior. I guess I ought to anyway, but it's hard!

BUNNY WISDOM: Never underestimate someone. We all have potential to do good or bad, as can be concluded by my recent admission.

Sighing off.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

In Sickness... And Pictures!


My friend hasn't been feeling well lately. I've been busy helping to "take care" of her, so please excuse my lack of posting lately. She's feeling better today, though, and here are some promised pictures :-)

As you can see, this is me enjoying the family piano. I can't remember what I was playing, but I know I had some fun after I got the hang of it. You humans must only get half the enjoyment, since you only use half the limbs!

And, as you can see in my other pic for today, I like to get a good view...

BUNNY FACT: A bunny's house needs "bunny-proofed." Failure to do that could cause damage to your bunny or your house (or both!). I was allowed on the ledge with the houseplant just for a few moments and my friend was right there with me.

BUNNY WISDOM: Be expressive! We bunny-rabbits sure are. Just watch us!

As I mentioned, the infrequent posting should be a rare thing. I will do my best to be back to posting daily unless something else would come up. Thanks for staying with me!