Outside!

Yes, I got to go outside this morning! Only for a little bit, though. There is some green poking up from the still-chilly ground. Tasted like frozen spinach, half-thawed. Yummy!!!

I need to get some more pictures of me... maybe I'll get around to it before next week. I might be starting to molt (yuck). I'd rather not, but I don't think there's much I can do to change it! Supposedly, eating oatmeal helps it go faster by promoting new hair growth.

BUNNY FACT: Healthy rabbits molt 1-2 times a year. Molting often starts with the nose and back of neck areas looking either dark or "fresh" depending on the color of the bunny - for example, a white bunny will not look black!

BUNNY WISDOM: When someone says or does something hurtful, consider the possibility that they're having a bad day. I'm feeling a bit irritable today, perhaps because of the molt.

New Friend

Yesterday a family my friend knows got a new bunny! It's a boy and they named him Peter. I think that's probably a name often used for boy bunnies, but it doesn't really get old! His coat is very soft - Mini Rex-like (they're not sure if he's mixed or what). He's a brown color, which I think they said was "castor." I would draw a picture for you of him, but I tried and apparently I'm not artistically inclined today so you'll just have to use your imagination ;)

He made me realize that I don't (and can't) have everything. I'll never have such a fine coat like Pete, but then on the other hand, he doesn't have cute floppy ears like mine.

BUNNY FACT: Selective breeding sure has brought out some odd traits in rabbits. Some look like Lions (Lionhead), others like cats (Vienna Marked bunnies especially), some have dark circles around their eyes (Hotot.)

BUNNY WISDOM: Don't always rely on a bunny to give you wisdom... hehe.

Monday Again!

It's another Monday (morning, currently).

Many folks drove to work this morning. Have any idea how many hit some sort of critter with their vehicle? It's estimated a million (1,000,000) animals are killed daily in this manner.

I wonder how many of those are wild rabbits...

BUNNY FACT: Rabbits have six front teeth, incisors. Four are on top, two on the bottom. Behind those are "peg teeth," used for grinding food and are similar to molars in humans.

BUNNY WISDOM: Watch out when you're driving, for your safety and that of animals :)

Back Again :)

It seems like it's been a long time since I've posted. Sorry about that!

I do have a little story to tell, though. On Saturday we bought bunny pellets,
brought them home, and found they had been wet. They looked a bit like this ... Notice how it isn't all uniformly pelleted? Little pockets had absorbed moisture and re-formed into globby masses. Kind of gross if you ask me. Needless to say we returned the bag speedily. The next bag we got was nice and fresh.

Other than that, not much has been going on.

BUNNY FACT: Moldy food can kill bunnies! Even though it didn't look like the food we bought was moldy, the fact that is was wet made it very possible that mold spores were present. It's not worth taking the chance on your rabbit's health.

BUNNY WISDOM: Always try to get a full night's sleep. It doesn't work well for humans to try a sleep routine like bunnies!

I'm going to go nap a bit. zzzz....

Morning Routine

What do I do in the mornings? Well, sometimes I read the funnies!
We don't always get the paper, but when we do I don't care much for the news. Too bad there isn't a bunny comic in the paper. I do like to watch old Bugs Bunny cartoon shows.

BUNNY FACT: Bug Bunny, that famous cartoon rabbit, was born back in 1939. According to Wikipedia, a precursor to him was shown in 1938, so Bugs is roughly 70 years old!

BUNNY WISDOM: A little inspiration can go a long way. Even seemingly senseless cartoons can form positive reactions in children and adults. If you're a fan of Bugs and his contemporaries, you can probably recognize some pieces of classical music thanks to the shows.

Can't It Be Spring Already?

I must admit I've almost been getting cabin fever. I haven't been outside in two months, but I can imagine the flowers blooming and grass growing nicely green once more! It hasn't been bitterly cold, though, and that's good. Not only do milder winters make for more preferable heating bills, but they're also easier on perennial flowers, young trees and bushes.

It would be a shame if the asparagus plants died before I got to nibble on some of them :)

BUNNY FACT: Happy rabbits can "click" their teeth. I'll have to try that one!

BUNNY WISDOM: Don't forget to stop and smell the roses while they're in bloom...

Fifty Posts

According to my Blogger Dashboard, this is the 50th post of My Bunny Life.

Hooray! That means I've given 50 different bunny facts already. Can you remember them? :-) Well, here's another...

BUNNY FACT: Rabbits can snore, although it is unclear if any have "sleep apnea." Ever catch your bunny sawing logs?

I'm getting sleepy just thinking about napping!

BUNNY WISDOM: Today's wisdom comes from Ms. Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit series author): "I cannot rest, I must draw, however poor the result, and when I have a bad time come over me it is a stronger desire than ever."

I love drawing, but since I can't use paints, chalk, etc. I use the Paint program on the computer. I drew the "50!" pic.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you'll come back for the next fifty posts!

-edit post- Hrm... that is strange. Blogger tells me this is the 50th post and yet it counts 9 posts in 2008 + 36 in 2007, which would equal only 45 posts. I'll have to look into that.

Link Exchanges?

I suppose I should have mentioned this before, but if anyone wants to exchange bunny-related blog links just let me know. There have been two other exchanges already, so I though I'd open it up to anyone who wants to link.

Back to rabbit stuff!!

BUNNY FACT: One breed of rabbit, the English Lop, has set a record of 28 1/2 inch ear length. Can you hear me now?

BUNNY WISDOM: Don't make fun of people with big ears!

Lettuce Content

You've probably heard that romaine types of lettuce are healthier for people and bunnies. Do you know why or what the nutritive differences are?
Both iceberg and romaine are about 95% water. Romaine contains more protein, fiber, and slightly more fat (good fat!). Additionally, iceberg has less of most vitamins and minerals. I know which one I want! Don't forget that despite stereotypes lettuce should not be the main diet of rabbits - far from it. Start with a good quality pellet feed, unlimited hay, then add fresh fruits & veggies as treats.

As a side note, lettuce also contains a small amount of tryptophan. I doubt that anyone has fallen asleep due to consuming it in their salad, though! Tryptophan is the substance in turkey (and lots of other stuff) that some people believe causes drowsiness, though the small amounts of it haven't been determined to produce that effect.

BUNNY FACT: Diarrhea can be deadly to rabbits. Keep an eye out for it, but more importantly, feed you bunny in a manner to avoid it!

BUNNY WISDOM: A problem unsolved will beget more problems. If it is broken, do fix it!

What Can I Get Into Next?

If you had a bunny that could talk, that's probably one of the phrases you'd hear most often! My friend can hear me saying that right now... And, by the way - no, I cannot speak. Although I mysteriously have the ability to type and blog about my bunny life, I can't seem to use my vocal cords the way humans do. Do bunnies even have vocal cords?

BUNNY FACT: It's funny I should come across this today... I'll tell you why in a moment, but did you know "hairballs" aren't really a rabbit problem? I was reading this very informative page and found out that what we had normally called hairball buildup or wool block is more precisely termed "gastric stasis." Last month (also on the seventh) I used the term "hairball" inaccurately. Forgive me!

BUNNY WISDOM: Most unalterable things are best the way they are. While it would be so neat if rabbits could express themselves in audible speech, that would take some of the aurora away from their quizzical looks and adamant stomping, etc.

What are you going to get into next ?!?

Saturdot x 2

This is just the second "Saturdot" post I named, nothing so special about it, though... In fact, I don't even have that much to write about today. Today was just average.

BUNNY FACT: Did you know that wild rabbits can be found on 5 of the continents? Can you guess the two they're NOT found on? Obviously, Antarctica is one. The other is Australia, although as we found out a few days ago, they do have many "feral" rabbits.

BUNNY WISDOM: Always check the bottoms of your feet, or shoes, for dirt before going to someone's house...

It's Friday!

Good morning & welcome to My Bunny Life this Friday! Many people are in a better mood on Friday, not excluding me. I can tell when others are more relaxed and upbeat, you know.

I just found this clip-art picture. If only I would have seen this pic when I chewed on the slippers! It almost sums up the look I gave my friend. I've been very good lately. Just thought I'd mention that :-)

BUNNY FACT: Did you know rabbits teeth keep on growing throughout their lives? Only chewing wears them down. Remember to keep something for you bunny to gnaw on!

BUNNY WISDOM: Ah, preventative measures. They may be worth their weight in gold. You see, if not taken proper care of, a rabbit can get "malocclusion" or some such malady. If you have the inclination and guts, check out this site with pictures of poor, badly-teethed bunnies...

Just a note - the "Article of the Day" did change. If you're interested in the Rabbit Proof Fence, please use the link I provided in that post.

Rabbit-Proof Fencing

Article of the Day

Article of the Day
provided by The Free Dictionary

By the way... I think the "Article of the Day" will change tomorrow, so for those of you reading this after 1/3/08, you can click here.

An interesting read... We have a movie by that name, although we haven't watched it yet. Here's a picture of me with it :-) I don't look too awfully thrilled, do I? I guess the bunny population didn't appreciate the fence.

BUNNY FACT: Did you know rabbits can get in much smaller spaces than it looks like they could? I've seen wild rabbits squeeze through supposedly "rabbit-proof" garden fencing. I, too, can get in some tight little places.

BUNNY WISDOM: If you've read the Free Dictionary article about the rabbits in Australia, you'll realize that seemingly harmless actions can have very bad consequences. It wouldn't hurt to look ahead and see what the results might be before trying something.

The Value of a Rabbit

I often check bunny sites, some of which are based in other countries. Rabbits are a popular pet globally! While browsing one site from the U.K. I noticed (after converting euros to dollars) that an average price for a bunny there is equal to about $35.

In the states, it all depends on which pet shop, rescue, or breeder you go to. I've seen mixed-breed, almost un-domesticated bunnies sold for as low as $5-10. I think that's kind of a shame. Shouldn't all bunnies be worth more than that? Shouldn't all bunnies be brought up with love and attention, so that they're calm (for the most part :) ?

I'm really not sure why people spend thousands of dollars on dogs. I know many of them are bigger, but bigger isn't always better! I wish bunnies, cavies, and hamsters weren't considered "throw-away" pets.

BUNNY FACT: A rabbit could save your life. Really. Read about how Dory, a pet bunny, saved her owner's life here.

BUNNY WISDOM: It sure would be nice to get a little more respect, wouldn't it? At least I'm loved and respected by my family, and that's what really counts.

By the way, I personally picked out the winner from the contest - and it's "Jill!" Congrats. There were eight entries. I will do this again sometime. See you later!

My First Bunny Life Post of 2008

This is certainly my first posting of the year 2008!

Also the first posting of January, less importantly.

In reality it doesn't matter that much to me, but hey, some people go crazy over it ;) Happy New Year!

BUNNY FACT: Did you know "jackrabbits" can carry a disease that can kill people? It's called tularemia. I sure wouldn't want to catch that... then nobody would want to play with me!

BUNNY WISDOM: Speaking of diseases... have you ever considered the folks in hospitals or nursing homes without the privilege of regular visits from family and friends? Many of them don't have contagious diseases, and would appreciate even a stranger stopping by just to say "hi."

My friend and I have similar resolutions this year - hers to not only think and pray for others, but to actually help them. Mine - to just encourage her to do that (and whatever else I may find I'm capable of doing :)