Hot Cross Buns: Cricket and Boomer at 95% humidity

Stray bunny cooling off with frozen water bottle

Boomer thinks he heard something about air-conditioning

Beautiful day, but I felt like little bunny *no-name* stuck on the inside looking out. I just had to stay in and take care of mundane things like housecleaning and laundry and bill-paying. What a drag! My DH cut the lawn and then went off crabbing, but I had to stay behind and *get something accomplished* – not very good at that lately. Blame it on the lazy days of summer, I guess.

The stray bunny is still here and is settling in, sort of. She (I’m guessing) is badly in need of a *fix* – I’m nearly certain that she was dumped by someone who couldn’t deal with the negative behaviors associated with sexual maturity in a rabbit. Most folks won’t even consider spending the money to neuter a rabbit. Too bad really, because neutering is the key to a good houserabbit. I can put up with the boxing, grunting, and circling because I understand what it’s about and that it’s a temporary behavior and how to fix it. I’ve scheduled an appointment with the vet for her to be spayed later this month – until then I just have to put up with a sex-crazed bunny. It’s sad to think of all the hutch bunnies that spend their lives in such a state! She’s given me quite a scare today, pulling out a mess of fur from her belly and arranging it with scattered hay in her litterbox to make a nest. I’m praying that she’s not already pregnant and is just practising.

As if nest-building weren’t entertaining enough while trying to get the house cleaned, Cricket, destroyer of cardboard boxes, got into a tussle with the vacuum cleaner while I wasn’t paying attention. She isn’t afraid of it at all, unlike Boomer who runs for the other end of the porch. Any time I try to vacuum their bed, she pushes the vacuum hose out and tries to bite it. This afternoon while vacuuming I set the hose down to move their toys out of the way and turned around to find the hose attached to sweet Cricket’s face! Poor thing – I couldn’t stop laughing, but felt so guilty for doing it! Gotta wonder if she’ll ever try that move again.

This young wildling thinking about sampling my geraniums was to be this week’s bunny fix. In the midst of taking pics I looked up from the camera to see a neighbor standing on my front steps. She had found a domestic bunny running loose a few days ago and could I take it or did I know of someone who would? My first question was, “Who told you I keep rabbits?” I don’t want a reputation as *the bunny lady* because I’m afraid people will dump rabbits on my doorstep. It was the neighbor with the hutch bunny that gave me away.

So. This very scared lop-eared bunny is here in Dora’s cage with fresh hay and water and a pooty box. Very well-cared for from the looks of him/her, but so scared she is chirping at me like a little lost bird. And thumping! Thumping like mad any time the dog walks in view. What to do?

Do I bother with putting up flyers in the neighborhood with the idea that someone out there loves and misses this young bunny? Or follow my gut and know that this is an Easter dump of the worst sort – a bunny set free to fend for itself? Keep it here and provide a home or go to the SPCA or a rescue with him/her?

The rescue that I adopt from contacted me shortly after Dora passed away with the offer of a young bunny that needed a home. I’ve hemmed and hawed for the last month feeling like I was content with the four I have and am not really ready for the heartbreak of another bunny yet. It seems like the universe may have other plans for me, doesn’t it?

Missy, salad connoisseur extraordinaire

The bunnies eat a lot of greens around here – twice a day in heaping amounts. Each bunny seems to have a favorite, but everybunny enjoys the little bits of carrot and fruit that each salad is laced with as a *treat*. Most people who breed rabbits don’t believe in feeding greens (or hay, for that matter), but housebunny people do. Fresh food is healthy for bunnies, as is hay, but it takes a bit more work than just feeding pellets.

Salad-making is part of my routine and I prepare the next day’s salads the night before so that I don‘t have to be chopping lettuce in a daze when I first get up for work in the morning. I prepare a portion for each bunny (or pair of bunnies for Boomer and Cricket) according to their appetite and preferences. I like to feed a nice variety of greens, but our daily staples are Romaine and green-leaf lettuce, parsley and cilantro. I also include at least one *dark green*, high-vitamin item like dandelion, kale, turnip or mustard greens, or collard greens each day. Some have to be careful with these because of their high calcium content (which may lead to bladder stone/sludge issues), but I don’t feed that much to have to worry about it. Occasional additions are dill (a favorite, and usually on the menu), red-leaf lettuce, arugula, mint, frisee, anise fennel, chicory, swiss chard, etc. – I buy what is nice and fresh from the market. I also like to feed some extras, in season, like berries, or broccoli, or Brussles sprouts, or tomatoes. Yes, my bunnies are spoiled!

The last few years I’ve been growing some extras that aren’t available in the market and herbs that are easy to grow in pots. (I have a lovely photo that Blogger suddenly won’t let me upload – darn!) Parsley, cilantro, and fennel are easy to grow (and loved by some butterflies for laying eggs) so I grow them in pots or in the veggie garden and use the *extra* to supplement what I buy at the market for the bunnies. Yesterday (imagine another lovely photo that Blogger won’t let me upload) the bunnies’ salads were adorned with red, yellow, and orange nasturtium flowers and leaves, which have a pleasant, peppery taste.

I’m off to fix salads for tomorrow and vent my Blogger frustrations on the cutting board. Check back later for the rest of what I intended to write.

Feeling a bit silly this evening so thought I should post an equally silly bunny pic! This is Missy doing her best imitation of a Mermaid for the PetBunny Halloween Ball in 2004. Our Auntie Judith from PB is a PhotoShop wizard and creates costumes for all the bunnies on the list each year. Pics of other PB bunnies in costume are available here. Auntie Judith’s bunny, Mr. Bee, is one of my favorite PB bunnies and Judith takes gorgeous pics of him. Have a look at her bunny gallery for a real bunny fix! If you look at the Halloween pics, keep an eye out for some of my other bunnies, and let me know if you *recognize* them in costume!

Missy is snarky even when half-asleep

Freckles is cautiously optimistic

Boomer’s sleepy contended glance says it all

Cricket is ever watchful and alert

My sweet Dora passed away today. The poem below is one I found in a nice little book called Life Prayers. I send along a handwritten copy with my bunnies any time they go to the vet’s. It is a prayer for healing written by Elias Amidon.

Friend, you lie quiet,
watching the dawn light color your heart,
dreaming of healing for your hurt body
laying there unanswerable to your will.
You breathe deep and your breath has two sides:
inside and outside. You are on both, being breathed.
The future approaches. You will heal or
you will go back to being God.
Which will you do?

Oh by all that is beautiful–
May it be that you live!
May your body heal happy and whole!
May energy fill and delight you!
May we join the dance your presence gives!
May you live!

And if you die?
Oh dear self, by all that is beautiful,
Know you are Safe! Everything is All Right
Forever and Ever and Ever!
The most wonderful, exquisite, familiar
Truth is what is True, and welcomes you.
It will be very easy.

You lie quiet now, praying.
A great healing is coming
and you want to be ready.
The colors of your heart blend
with the light of the morning.
You are blessed.