Most photos are thumbnails. Click on them to see a larger version.

April 29, 2008 - 9:45 p.m. - Update on Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Rehome & ZooToo – They deserve big bunny Congratulations for placing sixth in Zootoo's million-dollar shelter makeover contest!  It was a dramatic 11th hour effort and rabbit fans from all over the country supported them.  They had dropped out of the top 20, to 21, but gained close to 900 new members over the final weekend and soared into sixth place.  Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Rehome is the only rescue specifically for rabbits that competed.  They will receive $5,000 for their rescue makeover. The rabbits are the real winners here!   The 20 finalists will be presented at the HSUS's Animal Care Expo in Orlando on May 15th. (Foxy pictured above is one of the rescue's handsome rabbits ready for a new home.)

Poster Rabbits in Singapore – Linda (mom to Muppet the rabbit) from Los Angeles emailed me two posters shown here after her trip to visit a friend in Singapore.  She thought the "shelf rabbit" poster was from a 2006 campaign by the Singapore Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority.  There were several posters made with "shelved" dog, cat, rodents and the one shown below featuring a rabbit.  The other poster showing a child in a bunny suit crying in a hallway is a campaign against abandoning pets.  It’s a pretty powerful message.   A chapter of the House Rabbit Society is located in Singapore and you can visit their website at: Singapore House Rabbit Society  Click on the photos to see larger versions.

And while we're talking about exotic places - Visit the Flickr web page by RosyBunny in Hong Kong.  The photos are fantastic.  RosyBunny is mom to several bunnies and is a member and educator of the House Rabbit Society.  She also authored a Chinese book on rabbit care, "家有寶貝兔", published by Wan Li Book Co.

April 28, 2008 - 9:30 p.m. - Rabbits Short on Space -Friends of Rabbits, located in Maryland, D.C., and Northern, VA are in urgent need of fosters! The Montgomery County Humane Society is overwhelmed right now in their small animal room. They are overflowing with guinea pigs and hamsters so the bunnies are being moved to a back room (yikes!). If you can help, call Lori at 301-725-7505.  Or visit the website for more contacts at Friends of Rabbits  That's Bandit above who is just one of many amazing rabbits available for adoption with Friends of Rabbits.

Bunnies Past Their Prime – I have two bunnies one over 9 and the other 8 years old (see pic) and my sister, Bonnie has two rabbits pushing 10 years old.  Unfortunately, older rabbits are often passed by for adoption.  A story I read about Bongo last week in the Wall Street Journal has a good ending for one senior rabbit. It seems Bongo was in an animal shelter in rural Pennsylvania that reached rabbit overload and after a fight with another rabbit he lost a piece of his ear.  He ended up at the Animal Friends shelter in the Pittsburgh area.  Then a group called the “Red Collar Society” stepped in to help.  It’s a a society for people who adopt older pets, which means dogs more than five years old and cats over six. The article said “rabbits are considered old at three.”  The Red Collar Society appears to be effective since it was formed last April, more than 300 older cats, dogs and rabbits have been adopted from the shelter.

 An older man adopted Bongo who he considers to be a rakish rabbit -- "tough, aggressive and independent, like a one-legged pirate."  The gentleman’s first rabbit passed away and he missed his bunny.

Red Collar members can attend monthly programs on bonding and estate planning.  Bongo’s new human has arranged for Bongo to be taken care of by Animal Friends if the rabbit outlives him.

Rabbits in the Moon:  Rabbits in Asian myths are common particularly in China, Japan and Korea.  The Chinese rabbit moon goddess was mentioned in the conversation between Houston Capcom and Apollo 11 crew just before the first moon landing:

Houston: Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning there's one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o has been living there for 4000 years. It seems she was banished to the moon because she stole the pill for immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is only standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not recorded.

Collins: Okay, we'll keep a close eye for the bunny girl.

In 2007, China launched its first lunar probe, named Chang'e 1 (Chinese: 嫦娥一号; pinyin: Cháng'é Yī Hào) in the rabbit goddess's honour.

Bunny Lune is a book I happened upon at the bookstore last week. (Clarion Books) Author Kae Nishimura has written a fanciful book offering beautiful art and an original story.  A big-city rabbit named Bunny Lune wants more than anything to go to the moon. His friend Pyonko has told him about the Japanese tradition that rabbits live there. It's for young children and you can find it online at major book sellers.

Child’s Play  - Students at a Danville, Indiana Middle School learn about  animal anatomy and behavior, from a language teacher arts who knows his way around pets.  In describing the Dutch bunny visitors that day, the teacher told a group of middle-schoolers: "They've been handled a little, but you have to be careful and always support them. If they get frightened, they'll kick."  It’s all part of an enrichment activities program during a new "flex" period.   Educators hope activities like these engage kids, motivate them to do better, enjoy academics more and help them discover new interests and explore career paths.  (We could certainly use more  Rabbit Rescuers or rabbit veterinarians.)

Blogging about Bunnies -  After my own absence from blogging the last couple of weeks (life got way too busy), I missed my daily rabbit research. Since I started blogging over two years ago, blogs about bunnies have exploded onto the scene especially in the last six months.  I list over 50 blogs about rabbits on my Jump to Links web page and I still can't keep up with all the new rabbit blogs creating lots of bunspace out there.  Here are a few I discovered recently:

The Life and Times of Bunnies – Gus and Betsy make up all the bunderful fun on this blog.  The video from April 28^th is cute, but the April 15^th blog entry “The Destruction of Betsy” is accompanied by a photo that says it all. 

Ruth over at The Bunny Gardener combines two of my favorite activities, gardening and rabbits.  I love the photos of the garden and her entries like the one on April 14^th called “How Much Garden Does It Take To Feed Two Bunnies?!!” 

I also enjoy reading A Houseful of Rabbits which is all about “one house 2 people and 11 rabbits.  I want to know how they find the time to blog. 

April 7, 2008 - 9:30 p.m. - Whimsical Rabbits - who would have thought rabbits live under “marshmallow trees.” Scroll down the page at the following link to see whimsical rabbit paintings by Kristiana Parn.  And, if you have ever wondered how to make a rug in a bunny shape, then go to Bunny Rug on Makezine Blog.  Plus, the handmade craft website, Etsy.com has several leftover bunnies from Easter like this Handmade Blue Felt Bunny. 

Good Bunny Book Finds for Kids -  It doesn’t matter what season it is for Anna Dewdney's Nobunny's Perfect dedicated to Beatrice Potter, "who knew bad bunny behavior when she saw it." Three young rabbits "mostly do the things they should," but when sad or mad, they can, in a flash, turn seriously bad. The author seems to adore the "rude rabbits" as well as ones who are "polite and kind and true." (This is a lot like bunny fanatics – guilty here.) Along the same lines is Franny Billingsley’s Big Bad Bunny.  It’s all about Baby Boo-Boo creating the persona of Big Bad Bunny to get some respect from her family.  Clare Turlay Newberry's Marshmallow, is an award winning book from the 1940's and was recently reissued in a revised edition by HarperCollins.  Oliver, a fat, spoiled tabby cat, and Marshmallow, a newly arrived baby rabbit who manages to convince the hoity-toity Oliver that he's really a kitten and well worth adopting. Visit Barnes and Noble online or your local bookstore to find these books.

Speaking of Beatrice Potter, my sister gave me a book for Easter, Beatrix Potter: A Journal (thank you Bonnie).  This lavish, illustrated journal describes Beatrix Potter’s life as a young woman in Victorian England as she struggled to achieve independence and to find artistic success. Using commentary taken from Beatrix’s own diaries, the journal features watercolor paintings, sketches, photographs, letters and period memorabilia to recreate the world in which she lived.

All Ears - My lop rabbit, Mr. Bumble, developed an ear infection a month ago without overt symptoms.  He was sneezing a little which prompted me to take him to the vet. Both Bumble and I are lucky since this is his first ear infection at the ripe old age of 9 ½ years. (His lungs were clear). All breeds of lop rabbits are prone to chronic ear infections.  Their ear canals can be very narrow and deformed.  The floppy ears covering the ear canal make a great environment for bacteria to multiple.  Any excess wax debris gets lodged in the ear and it’s an infection just waiting to happen.  Mr. Bumble’s ear cleaning scheduled has been stepped up to once a week now that he has recovered from the infection.  If you have a lop breed of rabbit, please check their ears weekly and ask your vet how to clean their ears.  Pictured above is a beautiful English Lop I found sitting regally in the “Bunny Building” at a county fair last year.

The Bunny Rescue of Nashville, Tennessee was featured in The Daily Herald newspaper.  Laurie Montgomery was interviewed for the article.  “Montgomery said educating owners is Bunny Rescue's primary goal. "Every time I get a call from an owner wanting to dump the rabbit here, I try to talk them out of it," she said. "Most of the problems they have can be solved with a 10-minute conversation."  Bunny Rescue takes in rabbits from across Middle Tennessee, including the Maury County Animal Shelter, where they're often taken after being abandoned in outdoors.  Visit their website above to see all the good work they do for rabbits.  Visit their adoptables web page to view photos of all their wonderful rabbits like Vivian pictured above.

After Easter Rabbit Care – There have been several articles in newspapers online since Easter about how to take care of that new “Easter Bunny.”  The Sacramento Bee published a long and detailed article in their newspaper covering most of the important issues of proper care from diet to housing.  They also gave the House Rabbit Society (www.rabbit.org) a well deserved compliment when they said it is the best site on the internet for pet rabbit information.  Hopperhome agrees.  I refer people who email me for in depth pet bunny information to the HRS website all the time. They have a truly comprehensive bunny “knowledge base" online thanks to their founders and hundreds of volunteers.

Acts of Kindness in Scotland - some very kind people rescued a dumped pet bunny in the UK recently found in rubbish and trash bins.  The rabbit was abandoned in a white and blue bag with a bag of food.  The little rabbit (pictured above on the right) was taken to Inverclyde Animal Rescue in Scotland near where it was found.  As the animal rescue representative said “She is only about 14 weeks old and is a lovely wee thing.”  Indeed, she is.

Pipsqueak Rabbit Ancestor – If you haven’t heard, archeologists discovered the tiny bones of a 53 million-year-old hamster-size bunny ancestor.  The ankle bone, top, and heel bone of the oldest found rabbit relative have features that resemble modern-day bunnies and allow them to hop. This amazing find was discovered in a coal mine in Gujarat, in west-central India. It sounds like this half pound ancient ancestor was a lot like pikas who are hamster-sized rabbit cousins. But Pikas don’t actually hop and so he was more rabbit, and quite a hopper.  The bones were found embedded in material deposited in land once covered with swamps and bays, suggesting the rabbit was a near shore dweller (in other words, the first beach bunny).  

Bunny Blog will be updated Monday evening, April 7th because of website maintenance due to technical issues.  I do all my own website maintenance and sometimes the problems multiply like rabbits.

March 26, 2008 - 10:00 p.m. - Bunnies Survive a Close Call - Two beautiful pet rabbits from Auckland, NZ survived a close shave when their outdoor hutch was set on fire.  The family discovered newspaper ashes and burn marks around their rabbit hutch on the day after Easter. The rabbits, Bert and Snowy, were unharmed, but Bert’s whiskers were singed.  The family is very upset since it would have been their 11 year old daughter who would have found her rabbits destroyed had the hutch actually caught fire.  This isn’t the first time the family say there has been an intrusion.  A few months ago they found the hutch open and Snowy and Bert running around the yard.  Time to make those rabbits house rabbits!  (Snowy pictured above.)

Hopping  to a Different Drummer – Last week among the articles on the perils of buying a live Easter rabbit on impulse, the Akron Beacon Journal did a terrific profile on a house rabbit living with a couple in their apartment.  The Schwietzers adopted Matilda from the Columbus House Rabbit Society about a year ago.  The article made the point that rabbits are not cats and dogs and their owners must be properly equipped and prepared to meet their needs including finding a rabbit vet, feeding the rabbit properly, and learning rabbit psychology.   

"She's been such a joy in our lives," said Susan Schwietzer. "Rabbits do so many different things all the time. She's our baby. ... Just looking at her cheers me up."   The Schwietzers gave the reporter a tour of their living room: Not an electric cord in sight. Matilda is not "spoiled"; she's "indulged," said Ryan Schwietzer. Once you scratch the surface, rabbit fever goes deep, say the Schweitzers. 

Make Mine Earl Grey - I love this photo of “Earl Grey” being tempted with  a piece of lettuce last week at the Northeastern Satellite of the Colorado House Rabbit Society in Greeley. The Rabbit Resource Center has five rabbits for adoption, and also has supplies and provides education about rabbits. The Greely Tribune wrote a nice piece on the chapter and their resource center manager, Debby Schmidt.  (That is a very intent lagomorph.) 

And speaking of lettuce . . .  

Biggest Bunny - I want to know who goes around measuring big rabbits so once a year they can proclaim someone has the biggest rabbit in the universe. It's bizarre.  Anyway, I digress . . Amy, a Continental Giant breed rabbit, is 4 ft. long and 3 stone (around 35 lbs.)  Her bonded mate is Roberto who previously held the heavyweight title. Last year their owner had the big bunnies "marry" in a ceremony probably only enjoyed by humans.

I actually agree with a Continental Giant breeder who said in the Daily Mail newspaper, "It's a load of rubbish."  He and his wife, Sue, bred 28 lb. Dancer - also once said to be the biggest rabbit in the world, but Wayne says that anything heavier is not naturally big, but simply an obese pet.  "it's probably just a big, fat rabbit.  If so, it would be cruel.  Like anything, when you're overweight it causes problems," he says. Another article noted that Amy is fed “two apples, a handful of carrots, half a cabbage, fresh hay, and a dog-sized dish of rabbit mix every day.  Of course, Amy and Roberto have been busily breeding at their home in Worcester (UK), and their owner is confident that one of their 32 offspring will turn out even larger. It is interesting to note that the Guinness Book of Records no longer logs amazing animals because owners were force-feeding their large pets to obesity.

Hopping Mad About Hairless Rabbits -  A professor of animal and wildlife science and director of the Texas A&M’s Rabbit Research Program, is now breeding furless rabbits so they can provide “a solid and sustainable food source for developing nations in warm, tropical climates where other rabbits would have difficulty surviving.”
Underestimating the capacity of humans to have compassion for animals under any circumstance, there is another purpose behind the rabbit’s unnatural appearance according to Professor Lukefahr.  Quoting his statement in the newspaper article: "Many Americans get all emotional about when it comes to eating cute, cuddly rabbits," he said. "They've got a face only a mother could love."
The professor has apparently never met a rabbit lover before. (He probably has never heard of Sphynx cats who are hairless and adored by cat lovers or the Mexican Hairless or Chinese Crested dogs.) Appearance is inconsequential. In my opinion, there are many, many things fundamentally wrong with the entire program of even breeding these rabbits.

Japanese Rabbit Cozy - a Bunny Blog reader, Joann, sent this photo of two rabbits relaxing in their very cute home in Japan.  She made one for her own rabbits in an afternoon on her sewing machine and reports that her rabbits shredded it in record time.  Joann said she had less mess since she skipped putting shag carpet under her version.  She also wanted to know why Japanese rabbits are so well-behaved.

March 19, 2008 - 9:30 p.m. Easter Weekend at the Burrow! Kim Scharf over at the Bunny Bunch SPCR in Montclair, California asked me to be sure to mention this event.  Anyone thinking about getting a rabbit for Easter and who happens to live near Montclair in Southern California should hop over this weekend, March 22^nd & 23rd from Noon to 4:00 p.m. They will be happy to explain proper rabbit care, offer refreshments and do free nail trims.  They will also have free Chocolate Easter Rabbits while supplies last.  Easter is also the debut of "Photos with Rabbits" – they will set-up a holiday themed booth for rabbits (chinchillas, guinea pigs, rats, etc.) to have their own photo shoot.  100% of the $10.00 donation for a photo will help them to keep rescuing rabbits.  Visit their link above for more information!  (Sesame is pictured above - just one of many, many  Bunny Bunch rabbits.

Midwest Rabbit Rescue and Rehome are in the www.ZooToo.com competition for a shelter makeover. The contest ends at the end of this month and they still need help to stay in the place to win at least a $5000 prize for their rabbits. Go to Midwest RR&R link above to get information on registering with ZooToo .  They started this in October and have steadily climbed up the list.  It would be great to have a rabbit rescue become a winner. (One of their adoptable rabbits, Lola, is pictured above.)

Tsai-fi Dust Bunnies, my sister Bonnie found these online. They look like very fat, round cuddly plush rabbits with a lot of personality.  The Dust Bunnies come in several styles and colors. The artist  designs her creations from vector drawings.  This one is called "Rosey Posey."

European Rabbit – A doe and her kit enjoy a quiet moment in the photo below. This photo was emailed from an anonymous rabbit fan.  It is a beautiful shot the of the wild rabbit who was the precursor to all the domesticated breeds.

March 18, 2008 - 9:00 p.m. - Baker Raises Dough to Save Rabbits – The Great Harvest Bread Co. located in Shorewood, Il (near Joliet) offers “honey bunnies” as a healthy whole grain alternative to live pet rabbits.  Matthew Simpson of Great Harvest Bread Co. is partnering with the Will County Humane Society for Easter. The store will donate $2 of every honey bunny loaf sold to the humane society. The bread company averages 500-700 loaves of bunny bread sold during Easter.  As Simpson said, “The kids can have a bunny, but it won’t be sent to the humane society afterward.” For more information on the store go to Great Harvest Bread Company  The bunny loaf is shown above.

A Rabbit Round-up in Kelowna, Canada was a kinder option rather than a cull some people are proposing to deal with the “rabbit problem.”  The Responsible Animal Care Society was out wrangling feral rabbits this past weekend hoping to save them from a cull.  They managed to capture 25 and those rabbits are on their way to being neutered or spayed. Several third graders lobbied a council member to find an alternative to a cull. "They asked what rabbits had ever done to me and that was it.”  As a result the council agreed to give the rabbit wranglers a chance to promote a more humane solution of catching and neutering the rabbits and offering them for adoption.

Kelowna is not the only Canadian city to be hit by a rabbit population explosion and controversy over how to rid towns of feral rabbits. In the suburb of Richmond parks are teeming with rabbits and animal rescue groups are pleading with residents to leave bunnies in the pet store this Easter.  They say if you go to Minoru Park it is possible to see a 100 rabbits within a few minutes.  That’s because it is estimated 1,000 feral domesticated rabbits live there.  See one of the rabbit residents pictured on the right. He is certainly someone’s adorable ex-pet.

Helsinki’s Long “Hares” – Urban feral rabbits are becoming a much bigger issue due to a mild winter in normally cold countries like Finland. This coming summer all previous population records are expected to be shattered. According to estimates there are up to five thousand feral and wild rabbits living in Helsinki. The rabbits have good taste in music since the National Opera lawn is their favorite spot.

March 17, 2008 - 9:30 p.m. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I located a media file of an old Irish music box jig called Rabbit in the Field (sheet music for you musicians).  Play the file while you visit Irish Baby Hare Cam The webcam shows a pen of leverets (baby hares) located in a rearing facility in the Sperrin region of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The facility is specifically for Irish hares. The orphaned leverets arrive from all over Ireland to raise, rehabilitate and release. The Irish Hare Initiative is an independent not-for-profit group working for the conservation and protection of Irish hares.  (Photo above is a Wendy Walsh Irish Hare Watercolor. Click on photo to see larger version.)

Make Mine Chocolate!  Yes, you can have a chocolate bunny or give one as a gift this year and make it Dairy-Free, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free or Food Allergy Free! Try these chocolate makers online for some guilt-free nibbling.   Okay, they are Not calorie-free.  

Amanda’s Own Easter and Passover Chocolates
Divvies Chocolate Bunny 

Chocolate Emporium Chocolate Bunny Assortment
Sweet Earth Foil Wrapped Easter Bunnies
Indulge in Chocolate Vegan Chocolate Easter Bunny

Pre-Easter Rescues – The first was located in Botetourt County (Virginia) where Animal Control officers seized dozens of sick rabbits from an 81-year-old man with a history of animal abuse.  The rabbits were mite infected and if they hadn’t been removed, they could have ended up as Easter gifts in a flea market.  Channel WSLS ran a story Sick Bunnies Find New Home showing the rabbits in a new and safe environment.  The Angels of Assisi loaded up a van at the SPCA on Thursday and took them to Harmony Farm nearby.  They have their hands full with baby bunnies and newborn kits and they expect more are on the way.  The rabbits are recovering from the mite infestation and doing much better.  These are 43 rabbits that won’t be ready for Easter!  But in a few weeks they will be tested again and ready for adoption. See the 90 acre Harmony Farm Sanctuary at the link.

In another large rescue more than 300 rabbits were rescued from "deplorable conditions" at a rabbit meat farm in Simcoe County, Ontario.  The local newspaper reported the OSPCA are still investigating and their shelter was hopping with rabbits.  According to the newspaper, “most of the animals were female and many of them were already pregnant, even though they were nursing litters.”  The conditions were considered "filthy" and many rabbits were sick. The good news is that several area shelters joined in the effort and foster homes were also enlisted to take in rabbits. (Alisa Sears, manager of the Barrie OSPCA, cuddles one of the 300 rescued bunnies above.) 

Last year it was Paris . . . Paris Hilton bought a pair of bunnies for Easter a year ago and this year it is Miley Cyrus.  Several teen gossip websites reported last Sunday Miley Cyrus spent time with her family in Los Angeles where she stopped by a pet store after attending church.  She bought a rabbit she named Jack. While I can appreciate her desire to have a rabbit, her style and behavior is copied by thousands of pre-teen and teenage girls.  I’m hoping this is one time she doesn’t start a trend especially during the week before Easter. 

Shooting with a Camera –  Recently a crew of filmmakers were on campus shooting rabbits with a high-definition camera. The crew is filming a documentary for Animal Planet Canada and the Discovery Channel HD about resourceful domesticated animals running wild in unlikely places.  They hope to make the film into a 12-part series. According to the recent article in the Times Colonist, the “documentary was inspired by a trip Erin Skillen took to Pompeii with her husband in 2005.”  She began researching the phenomenon of domesticated animals living as feral animals and in danger of elimination by humans who regard them as pests. (The newspaper in Victoria noted the culling of university rabbits last year as part of an article on the rabbits.) As a passionate animal lover, Skillen was unsettled by injured rabbits in the University of Victoria’s feral rabbit population during filming.

March 12, 2008 - 9:30 p.m. - Unbunlievable! - Newspapers in Portland, Maine reported that a local teenager was charged with stealing a pet bunny and trying to extort money from the 16 year old bunny owner.  The 17 year old broke into the other teenager’s apartment and stole a gray dwarf rabbit.  He then called the other boy and demanded payment of a $100 or else the rabbit would be hurt.  Fortunately, the local police say the rabbit was recovered “in good condition.”  The thief could take a lesson from the young man in England I wrote about on Tuesday who cares for 90 animals.

Several kind people wrote and asked me where they could send donations to James Mason in England to help him care for his 90 rescued animals (including 29 rabbits).  I have contacted the newspaper who published the story to ask James if this can be arranged.  I will keep you posted.

Bella Bunny is pictured above.  She is one of many gorgeous rabbits from the State of Maine who need good homes.  She is at the MSPCA at Nevins Farm

Rabbitats for Humanity – Since rabbits are my “Maine” subject tonight, I wanted to share the link  above for a rabbit sanctuary located on the South Bristol pennisula of mid-coast Maine.  is a labor of love founded and maintained by Quan Myers. A non-profit organization since 2006, it has become home for more than 100 rabbits.  Read some of their stories here.  You can also read how and why Quan started Rabbitats for Humanity. As is the case with many of us who rescue rabbits, it just takes one rabbit and Quan’s was Harvey.  Best Bunny Wishes to Quan for helping rabbits!

On the Wild Side:  The sight of brown hares "boxing" is one of the most arresting spectacles of the countryside in the fields of lowland Britain. But the behavior that gave rise to the legend of "mad March hares" is likely to become a less common sight in the future. Conservationists believe because of a change in European Union rules about how farms are managed, the animals may start to decline after a program is abolished that paid farmers to leave some of their land uncultivated.  The program dates back 20 years and left 8 percent of Britain's arable land as scruffy, weedy sanctuary benefiting hares and other farmland wildlife. Conservation groups are urging the government to initiate new programs to help farmers and wildlife.

March 10, 2008 - 8:00 p.m. - It Started with Jessica Rabbit -  An article caught my attention from the Leicester Mercury in the UK  about a young man who took home his first abandoned rabbit (Jessica) when he was only ten years old. Five years later he is caring for more than 90 unwanted pets at any one time.  He spends about six hours a day at it before and after school.  Word got out about James and people started dropping off their unwanted pets.  He now cares for 29 rabbits, 22 guinea pigs, six cats, six dogs, four cockerels and eight hamsters.  James says that a lot of the animals are from “unwanted litters.” His parents don’t need to help since he takes full responsibility for his rabbits and other animals. He earns the money to care for the animals himself, but it is expensive.  His mother, Helen, said: "He loves his animals. I just wish we hadn't got so many.”  

Rabbits Dig a Manor House – Speaking of the United Kingdom . . . Jim and Wendy just got back from a trip there and emailed Hopperhome about some rabbits who helped dig up the remains of a manor house dated back to the 13^th century. The couple heard the story from locals and decided to investigate.  The house is located near Leamington and the bulldozer bunnies unearthed a large ornate window about six years ago.  It was a breakthrough for archeologists who had been searching the area for 10 years previously.  The dig site was once the location of a moated manor house torn down in the 15^th century.  The window became part of the rabbit warren.  The rabbits were discriminating, though; they kicked out much of the glass from their burrow.

Blog Find - On your next coffee break, surf over to the Friendly Farms Blog to see stories of rescue, adoption and fun bunny business as it unfolds at Friendly Farms.  To the left is a photo of a beautiful trio - Spot, Freddie, and their mom, Sara. They are happy to be rescued rabbits. It seems Sarah was a pregnant teenager when she was abandoned outside in the winter of 2000. Fortunately, she found her way to Friendly Farms, where she had her babies in safety. They are permanent residents now.  Friendly Farms Is located in the Monterey County, California area. They are a foster home and sanctuary dedicated to assisting in the placement and protection of rabbits at risk of euthanasia because of overcrowding at local animal shelters.

Busy Bunnies - I took a few minutes out from shopping to look over the spring books for kids in the store tonight.  One in particular caught my attention.  All of the photos in the book were of real rabbits demonstrating normal rabbit behavior.  No costumes, no funny backgrounds - just rabbits being rabbits and easy for young children to understand.  Visit the link above at Barnes and Noble.  (Hopperhome doesn't belong to any affiliate programs.)  I give this book two paws up.

March 9, 2008 - 9:00 p.m. - 2008 Run for the Buns Benefit will be held on Saturday, March 22nd, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  This event supports the Sacramento House Rabbit Society.  They are in their tenth year of rescue, adoption and outreach programs.  See the flyer here: Download an information & registration flyer here. 

Attila the Bun - Two weeks ago I received an email from Marcella in Florida who received a “Christmas present” in the form of a cute little dwarf rabbit. Just a few months later her rabbit took on the personality of “Attila the Bun” and needed a trip to the vet for neutering.  Marcella was very reluctant to take her rabbit in for the surgery since she heard “rabbits are fragile” and many do not survive anesthesia. 

Before there were enough rabbit savvy vets educated in rabbit surgical techniques, it was a risk.  However, I reassured her with the list of veterinarians I sent her, her bunny would be in good hands.  Plus, I emailed her  the following link to a detailed article by Susan Brown, DVM in her Small Mammal Health Series:  Taking the Fear out of Rabbit Anesthesia.  Yesterday I received another email and her rabbit is now a week out from his neuter surgery and doing very well.  He has started to calm down and is back to giving her nose kisses.  Plus, he may get a partner soon who will go in for her own spay surgery. Hip Hop Hurray!  (The Attila the Bun print is available from Will Bullas Studio)

Uptown Rabbit Gifts - Every year I think it is interesting to see what extravagant rabbit themed presents are available at the pricier retailers – like Neiman Marcus, for instance.  This year they have some downright almost affordable offerings like the Neiman-Marcus Bunny Paper Towel Holder, or an amazing (and yummy) Bunny Chocolate House for $47.00 with a one year shelf life and a bewhiskered rabbit poking his head out the window.  A notch up or two in price is a very pretty Basil Bunny Box for around $160.00. It’s the hand-set multicolor Swarovski® crystals in the dewlap that probably bump this over the hundred dollar range.  One of the more expensive items is the Buster Bunny Figurine at $595.00.  If you have this much cash to drop, send it to a rabbit rescue instead please! 

Make Mine an Easter Chocolate Cake – Wow!  The folks in Chicago are lucky because The Bleeding Heart Bakery has beautiful rabbit cakes available by custom order only.  See an example of one of their cake rabbits pictured on the right.  If you live in the windy city, inquire @ 773.327.6934 - To learn more about the Make Mine Chocolate! campaign, please visit the link.

February 28, 2008 - 8:30 p.m. - Million Dollar Mission!  - There are a bunch of rabbit lovers from all over the US trying to win a shelter makeover for Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-Home by writing product reviews for a new web site called Zoo Too. Ray Milkey from Rabbit Haven in Scotts Valley, CA emailed me about this effort.  The top 20 shelters get to compete for a $1 Million donation for a shelter makeover. 

Midwest Rabbit Rescue is the sole rabbits only shelter competing for the prize. They are ranked number 10 right now which means they are really in the running for the big prize.  But as Ray said, “the 19 runners up will receive $5,000, which isn't too shabby either.” I’m going to Zoo Too after I finish the blog tonight and sign up.  If you want to help, you can go to www.zootoo.com.   If you want more info you can also visit Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-Home

Hops for Hope:  If you live near Ypsilanti, Michigan (30 miles from Detroit and close to Ann Arbor) join the Midwest Rabbit Rescue for a benefit on Saturday afternoon, March 22nd at the Corner Brewery.   This event features the www.makeminechocolate.org campaign.  There will be lots of chocolate to try, a beer tasting, and a vegetarian buffet.  Limited advance tickets – so go to Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-Home to learn more about this to benefit the 300+ rabbits they rescue each year.

Wild Bunny Kiss - Erin from County Mayo in Ireland sent me this photo of South African native Noeline Haylett who divides her time between work, caring for injured animals and raising money to help a community in Ghana. She founded the Mayo Animal Welfare in 1994, and now takes in injured wildlife from every corner of Ireland.  She is pictured here nose to nose with an recovering wild European rabbit. 

 Bronze Bunnies - Steve Worthington makes bronze animal sculptures.  He videotaped a wild rabbit lounging on a lawn and made prints of freeze frames to work from. You can see the entire process in pictures showing how he creates his bronze sculptures of rabbits at Steve Worthington Art 

Usagi (rabbit) Habitat - Chizuko from Japan read the blog about pet rabbits being walked on leashes in Japan.  She sent a photo to share of her rabbit's home in her small apartment near Tokyo.  Click on  the photo to see a larger version.  The bunny has free reign of her studio in the evenings.  The pen makes my x-pens look pretty drab and she even has a wood litter box.

February 26, 2008 - Latvian Lagomorph Passes - Leonardo da Vinci, (Lisis for short) was the pet rabbit of Latvian President Valdis Zatlers. The "First Bunny" passed away last week.   Several news media picked up the story as “weird news.”  Anyone who has experienced the loss of a beloved bunny wouldn’t find this “odd news.”  I’m sure the Latvian President and his family will miss their pet of five years. The photo above shows the President with his rabbit.  He felt Lisis may have died from stress since the bunny did not adjust to the move to Riga Castle in the capital where he had free run. The Zatlers family originally thought Lisis was a female and called him Mona Lisa, before discovering their mistake and renaming him.

Make Mine Chocolate

is easy to do in 2008!  Last year this time I blogged about all the chocolate alternatives to a live pet rabbit in the spirit of the Make Mine Chocolate campaign.  This year the same chocolate makers have fabulous offerings, but I’m adding a new one to the list.

Up in New England there is a gourmet chocolate company, L.A. Burdick’s Chocolate  that makes a spring time egg hunt (see pic above) with chocolate bunnies.  It can be used as a centerpiece and then dig in afterwards.

Vosges Chocolates – Solid chocolate bunnies with exotic flavors like the one called Red Fire Easter Bunny with Mexican ancho & chipotle chilies plus Ceylon cinnamon in dark chocolate.

Harbor Sweets – they carry Robert L. Strohecker rabbit assortment, but also some great rabbit themed tins. (See tins shown on the right.)

Jacques Torres Chocolate – Smiling bunnies in dark or milk chocolate.

Moonstruck Chocolate Company - Milk chocolate “calico floppy eared” bunnies in two sizes.

Christopher Norman Chocolates – Retro Racer bunny - Hand painted molded chocolate hollow bunny sitting in a woven convertible.

Martine’s Chocolates – a good variety of chocolate rabbits including Bugs Bunny and a Bunny with a marzipan carrot.

Lake Champlain Chocolates -  for a big Chocolate rabbit at 16-1/2" tall and weighing 3 pounds there is “Mr. Goodtime Bunny”

Bunny Girl - a young woman has garnered a following while walking her bunnies on her college campus according to the Daily Texan.  They call her “Bunny Girl” or “Rabbit Girl.” Her rabbits, Eris and Darle, let her know they want to go for their walk by running circles around her in her apartment. There's even a FaceBook group dedicated to sightings of her. As a freshman, she originally walked her bunnies as a source of comfort on the large campus. She explains that she now walks the bunnies for others, for the joy that it brings them.

In Japan this isn’t so unusual since many bunny lovers routinely put their bunnies on a harness completely decked out in a “costume” for walks.  The following link is in Japanese, but it shows several rabbits in their fancy harness attire on walks. Usagi in Japan The little lop on the right looks like he wants to say “get me off this leash and just let me go dig a hole wearing my own fur coat.”  Well, the rabbits do look pampered even if I prefer them in their natural state.

Foster Rabbit On the Early Show (CBS) they featured a story on “Foster Parents for Pets” and how it is catching on.  A foster family for animals in Burr Ridge, Illinois was profiled with their foster pets including three dogs, two horses, two cats and a momma rabbit and her baby.  See picture above of one of the rabbits.  It seems fostering animals has seen a surge since Hurricane Katrina when many Americans took in pets of homeless victims.  The trend isn’t fading. 

Saving Abandoned Rabbits in Michigan - Two women in Michigan have braved cold temperatures to walk along roads looking for rabbit tracks. They weren't hunting. They are searching for signs of rabbits that had been left along the road. Several rabbits were spotted wandering along the side of the road recently.  Two males, both Jersey Woolies, were saved and one was a baby only four weeks old.  Another was found the next morning with obvious signs it had been attacked by a predator.