Friday, June 28, 2013

Cuteness Overload


Get ready to squee; here is a ton of Umbra pictures. Behold the glorious beauty of the queen.









Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Path of Destruction

Oh Umbra, you have been up to some mischief!

May I draw your attention to exibit #1.

I suspect the inmate has been devising an escape plan

Well as you can see Umbra has started nibbling away at the fence. The plastic is proving not as durable as I had hoped; some parts are nearly chewed through. I must not devise some way to protect the fence but still allow for airflow (suggestions welcome).

Now let us examine figure #2

Mmmm, paraffin wax my favorite!
As you may remember, we recently experienced some blustery weather that resulted in a prolonged power outage (about 12 hours!). This is one of the LED candles, made of real wax, which apparently is very appetizing to little bunnies. Good thing I got them at an extreme discount.

Of course Umbra was soon forgiven. It's just something you have to get used to doing when you have house rabbits. Bunny is just following her instincts and human should be more careful about where they leave their things.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Weather Worries

Well it's been a stormy past couple of days. We are experiencing one right now in fact. Came home last night to no power, but at least the storm brought in cooler air.

I learned that bunnies do not like candles. I had set some on the sill of the open window and the dancing shadows had Umbra pretty disturbed. I've lit them in the past but I suppose they are not so scary with the lights on. Luckily for Umbra I remembered that I had some LED candles I had gotten at work but had yet to use. They are pretty realistic, but the flickering is a bit more subdued so Umbra settled down and I didn't have to trip over her and anything else.

Another good thing about storms is Umbra suddenly becomes a super cuddle bun. She laid next to me much of the night and even voluntarily sat in my lap!

How do your bunnies react to adverse weather?

Friday, June 14, 2013

More on Umbra's Ears

I attempted to take a video to demonstrate the condition of Umbra's ears, but she has never cared to be on the big screen (or any screen). I will try again later, maybe I just need to be stealthier, because she seems to especially enjoy a nice ear scritch when they get all flaky.

I did dig up a Medirabbit.com post I saw last year which seems to be the same as what Umbra experiences. It doesn't give much explanation, other than I'm not the only one who has seen this. I think it is safe to say that it will be a regular occurrence during the summer molt. When I had the vet check for fur mites last year (what I thought the symptoms pointed to in my limited experience), he likened it to something called "slipping" in chinchillas, possibly brought on by hormone imbalance from her recent spay. However, more than a year after spay, I think it is safe to say that it is not the cause, but I am none too worried, although last time I thought Umbra's ears would be bald forever, I now know better.

My Heroic Deed of the Day

Spotted a tiny cotton tail while mowing when I came within a foot of it. Good thing I was paying attention, because the little guy didn't budge. Usually I don't interfere with wild bunny kits but I scooped him on and placed him under a bush in my neighbors yard. Checked back later and he was gone.

Now that I am thoroughly obsessed with bunnies, people like to point every wild rabbit out to me, or tell me about how they found a nest, or their cat found a nest. I feel like they are trying to impress me, but while I enjoy watching all wildlife, it kinda gets old to hear about everyone's rabbit rescue attempt. I try to not to shout "Just leave them alone!" but I know they mean well... You should probably put a bell or a bib on your cat though so as to give the birds a fighting chance. (and the reptiles and amphibians too).

Thursday, June 6, 2013

New Bunny Blocker

Picked up a new child bunny fence. I was disappointed that the only fences made out of medal had spaces large enough for Umbra to get through, or potentially get her head stuck. So mine is made of plastic and untreated wood, but hopefully its rigid enough to stand up to her teeth.


Besides the added airflow, there is another perk to having this fence. I decided to leave it up all the time because, even tho I have to step over it whenever I leave or enter the room, it does save my feet from being shredded by the claws of a bossy bunny whenever I try to open the door.

One downside is that when I do want the door closed, Umbra will refuse to move out of the way. Instead of making way for the door she heads toward the hinge and refuses to budge. Of course this is hardly a complaint compared to having to chase an escaped bun around the house when you are already late for work, or say 4 a.m. when you get up to use the bathroom.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Flakey Ears

Umbra has them again. Skin is flaking of her ears along with her hair. I suppose this will turn out to be a normal occurrence during the summer molt.