false pregnancy update

Everything normal so far today. No nests have been made, it's almost like yesterday never happened.. except for the mass of fur ground into the carpet which I still haven't vacuumed up.

Umbra, the Virgin Mary of Lagomorphs

I was going to make post about my general experience with my bun over the past year and what I would like to tell perspective bun owners to prepare them.

However, Umbra had other ideas. She certainly gave me something to write about. It started out like any other morning, but after I ate breakfast I returned to my room to fine Umbra sitting amid a flurry of fur! She still had some in her mouth. I immediatly called in my roommate who was equally shocked. As we tried to collect the hair, implementing a lint roller (4 sheets and my carpet is still extra hairy)

. Umbra growled and lunged at us (the first time in months) but would not relinquish her mustache of loose fur. As soon as we had the mess cleaned up, Umbra proceded to repeat the process from her favorite spot under my bed, pulling clumps of fur from her dewlap and belly.

My first thought is that this is a sign of a false pregnancy. A rabbit I had as a child had one once, but she was caged next to an un-neutered male. I can say with 100% confidence that Umbra has not been around another rabbit in nearly a year, especially not a male. Even more ironic, she I finally scheduled her for spaying for this Friday.

Naturally, I was worried and posted on a couple of my favorite house rabbit groups, and the concensus was that this must be a false pregnancy, and that I would just have to wait it out and soon enough everything should return to normal.

When I returned from lunch, the fur pulling had ceased the only evidence was another circle of loose fur about a foot in diameter and some lumps of saliva-matted hair.

One thing is for sure, this proves how unpredictable life with a bun can be.

Intro

Umbra plays in a box

Experienced rabbit people may call me an amateur, and it is true, my bun, Umbra has only been with me.. oh I guess its nearly been a year!.. I didn't realize it went by so fast!

I have had rabbits before, when I was about seven, but I hardly count that.. or I would like not to. What I did get from that experience is what NOT to do, which is just as important to know as what you should.

So having been there and done that (in the negative sense) and now redeeming myself some 13 years later by learning to do it right, I figure I could give prospective bun owners (and newbs) a few tips (and some laughs) to keep you from learning the hard way.