Exploring the Outdoors

Finally got up the courage to take Umbra outside! I don't know who was more nervous, me or her, but it turned out to not be so bad after all... especially once Umbra discovered that the floor is made of food.

Over 1000 views!

I think that deserves a few binkies!!!

Happenings

(your welcome for my resisting to title this post "hop"enings)

Mainly I would just like to ramble a bit about how the life of Umbra is going.  We have gotten a new toy: a collapsible tunnel. She was a wary of it at first but I finally saw her use it today, although her back end have very little clearance.

I also finally picked up some styptic powder, so I can not be so anxious while cutting Umbras nails (they're black and I'm terrified of cutting into the quick- she already dreads nail clipping time and I know she would never forgive me). Even better it was in the sale bin!

Also Umbra seemed to be warming up to her two sworn enemies: my fiance and my mother. She gave Shannon (fiance) a nose bump, and accepted a treat from my mom (although I did not find the treat acceptable- you can't feed rabbits crackers, shes not a parrot).

Nothing to major or exciting tho, but bunnies do like routine, and Umbra has been letting me know through flops, tooth purring and grooming (I'm not allowed to resist even when it tickles, I must accept affection on her terms or face bunishment*)


*did that completely by accident, I had a dyslexic moment, not trying out more bunny puns I promise!

Another Bunny Tattoo

I've recently fallen in love with a trend in geometric tattoos. While looking for some inspiration for a cover up for my fiance's old straightedge x's.

Anyway I stumbled upon tattoos which are both geometric and bunny. Enjoy.

Up to No Good

I've got a couple updates.

First, a day I have long feared would come.. Umbra has learned to open doors. Usually, if I'm going to leave the room for a moment, I don't bother to close the door all the way, instead leaving it cracked. This hasn't ever been an issue until just this week. Before apparently having a bunny epiphany, Umbra would just claw at the door to no avail (as it swings into the room, her efforts would only close the door more). Finally, however, it has dawned upon her that if she seizes the door with her teeth she can pull it back enough to get her nose in, and then freedom is within reach.. or at least yummy treats provided by the silly human pleading for her to get out from scary human's (my mom) room. It's win-win if you think about it... at least if you are one sneaky bunny with an appetite for adventure and homemade banana/timothy treats.

Second, I have decided to share a video of Umbra being herself and getting into things.

At first, I didn't have a problem with Umbra eating from the bag... however the next day I discovered that Umbra reminded me that rabbits really enjoy using the bathroom while they eat.. maybe she thought it was okay because she was sitting on a bag of Carefresh litter... although the plastic kept it from doing its job and absorbing the mess. So now the hay and litter bags much find another home where they will not be soiled.

Just a Thanks

I would like to thank all my readers, followers, subscribers as this blog has been getting more traffic lately. I started this blog to share my new found love of rabbits. They are a very misunderstood animal, especially as pets. I hoped that I would both learn more about rabbits and educate others at the same time. I know I have learned a lot!

It means a lot to me to see that I am gaining more of a following as well as becoming a part of the house rabbit community; in the beginning I was sure that this blog would flop, like others I had started. I have to say that I think I should give myself a pat on the back for following through with this endeavor. Every page view, comment and subscription only motivates me more, so give yourselves a pat on the back too for helping me stay inspired!

Thankyou!

Bunnies Everywhere!

Stereotypically, people see bunnies in fluffy white clouds... I, on the other hand, see them in cheese. Snapped this poor quality shot at work (I work at Subway part-time) while cleaning the bread forms.

To me it there appears to be a 3/4 view of a bunny's face with two very long ears, one to the left and the other to the right.

Tell me what you think.. or alert me if I'm crazy.

Black Rabbit of Inle

No I'm not talking about my own black rabbit! If you've read "Watership Down" you know that the Black Rabbit of Inle is the Grim Reaper of rabbit folklore. Searching for tattoo ideas I came across one that I thought I would share (as it is rabbit related).

A little gory for my taste, but eventually I plan on getting a tattoo of my own black rabbit.

A Beautiful Sight

Yesterday while running some errands, spotted a woman with rabbits (I think they were lops) playing in the yard.

If it wouldn't have been extremely creepy of me I would've pulled over and talked to her... but I don't want to be that obsessed. It's just nice to see other rabbit people out there.

Have You Noticed?..

I've heard it said that rabbits are kinda like a mix of a cat and a dog personality wise.

In light of this, I have recently realized, whilst browsing silly pet videos on youtube, that Umbra, like many cats, very much loves to disturb me when I'm on the computer. The only time she will sit in my lap is if there is already a laptop there (seriously, there are facebook status updates posted by her). My old cat, Lucky (aka Boo) was also not the most cuddly of companions, but as soon as I sat down at the computer desk, there he was purring up a storm and blocking the monitor.

Anyone else experience this?

Leftovers

Okay, so you know how you get to the bottom of the bag of hay and all that's left is those little bits and pieces and a bunch of hay dust your bun wont eat? Sometimes it's quite a substantial amount and it seems a waste to throw it away (especially after spending nearly $20 for the big bag). Well I propose a solution!

I have been using the leftover hay in my homemade bunny treats. However, I encountered a problem the first few times; not all the hay bits got ground up, making it difficult to mold and cut the dough into little bunny bites. So today I set about the much belated task of sifting the remains of two jumbo bags of hay. All you need is a colander and a large bowl to sift through (note: turn off fans in the room you are sifting, hay dust will go everywhere.. except the bowl).

end product in metal bowl

Nosy Umbra kept trying to tip the bowl so I distracted her with some hay of her own

I ended up with between 2 and 3 cups of hay dust which I will use for the base of my bunny treats. I should be able to make a few batches as soon as its cool enough to turn the oven on.

What Have You Been Getting Into?

"Getting into places I don't belong? I'd never! Why would you think such a thing?"