Teachable Moment: Bunny Tails

Teachable Moment

- Bunny Tails -

written by Emily of YarnMiracle

Rabbits have always been popular, endearing and persistent characters in story, folklore and legend. Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit, published in 1902, is one of the oldest examples of rabbits in leading roles in children's literature.

Peter Rabbit Pillow from TwoStrayCats

But there are more! A. A. Milne's Rabbit has his own Wikipedia page, Br'er Rabbit stars in American folklore (his predecessors appear repeatedly in world mythology so he is in excellent company as a champion trickster) and Lewis Carol's White Rabbit and March Hare are among the best known rabbits of all time. Tricksters or timid, leaders or shy, these fuzzy herbivores pop up in books for every age group. I've put together a (relatively) short reading list - if you have a winner not mentioned, please share it in the comments!

Picture Books

Bunny, my Honey by Anita Jeram - Bunny discovers just how much he needs his Mommy when he runs too far away.

Bunny Rabbit from KaysK9s

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney - Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare compete to see who loves who more.

It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler - P.J. Funnybunny is tired of being a bunny. So he experiments with the alternative lifestyles of bears, birds...skunks...

Not a Box by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - This bunny has a cardboard box that is anything but a box.

Bunny Ruggle - from bewhiskered

Little Bunny on the Move by Peter McCarty - Little Bunny stops for nothing, he has a place to go.

The Runaway Bunny by Margret Wise Brown - A classic. Little Bunny's mother will follow him anywhere.

No list is complete without Margery Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit. I won't even give this one a description, I might start crying.

(I am going to stop here with picture books - or it will be the longest post in EFA history. Incidentally, some of these are by my favorite authors - take a look to see what is shelved next to them.)

Little Girl With a Bunny from licoricewits

Chapter Books for Young Readers

The Stone Rabbit series by Erik Craddock follows a rabbit's journey when he falls through a hole in his bathroom and ends up in a prehistoric land. (Seriously, I couldn't make that up.)

Bunnicula is written by Deborah and James Howe. The sweet, fuzzy little bunny in this chapter book has a deep, dark secret. A secret of the pointy-toothed kind. But this vampire (since he *is* a vegetarian) only vamps vegetables. Happily, this one has a couple sequels!

Poppy Bunnies Mug from TheRusticHome

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson follows the Rabbit family as they share adventures and hardships with the other Small Animals on the Hill.

Tales From Within The Rabbitry is the first in a short series by Jeanette Adams. A young lop-eared rabbit learns to believe in himself (and keep his ears down) while he works to compete for Best of Breed in a national show.

Matilda the Lop-Eared Rabbit from ruffings

The One Even Grown-Ups Shouldn't Miss

If you haven't read Watership Down by Richard Adams, get thee to a library. This is one of the greatest adventure stories ever. My copy has pages falling out from all the rereading.

Bunny Bookmark from SavageArtworks

These are just a few to look for on your next library visit or trip to the book store! You'll be amazed at how many stories have rabbits in them. It just goes to show: everything is better with bunnies.

A rescue rabbit story: In Memory of Shallot

In memory of Shallot

- a rescue rabbit story -

written by Corinna of thefrogbag

Rabbit & Carnelian Earrings

by thefrogbag

Ever see that perfect little ball of fuzz in a shop window that you instantly connect with?

Nothing in the world is cuter than baby animals, and this leads some people to put their hearts before their brains. Sometimes that cute ball of fuzz grows up to be more "animal" than the person can deal with. And sometimes they grow up to be not quite what they at first seemed: health problems and hereditary conditions are often a consequence of breeding "mills".

I know that many EFA members have devoted considerable time and resources to picking up the pieces for these suddenly homeless, often sickly creatures. Most of us have had a special-needs feline or canine in our lives at one point or another. But today I want to talk about one very special special-needs bunny.

I work at a zoo. I don't know why, but many people seem to think that zoo = place to drop off unwanted pets. Let me assure you, this is not the case. True, the zoo I work at houses a large number of rescued parrots and primates. So many, in fact, that we can barely keep up with them all. But unwanted pets? Well, when was the last time that you saw a house cat in a zoo exhibit?

Shallot, the rabbit

Even so, many animals are abandoned by our back gate every year. Bunnies are a particular problem where I work; at one point someone dumped about 50 of them in the park next door. Everyone did their best to get them to a rabbit rescue, but not before they were traumatized by dogs, cars, and who-knows-what-else

I guess it was only a matter of time before I ended up with a hard-luck rabbit of my own. We already have something of a menagerie at our house, but this guy was just too pathetic to trust to fate. He was blind in one eye, emaciated, and had terrible problems with his teeth. Rabbit teeth never stop growing; they're supposed to get worn down by the hay and vegetables that make up a majority of their diet.

That didn't work for this bunny though. His front teeth grew so crookedly that they curved in four different directions, with the top two growing backwards into the roof of his mouth. No wonder he was so skinny! He couldn't chew vegetables at all. He was surviving by picking up small pieces of pelleted food with his tongue and pulling them into his mouth. He lived with some other bunnies at the zoo for a while, but it was obvious that he couldn't compete with them.

So I finally brought him home and named him Shallot. Turns out, he was a wonderful guy ! I was afraid that the fact that we had to take him to the vet every two weeks to get his front teeth trimmed would make him skittish. Far from it! He roamed my studio, groomed my ankles while I worked at my desk, and generally brightened up the place. He never seemed to mind his carrier, and was quickly designated a "well-mannered bunny" by my vet's office staff.

Shallot's teeth

With a great deal of work which included chopping up vegetables into tiny cubes every day, he became healthier and more robust. The next step was to trim all his teeth. For that he had to stay at the vet all day under mild sedation, a dangerous situation for a rather fragile bunny.

We had a scare when they found that the gums near that back of his mouth were so inflamed that at first they suspected oral cancer, but it turned out that it was just the pressure from his screwy teeth that was causing the problem. He made it through the surgery to correct the overgrown gum tissue with flying colors too, and was soon back to hopping around my studio.

Usually, if you rescue a bunny, you'll want to get him or her a bunny companion, but Shallot was often bullied by other rabbits so he had to make do with my husband and I and our cat Emmett, who loved spending time with him. He lived with us for almost two years, sleeping on my feet when I worked on jewelry and sitting next to me on my couch while I worked on my laptop.

Sadly, Shallot suffered a brief illness and passed away while at the animal hospital last week. We'll probably never know exactly what finally overcame him, but the vet told us that he had probably suffered long-term damage from his days of near-starvation. We are very sad about his passing, but glad that we were able to give him a chance at a better life for a little while. Certainly our lives were enriched beyond measure by the time he spent with us.

In memory of Shallot

Sometimes, when weighing the pros and cons of taking on a hard luck case like Shallot, it can be useful to remember the parable of the girl who went down to the beach during an unusually low tide. The sand was littered with dying sea stars. The girl didn't hesitate to start carrying them one by one back into the water.

A passing woman asked her what she was doing, given that there were far more sea stars than the girl could possibly save. "I might not be able to save them all" the girl said, putting another one in the water, "but I sure made a difference to this one". I hope that we made a difference for Shallot.

All EFA Team Treasury: Celebrating Rabbits !

'Team EFA Treasury' by thebluewindmill

Celebrating Year of the Rabbit and adopt-a-rabbit month!

Rabbit and Carnelian Earring... thefrogbag $18.00	Pair of Polka Dot Stoneware ... bitsofclay $6.00
Bunny Rabbit - Needle Felted... KaysK9s $49.00	Little Bunny FuFu - 3/4&quot... hollywoofstyle... $15.00
rabbit buddha collage photo PetCollage $17.00	Large Cocoa Bunny - Hand Kni... yarnmiracle $68.00
Original Vintage Rabbit Mixe... QueenBe $17.00	SET of 4 REUSABLE PRODUCE BA... Johnsonfamilyz... $14.00
Poppy Bunnies Mug BUNNY HILL... TheRusticHome $11.00	Beatrix Potter Bunny Rattle ... TwoStrayCats $15.00
Year of the Rabbit Fine Art ... blindwolfspiri... $6.00	Rabbit Brooch. Green Felt. D... veganessa $12.00
Rabbit Dances 8.5 x 11 Gicle... ruffings $22.00	Czech glass button Mama Bunn... brizel4TheAnim... $4.95
Walking after Midnight Gray ... kittyempire3 $55.00	Chocolate Bunny ACEO Print SavageArtworks $5.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

House Rabbit Secrets !

When people find out I have house rabbits, the most common response goes a little something like this: "We had a rabbit when I was little. It lived in a hutch outside and didn't do much. Actually, rabbits are kind of boring." This makes me sad for both the rabbit and the person because rabbits are SO amazing and personable and social and both parties lost out on what I've found to be a very rewarding bond: the human-rabbit bond...

House Rabbit Secrets

written by Valerie of KnitByValerie

So, what it is a house rabbit?

A house rabbit lives in the main house (i.e. the living quarters) and spends limited or no time in a cage. Having a house rabbit is much like having a teething puppy that never grows up. Lots of chewing, decreasingly frequent litter accidents, and constant cuteness. As with any pet, there are some basics to keeping everyone happy and healthy.

Food is a strong motivator for rabbits. While many people feed just pellets to outdoor hutch rabbits, indoor rabbits don't require the fat layer that a pellet-only diet tends to develop. Many vets recommend limited timothy pellets (vs alfalfa) or even none at all. Because rabbits are hindgut fermenters (lots of good bacteria), they require a lot of fiber.

Be my Honey Bunny

by JMcGuinness

Again, alfalfa is good for baby rabbits, nursing moms, and outdoor bunnies, but too fatty and caloric for the layabout house rabbit, so grass hays (orchard, timothy, and oat are commercially available) should be fed freely.

The greens of veggies are generally good (a list can be found here: http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html ). A new rabbit should be introduced to new food slowly as too many too quickly could result in stomach discomfort and diarrhea.

Many people are also surprised to learn that rabbits can be litter trained. Domestic rabbits are primarily the descendants of European rabbits, who are burrowers. To keep a burrow neat and clean, a place must be designated the bathroom. If the rabbit chooses a bathroom location that is inconvenient, simply place a box there and slowly move it, day by day, until it is in the desired location.

It also helps to entice the rabbit by placing some hay in the box. Box substrate is important. Never use cedar shavings. While it smells nice for us, it has been shown to cause liver damage and respiratory illness in small animals. Generally accepted substrates include aspen shavings, newspaper (both plain and pellet form), and home-heating pellets.

Rabbits that are meant strictly as pets (rather than breeders for show or fiber) should be spayed or neutered for a number of reasons. Male rabbits, like male cats, can get territorial and spray. Female rabbits tend toward false pregnancies, which can cause fur pulling and aggression, as well as considerable stress.

Many find that it is much easier to litter train an altered rabbit. Finally, due to the way that rabbits ovulate and the hormone spikes it can cause, there is a very high incidence of reproductive cancers in unaltered female rabbits over time. Another advantage to shelter rabbits is that they are now routinely already altered.

The last thing that surprises people who don't know rabbits is how bored they can get. It's important to have lots of options for chewing, tossing, and digging to keep your rabbit safe and stimulated. I personally have had to replace roommates' books, two alarm clocks (due to exposed wires), and, most horrifying, a wall due to some creative drywall chewing--which also resulted in a trip to the emergency vet.

There should always be something safe for the rabbit to chew, like apple sticks, willow items, and untreated cardboard and brown paper bags filled with hay, and some fun items to throw around like hard plastic cat toys with bells, baby keys, and commercially available ferret toys. A very popular rabbit toy is an old phone book. Rabbits are expert paper shredders and will delight in an old phone book for weeks !

The Blessed Bunny Bundle

- organic apple wood & fresh rosemary -

by brizel4TheAnimals

Rabbits are largely undervalued as pets, and in my opinion it is undeserved. They are probably as much work as having a cat or dog, but the rewards are easily equal as well. If you're looking for a companion who will happily greet you at the door, use a litter box rather than go outside, munch on your leftover veggies and carrot tops, and speed around the house for the sheer joy of it, look no further than the house rabbit.

Carrot Colored RABBiT fingerless cuffs

by KnitbyValerie

Two excellent websites

for house rabbit enthusiasts:

www.rabbit.org

(the National House Rabbit website)

www.disapprovingrabbits.com

(a blog of people's rabbits that never disappoints)

all EFA TEAM TREASURY: ADOPT-a-RABBiT month is here !

"Items for discerning bunnies and the people who love them"

FEBRUARY is

ADOPTaRABBiT Month !

curated by KnitbyValerie

featuring all EFA members !

Click HERE to visit Treasury

2011 = Year of the Rabbit !

2011 =

Year of the Rabbit

written by Heather of TheBlueWindmill

Jackrabbit

Original ACEO

by thebluewindmill

The 12 signs used in Chinese Astrology are based upon the 12-year period that the planet Jupiter requires to complete its orbit. Each year is associated with an animal, which are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog, and pig.

The Chinese New Year 4709, or 2011 in the Western world, is the year of the rabbit and it starts on Feb. 3rd. Chinese Astrology uses the five elements―Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth―to determine people’s fortune for the new year. Metal coincides with the rabbit and metal is also related to the colors of white, yellow, or gold; therefore, one can say that 2011 is the year of the white rabbit, year of the golden rabbit, or year of the yellow rabbit.

White Rabbit

Silk tapestry Fur Keeper Box

by brizel4TheAnimals

A perfect symbol of the Chinese New Year: Brizel’s “White Rabbit Tapestry Box” represents the circular pattern of the zodiac as well as its five elements, orange-fire, chocolate brown-wood, green-earth, blue--water, and white--the color of the rabbit itself--metal.

“As fourth in the cycle of the 12 animals representing each Chinese New Year, the rabbit is a symbol of endurance according to Chinese mythology,” writes Mary Margaret Peralta in an article titled, “2011, Year of the Rabbit”.

Chinese Zodiac

Year of the Rabbit is much welcomed after the preceding year of 2010, Year of the Tiger and is predicted to be more relaxed, fun, and peaceful. The year of the rabbit will unfold at an easygoing pace without strict adherence to rules and regulations.

The rabbit symbolizes “sensitivity, compassion, and creativity.” These people are “friendly, outgoing, and enjoy the company of others”. They are also considered “calm, gentle, persistent, shy” as well as “quietly charismatic” and thoughtful. Others will seek out their advice for their wisdom and trustworthiness. Rabbits hold home and family in high regard, and do not do well without them. They are most comfortable entertaining friends and family in their neat and organized homes and they console and comfort those who are wounded or hurting.

Some other characteristics of rabbit are as follows:

Rabbits tend to be peacekeepers, shying away from conflict and stressful situations.

One of the most cautious signs in the zodiac, rabbits are prepared to run at the first sign of danger and are known for taking their time while strategizing their next move.

Rabbits gravitate toward the arts and have “an eye for color and line that is evident in their thoughtful fashion sense”.

Bunny Towel Plush

by AubreyMade

Rabbits, and those born under compatible signs, will likely benefit from luck or good fortune during a Rabbit year.”

“Wishing you and your family

a year of health and prosperity!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!”

Resources:

http://www.chiff.com/a/chinese-horoscopes.htm

http://www.chineseastrologyonline.com/ChineseAstrology2011.htm

http://www.suite101.com/content/chinese-zodiac---2011-year-of-the-rabbit-a248098

http://www.answers.com/topic/chinese-astrology