"Fuzzy" logic

Mama told me that she posted an entry on how I'm always optimistic about what she has when she leaves the kitchen. I thought that it was time to tell the world the logic of rabbits.

1. If it crinkles, it contains a treat.
2. If it rattles, it contains a treat.
3. If it has a lid that peels off, it contains a treat.
4. If it smells good, it's a treat.
5. If Mama comes out from the kitchen, she has a treat.
6. If Mama is eating something, it's a treat.
7. If Mama is eating something that she says isn't for bunnies, she'll give us a treat if we bug her.
8. If we have had one kind of treat, that doesn't mean we can't have another treat.
9. "You'll spoil your dinner" doesn't apply to rabbits.
10. If you expect me to sit still to be brushed, you had better have a treat.
11. If you say "Come here Calvin," you had better have a treat.
12. If Jessica thinks there is a treat, please give us a treat or else she'll beat me up for nothing.

Now that the world knows how I think, isn't it time to give me a treat? You think it's easy to type with paws?

Calvin

Calvin, my eternal optimist

Oh, to have the optimism of a rabbit.

Whenever I go into the kitchen, Calvin's "bunny sense" kicks in, and he's usually waiting for me at the end of the hall. Then, he starts dancing and running and jumping, positive that since I was in the kitchen, I therefore must have a treat for him. Of course, Jessica then rushes over, thinking that he's eating a treat and she isn't.

I stand there, looking down at them, either empty handed or holding some food for myself, and say, "Sorry, nothing for bunnies."

I've spoken to them, so that absolutely must mean that I have a treat. They continue to mill around my feet, and I go and sit down. After a second or two, they realize that I must have decided to give them their treat where I'm sitting, so they mob me and try to get a treat. Meanwhile, I'm trying to keep my food (popcorn, pizza, whathaveyou) out of their way so I don't have bunny fuzz in it.

Eventually, I have to give them a treat, for they won't leave me alone. They have me trained so well ;-)

Oh, to have the optimism of bunnies. :-)

"Mama"

"Tails" of sibling rivalry

Hi, there. This is the Mama, as Calvin and Jessica call me. I thought I should get to write something on this blog, too, especially on topics relating to rabbits in general, and Calvin and Jessica in particular. So, I'm starting things off with "tails" of sibling rivalry.

When I first got Calvin, I hadn't really planned on getting a second bunny. But I could tell that he was very lonely. He'd lay around the apartment, licking the carpet, so I thought that he might love to have someone to lick. So, I took him back to the shelter to pick out a buddy. He's neutered, so it didn't matter if he picked a girl (and she would likely be spayed, since Red Door adopts out neutered animals to help prevent unwanted litters and for better rabbit health/behavior).

He chose Jessica, and she joined our household. When introducing rabbits, there can be a lot of fighting, and the fur certainly flew with them during their bonding sessions. Finally, though, they mostly left each other alone, eating and grooming without fighting.

Now, of course, they get along fine for the most part. However, they do bicker like a married couple, and they have some very funny antics:

1. Carrots. Their house is a bunny condo with 2 floors, so when they get their salad every morning and night, I put one bowl upstairs and one bowl downstairs. At night, they get 2 pieces of carrot, one for each bowl. Calvin usually uses his sniffer and finds the carrot in the upstairs bowl. (They're both usually upstairs at night when I bring their salad.) He barely gets a bite or two before Jessica grabs the carrot and runs downstairs with it. Calvin sniffs around where the carrot was (sometimes looking at Jessica, now sitting at the bottom of the ramp, with a look that says, "Hey, you took my carrot.), then starts to eat other stuff (usually parsley). For a while, I was keeping the downstairs carrot in my hand as I put the bowls into the cage, handing it to Jessica, so she'd actually only be stealing her own carrot from the downstairs bowl, and Calvin's carrot would still be upstairs where he was. That worked pretty well, and she's still none the wiser :-)
2. Tug of war. Remember in the Disney movie The Lady and the Tramp when Lady and Tramp kiss after they eat the same piece of spaghetti? Well, in bunnyland, it doesn't happen that way. If Calvin and Jessica begin to eat the same piece of parsley or hay, as soon as the pull from the other is felt, they pull back, and one gets the rest of the piece while the other is left to finish the mouthful they still have. You can almost see their little bunny brains say, "Mine!" "No, it's mine!" with the loser thinking, "Hey, I had it first."
3. Treat time. Calvin is the brains of the duo, and Jessica the brawns. Whenever it's treat time, Calvin usually runs over to me first, followed by Jessica if she thinks there is actually food. (More on Calvin the Eternal Optimist at a later time.) If I put a treat down, Calvin sniffs around and finds it. If Jessica thinks that the treat is under Calvin, she'll bump him out of the way, even if she misses the treat in her exuberance and Calvin ends up getting it.

Their interaction is definitely worth the cost of salad and hay, whether it's them cuddling together, Calvin doing his "I love you" dance around Jessica, or them squabbling over food. :-)

"Mama"

Which parsley right is for you?

Mama asked that I write a little something about for this new blog (whatever that is), so I chose to write about parsley.

Parsley is more complicated than it looks. There are two kinds - flat (also called Italian) and curly (what is used as a garnish a lot). Both are quite tasty. The flat parsley can get nice, thick stems on them, all the better to munch on. Curly parsley can have big bunches of leaves that make it hard to eat, getting one's fur all wet and matted.

So give your bunny a tasty treat - get some parsley. It's cheap (79 cents a bunch at our Meijer store), crunchy, and healthy. Mama knows better than to run out of it.

I really love parsley, which Mama noticed after she adopted me, and she made it my middle name.

Hurray for parsley!! :-)

Calvin

I hate the vet!

I knew something was up when Mama kept hovering near the cage after she gave us our salad. She was sneaky this time, setting up the carrier with some fresh hay and salad where I couldn't see her do it. Then, she reached in and snagged me.

She tried talking to me on the long car ride to the vet, but I just ignored her. I feel fine, so I don't get why I have to go see the vet again. My ear infection is all gone, my teeth are fine since the vet floated them last month, so there's no reason to be happy to be going back.

A different vet saw me this time. She took me into the back and did all sorts of unspeakable horrors to me, like sticking that metal thing in my mouth to look at my teeth. I told you they were fine, but you wouldn't listen. And she took my weight! How embarassing, for a lady never reveals her weight, or her age.

Mama told me that we don't have to go back until December, which I'll forget about until she grabs me and puts me in the carrier again. Next time, though, Calvin gets to come, too, for a physical. He had better still treat me like a queen when we get back home.

Jessica

Hi, I'm Jessica

Jessica Donna
Adopted from Red Door Animal Shelter on April 17, 2004

"What? I'm not doing anything."

Hi! I'm Jessica. I'm queen of the warren, and woe to anybunny and anyhuman who thinks otherwise. I fought with Calvin a little bit when I was first living here, but now I have him wrapped around my little finger. Well, bunnies don't have fingers, but you know what I mean.

Mama says that she doesn't play favorites, but I think she likes me best because I like to cuddle and I'm a diva, so I like getting brushed and my nails trimmed.

I have anger control issues, for whenever something makes me mad, I stomp a back foot so everyone knows how I'm feeling. I used to absolute HATE Mama picking me up and holding me, but I've gotten resigned to the fact that she's gonna do it anyway and, if there are head rubs and/or treats involved, I'll put up with it.

I was given up by my previous owner, and I'm glad Red Door took me in and gave me a foster home. I was able to work through some of my issues before Mama and Calvin took me in. Mama thinks I was abused or something before Red Door got me, but I don't really remember anything except being upset.

If you are thinking of getting a rabbit, please adopt one instead of buying one at the pet store! Shelter bunnies like Calvin and me have a lot o' love to give!!

Jessica

Hi, I'm Calvin

Calvin Parsley
Adopted from Red Door Animal Shelter on September 20, 2003

"Do I hear the raisin box opening?"

Hi! I'm Calvin. I love running around (Mama says I run the Calvin 500), dancing (especially on the balcony), eating, and catering to Jessica's every whim. I will cuddle sometimes, but I run from the brush and the nail clippers. I was very lonely, licking the carpet, so Mama took me to Red Door to pick out a buddy, and that's how Jessica joined us.

There are a lot of bunnies in shelters looking for homes. Please adopt a rabbit instead of buying one at the pet store! Shelter bunnies like Jessica and me have a lot o' love to give!!

Calvin