Calvin: "Whut happened?"

I wasn't feeling well today, so I stayed home from work. When I'm home during the day, on weekends and vacation days, etc., I usually let the rabbits out to run around or to lie behind pieces of furniture. (I always think that when I let them out of their house, their first thought is "Yeah, I can now lie down somewhere else for a while instead of just here in my house.")

Rabbits will "flop" - fling themselves onto their sides and sleep deeply for a while. Jessica loves to do it behind my recliner. Calvin did it the other day at the bottom of the ramp leading to the first floor of his house, making it look like he fell and injured himself or something. (I knew he was only flopped, but I laughed, which made him sit up and look at me as if to ask me why I ruined a perfectly good flop.)

Anyway, Calvin likes to lie on the little magazine shelf under the coffee table. It's about 2 inches off the floor. (Jessica often lies behind the coffee table and sets her head on the shelf, so it's a good bunny height.) This afternoon, I hear a thump, so I look over and Calvin had flopped on the magazine shelf, and he lay there licking his front feet. Well, his fur and the wooden table usually equal sliding, and he was close enough to the edge of the shelf that he accidently fell off. He turned over onto his feet and looked at me like "Whut happened? I was licking my feet and just lying there, minding my own business, and now I'm on the floor." I wonder if he thought I did something to make him fall. Um, no, I was sitting and reading a book for class, so he only has himself to blame.

I have to teach these guys about gravity, I think.

Mama

All is Forgiven

Hurray! Calvin is talking to me again :-) He started acting more normal around me last night - no running away, no cowering away from me. He actually approached me a few times to see what I was doing, especially when I was cleaning their litterbox.

I'm so glad to be on my bunny boy's good side again! :-)

Mama

Still in the Bunny House

Boy, can Calvin carry a grudge! Now Jessica I know will. I came home on Valentine's Day last year and pulled Jess out to give her a hug. For a week and a half, she'd stomp her foot and run to the first floor of her cage, thinking that I was gonna pull her out and hug her again.

Hopefully Calvin will forgive me soon. He's still shooting me looks that could kill. Sigh.

Mama

Oh, and....

Calvin's not talking to me. Usually when I give him a head rub (or barely stroke his head), he grinds his teeth, a bunny way of saying that they are very happy. Well, I got no grinding when I gave him the special "after ear cleaning" head rub, and I got none when I just petted him. In fact, he gave me the cold shoulder. I'll have to get into his good graces tomorrow night, for it's bed- and salad-time right now.

Mama

Mama's Side of the Story

I knew Calvin wouldn't be happy with getting his ears cleaned. But Dr. Horton saw wax in his ears on his annual checkup, so he gets to get them cleaned every so often, my lucky little guy.

I couldn't believe how different his ears were from Jess's. Hers are a lot longer and wider, so it was easy to clean them. His are narrower and since he wanted them pinned down, they were more constricted than they probably usually are, too. I figured he'd fight, and he did, but hopefully it'll get easier. Jess has given into the procedure, and he won't get them cleaned often enough to adapt, probably.

And Jessica is still licking his head. I didn't think he'd actually get sympathy from Queen Diva of the Warren, but I'm sure he'll milk it for all it's worth :-)

Mama

Calvin: "I am SO offended!"

Mama cleaned my ears tonight! Me!! My beautiful uppy ears were violated with smelly ear cleaning stuff and horrible cotton swabs. I couldn't believe it. She cleaned Jessica's ears first but, well, Jess always gets her ears cleaned, so I wasn't too suspicious when she grabbed me and carried me into the kitchen. When she wrapped me in the towel, I thought, "Hmm, what manner of evil is this?" but didn't struggle. In fact, I poked my head out and checked out the kitchen counter. Then, Mama grabbed the bottle that smelled like Jess after she gets her ears cleaned.

The liquid being put into my ears wasn't too bad, but when she started wielding the cotton swabs, I fought. I didn't growl like I usually do if she starts messing with my feet, but I wiggled and shook. After she was done and unwrapped the towel, I shot Mama a look of pure annoyance. She tried to placate me with what she called a "special head rub" that I guess she gives Jess afterwards, too, but I wasn't having any of it.

She gave me two papaya/pineapple treats before putting me back into my house with Jessica, but that didn't make up for the indignity. I always sympathize with Jessica when she gets her ears cleaned, but she was busy licking her own pride to pay me much attention. But now, though, she's giving me a good head licking, so I guess that is sort of okay. Sort of.

Calvin