The Calvin 500, Carrots, and Gravity

Last night, two funny things happened. I was sitting on the floor reading for class, and Calvin came snooping through. Usually when he does this, it means that he's about to go racing around the apartment (run the Calvin 500). And he didn't disappoint. The funny part was, I was at the end of his one run, and he went leaping over me then stopped. He turns around, jumps over me again, and then uses me to kick off the next sprint. I was laughing so hard. Now, he's run into me before (which is why if he's out, I either try not to get up and move around or I announce "Mama walking" so he might know where I am), but I've never been purposely included in the Calvin 500 racetrack :-)

At salad time last night, I handed Jessica her carrot (which she usually steals and runs downstairs with). Well, she drops it, and it goes downstairs. She'll often run down after it, so I was busy straightening the hay in the litterbox after I gave Calvin his carrot. Then, I reached downstairs to get Jess's carrot to give back to her. Well, as I look up, she takes Calvin's carrot and runs downstairs with it. So, I gave him Jess's. I guess I didn't return Queen Diva of the Warren's carrot fast enough. I need more training so I can serve her Royal Fuzziness promptly :-)

Mama

Give me an O, an A, a T...

The other day, I finished up one of the 18oz. "cans" of oatmeal, which I give to Calvin and Jessica as a treat. (Yes, I know it's not that great for them, but they don't get much oatmeal or get it that often.)

On a whim, I wondered if Calvin would stick his head into the can to eat the oatmeal. So yesterday, I made a little pile of oatmeal for Jess to keep her out of the way and put a little in the empty can to see what Calvin would do.

I took these photos today. As you can see, Calvin had no problem sticking his head into the can (and I held the bottom so he wouldn't get stuck). Yesterday, he'd come up for air while chewing but, since Jessica wanted oatmeal, too, I think he tried to eat as much as he could before taking his head out of the can.


As you can see, she didn't have any problems with sticking her head into it, either.

Later, I gave them some dried papaya so I could get good photos of the "begging" faces that they do. Here's Jessica's:











And here's Calvin's:





And a cute picture of Calvin in general.



I love these two guys!! :-) So many great rabbits like Calvin and Jessica are abandoned at shelters each year or, worse yet, turned loose to fend for themselves. And with Easter approaching, the numbers of both will go up. Please adopt - don't buy a rabbit, and learn about what a bun needs to be happy and healthy before bringing one home. They are such wonderful animals and are worth every minute I spend with them (and then some!). :-)

Mama

Ears redux

Tonight, I cleaned Jessica's and Calvin's ears. And again, Calvin is a very unhappy rabbit. He and Jess are laying side by side in their house right now, and his ears are pinned back. I think from his gaze that I should have gone up in flames by now or fallen into a bottomless pit.

I wonder how long he'll be mad at me this time.

Mama

Bunny Smarts

I know I often make it sound like the rabbits don't have much in the way of brains. For example, they don't understand gravity (if either Calvin or Jessica starts to eat something at the top of the ramp leading down to the first floor of their cage, that food inevitably goes rolling down the ramp). However, they do some pretty smart things sometimes.

The smartest thing I see Jessica do is keep ahold of her lettuce as she eats it. She'll put a foot down on it so it doesn't flail around or anything as she chomps. With her holding the lettuce, she can rip off pieces with a fling of her head.

Another genius move of Jessica's is how to get attention. One day, she was nibbling on some boxes out here in the living room. I was sitting at my computer, and I kept telling her to stop. She kept doing it, so I finally got up and went over to her. Well, she looks at me, turns, and goes leaping and dancing off, as if to say "Ha ha. Made you get up."

Calvin's brains seem to always be cooking up a new trick to try. One night, I was upset and really stressed out about a final exam for a class. (This was before Jessica joined us.) I had opened the cage and was sitting on the floor in front of the TV and, I'll admit it, crying. I happen to look over at Calvin the very moment he launches himself from his cage (about 18 inches from the arm of the couch), lands on some mail sitting on top of my backpack, and "surfs" on the mail until he drops to the couch cushions and stops about three inches from my face. I almost died of laughter! He had this smug little expression on his face, like "I did it! I'm so great!" I asked him, with tears of joy in my eyes, how long he had been planning that.

Anyone who thinks rabbits are boring or stupid needs to meet my two!

Mama

Jessica, the Radicchio Rustler

I like to buy a variety of salad items for Calvin and Jessica, and one favorite of theirs is radicchio. Radicchio sort of looks like red cabbage except that it's red and not purplish. I will peel leaves off of the head to give them to eat until the head is smaller than my fist, at which time I'll give them the rest of the head, whole.

Well, it should come as no surprise that Jessica usually grabs the head and runs downstairs with it, leaving Calvin on the second floor of the cage wondering where the tasty radicchio went. If I remember, I peel off a chunk before I put the head into their cage, so when Jessica grabs it and runs off, I have some to hand to Calvin (much like how Jessica now steals her own carrot while still thinking she's stealing Calvin's - see #1 under Tails of Sibling Rivalry in the Sept. 05 archive.)

The buns are good at sharing the litterbox, water bowl, etc., but when it comes to food, there is no such thing as yours and mine or his and hers. It's all Jessica's :-)

Mama

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

Them Ears Say a Lot

Before I got Calvin, I had read-up on bunny body language at http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk_intro.html. When Calvin is really interested in something or checking out the apartment before he starts zooming around, his ears are pointing forward. When he wants a good head rub, he'll hold his ears apart, giving me more "scalp" to rub, an action that the people at the shelter had never seen him do before when he did it on the day we first met and I brought him home. I call it the "Oh yeah, Mama, give me some lovin' " pose. His expressions are usually pretty simple since he's such an easy-going little guy and has no motives other than attention and getting good food.

Though Calvin is easy to read, Jessica is a whole 'nother ballgame. Her lop ears aren't as expressive as Calvin's "uppy" ears, but I've slowly learned to read her ears as well. When she's interested in something, they sort of slide foward like a pendulum, usually blocking her eye so she has to turn her head to the side to look at me. She's able to lift her ears up to half mast, as it were, when she is grooming, but otherwise they stay down. With the wide range of emotions and expressions she shows, her lop ears makes it harder for her to express herself so I can understand, so she adds the thump of a back foot for emphasis a lot. ;-)

It's not so much that rabbits don't communicate with us humans - we just have to learn how to listen and pay attention to them.

Mama

Bury me under lots of hay

Whenever I go to give Calvin and Jessica's litterbox a new bunch of hay, one or both of them usually hop into it before I'm done (if one isn't already sitting in it). As I try to put the hay around them, they usually get covered with some of it. I brush it off, but they don't move - they just begin chowing down on the fresh stuff. I know that the ancestors of the domestic rabbit lived underground in warrens, but that doesn't seem to explain why my two wouldn't care if they'd be buried under a pile of hay.

I think they wouldn't mind being covered with hay because they'd have to eat their way out, and to a rabbit, that'd be a lot of fun. Um, okay, whatever :-)

Mama

The rabbit sense of taste

I know that rabbits must have a sense of taste - no, not in fashion (although Calvin always looks spiffy in his chinchilla coat and Jessica darling with her lop ears), but in food. Smell probably has a really big connection to what will taste good to a rabbit and what won't.

However, I can't understand how they can go from munching on fresh spearmint to eating fresh dill. I mean, that's like eating a pickle after chewing minty gum or brushing your teeth. Yuck-o, yet both Calvin and Jessica don't seem to notice anything odd about it.

Remind me not to eat any salad that they toss together ;-)

Mama

What I'm thankful for (Calvin)

I'm thankful for yummy salad and hay, for getting to race around the apartment, and for getting to lie around and relax and not have to worry about who will take care of me. I am thankful for Jessica. This is our second Thanksgiving together, and having another rabbit in the house to talk to and share thoughts with is the best. I'm thankful for treats and for balconies that are fun to dance on. I'm very thankful for not having to go to school like Mama is, for that sociology stuff is hard! I'm thankful for Mama and for her choosing me for her first pet rabbit ever.

Calvin

What I'm thankful for (Jessica)

I'm thankful for having a Mama that loves me despite my love of shredding paper and my lop ears that are so hard to keep clean. I'm thankful for hay, clean litterboxes with fresh newspaper to shred, and let's not forget treats. I'm thankful that Calvin chose me to come home with him and Mama. I'm thankful for getting to race around, to explore behind nooks and crannies, and to get nice, long grooming sessions from Calvin and headrubs from Mama.

Jessica

What I'm thankful for (Mama)

As I sat down to dinner, I gave thanks for my two little fuzzy stress relievers. I am so thankful that there are shelters and rescue groups that take in rabbits and find them homes. I'm thankful that Jessica recovered from her ear infection earlier this year, a very scary time for me when I had to leave her at the hospital for a few days. I'm thankful that they are both happy, healthy, and active. I'm thankful for being able to provide hay and salad for them, when most pet rabbits are fed commercial pellets that have to be so very boring.

And most of all, I am thankful that I didn't have to leave my pets behind like the victims of Hurricane Katrina did, for my buns are my kids and my family.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, and give thanks for the little fuzzy beasts in your life :-)

Mama

Mama's revenge

Tonight just happened to be the night that Jessica's ears needed cleaning. (They get cleaned once a week - lop ears are hard for the rabbits to keep clean themselves.) If she tries to tell you that it was done as revenge for her little project, don't believe her, no matter how cute she looks. :-)

Mama

Bunny projects (Mama's point of view)

"Rip, rip, fling. Rip, rip, fling."

"Fling, fling, rip. Fling, fling, rip."

"I'm a bulldozer."

"Uh, oh. It's a reporter. I'll be all over the tabloids for this."

Yes, bunnies love their little projects. I heard this one beginning last night after I went to bed. Now, I could have gotten up and tried to intervene, but rabbits can be stubborn (especially my little diva, Jessica). The best I could have done was throw the construction (or should I say, destruction) timetable off by an hour or two.

When I got up this morning, newspaper was everywhere in their cage. If I put the shredded paper back into the litterbox, Jessica will jump in and fling it back out. Calvin does contribute to the chaos here and there, but I think Jess was the forerabbit on this project. She was acting like a groundhog earlier, digging and pushing like a bulldozer. I don't know if she's trying to dig a warren to live in for the winter (her wild, European ancestors lived underground) or if she's trying to help the guys in the show Prison Break bust out.

Living with rabbits is always a fun time :-)

Mama

Bunny projects (Jessica's point of view)

"Some shots of my masterpiece."

Mama cleaned our litterbox last night, but something about how it was set up really bothered me. So, I decided to remodel.

You see, rabbits like to have little projects. We enjoy ripping paper, digging, flinging things around - so how perfect is it to rip up the newspaper lining the bottom of the litterbox and fling it all over the place? Talk about fun. I could do this all night and all day.

In fact, I think I will :-)

Jessica.

[I helped, too, but I'll let Jessica take the fall. I know where the treats come from, so I have to make sure my bunny halo is on straight. - Calvin]