The Secret Lives of Bunnies

Boy bun basking in sunlight.

Today I am offering a rare view into my inner sanctum. I need a pick-me-up and these are the critters whose main duty in life is to be cute in my presence and, therefore, make me a happier dame (I think they would be more likely to list their main goals as 1. dig a hole in the litterbox 2. gain access to every place in the house that has a closed door and 3. destroy the television by finding a way to access - and chew through - the out-of-reach power cords. I have very different ideas about how they should spend their time than they do.)


Girl bun in her favorite place in the UNIVERSE - under the couch.

Rabbits are surprisingly smart pets. They take a lot more work to keep up properly than most people assume. I think people tend to lump them in with hamsters and gerbils as low-key starter pets. This is ABSOLUTELY not the case. They have delicate digestive systems and if they eat something they cannot digest they can die (rabbits are unable to regurgitate). They are also prone to die of a heart attack from too much excitement or a sudden fright. They are sensitive and need an understanding owner who will bother to pay attention to their body language. They are more work than most cats and are rarely an appropriate pet for a child unless the particular bun has a mellow temperment and the child is considerate and clever enough to learn to care for a rabbit properly. They are also naturally social animals and need interaction (most buns are happier raised as a pair or group) and should not be left to live ignored in a hutch - the fate of many a bun purchased as an Easter surprise.


Boy bun noshing.

These little ones hop around my house pretty freely. They are litter trained (just like a kitty) and typically the only mess they make is when I accidentally leave a newspaper or the yellow pages down where they can shred it. They spend a lot of time hiding in what they think are BRILLIANT spots I do not know about, running races around the couch and conquering the mountain that is the chaise lounge (Boy Bun has climbed to the armrest on his own and will perch there to survey his kingdom). And they make no sound. Unless it's a little purring noise they will occasionally make by rubbing their teeth together (called a tooth-purr). It is a strange and wonderful thing to have these silent little creatures sharing my home.

They remind me of Mitch Hedberg's Koala routine: "My apartment is infested with koala bears. It's the cutest infestation ever. Way better than cockroaches. When I turn on the light, a bunch of koala bears scatter, but I don't want them too. I'm like, 'Hey... Hold on fellows... Let me hold one of you, and feed you a leaf.' "

My house is infested with bunnies. It's the cutest infestation ever.


Girl bun dismissing the camera with a withering glare.

All photos ©2008 dameonline.net

People Who Look Like Bunnies

The Buh-RILL-iant people over at Hopscotch are doing a lookalike photo series called "People Who Look Like Bunnies." I think it's divine. Click the photo or the text link to view the brilliant. Liv Tyler and Jared Leto are my two faves after Alice Cooper. HILARIOUS!

Figured that starting the year out with a bunny link and a smile was DEFINITELY the way to go.

More Rabbity Goodness

Show bunnies jumping hurdles. So cute. I don't know why. It just IS. I am completely giving in to the urge to go all bunny-fied for the next few days.

Disapproving Rabbits

Sharon's Bun Latte, this photo appears with the caption:

Left: Latte preparing to disapprove.
Right: Total rabbit disapproval.

The Disapproving Rabbits belong to Bird Chick, Sharon, who is actually a bird expert and published author. She just also happens to own three VERY funny bunnies (although, I think she deserves a lot of credit for her excellent captions). The site features oodles of photos with silly captions AND Disapproving Rabbit T-shirts.

Hi-LAR-ious good fun.

30 Second Bunnies Theater

Easter is coming up so you can expect a smattering of vaguely Easter-related entries from me. It's not that I particularly celebrate Easter.

It's that I own bunnies.

I have a friend who jokes that it's "Christmas for Bunnies." Which is completely silly but totally works for me. I buy the buns extra treats and they get an Easter dinner that includes a wider variety of fancy expensive veggies and herbs than I normally shell out for. Rabbits are far more clever than people usually realize... but I'm still pretty sure that they don't register the whole "special occasion" thing.

So, as my first nod to the season and what will probably become an annual period of bunny celebration for me and my furry family - I would like to direct you to 30 Second Bunnies Theater. It's been pretty viral, so you have probably seen them before, but if not - definitely worth checking out. Cartoon bunnies act out 30 second versions of popular films. The list includes two of MY all-time favorite movies, The Big Chill and Alien. The other selections include old classics like Casablanca and modern classics like Rocky (the pet turtles have bunny ears!). And funniest of all is a cast of cartoon rabbits acting out The Rocky Horror Picture Show, including the garters, the blood and the dance routines.

In case the film selction didn't make it clear - these aren't really kid friendly. They're more kitsch than homage, so don't be offended when they oversimplfy your fave film. I mean, it's 30 seconds! Which is pretty darn impressive.

Slice of Life

According to the NCAG blog, this pretty yawning puff
is Alaska (a boy) belonging to their Canadian member Holly

I think it's wild that you can see so many different things and people in blogs. One that I keep going back to is the Northern California Angora Guild’s blog. Angora rabbits are enormous balls of fluff. Prizewinning purebred angora rabbits are oddly symetrical brushed out glorious little balls of fluff. They look like living cartoons. The blog has pictures (not only of angoras), discusses rabbit care (Apparently rabbits can be shipped anywhere. Bizarre.) and gives accounts of competitions. It’s fascinating to learn about other people's interests... but mostly I like the pictures of fluffy bunnies.

Bad Kisser

You know the guy you only went on a couple of dates with although he was nice and opened the door for you and had good taste in music... because the first time he tried to kiss you, you pulled back with your chin dripping?

I am afraid my pet rabbit may be THAT GUY.

Bunnies groom each other as a form of social interaction. They often focus on grooming faces and ears, which makes sense. Those are the things they can't reach themselves. It usually seems very sweet because it makes them appear to be kissing. I own a pair of lop rabbits. The male grooms the female (pictured above) with a passion and dilligence I have previously only witnessed animals using on their offspring or own hindquarters. He gets so impassioned that he will stretch out to his full length, pushing back against the ground with his slippery furry little paws as he tries to get greater leverage.

Our female bunny is beginning to get an odd slicked-back look to the fur around her eyes. Her face is VERY clean. Thankfully, she has begun to protect herself when he gets too OCD with the cleaning. She scoots back and hops off until he gets the message. Much like human dating, I suppose. Rarely does anyone actually tell a guy he's been secretly nicknamed "slurpy".