Part Timer

I have taken a part time job as I need some xtra dough. How I was able to squeeze it into my already tight schedule was not easy to do, but I made it happen. The one thing is that it has taken me away from coming here and updating my blog like I was doing. I used to have a couple hours of freedom at night before bed to come here and visit other blogs, but that has been downright impossible the last week. I barely have enough time to eat in between the Bunny Barn and now my new part time job. With school thrown in, all my chores, homework, etc., I'm tired by the time I get home for bed, only to get up 5 hours later. I won't be working weekends, as I can't. That was part of the agreement. What am I doing? I'm the newest cashier at one of our local markets. It's not a bad job and I like it, and that is what counts anyway. I will be doing it for the next two months, then I'm off to Ireland for a month with a friend, then by the time we get back it will be about time for college to start three weeks later. I'm looking forward to that. :)

Happy trails!

We Got Rain!

Oh my gosh, it is pouring down rain outside and it has been that way since I got up this morning. WooHoo! We need it too as it has not rained here in almost 10 days. So far we got a little over two inches and that's a lot of water when draining into barrels. I hope it rains all day long!

We made some modifications to the rain barrels by running some flexible 4" plastic tubing from the gutters into the top of the barrels, then connected them all together as each gutter gets a different amount of rain, and then a friend of ours added a check valve of some kind in each barrel in case they get full, which drains to the nearby holding pond. Awesome huh?! It was worth all the work to get it done too. No more wasted water! No more moving barrels like I used to do either. I am excited about that!

I have only seen our rain barrels full one time in my short life. It was a few years ago when we had 8 days straight of rain, mostly downpours. They were overflowing! Florida is tropical, but that was too tropical for me. We had to move the bunnies up to the second level as water was coming in under the doors and flooding the lower levels. Sink holes were popping up all over the neighborhood and county too. They are scary! In that 8 days of rain storms, we had over 12 inches of rain. Can you believe that? 12" in a week! I don't mind rain, but that is too much. A couple inches of rain I can handle.

Thanks to all my readers and followers. I love you all for reading my jibberish and leaving great comments. They make me smile each time I see them. :)

Happy trails everyone!     

Stories Rabbits Tell

Has anyone read this book? It is great! I just finished reading it this past week and have started re-reading it again, as it tells the story of what rabbits really are to us. I highly recommend it to everyone who love rabbits or just want to know more about them and what they stand for in our culture. Most people approach rabbits as if they were stuffed animals: cute, but not capable of much except maybe eating carrots and twitching their noses. That is not the case with this cuddly animal everyone should get to know better. They are bright and intelligent, much more than you think they are. They are very trainable too and most like to be trained, and not for getting a treat for doing something either. There is a loving side to them, which I see on a daily basis. They love to be loved just as we do. I got this book at Borders and they had as few copies of them. You can click here to read more about it and maybe even get a copy of it. Happy trails!

Busy Week

Where do I start? My gosh this has been the busiest week of the year so far.

I had to get a report done for school and turned in by today which took me 3 weeks to research and complete, so that took up most of my nights. The report is 32 pages long and it's about different kinds of propulsion systems. You read that right. I knew nothing of them before I did the report as we were assigned different subjects by our teacher, which meant taking notes from each place we found the information, designers, technicians, company names, you name it I had to write it down, then when I had that complete I had to type it all. By the time I finished with the notes and typing everything, I had 42 pages of information. I do feel smarter now though. lol

In between the report and my chores, we had the wildlife people here today for the wild bunnies and the fire dept was here this week too for inspection of the Bunny Barn's fire system, which passed by the way. Yea! The Health dept was here yesterday for some kind of inspection which passed as well. Busy, busy!

The wild rabbits that I got last week have been taken south to be released. I hated to see them leave, but I knew they would have to leave sooner or later anyway. They healed up fast too as both were hopping around this morning with ease. I was planning on taking them back myself, but the wildlife dept said they were responsible for releasing them in the same area they were taken from, being they were the ones who found them. I still could have done it as I've done it in the past before. It did save me a gas trip though.

Not much else going on really. I was suppose to go out tonight but I postponed it until tomorrow night as I had some unfinished chores that needed to be done. I know I'm hard on myself but the chore list in mine, one that I made, so I do them no matter what plans they might interfere with, even if that event is a date. He understands. He always has. That's what I love about him, he understands! lol Love you Nick! Thanks!

Happy trails everyone!

Weatherman Blues

Hello everyone! Happy Monday!

I guess the weather people just had a brain freeze or something as now they say we wont get any rain for maybe another week or more. Yesterday they said we would definately get some rain in all parts of the county and we got nothing. Then they said it would rain today and still nothing. Now they say no rain until next week. Now watch, it will rain now that they say it wouldn't. lol Oh well, we got a pond nearby that I can "borrow" some water from. I do this every year anyway. hehe

I went ahead and moved the rain barrels back to where they were last night, that way I didn't have to do it this morning before school. I only moved four by the front door as they kind of block the way in and out. All the others can stay in place until it rains so I don't have to keep moving them back and forth. It's not as wet around here like it is during the summer months, so they will most likely stay in place until the fall. Once the barrels by the front door get near full, then I load them on the hand-truck and cart them to the "holding pond" that we keep all the rain water at. It usually gets near full by around mid July. Usually by August we don't need anymore and it just rains and rains until it overflows, then it drains down to the pond where I "borrowed" that water from earlier. lol It all works itself out in the end, even if the weathermen have the blues and brain freezes. lol

Happy trails!

Rain Barrels

I set out our rain barrels today to catch the rain from the gutters and wouldn't you know, it didn't rain. The weather channel said it was suppose to rain this morning and this afternoon and again tonight. Still nothing! I don't mind dragging them 10 big and heavy 50 gallon drums around if it's going to rain, but when it don't rain at all, it doesn't make me happy because now I have to move them back and out of the way. I can leave them in place until in the morning, but if I do that, then I will have to move them in the morning as they sort of block the walkways in and out of the house.

I just checked the weather and now they say it's not going to rain until tomorrow night. I wish they would get the days right as we were told it would rain today. A 60% chance of rain usually means it rains here, but nooo, we don't get a drop. I guess this means I should move the barrels tonight. Shucks! I will try again tomorrow after school and move them in position again, and hopefully it rains tomorrow night as we need the water for the plants. We don't usually use county water for the plants if we can help it. Plants do better with natural water, plus it saves us money.

Happy trails!

Injured Wild Rabbits Update

The two rabbits I went to get yesterday are doing good. The vet checked them out last night and we found out they don't have broken legs. That's good news! They both have severely bruised legs and are resting comfortably in their own little area of the Bunny Barn. They can't have any contact with humans, except to feed them and even that they are being fed rubbish from the wild. The one thing to remember about wild rabbits is to not feed them regular domestic food pellets or grains, or they will get accustomed to it and want it all the time. That is something that can't happen or they could possibly starve themselves to death looking for that same food. We keep a supply of wild nuts and other goodies for the wild rabbits to feed on here.

Other than that, it's been a quiet day around here. We had a couple people stop by and look at a couple bunnies they might want next weekend, and that's about it all day. I kept busy breaking sticks for the rabbits to gnaw on, picked up four bales of fresh hay, restocked the feed, and other normal things I do each weekend. I was going to go out tonight but changed my mind not long ago as I'm pooped. Two of my friends decided to come my way instead, so we are going to watch a movie and just relax! I need it too.

Happy trails! 

Rabbits vs. School

Hello everyone! I have had a busy day today.

Last night I received a phone call from a wildlife officer down in Everglades City who needed me. Wow, I felt special too. I have never had an officer from the wildlife dept. call from that far away before. He wanted to know if I could come down and pick up two wild rabbits that needed help. Usually they take care of this themselves and don't have outside help, but this was a special case as he put it. He said he contacted his office and they gave him my phone number as the closest place that could care for the rabbits. Again, I felt honored. It was a 3 hour drive down there though and I had school today too. I asked if I could come down on Saturday, but he said they needed help now! Turns out both rabbits have broken legs and that made up my mind to call the school and tell them I'm not coming in today.

I jumped in my truck this morning and drove down and picked them up. I called the vet that handles our rabbits on the way back to the Bunny Barn and he is due here soon. For being wild rabbits, they sure are tame to me. I have had each one in my arms and neither has tried to get away. It's almost like they know I'm here to help them. Both were injured in a trap of some kind that the officer found after getting a phone call from someone who had found them. Once the vet sees them and tells me what to do to care for them, they will stay here until they are healed. It will be up to the wildlife dept. on what happens with them next. Usually they are released back into the wild, as most don't live long in captivity. I will have to limit the time they are around humans as I don't won't them getting to used to me being around.

It would seem I'm the only rabbit wildlife rehabilitator between here and Everglades City. I find that hard to believe. I don't mind traveling to pick up any rabbits, but there has to be someone else in the area, or I would hope there is. I need to do some calling around and see who else is licensed to work with wild rabbits. My dad is, but he is here with me, so that's no help. I could have sworn there was another place down there somewhere. Anyway, they are safe for now and now I have chores to do. Oh fun!

Happy trails!

Silver Rabbit

One of the most rarest rabbits is the Silver Rabbit, with just under 200 of them in existance in the US alone. There are 3 Silver varieties - gray, brown, and fawn. I have only seen one of them in my life and that was 2 years ago at a convention in Atlanta. Silvers have been known under many names: Millers, Silver Sprigs, Lincoln Silver, Lincolnshire Silver-Gray, and Riche. They range in weight from 4 to 7 pounds. This rabbit shouldn't be confused with the Silver Fox rabbit, as they are quite different from each other.

This is the only picture I could find of the three of them together. This proves they are rare when I can't even find that many pictures of them. This picture is small. The SRC has a few individual pictures of them.

College Books

I saw this picture online just now and it really got me to thinking about college that is coming up this fall. Look at all of them books! I can picture myself standing and looking at them just as this girl is and thinking to myself, "I have to read and memorize all of these?" The truth is, I will have to do just that. The thought of it now is like being hit in the head with a coke bottle. By the time I do get done with college and get my degree to be a veterinarian I will most likely have read and memorized twice the amont that is shown here. I might just have to multiply it by three or four more times, as I want to become a wildlife surgeon one day. That is my ultimate goal anyway. If none pan out, then my third choice is to be a science/nature teacher, or maybe even a biology teacher. Whatever I plan to be, it will be about animals somewhere down that long path.

Calvin and Hobbes: Amnesia

Has anyone else ever tried the amnesia routine atleast once in there lives? I sure did. It didn't go over that well with my dad either. lol I think all kids try this atleast once growing up.

Handling Rabbits

If you didn't know already, rabbits are prey animals and they consider humans a predator, so when a big predator grabs them and holds them up off the ground where they are used to living, it signals danger unless they have learned to trust you and you have been gentle with them, helping them to feel more secure.

I'm mentioning this because on a daily basis I see potential new owners just pick up any rabbit and hold them up high in the air for some reason. I see this done to cats and dogs at the SPCA too. Why do people do this? Get eye level with these animals on there turf as that is the best way to see them anyways.

Just remember when handling a rabbit for the first time, don't instantly grab it and start playing with it. Lift it up gently if you have to move it. Once the rabbit knows you better and trusts you wont harm it, then it wont mind being picked up. Most rabbits dont like to be picked up anyway, no matter what anyone tells you. The best way to move a rabbit is to lift it up gently and slowly around its body, keeping one of your hands underneath it on its rear legs, then cradle it in your arms. There rear legs are very powerful and if left dangling in the air, they tend to kick. It's an uncomfortable position for them.

That's my tip of the day. Have a great day everyone.

Happy trails! 

Curious Looking Insect

I didn't think school would ever end today. Slow day!

I was over at my friends house last night and they were moving a hot tub from the rear of the house to the side of the house. I was just watching. hehe Anyway, Megan - my best friend - called me over to where she was standing and asked me what this bug is that was under the hot tub. I got down closer to it and I had no idea. I had never seen one like it before. My friends are always asking me what things are as I like nature - including bugs - but this one puzzled me. I went out to my truck and got my magnifying glass so I could look at it better. By the time I got back, there were now about 20 of these little bugs.

I decided to take one with me when I left and take it over to a man I know who knows all about bugs. He knew what it was right away. I knew he would. lol He said it was a "Boisea trivittata", or in normal talk a "Boxelder Bug". He said they were very common around houses that had pressure treated wood nearby and were always found in direct sunlight. I have been around pressure treated wood before and I had never seen this bug before and it was dark out when I first saw it. I think the lights that were being used to move the tub may have attracted the bugs, as he said they don't usually come out in darkness.

Also, Boxelder bugs will secrete a staining dye when crushed, so don't crush them indoors or you might stain something that can't be replaced.

This is the best picture I could find online of them. The are not very big at all. 1/4" to 3/4" long is about as big as they get. Cool looking aren't they? BTW, I returned the one I took. lol

Rabbits: World Total

"How many rabbits are there in the world," asked a friend of mine?

That's a good question and I had no idea when this was asked of me last month by one of my curious friends. All I said was millions. I got to thinking about it more and decided to do some research on it and it has not been easy finding out the true number. I really don't think anyone knows the true total except the one who created them all, being many are in the wild and we don't keep track of them all.

From what I have found out so far, rabbits range from 20 to 500 individual species per square mile. The land area of the Earth is 57,500,000 square miles. Being no one really knows the exact number of rabbits per square mile, you can do the math above and see that there are more than most would have ever known about, including me, even if there were only 20 per square mile. That's alot of rabbits! Being rabbits do not populate the polar regions of the Earth, the land area would be reduced dramically, but still, that is alot of rabbits even without the polar regions included.

Now you know, or atleast to the best of my research and knowledge you do. lol

Happy trails!

Busy Day Sunday part 2

I came home today and called the animal shelter about the lady that came by yesterday, the one who claimed she lost her letter from them, and wouldn't you know they had never heard of her. That just irks me to know she lied to me and was intending to steal one of my bunnies. They are free you know? Why do people go this route in there lives when something is free anyways? We have rules we have to follow through the county that states potential owners have to obtain a letter from them, which is done through the animal shelter we do business with, and all of this is done for health reasons only. It makes me wonder what she had in mind for the bunny now. We do have cameras here so I sent her photo to the animal shelter and the county, then filed a complaint with each. I dont bend the rules for anyone. I would rather just keep them all if people want to be like this person was.

It's alot like going to the SPCA for a cat or dog. You have to fill out paperwork, show who your are, and pay for any shots the animal might need, etc. We waive the fee an owner would have to pay and pay it ourselves. I care about these rabbits. They are like family to me and having someone here that seemed to want to maybe harm one, that just makes me very pissy. You would feel the same if in my shoes, right? I would think so anyway.

How was your day? Good I hope. So far may day has been good with a few more hours of my chores to get done before dark. I took a break to come in here and check up on my blog. I will return after my chore list is complete. See you then.

Happy trails!

Its Monday!

It's hard to believe it's Monday again. No chores until after school today, so that is good news. I don't unsually do them on Monday mornings anyway as I have to be at school a little earlier on Monday's only. Private schools and there rules can really stink sometimes. I wouldn't trade it for anything anyways, as the school has been apart of my life since first grade. Yep, same school and this is my last year. I know I will miss it and my friends as we all head into different directions afterwards. That has to be the hardest part of going to one school your whole life.

After graduation this year, my best friend and I are going to Ireland for 4 weeks. Woohoo! We have been planning it now for close to two months and I'm looking forward to it. More on this later when I have more time to discuss it in details. It's going to be a blast, I know that much. :)

Time for me to get ready for school. I will drop in afterwards.

Happy trails everyone!

Calvin and Hobbes: S#x Appeal

This is too funny.

I would have never thought of putting the words sex appeal and Calvin in the same sentence.

Flemish Giant Rabbit

What's the biggest rabbit? You guessed it, the Flemish Giant. I think the Giant name gave it away. lol I have seen maybe ten of them in the time I have spent caring for rabbits. I wasn't sure what it was when I first saw one either, as they are big. Most average around 15 pounds and can get up to 30 pounds or more. There are seven known colors that I know of; black, blueish, fawn, light gray, steel gray, sandy brown and white.

We don't have any for adoption at the moment, but we did have 2 of them here last year. They were both adopted as a pair. I was happy that happened. I was hoping someone would get them both at the same time.

I'm posting this picture to show how big they really are. This picture has not been photoshoped or anything like that. This is there real size. BIG! Oh, and they love LOTS of carrots. :)

A Busy, Busy Day

Today has been one busy day. I got up earlier than usual to get all my chores done being it's a holiday of sorts, went to church and arrived just as service was starting, went out to eat with friends and family afterwards, then came home and jumped right into the middle of an adoption that someone wanted to make happen today. I only jumped in because as I listened in on the conversation between one of our volunteers and the potential new owner from afar, I needed to make sure the new potential owner was right for the bunny. I have this knack of feeling out good people and something didn't sound right about the person wanting to adopt. I don't just let anyone adopt a bunny.

Most that come to our place for an adoption have some sort of message or letter from the animal shelter we do business with, which can't be obtained on a Sunday as they are closed. To make this short, the potential owner said they got a letter from the animal shelter today but they lost it. Sorry, but that don't cut it with me. I told the person they will have to obtain the original letter or get another one on Monday. The person got huffy then. I just turned around and walked the other way. The person then started yelling at me telling me I knew nothing of rabbits and that no kid was going to just walk away from 'her'. I told her that the bunnies were mine and my rules stick. I then told her again, either show me the original letter or get another one on Monday, then I will speak with her, being the shelter was CLOSED today. She left in a huff.

As I sit here now, I doubt she will be back and I don't want her here if she does come back. This is the first time I have ever had an experience like this with a potential owner. I can only imagine what she would be like with the bunny. No, I don't think I want her back and I sure don't want her mean spirited way around a bunny either. I want our bunnies in a good home. I hope this is the end of this with this mean person.

Other than that, it's been a great day. The bunnies are tucked away for the night and now I'm free! Woohoo!

Happy trails!

Happy Easter

Easter Bunny, soft and white,

Hopping quickly into my sight.

Thank you for the eggs you bring,

At Eastertime we welcome spring.

Easter Bunny, soft and white,

Hopping quickly out of my sight.

Happy Easter Sunday to all my readers.

From all of my bunnies, family, and friends,

we wish everyone a safe and fun filled day.

Happy trails!

Easter Funnies

I found these cute comic funnies in my searches this week while doing some research for homework assignments. Some people have a wonderful talent for making others smile.

We all love chocolate don't we? I sure do and today is the day for all the chocolate bunnies everyone gets to eat. WooHoo! Which part do you eat first? I usually start at the top and work my way down, depending on how big the chocolate bunny is. Even my pal above wants some chocolate, and that proves chocolate is loved by everyone, even the bunnies.

It's also the day to eat many different colored jelly beans, but as my pal above states, don't eat the brown ones. I can't imagine they taste too good. No! Not at all! lol

Energizer Bunny.
This one made me laugh out loud when I saw it. Pooping out batteries is a classic!

Jersey Wooly Rabbit

The most adorable of all types of rabbits to me is the Jersey Wooly. They are very small compared to most other rabbits. They range in size from 2 pounds to a little bit over 4 pounds. The one thing that sets this rabbit apart from others is its hair. It can get very long, most around 3 to 4 inches long. It also requires more attention too as it needs to be brushed quite frequently. They are the most gentle rabbit I know of and are easy to train. This rabbit loves to chew on things, like wires. To keep this from happening for this rabbit and all other rabbits, put a small amount of pepper extract on the item that is being gnawed on, and it will deter rabbits from even going near that spot again.

Blog Names

I have a friend of mine that I go to school with ask me how I came up with the name of my blog. In all truthfullness, the name it has now is the third name. I started with Bunnies by LB, LB being short for my lilBunny name, then I changed it to Heavenly Bunnies as that sounded like something I could live with. It stayed that way until just a couple days ago when a member of my family mentioned the name and said the name Heavenly Bunnies reminded him of a place for Playboy models. Well ok, hmm..I had to think about this more now as I didn't want that crowd here, not that I have anything against them or the magazine. You wont ever see me in it, I know that much. I wanted this blog to be more about everything and not just bunnies, so I sat down and came up with the current name, Bunny Trail to Heaven. We all go down some kind of trail in life until our day comes to go to heaven, so that is how the name came about. My life has been all about Jesus, nature, and all of its surroundings since I was very young. The name fit when I typed it in. :)

Happy trails!

Calvin and Hobbes: Silly Putty

Calvin reminds me of this kid in our neiborhood. There is nothing that he wont try to get away with and he's so cute in his ways of going about each task. My dad says all boys growing up have a little Calvin in them.

Weekend Chore List

Here it is a Saturday morning and as usual, I'm up at 5am. How many people in this world get up at 5am on a weekend? I know none of my friends do. None! Unlike them, who can sleep until noon, I have chores to do. No one gets me up except for my alarm clock. I have been getting up early my whole life. It also makes for a longer day too which is good when you have other things you want to do after the chore list is finished. The chore list was created by me and only I do the list. What's on the list?

• Make my bed and straighten my room. (they count as one task.)
• Make coffee for me and the rest of the fam.
• Sweep off the rear porch.
• Feed the rabbits. (this can take an hour to one and half hours)
• Refill the bunny boxes (they are our cages) with branches and hay, bark, etc.
• Clean and wash out the rabbit poop bins.
• Take the trash out from the Bunny Barn. (the place we keep the 300+ rabbits)
• Sweep and mop the Bunny Barn floor.
• Make sure the automated water system is working.
• Make sure the ventilation is working.
• Make sure the ac or heat is working.
• Wash the cleaning utensils, sink, and counters. Done!

By now its close to 10am if I get started by 6am, and our volunteers show up to help with keeping the bunnies company and usually there is someone that shows up that wants to adopt or just look at the bunnies. With an average of 20 bunnies being adopted each week and maybe around 35 coming in each week, it can get hectic here on weekends. Thank goodness for the great volunteers who come and help out on weekends, or it could become a headache. My family and friends help each day, so without them, I couldn't do this by myself. Just the chore list is mine and mine only.

Happy trails!

The Wasp

I had to edit this a little bit as the F bomb was used in it way too many times. I don't like the F word and it didn't need to be used in this to get your attention either. You will see where I put in my own words and it's still gets the point across without the F word. Do take the warning of this wasp message seriously though, as they are not something you want to mess with, no matter your experience with them. Being a bee-keeper doesn't qualify you as an expert in wasps or hornets. Hornets are worse btw. I learned that the hard way about eight years ago when I feel into a hornets nest by a pond. I hurt for weeks after that. Wasps can inflict the same kind of pain if you are not careful. They are not afraid of anyone or anything, except for maybe a can of Raid or some other wasp killer. If you do come in contact with one or more, stop moving. Let them fly around you and they will carry on with what they were doing, usually with no stinging or attacking you. Swatting at them is a no no and only makes them mad. They call in reinforcements if you start swatting at them. Not good then.   

Poem: Five Baby Bunnies

Do you like poems about bunnies? I love them as they bring me closer to them and make me smile and feel warm all over hearing them, and writing them too.

Five Baby Bunnies

Five baby bunnies hopping out to play,
Hopping in the forest on this joyful Easter Sunday.

The first baby bunny carried his new cane,
He twirled it as he came hopping down the lane.

The second baby bunny came to the rivers brink,
Tasted the cool water and took a long, long drink.

The fourth baby bunny skipped down the shady lane,
He opened his umbrella just in case of rain.

The fifth baby bunny said, "Oh look what I see,
Lots of colored eggs hiding along side of baby bunny number three."

So cute and loving.  :)

Custom Rabbit Cages

This one to the left is a Custom Condo for your rabbits. It has all the safety and surroundings your bunny could ever need, including natural grass, fresh air, a ramp to and from each level, a hay filled bottom inside the living quarters, play toys, nibble branches, easy access doors for bottom and top, anchor straps on each corner for bad weather (I suggest moving them inside for extreme weather), a shingled and angled roof for rain runoff, and snakeproof wire cage. The water bottle and food are done manually, though some do have an auto system to refresh there daily requirements. You still have to manually clean it. This is perfect for a family of three fully grown rabbits, four if smaller.

We have 6 condos similar to this one that surround our Bunny Barn. The Bunny Barn is where we keep most of our wild/stray/unwanted bunnies. It is temparature controlled, can hold 400 bunnies if need be, and has many volunteers that come here daily to help out anyway they can. More on this later.

Happy trails!

Rabbit Cage Care

I recently read a complaint and question on a nature forum about this womans rabbit. I'm only going to post her main question and not all of her complaints:
"I have an indoor rabbit. Its driving me crazy. I dont want to use ANY woodshavings of any kind (too messy). Can I lay down just a towel or even just leave the cage bottom bare so I dont have to keep cleaning and changing the woodshavings in the cage?"

My answer:
Huh? A bare cage bottom? Having a rabbit as a pet is NOT to make YOU feel more comfortable because something is too messy. Let's say in a fantasy rabbit world, that two rabbits brought you home as a pet and they didn't like mattresses because they were too much to maintain, then they had you sleep on the bare floor. No fun in that is it? Your rabbit needs comfort just as we do. I'm not trying to insult you or put you down in any, but you can't tell us that you don't want to make your rabbit comfortable only because you don't like woodshavings can you? Part of having a pet is giving them comfort and love even if it's something you dont like to do. I think you should have done some more research on rabbits before getting one, as they are nothing like having a cat or dog. As for your question, woodshavings of all kinds are recommended for rabbits. They are also fine with gerbils and small mice. A towel is NOT recommended being the rabbit will urinate on it and it will stink badly, then you will have to throw it away everyday. Newspapers are a good choice as is a thin layer of hay, or even apple tree bark. You have to remember that they like to chew on things too and having something like a branch or some kind of non toxic bark in the cage, will only give them the surroundings most rabbits enjoy. Never leave the bottom of a cage bare no matter how thick there fur is. I have used cedar shavings in the past, but the shavings, like all shavings, tend to stick to the rabbits fur more than I would like it too. It's still a good choice for a bottom filler. The point is to make the rabbit comfortable. Rabbits like woodshavings. :)

The reply to what I had to say to this person was very defensive. Ugly and cruel is more like it, toward me and the rabbit. I will keep from posting the reply here, just know that I finally told her that I would make the trip to get her rabbit being it was making her life miserable, if she wanted me too. I mean, why have one at all if all you are going to do is complain about everything the rabbit does? Rabbits poop you know. Get over it! People like this are puzzling to me.

To my readers:
Maybe I was a little to forward in my reply but having rabbits is not that much work unless you have many of them. You must know this before you get one or more of them. We have over 300 of them. We rehab them, rescue them from mean people, rescue them from being euthanized, rescue them from weather disasters, care for them 24/7, and even have an adoption program through the county. We have a stockpile of tree branches and bark from North Carolina that is delivered here each month. Having 1 rabbit is nothing like having 300 of them, but we use the same concept as just having a single rabbit.

Happy trails!

Awkward Situations

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This poor hunter is screwed! Can you imagine this being you - face to face with a man eating furry wild animal? What would you do? His rifle is out of reach, he is most likely reading a book that is about killing animals, and he is now almost nose to nose with it.

I know this picture is a fake, as it has to be. If this were a true situation, what would you do? First thing you should do is not move. Stay as still as you possibly can, and don't pay attention to the pee running down your leg, as it's yours anyway. Making any sudden move could be deadly. Just sit and don't stare at the animal. Staring back at any wild animal is a threat to them. On the comedy side to this, maybe tell a joke or blow a kiss at it might help. I don't know, just don't get up and run or yell, as this animal can run fast and it can yell louder than you can. lol

By the way, I'm on the animals side in this one. :)

Eyeing Nature

For the ones reading this that can go out into the woods or maybe a forest or even a nature trail, what is the first animal you usually see first? From my own experiences in many forests and nature related places I've been to, one animal has always been in each one and it's usually the same cute animal I see first. That one animal is none other than the squirrel. They seem to be everywhere. Most call them rodents, but unlike most other rodents, squirrels are cute to me, so I call them animals. lol Rats are rodents. They are ugly. Squirrels may look like a rat at times, but they are not ugly to me. Back to the point of this. Do you see squirrels the most in the wooded areas near you, or something else, like maybe blue jays, cardinals, hawks, or even the rarely seen eagle or rabbit?

I have rarely seen that many rabbits in the wild. I have on occasion come upon them in open prairies and have seen them in neighborhoods around here where I live. They are more common here in Florida than most people think. Squirrels though, I think we have around 3 in every tree and we have 15 trees in the backyard alone. Do I feed them? Yes I do. I feed them in the wild and in the parks. I know I'm not suppose to feed them, but I do it anyway as most of us do. I feed them nuts only. They wait on me each afternoon at the door too. I'm serious. They are so cute.

Fact: Squirrels live in almost every habitat from tropical rainforest to semi-dry deserts, avoiding only the high polar regions and the driest of deserts.

I have often wondered if squirrels existed in jungles where monkeys rule the kingdom of trees. From my research they do exist, just they dont roam as freely as they would in any other wooded area. If I were a squirrel and had a monkey in the same tree or in the tree across from me, I dont think I would be roaming around that much either. Would you? lol

Feel free to comment and any of my posts. Thanks for reading more of my jibberish. (I love that word).

Happy trails!

Easter Bunny Facts

Do you believe in the Easter Bunny? I do! Yeah!

In legend and old folklore tales, the bunny brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter. Some compare the Easter Bunny to Santa Claus.

Why the colored eggs? I did some reading on this and most have no idea. I asked my grandma to see if she might know the real meaning of the colored eggs tradition and she said they represented the changing colors of the flowers during spring time. That made perfect since to me.

Why a bunny though? Why not a fox or maybe a deer? Have you ever wondered why a bunny was chosen to represent Easter? Fear Not, I have the answer. lol It seems fertility has more to do with it than anything else. Eggs, like rabbits and hares, are fertility symbols. Since birds lay eggs and rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the earth at the Vernal Equinox. Vernal Equinox meaning

Rabbits and hares are both prolific breeders. The females can conceive a second litter of offspring while still pregnant with the first. I bet you didn't know that. This is where the term "to breed like bunnies" come from.

Now you know why bunnies were chosen to represent Easter. Did you learn something from this? I sure did.

Happy trails everyone. :)

Calvin and Hobbes: Monopoly

Calvin and Hobbes is my favorite cartoon to read. This one is one of my many favorites from them which I titled Monoploly. Can you imagine playing this game with Calvin? He makes me laugh so hard at times.

Happy trails to everyone today. Starting the day with a laugh will make it a great day. :)

Got a nickel?

Good morning readers,

I got a huge laugh when I saw this last night. Here is this cat sitting in front of a gumball machine with a fish in it. I'm thinking to myself, "I bet that cat wishes she had a nickel." lol I can't imagine what the fish is thinking. Maybe a better home, as the one it is in is not somewhere I would keep a fish, plus it looks lonely. A healthy fish is a happy fish. I can see tubes in the tank, so atleast it's being aerated in some way. Back to the cat: I wonder if she knows that if she lifts her paw and turns the lever on the tank, that the fish will come out. lol