Friday Fluff(iness): Bunnies!

14th November 2008

Friday Fluff(iness): Bunnies!

posted in Personal |

You know the old saying about a lucky rabbit’s foot, right? Well, on election night, I brought home the whole rabbit. Yeah, I like to think it helped my man win. Actually, my graduate seminar this year is on animals in American history and the other week had us reading Katherine Grier’s “Pets in America” — a bad choice for someone who’s already a sucker for all things furry. By the end of the third chapter, I felt the irresistible need to go to a pet store. By the end of the book, we were getting a bunny. This is Harry (named after Harry Truman, perhaps my favorite president; I also have a cat named after Theodore Roosevelt. Yes, we historians can be kind of geeky).

The House Rabbit Society has a great website with lots of helpful tips on how to care for a bunny and how to litterbox train them and such. The site also makes a strong case that a bunny should have another bunny companion. I considered it, but wasn’t sure if I wanted two bunnies. Then I stopped in a pet store yesterday to get some treats for Harry and this adorable lionhead bunny sealed the deal. Meet Ari.

For anyone considering a bunny, they don’t smell provided you clean the cage regularly and bonus, they’re a great compost heap alternative to vegetable and fruit cuttings. The bunnies already use a litterbox and when I let them hop around, they go back in the cage when biology calls. Most can even be socialized with dogs and cats — as you can see below, kitty Chloe loves her new friend.

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1 On November 14th, 2008, Lisa said:

Lionhead bunnies! I saw a bunch of the little dudes at a county fair in New Jersey and fell in love. They’re soooooo soft!

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

2 On November 14th, 2008, lyl said:

Chloe might love her new friend, but Harry doesn’t look to sure about the arrangement.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

3 On November 14th, 2008, PurpleGirl said:

Man, I love bunnies! They’re so cute and twitchy of nose …. and they so make my eyes painfully string and water. %*&^.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

4 On November 14th, 2008, Susan said:

Aww… your pix are too kewt!!! Now I want a bunny!

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 2:39 pm

5 On November 14th, 2008, Rachel said:

Oh, he’s totally cool with the cats, Lyl. In fact, he’s often the one who chases them around. Still, we never let them interact together unsupervised.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 2:40 pm

6 On November 14th, 2008, Eve said:

It just occurred to me that bunnies are ideal pets for vegetarians, since unlike cats, they don’t need to eat meat. (Dogs can be vegetarians, but most dog food has meat in it.)

I haven’t ever really known any bunnies personally, but I seem to recall that they don’t like being picked up. Do they ever sit on your lap?

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

7 On November 14th, 2008, Charlotte said:

I love that some of your pets are named after famous people in history.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 2:51 pm

8 On November 14th, 2008, Rachel said:

Haha, Eve. I told my husband that the bunnies and I share similar diets. Not really, but both of our diets are primarily plant-based. And I was friends with a woman from one of the animal rights groups I was a member of years ago who bought vegetarian dog food for her dog, but it was really expensive.

Given some patience and kindness, bunnies can be very lovable. I got the first bunny from a teen who breeds them and he had been handled since birth. I’ve only had him a week and already he jumps in my lap and loves to be cuddled. He’s very active, though and never sits there for long. The pet store bunny is still a little skittish, but he’s very docile and will let you hold him and pet him. I’m hoping that with time, he’ll also come around.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 2:53 pm

9 On November 14th, 2008, Twistie said:

History geeks unite! I once had a cat named for Abigail Adams. She was wonderful. I still miss Nabby, and she’s been gone for seven years now.

My brother the alpaca rancher has kept rabbits as pets for a good many years now, and I’ve always enjoyed visiting the bunnies. I don’t think I’d be a good bunny mom, but they are lovely critters.

10 On November 14th, 2008, Rachel said:

Ooooo, alpacas! I had never heard of them before I took a wrong turn once while going to cover a story and stumbled across an alpaca farm. I ended up doing a few stories on the farms in my area (Ohio is known as Little Peru for the vast numbers of alpaca farms here) and fell in love with those adorable critters. Sigh, if only I could have my own farm.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

11 On November 14th, 2008, Kelly said:

Ooooooh, I love bunnies! So cute. I’ve always worried about them stinking and about our cat not liking them. It looks like it can work!

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 3:59 pm

12 On November 14th, 2008, sara a. said:

The pic with the cat is pretty funny, esp considering that I had a cat that ate bunnies!

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 4:01 pm

13 On November 14th, 2008, HillaryGayle said:

That photo of the cat in the bunny cage? Made my whole day.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 5:28 pm

14 On November 14th, 2008, spacedcowgirl said:

Eeee!!! So cute!

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 5:44 pm

15 On November 14th, 2008, Rachel said:

Hillary — here’s another photo of the cats on the night I brought the new bunny home. Talk about a feline fixation. The kitten in the picture above thinks the bunny cage is some kind of cat rest stop. She goes in there and drinks from their water bowl and lies down.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

16 On November 14th, 2008, Karin said:

Rachel, that last picture you linked to should be titled “And you think YOU’RE stressed?”. LOL!

The bunnies are so cute and the picture with the cat is über-sweet!

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 6:30 pm

17 On November 14th, 2008, emmy. said:

hahaha TOO CUTE!! what a great way to end the week

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 8:38 pm

18 On November 14th, 2008, SP said:

Aw! My sister and I had bunnies when we lived together. They did not come litterbox-trained, but we put a litterbox in a spot that the rabbits were using, and they used the box the next time — and within 12 hours, had extrapolated that the cats’ other litterboxes must also be Special Toilet Places, and they never used their straw again. Such smart little babies.

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 pm

19 On November 14th, 2008, Michele Helms said:

AAHHH….so sweet!

posted on November 14th, 2008 at 11:50 pm

20 On November 14th, 2008, Jackie said:

Awwww, look at that kitty grin!

21 On November 15th, 2008, i-geek said:

Yay for bunnies! Ours is also box-trained (and doesn’t smell at all) and bosses the cats around. We love our bun. She’s a sweet, friendly soul.

posted on November 15th, 2008 at 12:06 am

22 On November 15th, 2008, Jen said:

*squeeeeee* Omg I LOVE bunnies! The husband says no way, as he views them as nothing more than a large rodent, but I say HELLZ YES and will have one someday.

Your two babies are so cute and I’m glad to hear your cats are adjusting well to them. You’re smart not to let them play unsupervised together; instincts are a powerful thing and shouldn’t be underestimated. Go you! ^__^

posted on November 15th, 2008 at 12:17 am

23 On November 15th, 2008, raven said:

bunnies are so cute! i bunnysat for a friend when i was younger. those things are fast!! i’d love to get one, but i have 2 dogs that would probably either terrify the bunny trying to play (the big one) or try to eat the bunny (the little dog)… le sigh. no bunnies for me.

posted on November 15th, 2008 at 4:56 am

24 On November 15th, 2008, Rachel said:

I am so glad I decided to get the second bunny. Harry seems much happier and since they are both young, it was very easy acclimating them with one another. We peeked in last night on them and they were grooming each other and then fell asleep curled up next to each other. And it’s hilarious to watch them play together.

And SP, bunnies ARE really smart. I named Harry after Harry Truman, but Harry Houdini would be an appropriate namesake too. He somehow manages to get out of any pen that I create for him.

posted on November 15th, 2008 at 2:50 pm

25 On November 15th, 2008, Stephanie said:

I have a cat named Eleanor (Ella) . . . but Ben (who named her) says she wasn’t named after Eleanor Roosevelt, unfortunately. *sigh*

Your bunnies are so cute!!

posted on November 15th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

26 On November 17th, 2008, Sara said:

Truman is your favorite president? How astonishing. In France we are taught that he is a “schizophrenic” president: great foreign affairs records, hideously corrupt cabinet. I like Truman, don’t get me wrong…But I’m interested, from one historian to another.

posted on November 17th, 2008 at 9:45 am

27 On November 17th, 2008, Rachel said:

Yeah, it’s kind of ironic that Truman’s presidency was marked by scandals and popular opinion of him was very low. Now, he’s considered one of the country’s greatest presidents. For me personally, it’s also more ironic that Truman is one of my favorite presidents, considering the fact that he is the one to have made the decision to drop the Atomic bombs on Japan and I am a pacifist. But, as a historian, I understand the unbelievably difficult decision he had to make then and given the information he had available, he acted in what he thought was America’s best interests. One of my other favorite presidents is another one unpopular during his time: Lyndon Johnson. Johnson is remembered today largely in conjunction with the failed Vietnam war, but you have to understand the man to understand why he acted as he did in relation to Vietnam, and I also greatly admire his commitment to the “Great Society” and his war on poverty.

I like Truman for many reasons, including his folksiness, his sincere and ingenuous character and his dedication and his perseverance. He courted his wife for years, never giving up on her despite the class differences between them. In assuming the presidency, Truman was at a disadvantage from the get-go. His predecessor, who rarely shared information with him, died in office during the crucial end stages of a major international war. Truman had been vice president for exactly 82 days when the presidency was thrust upon him. And the story of how he even got to the office of the vice presidency is astonishing in itself — Truman was born with no silver spoon in his mouth. He confronted enormous domestic and international challenges during his presidency and although he might have made missteps along the way, he rarely shrunk from them. Like many aspects of FDR’s presidency, I think Truman was genuinely unaware of the “hideously corrup” nature of his cabinet — he retained FDR’s cabinet after his death.

FDR had the New Deal; Truman had the Fair Deal. I especially admire his domestic reform programs, which called for national health insurance, increases in the minimum wage, housing development, and equal employment rights (he was quite progressive for his time on civil rights issues). His past senatorial record shows him speaking out and exposing corporate greed and corruption. I also think his pick of Dean Acheson as secretary of state was a good one and Truman remained largely loyal to him and his decision making. And Europe can owe its post-war economic revitalization largely to Truman’s commitment to seeing it happen.

Most of all, I admire how Truman emerged from office with the same character and integrity he possessed going into office. He voted according to his conscience and didn’t let politics corrupt him. When he left office, he refused to accept any corporate payroll and turned down commercial endorsements. As the result, he relied only on his meager army pension and suffered financially for the rest of his life.

posted on November 17th, 2008 at 10:23 am

28 On April 29th, 2009, karina said: