Bunnies Need Boundaries

When I first came to this burrow I was very sick so I didn't go on reconnaissance missions. As I felt better I ventured further from this large room where we watch TVevery night. No one paid much attention as I quickly sneaked past legs and into other rooms. If you hear a door latch, you must always run in that direction and try to sneak in unnoticed. I've been able to spend nights locked away in various rooms. There is always so much to do! As time went by some of my investigations of air mattresses, baseboards, bed slats (the absolute best, especially if old) and electrical wiring became noticed. Next thing I know we have a foldable wire fence that can be rearranged to keep me in or out of just about anything. Pfffft. That will not do! I will not tolerate it. Once a free-range bunny, always a free-range bunny. So now we have a game: "Let's Get Sweeeeeet Bunny in Her Bed Tonight."

It's best to start a bunny out with boundaries so that we can feel the sweet taste of freedom each day; I get used to it and then I have to find something else to entertain me. I recently found this room especially fun - and just when I'm in the midst of bliss they come in to play our other game: "BunNY! GET OUT!" That game always gets a tail wag.

Cabin Getaway

I rather enjoy going to the cabin. Everything is different there, but I especially like the dry and grassy smell. It took a lot for me to get comfortable here. My favorite place is my camper that I'm sitting in below. My camper is the large-medium version (there are 2 mediums) of the Petmate line of campers. This one is just perfect for me. I can stretch all the way out and when I sit up my ears don't touch the top. It has a moat around the bottom - so with litter in the back, all of that stuff stays back there and doesn't get into my hay or on my fleece blanket.

We worked long and hard on the perfect camper for me: we tried little litterboxes, towels, smaller campers, but this is the best! Just scoop the litter each day or twice a day on long rides and it's clean as a whisker. When I go to the doc, the top comes off and there I am, ready to see what's going on. I do *not* like it when people stick their fingers in my cage and I will nip at them at best, but with the top off, I'm perfectly at ease. The docs see my cute face and they forget to do anything else but pet me! Kim says that it's a very expensive petting session.

You can see my litterbox in the corner - a dishpan makes a terrific litterbox! There's natural grass pellets (litter) in the back side (I like to back up to corners to pee) and there's hay in the front; eating and peeing sort of go together because if I pee on the hay it grows better. And my droppings help too!

It's very bright in this room in the daytime so I have a shelter over my litterbox and another shelter that's a tent made out of unpeeled willow sticks. You can see a couple of peeled willow balls over there - I don't like the peeled ones nearly as well as unpeeled. I have a tube of willow sticks and behind that my new favorite plush house (they bought it for Kitty, but she's too fat for it).

There's my bowl of pellets on my blanket. I have blankets all around and a chair so that I can watch TV and look out the window. I like to have a pillow below the chair for jumping off - my little legs are so frail and easily broken; I feel much more secure jumping onto a pillow. (I once lived with a bunny that broke its leg; of course, I had nothing at all to do with it.) Here's what I see from my chair:


Fleece blankets are safer than terry towels because fleece doesn't have any strings that I could choke on if I accidentally swallowed some of the blanket. However, if I'm happy and content I don't chew up my things! I know exactly which things are for chewing and I only chew them. Many bunnies of lesser intelligence chew up their cardboard rooms and castles - I only chew my sticks and hay!

Vacation!

We're off to the Methow Valley! I love to ride in the car.

In fact, I met a bunny named Sapper at the vet the other day. She said that another bunny moved into her home and they didn't like each other much. But one day they both went for a ride in a box in a car together and they had the time of their lives! At first they clung to each other in fear, but then they learned to enjoy it and now they're best friends. What a great way to become friends!

This is me in my camper - I can camp for weeks in it. It has litter (Country Critter plant fiber pellets) in the back, hay on one side, and a soft, fleece blanket on the other. I always pee in the back. I've got my fleece a little messed up here, but Kim will straighten it out in a bit. There is also a food and water dish in the top of my camper and I get water at stops.



We headed out a little late in the season so we had a lot of rain most of the way. Washington Pass looked particularly spooky. It's 51 here at the pass in August:



But as we crossed the pass and headed down the other side it was beautiful! After 5 hours of driving in the rain, the Methow Valley looks like heaven. I have a field of Timothy Hay over there that I love to play in.



The last part of the trip is on a very rough dirt road and it kinda makes me queasy:



What a relief to arrive and get in my easy chair with a big salad. I like to ride in the car, but 5 hours is about the limit!