April chat

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

How’s everybunny doing? It’s a surprisingly cold Easter Monday here, with light snow in some areas of the country. A couple of days ago we still had temperatures near 20 °C. After we woke up Breintje was a bit miffed that it was so cold, so I decided to sit down with him on the sofa to warm him up. Bit of a mistake there: it’s 14:30 now and I’m still in my bathrobe. Problem is: he’s lying on it and he’s fast asleep 🙄 😀

Is everybunny moulting yet btw? Breintje is super hungry, itchy and has some matted hair on his cheeks. He’s also losing a lot of hair on his hula skirt area. It didn’t moult properly last time, hoping it’ll go better now.

[Bam]

Very cold Easter here as well, I just saw my balcony is full of snow! 😳

Of course you cant move if Breintje is asleep on your robe!

I squeegeed up a whole bun’s worth of fur from my bedroom rug yesterday 🤣

 

 

[LBJ10]

Near record-breaking heat for Easter. We had to turn the air conditioner on!

[prince dorian the bun]

fairly normal PNW spring here (cold one minute, too mildly warm the next, mix of sun, rain and hail). And yes definitely molting season! I think I am going to have digestive tract issue due to all the fluff I am eating as it’s on everything.

I can’t imagine having the air conditioner on right now! (I don’t even own one)

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Hahaha, yes we get a lot of extra special bunny seasoning. And it sticks so well to jam on toast. Sit down on the sofa and all the fur flies up, to snow down over you and your breakfast.

Sometimes it’s not only the fur, but you get a whole bunny in your food. Never said Breintje was an elegant boy 🙄 We were having dinner and I wanted to give Breintje his evening pellets. Instead of waiting for them on the ground he jumped onto the sofa, landed in the middle of my plate, and ran away again covered in mash. Luckily it wasn’t very hot anymore.

It was hutspot with gravy (a Dutch mash of potatoes, carrots and onions), so it was a real mess to get the stuff out of his fur and out of the carpet. Clumsy little boy 😆

[DanaNM]

Breintje you little rascal!

I can imagine Cooper doing something like that. If you sit on the couch he will absolutely not leave you alone. Either you must be petting him, or he will crawl all over you licking you and nibbling your buttons (he’s very obsessed with the strings on my hoodie). Or trying to yank your wine glass out of your hand! He also has a knack for licking you where you are most ticklish (the back of my neck and my feet… yuck!). What a weirdo! I almost crushed him today because he darted under me as I was sitting down. Thankfully I was able to roll to the side!

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Wick & Fable]

Hi hi!! So odd that it’s April already….

Yes, Spring molting has begun. Fur is abundant both in the air and in the trashcan, haha! Every morning, I use the reusable lint roller in all the favorite “lounge” spots, in fear that Fable will dig at it to move her own fur, haha.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Hazel]

I plucked Oscar today, he really needed it. He wasn’t happy with me, but now he looks… better? 🙄  I can’t wait for him to be done molting.

[prince dorian the bun]

Breintje & Cooper’s shenanigans crack me up! Especially picturing the mash potatoes! Dorian does the couch thing a bit, but a little more calm. I have however recently discovered a bunch of holes in my sweat shirts from when I though he was innocently snuggling.

 

[Hazel]

He was innocently snuggling, with his teeth. 😛

[Bam]

Omg Breintje, and Cooper! 🤣 Last week we spent a night in the garden shed, Vilde decided to share my morning coffee -by physically hopping into the mug 😬 Luckily I always let my coffee cool before I drink it.

I often miss vital parts of the plot when Im watching tv, because Vilde comes hopping and lands on my chest. Since it’d be extremely bad form to simply remove a bun from your chest, I of course has to wait until he sees fit to leave by his own accord.

[DanaNM]

Haha Dorian! I’m convinced they are trying to get all out mats out by nibbling our clothes. they are probably thinking, “jeeez your coat is a MESS”!

And omg Vilde! Barista bun was just trying to help I’m sure.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@DanaNM: Hahaha, aww Cooper… He’s right though: how could anyone be on the sofa without petting a bunny? Priorities, people!

Breintje has found a super tickly spot as well: on the inside of my wrists. He continues to lick them to wake me up, and it’s impossible to ignore it because IT TICKLES!!! I think it is to get my left hnd open, because he’s developed this little ritual where he lays on my left arm, and he places his head in the palm of my hand. Appearantly it’s a lovely headrest, and it’s very funny to feel him purr. He nibbles clothing as well, especially my bathrobe is full of holes. Oh, and he nibbles my hair :/ When he’s grooming my face and a lock of hair hangs over my face, he snips it off right away. I have several lengths of hair now around my face: some strands hang on my nose, some are already chin length. I’m always wearing little clips these days for the ones that don’t fit in my ponytail yet.

@Hazel: Oof, they can be so angry about their fluffy dignity. In the end they’ll be happy about it, but the plucking itself is worthy of bunny butt.

Hehe, Dorian’s just helping out 😉 Funny how rabbits can have such strong ideas about grooming, interior design or making new paths. Our vet says that most rabbits have a project going on at any given time, and you’d best hope it’s not too expensive…

@Bam: What the… Glad indeed it wasn’t hot. What would attract a bunny to coffee? That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard a rabbit jump in to, and that includes a toilet 😯 Breintje once jumped head-first into a banana cocktail Bas was drinking. He likes tiki cocktails with a fair amount of rum, and Breintje was thumping hissy-fit because he smelled nanners and he wasn’t sharing. So we thought: just let him sniff the glass, like you’d do with a toddler who keeps begging. They’ll smell the alcohol and stop whining. When Bas held the glass near the floor, Breintje jumped in head-first and tried to take big gulps. I had to fish him out quickly and get it out of his fur. He was such a mess and slightly sticky for days.

Are there more people here who’ve noticed their rabbits loving alcohol? Last New Year we had a sparkly Spanish Cava, and I put the cork on the floor so Breintje could toss it around. Instead of playing with it, he frantically licked the wet side of the cork 🙄

[DanaNM]

OMG Ellie that is a hilarious!! I’ve noticed Cooper seems very interested in wine! He really does try to yank the glass out of my hand if I let him near it (and he doesn’t do that with coffee or water!). I wonder if it’s because they sometimes eat fermented fruit in the wild? I’m now envisioning a bunch of drunk bunnies… They already act belligerent half the time!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

@prince dorian the bun – OMG, it was SO hot. We had to tear the comforter off the bed, we couldn’t sleep. Now it’s cold again. LOL

Everyone has such ambitious and agile bunnies. I don’t recall ever having a bunny jump into my food.

[HipHopBunny]

What are you guys complaining about? My buns’ are just entering the phase where petting might actually be acceptable! 😆

The weather is beautiful here! I’m enjoying watching all of the flowers spring up. 🙂 And my hens are actually laying now! They haven’t been paying rent during the winter seasons.  🙄

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@HipHopBunny: yes, it’s great to see nature bloom again! And having your own hens sounds amazing, fresh eggs from a bunch of happy chickens ^_^

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@DanaNM: yes, it’s likely to be anything fruit-related. There are more animals who like fermented fruit and alcohol and will grab any chance to get it: crows do, monkeys do, elephants do. Yikes…

I searched for a bit about rabbits being booze hounds, and it seems that it’s not that rare. I read an account of someone saying goodbye to their guests and returning to the living room to find one of their buns on the coffee table, licking the last drops of liquor out of the glasses.

-oh LOL, the Aztecs had 400 drunken rabbit gods!-
This is just too precious! :rofl: https://lordsofthedrinks.com/2015/05/13/the-aztec-myth-of-the-400-drunken-rabbit-gods-explains-all-levels-of-intoxication/

@LBJ10: well, maybe that’s a blessing in itself: the stories are a lot funnier than the mess they leave 😉

[LBJ10]

@Ellie – Keep in mind you’re also talking to someone who has only used a baby gate as means of containment. LOL

[prince dorian the bun]

“most rabbits have a project going on at any given time, and you’d best hope it’s not too expensive…” This is so very very true!

Never knew rabbits liked wine! & the Aztec drunk rabbit Gods is interesting!

Also I wish I had chickens. Best eggs when they are that fresh! I do have neighbors with some and love hearing their happy clucks when it’s sunny out.

[Hazel]

I agree, happy chicken noises are so nice to listen to.

I know I’ve complained about this before, but things are getting out of control. Two of my neighbors (next door and across the street) feed stray cats. They have a whole colony going at this point, around 10 cats. None of them fixed. Just yesterday I noticed one of them has dropped a new litter. They’re all over my property, spraying and scratching the cars, at this point I can’t even let Otis play in my own backyard anymore because it has turned into one giant litter box. Every time I open my door they scatter like roaches. Some of them have gotten bold enough to not move, even if Otis is with me. So here I am, trying to steer my 50lbs dog around several cats in my driveway, all the while he is going nuts. I know him freaking out about the cats is a training issue but still, they shouldn’t be there to begin with. I bought a device to put in my yard that’s supposed to keep them away with noise, but that has proven to be useless. The neighbors aren’t exactly the type of people who would take kindly to me bringing it up, either. I don’t want to have to trap them and take them to the pound because they would likely be put down, but at this point I don’t know what else to do. 🙁

Any advice?

[LBJ10]

Hazel – Do you have a feral cat organization in your area? There is one here and they have a neuter/spay and release program. It has really helped with the population issue. You could also try calling animal control and have them tell the neighbors not the feed the stray cats. Feeding stray cats causes a public health issue. For your own yard… they make Scare Crow sprinklers that are motion activated. People use them to keep animals away from certain areas.

[HipHopBunny]

Hazel- Ouch! That sounds like a tough situation. 🙁 I’ve never really had this exact problem, but I have had neighbors feed stray cats near me. When this happened, I didn’t really have any cats cross my propriety. This might have been because at the time I had three very territorial cats to keep them out. lol. But, I have had issues with my own cats sticking their noses in places I wouldn’t like, such as my garden. When I attempted to make a produce garden, it was going well, until I found out that my cats were giving it the wrong kind of fertilizer. 🙄 (At the time there was one who we nicknamed “The GreenHouse Devil”) What I found helps, is to put some cayenne pepper into it, some used tea bags, and some eggshells, since cats don’t like those scents, and don’t like the feel of the eggshells. After doing some more research online, however, I’ve also found out that cats really dislike the smell of citrus. 🙂 Maybe if you sprinkled some of these on and around your fence, they’d steer away from your house better?

Hope your situation improves!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Oof, what a situation 🙁 Agree with LBJ, this is something for animal control. It’s not only gross that they leave their mess everywhere, such a population and their health problems are dangerous for both humans and pets.

We used to have the same problem on our campus where house cats went stray. They were fed by an old man who had studied there in his youth, but who took up a life of wandering afterwards. He always returned to the campus in the evening to feed the cats in front of our library & board games club. The cat population exploded and the cats fought for food, so animal control had to step in. They did the same as LBJ said and spayed/neutered the cats, that reduced the problem a lot.

The old man tried to sabotage the capture process because he considered himself a spokesperson for the cats, but the law is on the side of animal control. The cat population was so big that there was fierce competition, and many walked around with open wounds. It was in their best interests as well that animal control stepped in.

[DanaNM]

Hazel thats so frustrating! I agree with looking into feral cat orgs in your area. Sometimes they will give you traps to put out, then spay/neuter and release. Or just let Otis go after them…..(jk…. sorta)?

And Ellie we had a similar problem on the campus I did my MS at! The groundskeeping staff were feeding all these strays, and then got upset when the department tried to do something about it. They were all in a native plant garden and were killing all the birds and lizards.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Hazel]

Thanks everyone for the advice! 🙂

@LBJ10 : There are a few organizations in our area that do low cost spay and neuter for ferals, but as far as I can tell we would have to pay for it ourselves. I’ll keep researching though, and we’ll call animal control as well.

@HipHopBunny : “Greenhouse Devil” 😆  Sounds like he earned that name. I got some Cayenne and lemon juice around the house, I’ll try that first thing! I don’t want to use anything that will make things unpleasant for Otis, but I’ll keep it around the fence and try to make a “barrier” with it across the driveway. Hopefully that will keep them away.

@Ellie : What a crazy story! It’s weird how people feel bad for the cats and feed/house them, but at the same time seem to be oblivious to their suffering and even try to sabotage when others try to step in to help.

@DanaNM : I did consider it… 😉  I might let him chase one out of the yard if I could be sure that he wouldn’t try to hurt it, but I really have no idea what he would do if he got the drop on one. One time Otis did chase one up a tree (I didn’t realize it was there). I don’t want them to get harmed, I know this isn’t their fault. The one Otis went after hangs around the house a lot and is becoming super clingy, for whatever reason. He’s a sweet boy, I’d consider keeping him if we didn’t have too many pets already.

I’ll keep you all posted on how things go!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Yes, these situations are weird and comparable to indoor animal hoarding. The people who do this often have a history of mental problems, and animal control is familiar with these situations.

The old man I was talking about was very paranoid and a chronic drug user. He tended to humanise animals and thought that neutering/spaying animals was the same as nazi tactics. He even directly threatened people from animal control with castrating them or their spouses. The police and campus security gave him a restraining order for the time that the spay/neuter project would take. It was a really crazy situation.

[Hazel]

Wow, sounds like he had a whole lot of issues. 🙁  Hopefully he got some help too.

I love animals, I totally get why people want to do something for them. Unfortunately they often don’t commit. If you want to save a stray that’s great, but that means getting them vet care, altering and if possible, giving them a proper home. Just throwing food out for them doesn’t help in the long run, it just allows things to get worse. They’ll keep reproducing, often inbreeding, and spreading disease. It’s sad.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Yes, in the end the difference between humans and animals is reason. Animals don’t think about family planning and resource management. As humans we can do two things: don’t interfere with stray animals and let them compete like all other animals, or interfere and help them.

The second choice is something most of us feel is most humane. You’re right: helping out means committing and helping all the way. If not, you’re just giving them a major advantage over other animals and there will be a population explosion with all the trouble that brings. I think that these people don’t see the danger of their actions, because they really mean well but didn’t think it through. (I see this more often btw with people who grab and push my wheelchair without permission. They actually get offended when I tell them to let go because it hurts my back and it’s really dangerous for me, because they were convinced they were helping me.)

The man whom I talked about had a lifelong hatred and mistrust of any government or health organisations. Help was offered several times but he has always refused help. Some people at our student club knew him well because he often played a board game with them. They knew to avoid any topic about government or health, because it would turn into a long shouting match.

Sadly you can’t help someone who doesn’t want help, unless they are no longer capable of caring for themselves. A couple of years ago it came to a point where he had to be hospitalised because of malnutrition and a lung condition. At that point his health was so far gone that he passed away within a couple of days. At some point I think it’s a blessing for him that his passing didn’t take a long hospitalisation because he never wanted to be confined to a care facility. He wanted to wander and he wanted to live off the grid.

[Hazel]

Poor guy, but you’re right, it’s a good thing he didn’t have to spend a lot of time in a place he hated before passing.

I can’t believe people push your wheelchair around without your permission, that’s crazy. It’s incredibly rude, but I guess it’s like you  said, they think they’re “helping”. But they need to at least ask first, and certainly shouldn’t get mad when you tell them to back off. 🙄

I do feel bad for these cats, I wish I could save them all.

Happy Holiday everyone!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Yes, it’s really crazy. Some people also try to push you out of the way, like an abandoned grocery cart. What shocked me is that it’s mostly older people who cross the line. I’ve had about 60 incidents in the last 3 years, and only 4 people were under 60.

Some people with a disability already started putting spike bracelets on their wheelchair handles. It’s either going to be that, or I’m going to install some sort of shielding on the back. I’m thinking about something which makes the handles unavailable but isn’t sturdy enough for people to push against. Something like a square of wire which sticks out a bit on all sides. Taking the handles off doesn’t work, because people will push you by your backrest instead, and that hurts even more.

Whatever solution it’s going to be, I’m going to add some text: “Hands off, please. Save the pushing and pulling for on the rugby pitch, not for someone with a back injury”.

I have something similar on the back of my mobility scooter, because people would touch me and my stuff without asking. That goes from “helping me to close the zipper on my coat” to snatching at my bags or at my debit card to “help out”.

The sign on my headrest says: “Help is welcome, but only help when I ask for it. Unnecessary help harms my health, even if you meant well. So please don’t help unless asked, so I can stay healthier and more independent.”. That helps a bit, and you notice that it provokes people to think about their actions. Sometimes it stops people in mid-grab, and they go away without being a bother.

[Hazel]

Grabbing at your bags and coat? And debit card?! I would just assume someone’s trying to rob me in that situation, geez! How can anyone think that’s appropriate? I’m so sorry you have to put up with people like that. Putting a sign on your wheelchair is a good idea, that should help. And maybe put something sticky/slimey on the handles, they’ll only make that mistake once. 😉  On the other hand, I guess that would be a pain to clean off…

I was at the grocery store the other day and saw a lady in a scooter reaching for a jug of milk. She had trouble getting to it, I thought about offering to help her but I didn’t want to butt in so I just hung around for a minute (I had to wait my turn to get to the milk anyway). She ended up asking me to get it for her so I did. Worked out fine for both of us, and nobody got offended.

[DanaNM]

Jeeez Ellie, that’s awful! Consent is key for everything! Hopefully some signage will help… maybe you can add some electric wire if not!

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[prince dorian the bun]

Ugh that is so rude, I think in their heads they mean well, but as your note says asks! I used to work a bit with some blind students for part of my senior project, and some of the stories they told were equally baffling. Especially with the guide dog interactions. I mean I get wanting to pet a cute dog and in some cases it’s fine, but you really need to ask!  Though safer if they are in public and you don’t know them, just figure the dog is working.

Sad about the cats. I do get feeding strays, but getting them fixed and neutered is so important.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

We had a big animal cruelty scandal in NL this week: the caretakers of a petting zoo just walked away and left their animals uncared for for days 😥 When neighbours found out that it was abandoned and nobody was taking care of the animals they called in rescuers. A local rabbit sanctuary suddenly had to take in over 40 soiled and malnourished rabbits. Bucks and does weren’t separated, so there were many babies and likely there are more on the way. It’s horrible and shocking :'( You can read about it here if your web browser has a translate option: http://www.destentor.nl/zwolle/tientallen-verwaarloosde-dieren-bij-kinderboerderij-opvang-in-zwolle-schiet-te-hulp-dit-is-onbegrijpelijk~af42e0ff/

Sometimes life gives you subtle little hints, like yesterday: I crawled across our bed to open the window, and I tripped over my own hair! 🙄 I’ve always wanted to donate hair, but when I went looking for a charity I was really put off by the attitude of the charities. It turned out that the biggest charity in hair only helps women who have breast cancer, who also have to be recipients of food bank donations, and who also have problems with the basic mandatory health insurance. Talk about excluding people! 😯

In my search for a charity I found out that there are wigmakers as well, who buy hair from people. You send in your braid, they get it taxated and pay you. I got in touch with a wigmaker and they agreed to donate the money to the rabbit sanctuary instead. Happy that I’ve found a more positive way of donating ^_^ Next step: the scissors! Breintje is going to be so jealous that I can shed it all in half an hour! 😆

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