Vet Day with Chia and Clovis

I was looking forward to my monthly trip to the vet for Clovie's tooth trim.  It is always so entertaining. Clovis doesn't feel the same way, however, it's got to feel pretty darn good to get the two front uppers trimmed.  

Today, one of the receptionists had something special to show me, a one week old pup she is fostering. So cute! She and her five one day old siblings were abandoned at the local Safeway, lucky to have been rescued in time.

Her name is Chia, no idea what kind of dog she is. She was very active and and really looking for something to suck.  When I left she was getting her bottle.  If you turn up your volume you can hear her sweet little puppy noises.

Clovis was, of course, very good for his tooth trim.  If you watch and hear our conversation, we certainly meant no offense to anyone who lives in Oklahoma...

Grunts and Growls

I don't know if you would call it a grunt or a growl but I never knew rabbits would do that. (Or a scream for that matter. What a horrible sound.) The first time I heard Clovie growl it really scared me and he usually accompanies his growls with a lunge as if he were going to attack. Or he may scratch at me with his front paws. I learned early on that you don't want to go near the crock when he's eating his pellets. That's serious. And he doesn't like it when I reach for him head on.  Better to approach from the side. 


Another thing that he really doesn't like is when you "walk" your fingers toward him. Must be pretty scary. My daughter's finger ended up in the gap between his front teeth and the molars when she did that. No harm done but lesson learned.

Clovis Goes Green

Lipped, that is. The parsley will do it to you every time.

 Clovie and I took our monthly drive to the Country Animal Hospital this morning.  The air was crisp, the sun was out, and the trees were gorgeous.  I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road and the speedometer.  We had a lovely chat with Dr. Heather who told us about sugar shacks and maple syrup, the smells and memories of her childhood in Ohio.

When we got back I brought in our uncarved pumpkins and set them down in Clovie's room thinking I might get some cute pictures. 

A lot of thumping and periscoping ensued.  Apparently we do not like pumpkins in our room.

Oxbow Pellets

I had a couple of readers suggest Oxbow pellets to help with the cecotrope issues Clovis was having.  I had cut back considerably on fruit and greens with limited success and had resigned myself to accepting things the way they were. It wasn't bad, just worrisome.  I hadn't seen Oxbow in our local pet stores so I ordered online hoping for the best.

Oxbow suggested I gradually add their pellets so I started with one part Oxbow and three parts current brand which is Purina. The Oxbow pellets were a bit larger and greener. I carefully measured them out and fed to Clovis.

We did not relish the Oxbow pellets! Discouraging! He will eat them but they are the last to go. I'm up to 3 parts Oxbow and 1 part Purina now. I feel a little mean taking away something he loves so much but I'm hoping that once he is completely on the Oxbow it won't really matter to him.

Did this solve the cecotrope problem?  Yes! I would say this is a successful solution.  I've been sneaking in more fruit here and there - a consolation of sorts to Clovis for having to give up a favorite. Thank you, dear readers, for your suggestion!

Sheers

When second daughter redecorated her bedroom we hung white sheers and purple panels.  They were much too long for the window but we decided to let them "pool" on the floor like you see sometimes in decorating magazines. (The truth is we were too lazy to hem them.)

Well, guess who really likes the curtains.  I couldn't find him one afternoon when he was out bunning around until I saw the curtains move.  He likes to go behind the sheers and push the fabric around on the floor.  I think he's chewing on the sheers too.

Clovie, you make me laugh...

Hey, Buddy Boy! Do NOT eat the curtains!

Back in November 2010, Lisa out there in bunny blogland, Little Bun in the City, wrote about how much her bunnies enjoyed the willow wreaths she ordered from BinkyBunny.com.  I hopped over to the website and, of course, they were out of stock.  So I said, "email me when you have some", and last month they finally did. 

A week ago I gave one to Clovis...

Today...

"Can I have another?"

Glad I ordered three.

The Old Mission Oak Rocker

 Under the old mission oak rocker is a great place to hang out from time to time.

Perfect location for a good scratch...

 A little cleaning up...

And a little snooze in the sun. 

Plus, if you feel like it, you can sharpen your teeth on the wood.

Something Amiss and a Mess

Something is amiss and a mess here.  In the past month or more I have been dealing with Clovis' uneaten cecotropes. This disturbs me since they are loaded with important nutrition that he is not getting, and they also make a mess! Especially when they get stepped on or slept on. The other issue that concerns me is Clovis isn't really cleaning himself up, and that's unusual. 

We went to see Dr. Heather last weekend and she checked him over. She ruled out anything physical that might be preventing him from reaching the cecotropes or cleaning his back end, like a tumor or injury.  His weight is always the same, give or take a few ounces so he's not overweight. And everything else, appetite, activity, is normal. At her suggestion I cut back on fruit, pellets, and the bunny byte treats.  (Well, I didn't cut back much on the pellets because he loves them so much...) And I gave his little bunny butt a sponge bath. Next course of action would be blood work and x-ray.

I think things have improved but we are not quite there yet.  I've done a little Internet searching and one possibility I noted is overproduction of cecotropes due to diet.

I was wondering if any of you have had a similar experience?

The Ears are Always the First to Go...

Have a wonderful Easter!

From Clovie and Sue

Easter 2010

"Hide the Eggs, not you"

Easter 2009

"Easter Eggs"

Clovis and friends 

Easter 2008

"Easter Bunny"

All cards are available on my Etsy site.

Snack Monster

I think I have created a monster. A snack monster. One day as I was leaving for work I made the mistake of giving Clovis a little snack. Now, without fail, every morning as I leave he runs, no CHARGES up to the door for his little something special before I go.  Well, as we all know we cannot resist cuteness...

Just the slightest bit of rustling of the brown paper bag of willow twigs or bunny bites has him running in circles, frantic to get his little teeth on his treat.  And while he is preoccupied with eating, I toss a bunny bite on the top floor of his cardboard condo for later, wish he and Minnie a good day, and head for work. 

I found Clovie's favorites, willow twigs, bunny bites, and dried fruit at bunspace.com.  

True Grit

We saw True Grit this weekend and really liked it.

Col. G. Stonehill:  "Rabbit Cogburn. How did you light on that greasy vagabond?"

Mattie Ross:   "They say he has grit. I wanted a man with grit."


Col. G. Stonehill:  "Well, I suppose he has that. He's a notorious thumper."

Art Exhibition

For the first time, I entered the Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, DC International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature.  I submitted these two pieces, Venetian Kittens and Broken Rex, along with the portrait of Lauren I posted in August.  I'm pleased to say all of my work was accepted.





 

The show runs from November 21st through December 30th.

Bunny Mission

Attention:  Private First Class - Clovie Boy

Your Mission:  To engage the Civilian in non-combat activity.

Your Orders: (Repeat daily until further notification.) 

• At approximately 2100 hours, be on the alert and maintain surveillance on barracks at all times.
• When Civilian enters barracks for nightly prep, run the perimeter of barracks and duck into cardboard condo for shelter. 
• While Civilian removes latrine from cage for cleaning, stand guard in front of the hay box in prone position.  
• When Civilian approaches hay box for cleaning, flatten body and look as cute as possible.
• Cuteness engages Civilian in lots of really great petting, head massage, ear tugs and other miscellaneous enjoyable non-combat activity.
• Ahhhh!  Mission accomplished!  Dismissed!
• A little R and R and a bedtime reward for a job well done. 

Many thanks to the Veterans who have served our country.

Radioactive Rabbit

You may have heard about the radioactive rabbit they trapped at Hanford nuclear reservation here in Washington.  They think he may have sipped some contaminated water near the 327 Building which was used in the production of nuclear weapons during the Cold War.  Unfortunately the rabbit had to be destroyed, and workers there continue to monitor for radioactive rabbit droppings. 

Our family lived near the reservation for a brief period in 1990.  One windy day my daughters, who were 4 and 2 at the time were out having fun playing with tumbleweeds. A neighbor of ours who worked at Hanford came over and told me they shouldn't be playing with the tumbleweeds; it was likely they grew in the fields near the reservation and could be radioactive.  I'm sure glad we didn't live there long.

I entered this drawing called "Bunny in Red" at
the Small Works, Big Presents art show today at the White River Valley Museum in Auburn.  I was really tempted to call it,
"Radioactive Rabbit". 

Halloween Costume

 I've been working on my Halloween card. This year's card features Clovis dressed in his skeleton costume.


Last year Clovis went as a ghost.

Both cards are available for purchase on my Etsy site.

Fair Day

The Western Washington Fair, which is located in the city I live in, opened today.  It's a big fair and people around here have grown up with it and love it.  The fair kicks off with a parade and cattle drive through our downtown. (Last year we had some cattle detour into a convenience store. It made national news.) The fair employs a lot of locals for its 17 day run and people that live near the fairgrounds turn their yards into parking lots to make a few extra dollars. 

At the bank where I work, it's a tradition that someone goes early on the first day of the fair to buy scones for the employees.  They probably sell more scones than anything else at the fair. They're very good, except I think they give me heartburn.

I entered 5 rabbit drawings in the fair's juried Fine Art Show and all were accepted.  This one, "French Angora" is a miniature, measuring 1 7/8" by 2 7/8".

Mr. Clean

Clovis is forever grooming himself. I call him Mr. Clean. I praise him and tell him how nice he looks and what a good boy he is.  Maybe that's why he cleans so much. When I come home from work and I start fixing his dinner he's in his room cleaning. Is he cleaning up for dinner?

I'm always entertained by the positions he can twist his body into to get those hard to reach places.  It's a fine balancing act. Sometimes he makes a squeaky noise, he's squished his body up so much.  When he was little his balance wasn't so good and he'd tip over. 

I'm starting a series of drawings of his grooming poses I hope to post at some point.  I just need to spend more time at the drawing board instead of the keyboard... 

Little Clovie Boy

Bird's Eye View-Jersey Wooly Rabbit

I like taking pictures looking down on animals, or of people and animals with their backs to you, unaware of your presence, deep in thought or conversation. Me, just observing a private moment.

This colored pencil 4" x 4" miniature, Bird's Eye View-Jersey Wooly Rabbit, took second place in the second annual Small Works, Big Presents juried show sponsored by the White River Valley Museum in Auburn last Fall. The jurors commented, "A common subject portrayed from an interesting angle, expert pencil work, color balance as well as a good framing choice make this sophisticatedly cute Jersey Rabbit a top award winner.  The uncommon angle abstracts the artwork, causing the viewer take a closer look and study the small details of this small artwork.  In a society that values big, this small work shows that good things do come in small packages."

Bunkmates

I'm feeling a bit guilty about how I described Minnie.  She does have a sweet side. I am reminded of her interaction with our other family pets. Our daughters' hamster, Charles, for example.  She used to lay beside his cage at night calmly watching his little activities.  She was content to watch our goldfish, Ed, whose bowl was her preferred source of drinking water.  We never feared for his safety. (Ed lived to be at least 12 years old, can you believe it?)

And she doesn't observe Clovis as though he might be her next meal.  We have his room fenced off and she'll come sit next to the fence and watch him.  If he comes close she'll look away.  I think she thinks if she can't see him, he doesn't see her.  If he turns his back to her, she'll reach through the fence and bat him with her paw. Of course he ignores her and runs off. The other night, after I put him to bed in his cage, I found her bedded down too atop his cage. Two little bunkmates.