Merry Xmas from Bonnie & Clyde

And a happy new year.

domestic abuse

Oh noes. Today when I was feeding B&C pellets from my hand, like I do every night, Bonnie actually charged at Clyde in a show of aggression. I flinched and scattered the rest of the pellets on the carpet and let the two of them sniff around to find them all, an saw Bonnie charge at Clyde yet another time. Clyde didn't even seem alerted, but god knows why Bonnie would suddenly show this act of aggression. Maybe she thought I was feeding Clyde more pellets? Favored him? It's true though, I have been trying to give Clyde a few more pellets since Bonnie eats faster than him and will try to steal his share. As a result, Bonnie has gotten much fatter! Boo. I never thought this would be a problem, Clyde was always the cute fat one. Maybe we're getting to the terrible two's.

5 months in

I can hardly believe it's been 5 months since adopting Bonnie & Clyde. It still seems like they are a new addition to my life, though at the same time, it's become a familiar routine. Sometimes when I am spending "ground time" with them, lying eye-to-eye, ear-to-ear with them, I'm still struck by the novelty of two cute-eared furballs bouncing around my room. Lately I have started to put my cheek on the tops of their heads while feeding them, and they have become used to me so they won't try to duck away, yay.

Mainly, though, at month 5, I've really adopted the same kind of attitude towards my bunnies as they have towards life: chill out, flop out, and just enjoy the view.

Like a kid raiding the cookie jar

It is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish Bonnie from Clyde everyday. Oh noes! I don't want to be a mom that can't tell apart her own kids :P. I think Clyde has definitely lost some weight and Bonnie had gained a little, so now their faces and bodies are so similar,it's hard to tell.

Pic of the moment, someone (B or C?) raiding the box of hay.

mani/pedis

Yesterday was another mini-momentous occasion for me as a bunny-owner. Just like dogs and cats, rabbits have to have their nails trimmed once in a while (or else... I dunno, it gets inconvenient like those long fake nails that trashy housewives get?). Anyway, nail trims at my vet cost $22 each -- that's more than a manicure I would spend on myself! So I tried to do them myself. The volunteer woman at the shelter showed me how, and she made it look super easy, but I knew it was going to be a challenge. I get Bonnie to hop into an empty litterbox I put on the ground, then transported her to the kitchen counter where she wouldn't be tempted to hop around. I hovered over poor frightened Bonnie for a good 15 minutes while I tried to gently lift her paws from under her. I think I managed to clip most of them, but only a tiny bit from each nail. I was staying far away from the vein they have at the base of the nail but Bonnie would still flinch away when I tried to clip a little more than a tiny bit. The front nails are tricky because they have a tiny thumb-like nail that is harder to reach . The back nails, however, are just hard to get a hold of because they wouldn't let me hold on to their feet. Clyde thumped quite a few times and soon I had to give up trying for his back nails.

All in all I guess I was pretty successful at my first attempt at bunny mani/pedis, but I have a feeling I will be needing to do it all again in another month. Good grief.

Ahh!

Well it's finally happened. I woke up to a mysterious shaking sound. I only say mysterious because I knew exactly what it sounded like -- like the bottle of papaya tablets I feed as treats, but I keep the bottle on the shelf above the pen where B&C can't get to them. Or so I thought until today. I climb down from bed and find that, sure enough, they had managed to get the bottle and were chewing through a section of the plastic on the bottom. I took away the bottle, placed it farther on the shelf and fed them their pellets for breakfast. Then I went back to bed. 10 mins afterwards, I heard the shaking sound again. "What the..." this time I actually found Clyde hopping on the shelf, having knocked down the papaya treat bottle already. Ahhh, Clyde's getting too clever for his own good :P

summer beginnings

Back from vacation last week, and I was happy to see my bunnies still alive and healthy :P. Although, I think they did get a bit skinnier from being underfed. Ah well, no harm done really.

The mini heat-wave passed through earlier this week, and although I hate turning on my AC during the day I couldn't bear to leave the buns in a hot muggy room so I left it on for them. I expect a significantly higher AC bill this summer. I wonder if I can come up with a non-electric solution for staying cool. Or something like a fan + block of ice. I don't think there is any way that could NOT be messy though.

be well, bunnies!

Going on vacation for 12 days tomorrow. I've lined 3 bunny-sitters, but I just hope B&C don't get too bored over the break; I hear that bunny boredom leads to destruction, much like human boredom sometimes. Recently they have been more destructive than normal... Bonnie makes a racket in the mornings "chewing" on the metal gate, and Clyde likes to grab onto the edge of anything on the other side of the pen and tug on it. Basically, they find ways to do everything they aren't supposed to do, and get into everything they aren't supposed to get into (like the trash can).

Of course, I'm going to miss the two furballs while I'm halfway around the world, I hope they remember me when I came back!

deceptively clever

If I've never said it before, let me say it now, Bonnie is one smart cookie. This evening as I was watching Glee, I let the bunnies out to run in my room. When I came back to check on them, I found the bag of pellets tossed on the ground, and Bonnie and Clyde munching happily away at a mound of the good stuff. Mind you, I had left the bag on the corner of my DESK, so I figured Bonnie had somehow reached it from hopping onto my chair and threw it on the ground. I hurriedly scoop up as much pellet as I could -- since I had already fed them an hour ago -- and went to wash some veggies. In the middle of washing, I hear lots of scurrying, and the sound of glasses clinking which were certainly not on the ground, so I rush back and find, yes, Bonnie, on my desk again, this time chewing on the corner of the bag that I had zipped and made sure to put in the middle of the desk. I think from now on I'm going to need to secure the pellets in a lidded container!

PS - Bunny cam 2.0 up and running. Picture's much better! Bunnies still lazy though :P

almost a revelation

(Just now) I had started to pet Bonnie since she was sitting in their favorite corner of the pen, on the cool ceramic tiles next to my desk, when Clyde hopped out of the litterbox he was munching hay in, and comes and flops out right next to my hand. I almost shed a joyous tear. But a moment afterwards, Clyde gets up again and strangely starts his grunt-and-lunge routine towards my hand that is petting Bonnie. He kind of looks like he is biting Bonnie's fur but she doesn't seem to mind it and Clyde transitions into licking her fur (grooming). I have no idea why he does this, perhaps out of protectiveness, or jealousy, or maybe he wants to eat my hand. In any case I usually have to stop petting them. Oh Clydy, such a heartbreaker.

I have this TV table/shelf that the buns have promptly ignored my attempts at blocking out of their reach; finally I gave up today and cleared out the shelf so they can jump into it and not chew up the stuff that had been on it. Ironically I think they have less interest now that there are no containers and computer cord to chew on. *sigh* You can't win with the bunnies.



I have to be careful not to leave anything valuable in their path or it's going to get a bunny-incisor sized dent in it. So far, that includes both of my day-to-day handbags, multiple charging cables, shoeboxes and my luggage. I don't know if they are actually eating any of the non-cardboard material, but they seem to get a kick out of testing their teeth on anything and everything. Am debating whether I should get them a rubber dog chew toy just so they stop munching on my stuff. But they like the darnedest things--all the toys I thought they would enjoy they ignored, but when I put a willow basket for hay in their cage they ATE the entire basket in 2 days. This must be what having fickle kids are like.

PS - returning the bunny cam for a better one! hope to get it back up and running this week...

Home alone

I'm visiting my parents in California this week/weekend. Being home alone during the day is reminiscent of high school; I have less stress, however more guilt about not feeling productive today. A couple friends are bunny sitting for me in the meantime, one of them sent me this very cute photo of Clydey:

I miss them even though, let's be honest, my bunnies are quite the ungrateful pair :P. Clyde is feeling back to his old self again and Bonnie's never been more determined to get into all the nooks and crannies of my room that she's not supposed to go into. I enjoy watching them on the bunny cam (have you seen it yet?) even though 90% of the time they are napping and not moving. Hmm do I need to have them exercise more? I hope they aren't bored out of their minds even though they have plenty of bunny toys and things to keep them occupied in their pen. It would be sad to think that I am keeping them from developing their full bunny-intelligence because I'm not stimulating their minds! Perhaps I should make some kind of puzzle with pellets hidden inside.

Speaking of stimulating minds, I found out today that I have utterly forgotten 90% of piano. It is a sad day when you sit down at an instrument that you once owned, perhaps not entirely mastered but relatively proficient at, and realize that you can't even identify the musical key on the page and have no control over your fingers anymore. I know I should pick it back up sometime, seeing as how I had spent 10 long years developing the only extra-curricular talent I had. Le sigh. Perhaps it was never meant to be my thing, since I had to 'brute force' it with little ingrained talent or 'feel' for piano... but I do wish someday I can fly over those keys with ease and passion through Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu.

Well, enough about me. I hope the bunnies 'miss' me and give me a warm reception when I return. Or at least run around my feet a few more times when I shake the bag of pellets.

Happy belated Easter!

Even though I don't celebrate Easter as anything more than a day filled with pastel colors and Peeps, I felt compelled to do something on this bunniest of holidays. So we dyed Easter eggs and tried to get Bonnie and Clyde to pose with them. They were more interested in eating the Easter grass!

[Thanks Moujan for the photos!]

Don't worry, that's paper Easter grass they are ingesting. Maybe the yellow dye is yummy?

I shared a photo update with Cathy their foster mom (the woman who helped raised them from baby bunnies) and Cindy at the shelter who helped me adopt them, and both were thrilled to see their cute mugs again. Cindy even forwarded my email to several of the fellow bunny volunteers, one of which runs a monthly local bunny newsletter -- appropriately named Thump! She asked if she could use some pics and my email update for this month's issue. Yay!

In less happy(hoppy) news, I came home on Wednesday night, tired and exhausted from my personal trainer session at the gym, to find that Clyde wasn't in the mood to eat. This is quite out of the ordinary, since usually it only takes a shake of the bag of pellets to get them to dash out of the pen and hop around my feet until I feed them. But on Wednesday night, Clyde just stayed in the fort while Bonnie ate, and then even refused when I offered him a strawberry (super treat!). Worried, I contacted Cathy their foster mom and Cindy from the shelter again. Cathy immediately called to say there was something definitely wrong if Clyde wasn't responding to treats. "Is he pooping?" she asked. I said no, I hadn't seen him use the litterbox but couldn't be sure since he shares the same litterbox with Bonnie. Cathy said I should get to know which poops are whose, since there are subtle differences between rabbits', well, you know. Unfortunately I could only assume the worst, that Clyde wasn't eating or pooping, which meant he was probably suffering from abdominal gas or GI-stasis, that's when their digestive tract stops running and they get very uncomfortable and can even die of it in a day.

I remembered what Cindy taught me when I was adopting them, how to take a bunny's temperature and warm them up if it drops below normal (101-103F). I was able to wrap Clyde up in a towel and took him to the kitchen counter, which was definitely a sign that he wasn't feeling like himself, or he definitely would have high-tailed it out of my arms at the first opportunity. Luckily, I had bought a quick-read digital thermometer last month, just in case I would ever need it for something like this. Taking a bunny's temperature is pretty tricky, since you have to go in the back door, if you know what I mean. Holding a scared but lethargic Clyde, I nervously held and turned him on his back on my lap -- much trickier than it sounds. I managed to find his butthole under his tail and quickly got a reading and it was within normal range, 100.9. Just to be safe though, I wrapped him in a couple layers of warm towels and called my vet office's emergency hotline.

They didn't have a bunny specialist on call that night, but said I could bring him in in the morning. In the meantime, they advised me to give belly rubs, syringe feeding some baby food and simethicone (baby gas reliever), chasing him around to try to get his system moving again, and watching for signs if he got better or worse. Worse comes to worst, I could take him to an emergency pet hospital to give him sub-cutaneous fluids (fluids under the skin), that would tie him over until my vet could see him in the morning. I found some simethicone at the drugstore, and proceeded to try to inject some into Clyde's mouth. It was surprisingly difficult trying to find where Clyde's mouth is. There are his cheeks and nose, and somewhere under his nose are his two front incisors, then a gap between those and his back molars. The trick is to stick the syringe in the gap and slowly dispense. I poked around his cheeks a bit before finding the gap that I thought was his mouth. I'm not sure though, because as soon as I pushed down on the plunger, the pink simethicone came out in a burst and got all over the side of his cheek and mostly on the towel. Clyde flinched and immediately started cleaning his face vigorously. After that episode I gave up on trying to use the syringe (I figured I needed a smaller one since the one I had wouldn't start dispensing without an initial "burst" of fluid). He stewed under the blankets for a while longer, then I put him in the hallway to try to chase him a little. At first he was reluctant to move, but soon he was feeling more active and showed signs of progress. I brought him back into my room and let him romp around for a while, and FINALLY, 4 hrs after I had come home, he finally started eating a little. This was a good sign, and after another 20 mins or so I saw him use the litterbox for the first time as well. I think he pooped out an extra long one, which was probably mixed with his fur that he has been shedding all over the place. Somewhat relieved, I went to bed and planned to take him into the vet in the morning.

(Wow, are you still reading?) The next day I was woken up 3 times by phone calls all for Clyde; the first was from the vet at 6:30, who was calling to follow-up from the emergency call the night before, and said she would be able to see him at 10am. Then Cathy called an hour later, followed by Cindy immediately after; both were relieved to hear that Clyde had started eating again. I peered over my bed to see how Clyde was doing. Sitting quietly next to Bonnie. I was happy to see him dash towards the pellets this morning, and with much coaxing with treats got him into the carrier to go to the vet. Dr. Maguire who I spoke to at 6am was happy to see us both and gave Clyde a thorough exam - ears, teeth, belly, temperature, and feet. Everything seemed in order and Clyde was well-behaved the whole time. She gave me a couple of medications that would help him regulate his system for the next few days, and also prescribed sub-cu fluids. The fluids were administered by 2 nurses; one restrained Clyde on the ground while the other pinched his skin behind the neck, inserted the needle and squeezed the bag of fluid. A big bubble of fluid resulted on Clyde's back, and she suggested that I massage the area to get the fluids moving. I left feeling relieved (and also $200 poorer), with a pretty shaken-up but healthy Clyde.

The subway trains unfortunately were not running back home and I was already late for work, so after much going back and forth in my head, I took Clyde along with me into the office for the day. He was an instant hit with everyone who saw him, and I was able to let him out in an empty office to stretch his legs. He ate some fresh veggies and one of the medications that I fed from a spoon. I could tell he wanted to go home, but I had one more stop to make before we went back, to see Cindy at an event talking about legislation of rabbits. When the talk was over I went to say hello, and again everyone who saw Clydy peek out of the carrier was instantly won over. One lady even asked to interview me for some publication she works for, so that's 2 articles on Bonnie & Clyde this month!

Finally after all that, Clyde returned to his pen with Bonnie, and went straight for the litterbox (hooray!). He seemed to be getting his old appetite back, but I still had to administer one of the medicines by syringe per the vet's instructions. There was a lot of coaxing (to no avail) and hopping around the pen, but finally I grabbed the litterbox with Clyde in it to the kitchen where I could lean over him and hold his head while I gave him his meds. He didn't like me poking around his mouth again and I couldn't be sure that he was swallowing it, but at least I got it all in his mouth this time. I have a feeling next time he might struggle more when I try to transport him in the litterbox. Better get some tasty fruit treats ready.

Whew, that was a lot of updating. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

lazy Sunday

Ah, finally a lazy Sunday... if only all days were like this! Oh wait, they are for Bonnie & Clyde :P. Life's tough as an adorable furball.

Lately I've started to let the bunnies out of their pen to run around in my room. They love it! Both bunnies have demonstrated to be quite acrobatic -- lots of blinkies and twists in the air and running around. Destruction has been kept to a minimum, and nobody's had an 'accident' outside the pen yet. This makes me hopeful that someday, I will be able to watch TV on the couch with them. They have a hard time running on the hardwood floor though, since their paws are furry and not padded, they tend to slip and slide on the smooth wood floor. Which is kind of adorable to watch, but ultimately bad for their paws. Hence, a hallway rug is on its way :)

April Fools

This morning I woke up to the usual scurrying sounds from below, but when I peeked over the edge of my bed, I saw an incredible sight - Bonnie hopping along OUTSIDE the pen! I wondered how she managed to escape again after I had secured the side of the pen. I opened the pen door and herded her back in to be reunited with Clyde, who was sitting next to the door looking quite flummoxed himself. I looked all around to see how she had gotten out, worried that she might have tried to climb up the metal cage or hurt herself if she had tried to go over the top. Shortly after demolishing their pellets, Bonnie started gnawing at the wire and pushing against the panel at the right end of the pen. AND THEN, she ran over to the OPPOSITE side of the pen where the panels end, but because she was pushing against one end the other end moved just a bit so she could squeeze out next to the wall and behind my desk. My jaw literally dropped open. I mean, either Bonnie is one smart cookie, or she got really lucky, but I'm sure this isn't the first time she's done this because I noticed her pushing against the gate before. This time, it took some bribing with lettuce before she hopped back into the pen.

I spent the next 10 minutes trying to figure out how to prevent another escape. Bonnie: 2, Me: 0

new fort!

Whew, the end of March has been a whirlwind of work and celebratory gatherings, not least of which was a "bunny-warming" party where Bonnie and Clyde, didn't exactly warm up to the guests, but were at least warmly entertained by veggies, toys, and awws all around. Then their benefactor from across the country sent them this awesome cardboard maze/fort! Bonnie wasted no time trying to climb up the sloped roof so now it is roofless for their safety. Silly Bonnie.

The buns go through so much timothy hay in a week - about 2 lbs worth - and it's not exactly the most convenient thing to buy in bulk. Bunnies are supposed to be grazers by nature, and their diet should ideally consist of 75% hay to keep things moving in their digestive tract. Unfortunately I neglected to order more hay before we ran out so now I'm stuck making hay-runs in the middle of the week. I just ordered a 9 lb box of hay online... hmm I guess that is going to take up a fair bit of space so I'm going to do the first thing that comes to mind - shop for a hay hamper! Teeheehee.

Escape!

This evening I came home, a little flustered from celebratory birthday events, to find my bunnies looking all guilty behind the pen. Their pen toys and box were all shuffled around, and their water bowl was completely empty, which was strange since I thought I had filled it in the morning. Not thinking too much about it, I continued to feed them their nightly dinner. It was only after I started to climb into bed did I notice things were astray. My boots were lying on the floor instead of on their low shelf, my area rug was shuffled and there was a wet spot on it. Immediately I realize it was rabbit pee. But how did they get to it? The pen was closed and they were still inside, the boots and rug were right next to the pen through so I figured maybe one of the just sprayed outside the cage and made a lot of disturbance to knock over the boots. Then I walk over to my closet were a couple boxes had fallen from their shelf and some bags were on the floor. Still not believing bunnies could have gotten out I blamed it on the wind coming in, although my window was close to bring closed. It wasn't until I went into their cage did I comprehend what had happened.

There was a small gap between the pen cage and the frame which it is against, just barely wide enough for a bunny to squeeze through. I could hardly believe it! I'm sure it was Bonnie since she is the more adventurous curious one. I was happily surprised to find that nothing was really disrupted or chewed through, and overall she had not caused much ruckus before crawling BACK into the pen. I zip tied a few more places to make sure they couldn't sneak out again, but man, I am impressed with their clever sneakiness!

we're up on youtube!

In honor of a birthday post, here's our first video. Hello World!

Since I am trying to watch Clyde from getting fatter, I've taken to feeding them pellets by hand when I can. They are a little ravenous in the morning though so I let them have at it from the bowl in the morning. At the same time I'm trying to train them to stand on command, though I'm not sure the "Up!" would work without the prospect of treats :P.

to the vet we go

Was woken up early like every other day of the week - by the rustling scurrying sounds of B&C in their pen. Today was our first visit to the vet, a routine checkup and nail trim. I bribed the bunnies to go into their new carrier with some cilantro and carrots , then promptly zipped them up and we were off to The Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine to see Dr. Wilson, the resident rabbit specialist. She gave Bonnie and Clyde full checkups, looking in their eyes, ears, feeling their bellies and feet. "Bonnie has a nice silhouette," she remarked, "however, Clyde... I wouldn't want him to get any fatter." Clyde may have been hogging more than his fair share of the pellets, since he's quite round around the middle. I don't want to have to put my bunny on a diet! Oh Clydey. I may just have to figure out a way to feed them separately, garrrrr. The upside was that the assistant helping out with the nail trimming said to me afterwards, "you have very well behaved rabbits!" Teehee. It made me a little proud, almost like a pseudo tiger-mom.

Here is a frazzled looking Clyde getting his toenails trimmed at the vet. (It cost $21 for a nail trim - that's more than a manicure!)

On the way home SOMEBODY had a little accident in the carrier... I won't/can't say who XP. All I know is that I had the carrier on my lap on the subway, and when I got up there was a wet spot on my leg, lol.

I tried to pick them up out of the bag to put back in the pen, but Bonnie gave me a deep scratch with her newly cut (jagged) nail. Next time I cut their nails I am going to try to emery board them a little! After a busy day at the vet, the pair just wanted to come home and "loaf up" in their favorite spot.

Beg beg beg

Clyde: Maybe if I stick my nose out of the cage far enough, she'll give me a treat! Look! Look! Look at how cute I am!

Destruction!

Well, it was gonna happen sooner or later. Yesterday I came home to find my charging cord for my cellphone had accidentally dropped into the pen, and they gnawed it into pieces! Here's what was left...

I am very glad that there was no current running through it, or else they would have been in for a nasty shock. I spent more time in the pen with them yesterday, and lo and behold Bonnie actually hopped into my lap for all of 3 seconds. Woohoo! Progress!



This morning, shortly after demolishing their pellets, I witnessed Clyde's daily run - about 6 laps at full bunny speed, desperately slipping on the cardboard/wood floor at times, making a racket, and concluded with a few twisty leaps in the air. It was quite the show :)

Lies!

Attack the lettuce! One of the few vegetables that Clyde will deign to munch on (so far he's rejected celery, watercress, bok choy, mint, and broccoli). Sheesh. So picky.

By the way, this is what having a bunny is *supposed* to be like. Or at least so I was led to believe. Low stress, carefree, and instantly turns you into a 50-year-old woman. It's definitely one sided, and doesn't mention anything about what to do if your bunny doesn't want to cuddle and be a mellow lump on the couch with you. But, if there's anything this video has motivated me to do, is to get a BUNNY SLIDE (see clip at 1:13)!

yummy camera?

I'm trying to take a photo of Bonnie & Clyde so that we can use it as a cute poster for this month's office birthday celebration (haha, just like The Office), but it's been impossible to capture both of them in one shot, looking in the same direction. Though I think this one of Clyde is a keeper.

Edit: 12:15AM - Trying to catch up on work but I find myself staring at B&C instead. This photo of Clyde is so cute I think I'll make it into the header. I can't really tell for sure, but I think that I've fattened my bunnies up compared to when I got them from the shelter. Clyde is definitely looking a little chunkier and Bonnie's no longer quite the slim gal she used to be. Hmm. Perhaps will cut down on pellets and feed more hay. More HAY! They sure go through a lot of the stuff.

Made an appointment for their first vet visit on Sunday! I hope I all goes well and I don't get sticker shock at the bill (I'm anticipating $160? $200?). Ahh... to have the life of a bunny - eat, sleep, poop, and beg for treats. Wouldn't it be nice?

And the real story begins

So, now that we've all settled in... the real story begins!

I really thought that bunnies would be easy pets. But being a pet owner is no picnic, no matter what kind of pet. The research I did on house bunnies says they are smart creatures that can be playful, affectionate, and wonderfully personable. So far, I can only attest that they are entertaining to watch. As for the other traits...

B&C have lots of toys at their disposal, but they choose instead to chew on their cardboard mat and at the floorboard (Noooo! that's my security deposit!). I just bought them a fleece lined pet-bed today and instead of curling up in it like in the product stock photo, they proceed to dig, claw, and nibble at the lining. Sigh. I just want to see one of them curl up and nap in it, but I'm afraid it's only going to get torn to pieces in the morning.

Maybe I'm not giving them enough love? I have to admit I haven't spent much time on the floor with them, and they run away when I try to pick them up. Boohoo. All I want is for my bunnies to love me back, is that so much to ask??? Ungrateful furballs :P

Hello, Bonnie! Hello, Clyde!

Hello, World! Welcome to my blog dedicated to my two adorable, quirky, spoiled bunnies. Bonnie & Clyde are a pair of two grey bunnies, adopted from the NY animal shelter when they were approx 10 months old. They were described as 'short-hair' so I'm not sure what official breed they are, but they are about 4 lbs each, with cute upright ears and white bellies. They are my first real pets ever, since my parents weren't into raising pets in the house when I was growing up, so it's quite an exciting time for me! I will be documenting their adventures as we all get to know each other and hopefully become a happy bunny family.

Day 1 - Saturday, 03.05.11
Headed to the animal shelter with my roommate, not really expecting to adopt but rather look around to see what was available. I arrive in the "bunny room" at the shelter and immediately see Bonnie & Clyde playing in the playpen, taking advantage of their designated playtime outside of their usual cage. They are just adorable little furballs, and I remember feeling relieved that they were not going crazy chewing on everything, leaping around, or acting like "neurotic bunnies" (quote from skeptic friend). They were relatively calm, curiously peering at the new visitors, sticking their quivering noses through the wire gate and standing up on their hind legs. I melted a little watching them, but I really wasn't planning on adopting 2 bunnies. I had been raised an only child, and the thought that flashed through my head at the time was, but then I'd have to split my love and attention between them! As I peeked at the rest of the single bunnies though, it quickly became apparent that they were 1) not as cute, and 2) not as fun to watch. The ladies at the shelter insisted that pairs were the way to go, especially since I'd be working during the day and they would be able to keep each other company. "Just like humans like having a companion, so do they!"

After spending several hours at the shelter, I decided to adopt Bonnie & Clyde that day, even though I was not prepared at all at home. There was another girl surrendering her pet bunny that she had previously adopted, due to financial reasons. She was nice enough to donate to me a bag of new litter, some toys and accessories. I made plans to shop, prepare, and return for B&C the next day.

Day 2 - Sunday, 03.06.11 - Bunnies are home!
It was a miserable rainy day, but I couldn't let the bunnies down. As I ran about the city picking up a puppy exercise pen, litterbox, food, hay, rugs, and the like, I started to feel a sinking uncertainty in the pit of my stomach. Was I in over my head? Did I just make a huge mistake? I steeled my nerves and trekked back up to E. 110th animal shelter to carry the two furballs home. It was pouring by the time we got home but we managed. When I first introduced them to their pen it was pretty hectic. They started pooping and peeing all over the place, especially in this play tunnel toy that I had inherited. Now, bunnies are supposed to be great at using their litterbox, just like cats. However this was definitely not the case the first day. I became a little distraught at how brazenly disobedient Bonnie and Clyde were getting. I later realized that it was because they smelled the other bunny's scent all over the place (thanks to the inherited toys), and were trying to "claim" the area as their territory.

Days 3 thru 7 - Settling down
During the first week I worried constantly, and also talked constantly, about my bunnies to anyone who would listen. They were definitely more rowdy than I had seen them at the shelter, keeping me awake that first night with their dashing around the pen, munching on hay, thumping and grunting. Yes, bunnies thump and grunt, mostly as a sign of warning or displeasure. Clyde, determined to make the most sound possible at 3am, was standing on the cardboard box I had put in the center of the pen, and thumping with resolution for a good 5 minutes. He then proceeded to go into the box and make "huffing" like grunts that sounded like a child going "hmrph!" That was a long night.

Everyone asks, how do I tell them apart? Well, Clyde is larger in size and has a broader face, and he looks a little cuter from the side because of his rounder nose. Bonnie is more adventurous and curious, always first to beg for a treat or explore new addition to their home. They both go nuts at the sound of me scooping their rabbit feed, and hover excitedly over the empty bowl as I pour out their food. They've also established some of their preferences for fresh veggies: carrots are a favorite (though I'm not supposed to feed carrots too much), then cilantro, lettuce, celery and dandelion greens. Bonnie especially has taken a liking to celery, while Clyde will sniff, scoff, and pretend he is not interested, until Bonnie starts eating her celery. Then Clyde will hop over and try to steal the celery straight from Bonnie's chompers. They like to fight over veggies like this, in the true spirit of sibling rivalry. I wonder if I am spoiling them too much though, as they recently turned up their cute noses at bok choy (only nibbled the leaves not the stems), watercress, mint, and collard greens. I even caught Clyde on a number of occasions with his nose buried in the bowl of vegetables, digging for the few carrot slices I had hid on the bottom as a treat. After picking out the orange stuff, he'd ignore the rest of the bowl and go back to his favorite spot to flop out on the wood floor. Clyde also does what I like to call "the loaf" where he tucks his legs under his belly and forms a shape that looks like he just slid out of a bread loaf pan.

Exactly one week after I brought B&C home, I rearranged my room so that I could give them a proper play area. I bought a lofted bed frame, and gave them the space under my full-sized bed. It's a much better layout than their previous long skinny pen, and they were dancing with joy soon after introduction into the new space. "Dancing with joy" is described by bunny owners as "blinkies," a sort of jumping, twitching, twisting movement that reminds me of those somersaulting toy dogs from the 80's. What I'm amazed at is how fast my bunnies move, especially when they chase each other or get really excited for food. I guess that is why my friend says bunnies are "neurotic," because blinkies really do look like the bunny is twitching and spazzing out!