Porthos by Eileen Crowley, 9×11 in., Acrylic

For those of you in the Bay Area in September, venture down to the bunny art show being held at the East Bay Rabbit Rescue (4651 Gleason Drive, Dublin). Bay Area artists have created portraits of adoptable rabbits, and proceeds from the art show benefit the local rescues.

On Saturday, September 4, they are holding a large adoption event with five Bay Area rescues, including the House Rabbit Society and Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary from 11am-4pm.

For more info:
East Bay Rabbit Rescue
Oakland Examiner

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Update: The Bunny Art Show/Adoption Event was a huge success!  According to Joan Wegner of the East Bay Rabbit Rescue, “We had a great event with 10 adoptions, 5 possible and sold LOTS of artwork.”  (Thanks for the info, Joan!)

When we switched from store-bought timothy hay to a locally-grown timothy hay-orchard grass mix from a farm, we realized there was one disadvantage.  The hay was more tangled together than the store-bought kind, and Cos, being very greedy/possessive of her food, started running away with large clumps of hay in her mouth. The hay got all over the carpet, and it was a big pain having to constantly clean it up.

Enter the Screwy Rabbit Hay Buffet.  We recently acquired this durable (but lightweight) hay feeder from Wabbit Works.  It’s actually large enough to hold a substantial amount of hay, unlike the hay feeders available at the pet store.  This feeder caters to a rabbit with a proper hay-based diet.   It keeps the hay contained (so no dragging large clumps out of the litterbox anymore), and it fits next to a litterbox.  (We actually have three small litterboxes surrounding it because our rabbits seem to like having options.)  There is less waste because the hay stays more or less in the feeder rather than being sat on in the litterbox.

Cosette eating out of the Screwy Rabbit Hay Buffet.

Coco takes his turn.

Cos gets jealous…

and joins him.

Today we put Bu to sleep. The vet suggested it was the most compassionate thing for him. His health quickly deteriorated this weekend after what seemed like a full recovery from last month’s scare.

We will miss him. He was exceptional.

I get a lot of emails describing the same scenario:  Bunnikins has taken to hopping on the sofa and peeing on it. It’s a frustrating situation and one that has happened in our household as well. I remember after the third time it happened with Cosette a few years back, I had picked her up and put her in her cage.  (She still had a cage back then although it was always open.)  I closed the cage door and closed the kitchen door where the cage was located.  But even in the other room I could hear her thrashing around in the cage trying to break free.  For a rabbit who detests being picked up and despises even more being cooped up in a cage, this was the greatest insult.  I felt bad locking her in – and I did let her out  again after an hour -  but after that time, she never peed on the sofa again.

I later came across an incredibly useful article on the House Rabbit Society website which helps shed light on this behavior and suggests ways to train your rabbit.  The article is called “FAQ: Training,” and under the heading “Behavior motivated by social structure,” it delves specifically into the peeing on the couch problem.

Anyone who is experiencing this issue should read the article.  The entire article is actually very enlightening as well- covering various issues that most bunny owners will come across at some point.

Cosette with co-editor P.A. Smith  in 2006.