Sunday, December 4, 2011

Bun Bun Has a Forever Home!

I received an email a few weeks ago. Bun Bun has a forever home!

While I am happy for Bun Bun, I am sad. I really loved that rabbit. Still love her. But she deserves a home where everyone can enjoy her and where she is not the bane of contention.

I pray that Bun Bun's new family will love her dearly and treat her really well.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

I am undone

Today, I drove to Algonquin, IL with my Bun Bun. I had to give her back to No Splitting Hares. It just about did me in. My husband is allergic to rabbits. We did not know this at the time we got Bun Bun.

In the car, on the way home, J got red, itchy, watery eyes and his throat was itchy. But we figured it was because he was in a farmhouse with dozens of rabbits. I promised to keep her cage immaculate and to clean the house dilligently. I promised to be the only one to take care of Bun Bun. I was already madly, hopelessly in love with this wonderful creature.

The reality is that J works from home when he is in town and you can't have an allergic person in the same room for 12-14 hrs/day with the thing he is allergic to. We live in a loft so it's not like he can just go elsewhere in our home.

To compound the issue, my husband has this rare eye disorder that Native American males can get. His job involves video work and designing sets and stuff. Combine all three and you just have to choose your spouse over your pet. Especially when your spouse makes the money that pays for said loft. And our kids' private school tuition.

So today I tearfully took Bun Bun back from whence she came. And I am undone.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

No Splitting Hares Rabbit Rescue

We researched several options for adopting a rabbit. We knew a pet store was NOT the way we wanted to go. A friend offered to give us her bunny et al but he wasn't the right bunny for us. My husband even did a search on Craigslist - we are city people, that's what we do first. I had email conversations with a rescue organization (more on that in another post) but realized we were not a good fit for each other.

Through petfinders.com, I found No Splitting Hares, (nosplittinghares.com) a pet rescue about an hour away. They had bunnies we would love to meet. When I spoke to the owner on the phone, she was very straight forward and practical. I really liked that about Lisa. Their visiting days are Saturdays. That Saturday, we took a drive out to see the rescue and to meet bunnies. We did not plan to adopt that day.


No Splitting Hares is located in an old farmhouse that is completely dedicated to rabbits. There is a room with used cages, rabbit accessories (new and used), and rabbit food and litter (all new). When families deliver their animals to No Splitting Hares, they often give away all of the rabbit gear (cages, food and water bowl, toys, etc.). When you adopt a rabbit, you can purchase items from the "store" if you so choose. Great system.

The main floor has 3 rabbit rooms in addition to the kitchen/office and the store. Bunnies are moved to the main floor when they are ready to be adopted. The upper floor is the intake floor where bunnies are assessed, fixed up, socialized, litter trained, etc. All together, there are over 200 rabbits at any given time. Lisa, the owner, takes rabbits returns, breeder overstock, hoarded rabbits, pound rabbits, etc. Her goal is to save the lives of the rabbits, get them healthy and socialized and into good homes.

The worker who took us around each room was very knowledgable. She knew every bunny, their history, their age, personality, etc. She knew her stuff! Based upon our wish list, she showed us the bunnies that she felt would work in our lifestyle and environment.

While we were there, a family dropped off their rabbit. It was a mom and her sons. After they said their "good byes" to the rabbit and left, Lisa said there is typically nothing wrong with the rabbits. People get them home and realize they are not just cute little pets, but you have to clean their cage and play with them. After cleaning the cage a few times, they decide it is too much work.

Our experience with No Splitting Hares was positive, positive, positive. I have searched the internet for negative comments about the organization but cannot find any negative comments made about them. It would appear phone call is the best method of communication over e-mails. If you were taking care of over 250 rabbits and over a dozen volunteers, you might have a hard time staying up on the emails as well.

We ended up adopting a black mini-lop female who came from a breeder overstock. She is absolutely adorable, litter-trained and socialized!!!

Why a House Bunny?

We went to my friend Normie's home in Canada. Normie has the most delightful house rabbit!!! Her bunny was nosey, inquisitive, involved in family life, fast (stole a chip in lightening speed), and funny. And, litter box trained. As we walked away from Normie's home, our conversation was on her rabbit.

For the next two weeks, we spoke to people with rabbits. We researched rabbits on the internet. Then we researched some more, asked more questions and researched more. We almost got a bunny from a neighbor. However, their bunny is more of an outdoor bunny, is not litter trained, and his habitats are too large for our home. It was a good experience to meet him as it solidified what we can and can't do in terms of a rabbit pet.

Rabbits are unique animals. They are similar to cats in their size, ability to be litter trained, and take a human or leave a human attitude. We wanted a rabbit in hopes that he/she would be similar to Normie's rabbit. We wanted a bunny that is involved in our family life and is interested in seeing what is going on. 

The ability to house a rabbit in her habitat (with food, lots of chew toys and digging options) when we are out was nice. Our children are old enough to be responsible rabbit friends. We, the parents would be the primary caregivers, not our children. Ultimately, having a special life to care for was a big deciding factor.

It was just a matter of where to get a rabbit from.

Friday, July 22, 2011

I am Bun Bun Widney


And this, is the first professional photo taken of me.
July 16, 2011
I'm female mini lop bunny rabbit about three months old.