We are a big family by New York City standards. There are seven of us. I am a stayathome mother who homeschools my three daughters. My husband, Scott, works in the hotel industry. The eldest child is Abby, an outgoing sevenyearold. Vera, our passionate threeyearold, is the middle child, and then there 's our little ball of joy, fourmonthold Penny. There is also Marge, The OneEyed Rabbit and Queen of our threebedroom apartment. And in midSeptember, we added Halston as a partner bun for Marge.
Before we adopted Marge, I read a lot of articles about raising rabbits with
young 
(Continue on page 3)
By Natalie L. Reeves
When New Yorkers were coping with a record heat wave this summer, some of us may have grumbled that the heat was unbearable, but at least we didn't have to worry about hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes like those in other regions of this country. That was then.
While Hurricane Irene and an August earthquake caused little damage in New York City, the potential for devastation was great, as witnessed by upstate residents and others in the Northeast who saw their homes flooded and roads washed away. If there was any good that came out of this spate of disasters, perhaps it was that we focused on disaster planning.
Upper East Side Petco store during Hurricane Irene.
September
was National Disaster Preparedness Month, so you may have read articles about
disaster planning for your pets. Most of these articles and guidelines are geared toward dogs and cats, but rabbits need the same forethought.
Just because we live in an area that is less likely to be hit with a natural disaster than the South or Midwest does not mean we should be complacent. The recent anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is an example of an unexpected event requiring mass evacuations of people and animals. Not all events are so dramatic - a fire, a burst pipe, gas leak or other danger may require a sudden evacuation. (See related article on page 4.)
If an unexpected disaster hits, you likely won't be thinking clearly, so now is the time to prepare for any such eventuality. The ASPCA and other animalwelfare
(Continued on page 2)
| Three Nests Tell Three Different Tales About Behavior Page 6 | Recent Rescue Effort On Long Island Is Bittersweet And Very Costly Page 8 | Double Trouble : What Went Wrong When I Took Two Bunsto Work Page 19 |
Jaws masthead bunny, Calvin, prepares to devour a carrot as it swims above him.
Disaster Planning(Continued from page 1)
groups offer excellent tips on their websites for disaster planning for pets, but almost all of their suggestions are geared toward dogs and cats. As you know, rabbits are unique and have special needs.
As we learned from Hurricane Katrina and Sept. 11, if a disaster requires you to evacuate your home, take your pet - any species - with you. If conditions are unsafe or uncomfortable for you, then you have to assume that your pet also is in danger.
Countless New Orleans residents evacuated their homes preceding Hurricane Katrina and left behind what they thought would be plenty of food for their pets, but then they found that they could not get back to their homes in the expected time frame, leading to the deaths or escape of their animals.
If New York City orders residents to evacuate and establishes evacuation shelters, as it did with Hurricane Irene, you should know that all of these cityrun shelters welcome pets. During Hurricane Irene, approximately 230 animals stayed at the evacuation centers. Most of these centers (if not all) are set up so that all pets are kept in their carriers in one room and the humans in a separate room. Thus, rabbits would be housed in a room with dogs and cats and other animals. Obviously, this would be stressful for a rabbit, and not ideal, but it is far safer than leaving him or her in an unsafe evacuated area.
Better still would be if you could evacuate to a friend 's or family member's home where you can be with your rabbit. If you think now about friends in a different neighborhood or borough who could take you and your rabbit(s ) in during an emergency, it will be easier for you to make the decision on where to go when the emergency actually strikes.
You should have a disaster kit ready to go. The city instructed residents who stayed in one of the evacuation centers during
Rescuers would be pressed for time when locating Rhonda, partly hidden, top, and might fail to find her carrier in a jumbled closet, bottom.
Irene with their pets to bring their own pet food. But in many cases, pet stores or rescue organizations also donated food in case the evacuees hadn't brought pet food. Unfortunately, though, shelters are very unlikely to have backup supplies for rabbits.
A disaster kit should include bottled water, food for your bunny, medications, a carrier and, ideally, a litter box. Since you will need to make sure the food is fresh and your rabbit's medicines may change, keep a list of things to grab so that you won't forget anything when you are scrambling to evacuate. Be specific. When you are rushed and trying to get out, you won't think through everything. Write down pellets, hay, medicine, comb and any other materials your rabbit would need.
Every animal in your household should have his own carrier. Often people who have more than one animal only have one carrier that their animals share. These are people who have pet sitters care for their cats and rabbits in their home and never take all their pets to the vet or out of the home at once. For example, people with two pairs of bonded rabbits may only have one carrier for a pair of rabbits, since they don't take all four rabbits to the vet at the same time. But if, for example, you had to evacuate during Hurricane Irene, you would have needed carriers to hold all your animals to get them out of your apartment, and also so that the rabbits would have a place to stay in an evacuation center.
Your rabbits ' carriers should also be readily accessible. After Sept. 11, the ASPCA went into apartments in the World Trade Center area to rescue animals in the days and weeks after the attack. They often had trouble finding carriers for the animals because the carriers were buried in the backs of closets under shoes or other clutter.
If you are unable to evacuate because a disaster strikes when you aren't home, whoever goes in to rescue your pets may have very little time to find your animals and get them out. If your house is on fire, a fire fighter is not going to have time to search for your carrier. Although it may not be aesthetically pleasing, ideally carriers will be kept close to your rabbits ' housing so that a rescuer could grab them quickly.
If you live alone with your rabbits and are in an accident, it may be that no rescue worker knows to send someone to care for your rabbits while you are in the hospital. Thus, it is a good idea to keep a card next to your driver's license in your wallet that says that if you are in an accident, someone should be sent to care for your rabbits. The card should name a specific person who knows how to care for your rabbits and should include that person's cellphone number.
With any luck, you and your rabbits will never need to evacuate, but it's always prudent to plan for the worst while hoping for the best.
Raising Marge
(Continue d from page 1) kids. The articles all leaned toward the negative, repeating the same points. Rabbits are fragile. Only older kids can be trusted with them. I know my girls. They can be loud and rowdy at times, but for the most part they are gentle and caring. Plus, I had the added bonus of having raised rabbits before, so I kind of knew what to expect. I can make this work, I thought.
It took time finding the right bun for us. And then, on one of the coldest days in January two years ago, Marge came to live with us. Marge is a rabbit on the bigger side. When we met her, she didn't shy away from us, despite her missing eye ; to our surprise, she seemed fearless. Having only one eye didn't stop her from demanding affection from the girls.
Marge 's lack of fear constantly amazes us. She 's been known to lie sprawled out anxietyfree in the middle of the playroom while Abby break dances to Madonna. Once Marge has claimed a spot on the rug, it seems like nothing can move her. Yoga balls have rolled over her. The girls have built train tracks encircling her. Marge holds her ground as if it were as normal as the wind. Penny was born at home, and Marge lay nonchalantly less than five feet from me as I loudly went through labor. It is apparent that Marge always wants to be where the action is.
Living in an apartment with Marge, three kids and a husband has been tight at times, so it is important that we can each carve out our own small space at any given time. This is another reason why I love house rabbits. There is no huge cage to soak up one fifth of the play area. Marge has her corner with her hay box, water bowl and cardboard box to escape into (though she prefers to be under the couch). The challenge has been rabbitand babyproofing. While we 're lucky that Marge doesn't have a taste for wood furniture, she does have a love for wooden toys. The girls have learned the hard way that toys cannot be left on the floor. Barbies will lose noses, puzzles will lose pieces, and wooden
Photos : Amy Takemoto
play food will be eaten. It's been a fine balance trying to keep toys and books within reach of the girls, but out of Marge 's mouth. Bins, shelves and constant reminders to pick up have helped.
Our new guy, Halston, has been awesome. He 's a big fur ball of love, and melts under all the attention the girls give him. He 's a really playful bun (we 've seen him run like crazy around the room with a toy in his mouth) and does some impressive binkies.
Marge seems to be finally accepting there 's another bunny in the house. The two buns have been swapping spots every afternoon. Marge still poops all over Halston's rug, but she 's stopped running down the hall to glare at him through the baby gate and grunt at the humans who walk by.
I truly believe young kids and rabbits can coexist peacefully, but, like most things in life, it takes the right mix of rabbit and kid personalities to work. An overzealous toddler and a shy rabbit would be a nightmare. My girls have learned a valuable life lesson from Marge, and now Halston, which is how to care for and love little creatures and, most importantly, never come between a rabbit and an apple.
Editor's Note : Rabbits should never be a child 's responsibility. They need an adult caretaker. Rabbits should have their own
space. Children should be taught to respect a rabbit's space and not invade it.
Top, Halston and Abby. Middle, Penny and Marge. Bottom, Scott, Penny and Marge.
Now, This Is the Life !
Alex Sinansky visits with his family 's bunny, Jerry, in the Leith condo, above, and then helps ” with cleaning the cage. His mom, Kerstin Aumann, says, Alex loves the rabbits. He always gets very excited when he visits them in the rabbit room. He talks ' to them and tries to pet them. Alex is very gentle with the rabbits because we give him guidance on this. The rabbits don't mind him playing around with them. They usually watch with amusement and simply hop away if he 's getting a little too rambunctious.” She adds : Note that Alex usually goes straight into the bathtub after
When it comes to the wellbeing of my three rabbits, nothing scares me more than gastrointestinal stasis and heat. Both can be fatal in a short period of time, and we have limited control over either one. GI stasis struck my 5yearold boy Shlomo on the long July Fourth weekend. Despite a healthy fiberrich diet, plenty of exercise and regular brushing, I couldn't prevent his GI troubles. Those were the scariest three days I'd ever experienced, but fortunately Shlomo pulled through.
Three weeks later, the equally dreaded heat hit home. It was Friday, July
22, the second day of a 100plusdegree heat wave. I had barely been home from
work for an hour and had just finished giving my rabbits their salads when
my street lost power. All of a sudden, the air conditioning I had relied on
to keep my rabbits cool throughout the summer was rendered useless. Within
an hour or two, my secondfloor apartment (underneath an already hot attic)
would turn into an oven. Hoping that power would be restored quickly, but
wanting to be prepared
Leah and Simcha.
just in case, I called a friend to ask whether she 'd be able to take all of us in if worse came to worst. Next I drove to the nearby animal shelter in Clifton, N.J., where I volunteer, in order to check on the power status and see whether my rabbits and I could find temporary refuge there if needed. Before returning back home, I bought a few bags of ice, hoping to provide at least some amount of cooling.
As my trio greeted the bags of ice like unwelcome intruders, furiously digging and tugging at them, I anxiously watched the numbers on the thermometer climb. In no time it had reached 80 degrees, which I had determined to be the evacuation threshold. Yet, to avoid stressing them out unnecessarily, I decided to hold out just a little longer, still hoping for the situation to improve. None of the rabbits seemed the least bit stressed by the rising temperatures. An hour and a half into the ordeal, though, with the temperature having reached 85 degrees, I filled everyone 's carrier with as much hay as could fit, and grabbed a spare exercise pen and
(Continued on page 5)
hanging
out with the rabbits (at the very least, he has his hands washed thoroughly )
and he 's not allowed to munch on hay, pellets or bunny poop. He 's always carefully supervised when he 's in the rabbit room.”
Snowball and Alex.
NEST 1: TWINKLe
FalsePregnancy
Twinkle.
Twinkle built a beautiful nest and could be giving birth at any moment. I moved her into a cage with metal on 3 sides and secured cardboard on the bottom of the front of the cage door. Also, I moved the nest into a large litter box. I also housed it by turning the cardboard carrier that she built it in upside down over the litter box. It gives her more privacy and she moved in and out of it with ease. Twinkle 's Acard is now part of the nest, so she needs a new one. Approach gently. She may growl and try to box or bite you. Whoever goes tomorrow, please advise of any new arrivals.” - Megan Krieman, acc_rabbits listserv, April 5, 2011.
Maybe Ollie 's hormonal levels got her in the mood ! I think she has been with us for at least a month so unless she was impregnated right before she was surrendered... Hope it is a false pregnancy !” - Cindy Stutts, ibid., April 6, 2011. should have had babies by now. She will your couch and pillows ). If there 's no be spayed on TUe 4/12.” - Cindy Stutts, way your bunny could be pregnant April 10, 2011. except by Immaculate Conception, then she 's having a false pregnancy.” Instances of nestbuilding in the rabbit room at AC&C always concern us. When Although rabbit anatomy and physiology are we discover an assemblage of pulledout primarily responsible for false pregnancies fur, hay and torn paper, we worry that among unspayed female rabbits in the population could increase by as shelters, it is commonly believed that many as 10 bunnies overnight. Because sexual pheromones of nearby unneutered most shelter rabbits ' backstories are males (with whom the females have no unavailable, we rarely know if a nest is direct physical contact) also play a signioccasioned by genuine or false pregnancy. ficant role. And since scientific research But since the gestation period for rabbits has documented the existence and effects is around 31 days, we 're only in the of many different kinds of pheromones dark for a short while. Shelter volunteers (in species as diverse as ants, rats, goats keep a minimally meddlesome eye on and humans ), there may be additional these nests, hoping they will not be pheromonebased influences at work.
occupied by newborns ; we wait a few days before deconstructing and discarding nests that remain empty. If there 's no way
According to Susan A. Brown, DVM, your bunny could be Female rabbits can go into a hormonal state triggered by their ovaries where pregnant except by they think they are pregnant but they are not. Although this is not medically Immaculate Conception, harmful, it can be very stressful for the then she 's having a rabbit who goes through all the motions of being pregnant, including nest building, false pregnancy.' milk production and aggressive protection of her territory. This aggression can be - Dana Krempels, Ph.d. taken out on the caretakers and cagemates and can make the pet very difficult to
handle during this period.” Cindy 's email (above ) about Twinkle 's nest pointed to the possible influence of Esther van Praag, Ph.d. notes : False an intact male named Ollie. Also present pregnancies can be triggered by the
in the rabbit room when Twinkle built mounting behavior by a castrated male her nest were lactating Cecilia and her or another female rabbit in an attempt twoweekold kit Jinx. (Cecilia, her to establish dominance, or the presence partner Tobias and litter of three newborns of a castrated or intact male in the same arrived on March 25, 16 days into living environment. It is, however, also Twinkle 's sojourn at AC&C.) It is not observed in female rabbits that have no surprising that, prior to her spay surgery, contact with other rabbits.”
Twinkle, exposed 24/7 to the pheromones Another, more humorous, observation of her neighbors, might be have been on the subject of pseudocyesis (false affected (if deceived ) in that aspect of pregnancy ) is offered by Dana Krempels, being for which rabbits are renowned. Ph.d., a House Rabbit Society chapter manager in Miami: (Continued on page 7)
Tula.
NEST 2: TULA
Boy 'WithaNest
Tula is really sweet and easy to handle. The cage card says female but Cindy and Jane think Tula is a boy [with undescended testicles ]. However, I found he (?) pulled out a lot of his fur and made a nest in his litter pan. I am not sure if a male would pull out that much fur. Anyway, there were no babies.” - Joanna Ung, acc_rabbits listserv, April 20, 2011.
Never heard of this before. Maybe Tula is a girl. Let's ask Cindy.” - Jane, ibid., April 20, 2011.
Never heard of this either; could have sworn he is a boy. Maybe we should ask Amy [Odum] to take a look?” - Cindy, ibid., April 20, 2011.
Tula is very affectionate, hormonal and sweet. He spent quite a bit of time happily humping my leg. He demanded my attention all day. He seems to believe I'm an intact female bunny ; I'm sure he 'll forget all about me as soon as he 's neutered.” -Lisa Carley, ibid., April 23, 2011.
Tula, the girl formerly known as a boy, was very tired today after her spay.” - Lisa, ibid., May 3, 2011.
Post surgery, we understood that Tula's nestbuilding was due to false pregnancy, origin: femaleness.
Sexing rabbits can be tricky. Viewed in haste, the cranial tip of the vulva can look phallic. Not seeing scrotal sacs in Tula, and noting the rabbit's anxiety on
Xena's nest with kits.
being examined, I surmised that testicles may have been pulled up into the inguinal canal. I also was reminded of Frankie, a cryptorchid agouti lop whom Tula resembled, and this memory reinforced my opinion that Tula was a male. Having mistaken her for a male in bilateral cryptorchid disguise, I puzzled and presumed. Do male rabbits build nests ? (According to Van Praag, castrated males do, but rarely, and they don't pull out their fur. Good catch, Joanna!) Interpreting Tula's hormonally exuberant behavior as typically male, I, and others, indulged in anthropomorphic heterosexual stereotyping.
Having falsely sexed falsely pregnant Tula, we had been a lot more confused than she !
NEST 3: XENA
ALitterof7In May 2011, Xena and Hercules (renamed Pegasus for his ability to fly over the rabbit room's highest pen) arrived at AC&C together. Separating the two intact rabbits, Cindy moved Xena to foster care with volunteer Cathy Zelonis. Before Xena could be spayed, she created an exquisite nest and gave birth to 7 kits. Cathy witnessed and reported the loving care Xena lavished on her litter (5 of whom survived ). Now, to find them homes !
Xena at AC&C.
Notes
To Neuter or not to Neuter..... That Is the Question” By Susan A. Brown, DVM http://www.hrschicago.org/neuterfr.html
Pseudopregnancy : Hay Gathering and Fur Plucking Behavior” By Esther van Praag, Ph.d.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases /Pseu_preg/pseudo_en.htm
Nest Building Due to False (or Real) Pregnancy ” By Dana Krempels, Ph.d. http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare /furloss.html
Photos : Mary Ann Maier
In the last issue of Thump, we reported our rescue of five rabbits abandoned in Roslyn Heights, a welltodo neighborhood in Nassau County. We had spent weeks crawling through bushes, being attacked by mosquitoes, and trying to reason with belligerent residents who didn't understand that the rabbits faced disease, injury and death every day they remained outdoors.
However, as it often happens in rabbit rescue, there is no neat and tidy ending to this case. More stray rabbits have appeared, and the problem is compounded by the unwillingness of the residents to investigate or expose those who are responsible. The ongoing messiness typifies the situations that have become endemic on Long Island in recent years. Roslyn Heights is an excellent case study of a rabbitrescue perfect storm”: Multiple rabbits released outdoors, breeding, contracting disease, dying, and no clue how to stop the problem at its source.
Of the first five rabbits we rescued, three were pregnant females who we were able to get to the vet on time to spay them. Sad as it sounds, we absolutely must immediately spay females we suspect or know to be pregnant because there are already far more rabbits than there are homes for them. We have too many waiting to be adopted and cannot afford to risk even one litter being born.
We were stunned when one of the female rabbits died a few days later. We had a postmortem performed, and learned she had been suffering from an overwhelming lung infection and hepatic failure. The pathologist who examined the tissue obtained at necropsy believed that the liver damage was consistent with ingestion of rat poison.
The remaining rabbits settled in to our foster homes, ate ravenously, slept like newborn babies, and started to relax and thrive. We felt good at having cleared the last stray rabbit from this neighborhood. Even though finding homes for four rabbits wouldn't be easy, the sense of closure was rewarding.
This feeling wouldn't last. Ten weeks later, we received a report that two more rabbits were sighted. We didn't have any room in our foster homes. However, one of these rabbits was reported to have a large, open wound, and we felt compelled to go out and get her, even if we could only end her suffering and have her humanely euthanized.
We found her and her companion, managed to catch them both, and brought them immediately to the vet. The female had a large cuterebra lesion (and not a giant bite wound or compound fracture, or other trauma, as we had feared ), and both rabbits were infested with fleas and ear mites. So they were treated for all these parasites, and the cuterebra was surgically removed the following week. We rearranged, and shifted, and squeezed them both into foster care.
And it still wasn't over. The next week we received a call from a family in the same neighborhood : they had taken in a stray rabbit who appeared to be very ill. They noticed that she had wounds on her skin and reported that there were worms ” under the skin. We asked that they take the rabbit to the vet immediately, where she was found to be suffering terribly from flystrike (maggot infestation). She was hypothermic, malnourished and extremely debilitated, and she was therefore humanely euthanized.
Making matters worse, the family also reported that they saw another white rabbit in the neighborhood at the same time, but couldn't capture him. This was one day before Hurricane Irene struck. They haven't seen the rabbit since.
Top, this Roslyn Heights rabbit looks happy, but he and his siblings were subject to fleas, ticks, cars and even rat poison.
Middle, at first, this rabbit seemed stressed and even dehydrated. Bottom, safe at last.
We still have no idea where these rabbits originated, or if they are continually being released, or escaping from someone 's yard, or breeding in the wild. The person responsible has cost us over $2,500 in vet bills, flea medication and other costs to care for the rabbits lucky enough to be rescued.
(Continued on page 9)
Photo: Kathie Rokita Photo: Mary Ann Maier Photo: Mary Ann Maier
Photo: Mary Ann Maier Photo: Kathie Rokita
she initially feared being touched. Now she is 100% perfectly healthy and her fur is pristine. She loves to put her head down for pats when you approach her.
Raymond
Raymond, who has a big baby bunny ” face, was also afraid of humans at first, but has learned very quickly to trust his
Raymond, gentle yet inquisitive, is available for caretakers. He bounds to the front
of adoption. his cage whenever someone approaches, happy to have his ears rubbed or his
make outstanding companions. Those nose scratched. who have them know. Yet they often languish for months, even years, before Elinor
they are able to find homes. It was unbelievable how loving and friendly Elinor was from the day we
caught her. This smart cookie knew a Laura was suffering from the cuterebra and had ear mites so bad that we could (Continued on page 10)
Elinor knew she would love being a house rabbit! She is looking for a forever home.
Top, Rosie was the first (and, so far, only ) of the Roslyn Heights bunnies to find a home. Here she is with her loving adopter, Linda.
Middle, Laura's ear mites were so severe that rescuers could see them from across the yard.
Bottom, Laura is completely recovered from the horrific wounds caused by parasites. Can you offer her a loving home and help her forget her difficult time living on the street?
Out of eight rabbits rescued from this neighborhood since May, six have survived. Of those, one has been adopted. Of the remaining five, four are New Zealand or Florida whites. It is not always easy to find adopters for these rabbits. Some people say they don't like their pink eyes. This is unfortunate because these rabbits are typically affectionate, playful, outgoing and they
It was a hot Saturday in August when I saw a craiglist item about rabbits in Kissena Park, Queens, on the nycbuns Yahoo group. I contacted Sergei, the man who had posted the ad. After a short nononsense conversation, our plan was set to meet at a specified spot to find these rabbits. Sergei, his obedient dog and I proceeded to scan the underbrush on either side of a pathway.
Within minutes, we spotted the first and largest of the Himalayan rabbits. It was relatively easy to spot them as the bunnies were white and everything else was dark.
The first rescued rabbit, now named Simba, was lounging and foraging about eight feet off the path, in dense brush. Simba was huge and dodged me a few times when I tried to reach through branches to get him. Finally, I found the
Simba.
right moment when he was busy grazing and with the proper footing
amid the horizontal branches, roots, thorns and vines, I dove down and grabbed him. I kept a tight hold, yelled for the carrier, and into the carrier he went.
There were reports of two other bunnies already killed, one by a local dog, so we were determined to get these buns. Their lives were at stake. After securing Simba in the car, we resumed our search.Within minutes we spotted another bunny in the woods along the path. After quite a few minutes of catandmouse chasing in the brush, it was just by chance that the bunny, in his attempt to escape us, ran straight into a halfopened pen that we had set up. We quickly circled him with the pen and later this bunny was named Sergei. We continued searching through the brush and woods but found no more bunnies.
The following day, another Rabbit Rescue & Rehab volunteer, Lisa Fresolone, responded to my request for help on nycbuns, and we returned to Kissena Park. We wore long pants and longsleeved shirts to protect us from the brush and ticks, and we brought along bananas, pens and a carrier. I traipsed through the bushes and asked Lisa to wait out by the grass. A third bunny appeared. Through the woods, both of us were yelling, He went this way. No, he went that way, and, Quick, quick, get the banana. But the rabbit eluded us and hopped back into the brush. I followed him, hoping to shoo the rabbit toward the open grassy field where Lisa had set up a pen.
We lost sight of this bunny in the heavy vegetation. But then he popped up at the edge of the grass. Very gingerly, Lisa placed a carrier on the grass, with its door open and plenty of ripe banana inside. We waited in silence. The bunny approached the carrier warily but his desire for the banana got the better of him and into the carrier he hopped. We sneaked a bit closer, then rushed toward the carrier and locked the door. This third rabbit was later named Spike.
Photos : Jane O'Wyatt
The first two rabbits were examined by Dr. Jennifer Saver. Both had numerous ticks and large sores on their hocks, but were in decent health.
All three of the rescued Kissena rabbits came to the Animal Care & Control
shelter and were
(Continued on page 12)
Sergei.
THUMP OCTOBER 2011
Kissena Park Rabbits(Continue d from page 11)
cared for by the devoted rabbit volunteers. Spike, renamed Sophie, is now at the 86th Street Petco, while Simba has been at the shelter, and Sergei was adopted.
After Sergei, the third bun, was captured, his friend Jack and I continued the search for about a week to ensure there were no outstanding rabbits. We found none and are satisfied that we rescued them all.
Many thanks to the person who first forwarded Sergei's craigslist posting to nycbuns, Sergei, Jack (who first told Sergei about the bunnies ), Dr. Saver and Lisa, who ventured out in the summer heat on this mission to save these rabbits.
Rabbit Rescue & Rehab volunteers in Manhattan work at the shelter and at Petco stores. They also foster rabbits and assist in education, adoption screening, medical issues and special projects. The volunteers at the East 110th Street shelter are under the wing of Animal Care & Control (to get more information, go to nyc.metro.rabbits @gmail.com), and the Petco volunteers are supervised by Marcie Frishberg (mfrish57@yahoo.com). The Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group is also active in rescue, rehab and education (contact Mary Ann Maier at altitude8@yahoo.com or Nancy Schreiber at nschreibmd @aol.com). Thank you!
| Manhattan | Casey Easterling | Megan Krieman | Jackie Penny | Long Island | Mahir Nisar |
| Volunteers | Mike Easterling | Loraine Kopf | Kitty Pizzo | Volunteers | Jean Mellano |
| Lauren Abrams | Mayleen Fitzcharles | Robert Kulka | Natalie Reeves | Christine | Ana Otero |
| Kirsten Aumann | Lisa Fresolone | William Leung | Cathe Rekis | Consolado | Gina Pipia |
| Vivian Barna | Marcie Frishberg | Susan Lillo | Erick Rodriguez | Cheryl Egan | Lanette Raymond |
| Katelyn Belyus | Taryn Halata | Melissa Liquet | Emma Roth | Christine Eisenberg | Denise Rodriguez |
| Kim Berndt | Genevieve Hannon | Parsa Ludhi | Lauren Rudolph | Renee Fischer | Kathie Rokita |
| Lisa Carley | Sheri Harrison | Larry Marion | Kiva Ryan | Damir Galzina | Michael |
| Christina Chen | Thea Harting | Abigail McCue | Alanna Slepitsky | Barbara Hausman | Schornstein |
| Helen Chen | Zhen Heinemann | Erin McElhinney | Richard Smith | Carlina Jarmel | Donna Sheridan |
| Alisa Christopher | Amanda and | Misha McKay | Sabrina Stone | Hilary Kastleman | Nancy Schreiber |
| Nona Cleland | Christina Hess | Minnie Miller | Cindy Stutts | Kimberly Kerwin | Lisa Signorelli |
| Mary Cotter | Astrid Hesse | Krysten Morales | David Sydlik | Rumiko Kimura | Michael Simons |
| Maddy DeLeon | Lyssa Howells | Emma Mullins | Joanna Ung | Mary Ann Maier | |
| Marianne | Mindy Jackson | Scott Nelson | Melissa Van Wijk | Chris and Lori | |
| DeMarco | Hilary Kastleman | Amy Odum | Aline Westermann | McAllister | |
| Alyssa Diaz | Alice Kim | Kirsten Ott | Cathy Zelonis | ||
| Kerri Driscoll | Sandhya Kolge | Jane O'Wyatt | |||
| Alexis Duran | Sari Krieger | Nadine Pascual |
By Emma Mullins
It was the first Monday in August and my boyfriend, Ben, and I were craving cider and donuts. Anxiously awaiting a change of season, and in search of a more genuinely autumnal feel, we took a short drive to an orchard while visiting Ben's parents in Altamont, N.y. After discovering the orchard 's country market was closed, we walked around the farm to look at the animals.
There was a petting zoo”type barnyard adjacent to the rows of apple trees. Here we fed and petted goats, cattle, a donkey, rabbit. I paid the $25, no questions asked, and was on my way home with my very first rescue. I named her Cider.
When I got this little rabbit home to Ben's parents ' house, I set her up in a cage in my bedroom and gave her a litter box full of fresh hay. She was so shellshocked to be indoors and surrounded by people and other rabbits (I have a bonded pair) that she didn't budge from her litter box for an entire day. When her fear subsided, I picked her up, expecting to be resisted and scratched. Instead, I found the sweetest, friendliest sheep and chickens. Even though we never did get our cider and donuts, this trip was shaping up to be quite pleasant.
After petting the donkey for awhile we started back to the car. As we approached the parking lot, we spotted a massive rabbit hutch with a massive rabbit inside. Although it was not my idea of how to keep a rabbit, this was not the worst hutch I had seen. The Flemish Giant had large quantities of hay and straw filling her home, along with an indoor section of the hutch that afforded some protection. Next to the hutch, however, to the side and on the ground, was a teeny little cage about 18 inches square. Inside this little cage, scared and still, was an adorable little baby rabbit who could not have been more than two or three months old. The sign on the cage read Netherland Dwarf Male Bunny 3 Months Old $25.” I was immediately concerned about almost everything I saw in this situation. Her chances of finding a good indoor home, and soon, were slim. I began to investigate the conditions this poor little baby was living in. The water bowl looked like brown slush; there was no tray barrier between the rabbit and the moist ground ; the pellets were gone, and there were two rotting carrots that appeared untouched. I was shocked and didn't know what to do first. The farm was closed so I couldn't buy her, and then the thought entered my mind to steal her - but, of course, the moment I had this thought, one of the farmers came out of the driveway and drove right past me. At first I tried to just open the cage to get a better look at the little rabbit but the cage door was jammed shut and when I got my fingers inside the she began circling frantically in fear. This rabbit clearly had experienced little to no human contact, I thought to myself. I decided I would go home, think things through and return with a plan.
The first thing I did when I got home was post to the AC&C volunteers ' Yahoo group to ask for advice. A helpful response came from a fellow Petco volunteer, Parsa Ludhi. She assured me that although the financial burden of rescuing a rabbit is large, this rabbit really needed my help, and she would help me with the costs. With these words of encouragement and the amazing offer of financial assistance, rescuing this rabbit was an easy decision for me to make. The rabbit would have to be examined by a vet, and then I wanted to find her a wonderful indoor home.
The next day I couldn't stop thinking about liberating this rabbit from the terrible living conditions at this farm. I marched right into the office and told the lady behind the counter, I want to buy the baby rabbit out back.” She got me a box and told me to go get the rabbit I have ever encountered. She cuddled up under my chin and began licking my neck. She loved being held and didn't want to be put down. This went on for about 20 minutes the first time I held her. She wanted nothing more than to cuddle up in my arms and give me kisses on the nose, chin, forehead - any exposed skin, she would kiss it.
The next day we loaded up the car and headed back to Manhattan (me, Ben, our bunnies Sherpa and Halyard, and our newest addition, Cider). On the drive home I made her an appointment with Dr. Shachar Malka at the Humane Society of New York for a checkup so she could get spayed as soon as possible. When I arrived for this appointment, I had said the rabbit was male (going by the information on the cage at the farm) and we were preparing for a neuter. Sure enough, the farmers sexed her wrong, and she was not a male at all, but a female. Luckily the name Cider works well either way. She was spayed one week later and she recovered quickly. She continues to be the sweetest, most peoplefriendly rabbit I have ever encountered and loves to investigate, play, eat, relax, kiss and cuddle.
Now Cider is living with me, happy and healthy, until I find her the perfect forever home. If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting Cider, please email me at emmamullins107@gmail.com.
Betty Lou and New Friend Oscar Please Consider Bonded in Record Setting Time Fostering a Bunny
Betty Lou, at rear, and Oscar.
By Laurifer AbramsBetty Lou was left griefstricken by the loss of her bonded partner, Elmo, on Aug. 4. Thanks to the support of the AC&C rabbit volunteers, I was able to bring Lou down to the shelter for some speeddating a few days later.
I would have preferred a little more time to mourn the loss of my first rabbit and to prepare myself for a new pet, but Betty Lou was so desperate for a new partner that I had to act fast. From the pack Lou selected Otto, a bun with a reputation for nipping who had been living at the Union Square Petco. I was a little hesitant about bringing home a rabbit I would potentially be frightened of, but Cindy Stutts, who knew the pair would be an easy bond, was understanding and encouraging and so I brought Otto home.
Cindy was right about everything. In a possibly recordsetting bonding time, four days later Betty Lou and Otto were living happily and peacefully in the same cage, sharing their big bowl of salad, napping next to one another, cleaning ears and eyes, and binkying up and down the long runner in my apartment.
I treated Otto, who I am now calling Oscar, gently and carefully in the beginning, and discovered to my delight that he behaved like a perfect gentleman. He loves forehead rubs, he likes being held, and he is a very sweet and tolerant boy. He is incredibly smart. He figures out ramps and steps in minutes, and he loves to explore everything around him.
Betty Lou isn't particularly humanoriented, so it's nice to have a rabbit who seeks out attention. Oscar is a little bit cageaggressive and he needs to chin and approve anything that goes into or out of the cage, but as long as I move slowly and ready myself in advance for his lunge, we don't have any problems. I am glad for the head 's up about his behavior, but he has de finitely shed his previous reputation and deserves now to be known as a clever, wellbehaved, affectionate rabbit.
I miss my Elmo terribly, but I am so grateful to have Oscar in my life now, both for myself and for Betty Lou. He has given Betty Lou back her spark, and the two of them make my life brighter every day.
Volunteer Sari Krieger with her first foster bun, Holly, who also spent time with Marcie Frishberg.
Heather has been fostered by volunteer Cathy Zelonis.
Gretel.
Tango is a tancolored boy with a real nose for news. This adorable guy is very alert and curious about his world ; he 's always checking out other rabbits and people. You'll find Tango looking at you
ADOPTABLe RABBITs
By Kirsten Ott Lillie has a coat of the brightest white Gretel needs a predictable, loving you have ever seen, with touches of light gray Himalayan markings on her ears,
environment where she can learn to
nose and tail. Lillie adores nose trust people and to develop a sense of fun. Gretel likes to be petted, and turns scratches, and to make sure you know
herself into a perfect round ball to enjoy this, she will cutely stretch her face up to meet your hand. It is hard to resist the attention.
indulging her wishes, because she has the cutest face with the roundest little chipmunk cheeks !
Isabella is a petite caramelcolored Dutch whose owners no longer wanted her after they had a baby. What were they thinking when they bought Isabella as a baby herself? Isabella is approximately seven months old and is spayed. Because of a blocked tear duct, she has a chronic drippy eye and will only be considered as a partner bunny. We are sure there is a bunny boy out there waiting to meet
Lillie.
searchingly, his cute little white nose wiggling up a storm. He loves to be petted and talked to, and he 's sure to put on quite a show in a new home with
lots of play space.
Isabella.
Dora is a large, cuddly, tan lop who was surrendered because her owners were moving away. This fun girl will charm the pants off you with her outsized ears and equally large personality ! In addition to being playful, Dora is also very affectionate and eager for quality time with a loving human. up
with this cute girl.
Dora.
Tango. (Continued on page 16)
George is a very handsome, large New Zealand White bunny who was found on the street. This gentle guy is easy to handle, but is a rather bashful soul. He peeks out from behind his hidey box with his beautiful red eyes, and approaches you warily till he decides it is okay to be friends. He would make a good partner for another bunny.
Gelinda, a Big Pillow of a French Lop'Gelinda, who began her days at the shelter with the name Goofy, was pulled
out almost immediately by Cindy Stutts for fostering at her office.
Gelinda, a large gray lop, weighed eight pounds. At the time, Cindy said,
I let her out a bit and realized she is really not fat. She is a big girl
and too big to be a mini lop, maybe a French lop. Has a skirt' and a rabbit
with one eye ). Not really fat, just a big fat dewlap.” (See page one
for more about Marge.)
By midAugust, Parsa Ludhi said, Gelinda was a complete lap bunny last night. She allowed everyone that was interested to sit with her and rub her back.”
Thea Harting, another volunteer at the Union Square Petco, said on Sept. 4, A little girl came up to Gelinda's pen and asked, Is there another bunny underWhen my rabbit arrived in my life, it was unexpected and I knew nothing about the care and feeding of the creature. I thought a cage, some rabbit food and an occasional leaf of lettuce would be sufficient. I learned quickly that this wasn't the case. The cage got dumped and a more open pen was substituted to provide exercise and stretching room. A duplex condo” housed the litter box and provided a second story for sleeping and observing. But most important was the approach to mealtime.
Throughout the early days, I learned a lot about the food and the technique for making both our lives easier and happier. I did my research. I learned what was good for my new friend Skip and what was not. Not too much, if any, spinach and nothing stringy like celery (unless it was just the leafy tops ). Much was a little bit of trial and error. Parsley, broccoli, carrots and tops, endive, radicchio and Brussels sprouts. We tried watercress once or twice but he practically threw it back at me. Basil was good but mint, although enjoyed, seemed to cause a bit of tummy trouble. And, by accident, I discovered that cilantro was a favorite. Along with that we also incorporated romaine and escarole lettuce. After about a year I discovered collard greens and dandelion were also big hits.
The first few months, though, were torture for me. Skip would eat twice a day and twice a day I would pull out all the fixings and mix up a salad. It meant washing, cutting and prepping, which took about 30 minutes twice a day. I soon discovered GladWare entré ;e containers (3 1/8cup size ) would make good salad storage and feeding bowls. I started making two meals at a time, saving some time for prep each day. I applied what I learned about keeping greens crisp and wrapped the meals in a paper towel before sealing the storage bowl. I got braver and soon made three meals at a time. I found my companion accepted the meals with no hesitation.
Photo: Robert Kulka
So here is what I discovered and here is our system: I now make meals twice a week - seven at a time (the freshness limit). To make sure they keep for the three days, here is what I do. Using seven GladWare bowls, I line each one with a paper towel that covers the bottom of the container and leaves a lip to fold over. Once the bowls are ready for layers of greens, I fill a dishwashing tub with cold water and wash the greens thoroughly. Only after they are clean enough for either of us to eat do I cut the greens into bitesized pieces to be distributed evenly in each bowl. I discovered that smaller pieces get eaten more readily than larger, full pieces of greens. I include at least five or six of his favorite greens in a bowl: usually a few Brusselssprout leaves and broccoli tops with cilantro, dandelion, collard greens and always a few carrot rings (about a third of a small carrot per meal), all topped with an icing” of romaine or escarole leaves. I add to each of the bowls freely until the blend is slightly higher than the top of the container. Finally I fold a small piece of paper towel on the top of the mix and bring the flap over from the bottom piece of paper towel and seal the container, to be stored for mealtime. When I am ready to serve the greens, I place a meal container in a bowl of hot water after removing it from the refrigerator. I let the container sit for
Skip is very particular about his salads.
about 1015 minutes to bring the greens to a digestible temperature.
Along with the two servings of greens a day, I also give the little guy a handful of pellets (Oxbow Bunny Basics /T) a couple of times a day. Those he devours as if they were candy treats. And in the morning I give him a sliver” of apple before I am off to work. He knows just when that is coming from the sound of the crisper drawer opening and begins periscoping in anticipation. Of course, his meals are supplemented with all the hay he can eat - again, Oxbow Timothy.
As we go through the seasons, certain greens will be acceptable to him and some not. He is very clear on what works and doesn't as seasons change. Once in an emergency I resorted to bagged lettuce as filler. Oh, no. Not for him. He literally picked out the bagged lettuce and ate around it. That story resulted in a friend swearing off bagged salad forever. Not good enough for the boy, then not good enough for her.
Yes, he eats much better than I do. On occasion I make an extra salad when I prep his so I can have one. Let me tell you, he knows his stuff. Those salads are yummy.
Maybe I have a picky rabbit who taught me the ropes or maybe I am an overthetop owner. One thing is certain. Watching him pick out his favorite items to eat and picking up his bowl and shaking it to get to the good stuff” always makes me as happy as Skip.
Photo: Jane O'Wyatt
Ralph, active but silent.
By Lisa CarleyWhy doesn't my rabbit make noise ?
While rabbits do have a vocal mechanism, known as vocal folds, nature has made it impossible for them to bark or otherwise speak to you. According to Dr. Rebecca Campbell, When they are very frightened, they will scream quite audibly.” That is a sound that, thankfully, most of us have never heard.
She goes on to say, I would suspect that it is not to their advantage to routinely make much noise and advertise their presence, since they are a prey species.”
Besides vocalization, there are multiple ways that your rabbit communicates with you that involve sound. The most obvious is thumping, which is your rabbit's way of expressing fear or annoyance.
Rabbits are actually pretty adept at expressing annoyance. They can also grunt and growl, two verbal” cues that don't advertise their presence. Grunts and growls are often confused because humans generally don't learn to speak Rabbit. That's okay because they are often interchangeable.
When they are interchangeable, they indicate the same thing they do with any other species. They are your rabbit's way of telling you to back off, at least temporarily. If your rabbit butts your hand and grunts, that should be pretty selfexplanatory. If you don't heed this warning, don't be surprised if he or she bites you.
Any animal with teeth can bite, and rabbits certainly have big, sharp teeth. As a rule, they aren't inclined to bite. This is especially true when they are not provoked. Rule of thumb: Don't provoke your rabbit.
You really need to put grunts in context. For example, if your intact female rabbit runs circles around you while grunting, she isn't telling you to back off. In fact, she has decided that you could be an intact male. She 's flirting with you because she 's very hormonal. The nicest thing you can do for her is get her spayed. It's not particularly loving of you to keep her in a state of unrequited excitement. In fact, it's downright mean.
If your spayed or neutered rabbit grunts while running circles around you,
you can be sure it's you that she or he loves you and only you. Isn't that so
much more satisfying?
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