Acceptance and Rejection

Deb:

Freckles crept close to the orange Crispy Chew and nudged it with her chin. I thought that was probably a good sign, since chinning an object is the usual way for a bunny to check something out and claim it. Next, she clamped her teeth on an edge and took a nibble. Great, I thought, she’s going to really gobble it up now. Yeah, right. After her little nibble, she shoved the chew out of her way and hopped to the other end of the living room.

Texture and Taste

Freckles:

Well, I’d tried everything to be friendly to this strange object, so I decided that I’d just have to let it know who’s the boss around here!

First, I gave it a little poke with my chin. When it didn’t respond – I took a nibble at the edge. It had an odd texture and taste. I wasn’t sure I liked it.

Confused or Mad?

Deb:

I thought that Freckles would head straight for the Crispy Chew I had placed on the floor behind the big chair (a favorite relaxing spot for Freckles.) Boy, was I wrong.

She seemed confused by the orange object. She crept forward carefully and leaned her body as far as she could to check out the object. She quickly backed up and pretended to ignore it. Then, when I thought she’d fallen asleep, she looked straight at it with the most frightful glare – as if she were really mad at it. How could she be mad? She hadn’t even given it a chance.

On the other hand, bunnies don’t really need a reason to be mad!

I kept watching to see what she would do next.

Freckles Attempts to Make Contact

Freckles:

I couldn’t figure out what that weird orange object was, so I ignored it, hoping that it would make the first move.

After several minutes it hadn’t moved a speck, so I tried a new tactic – I stared at it with my most frightening look. Maybe I could scare it into action.

No such luck.

Since the mysterious object did not seem to be making any effort to be friendly, I made the decision to take the only action that seemed to be left to me.

Crispy Chews

Deb:

One of the treats I’d purchased at the pet store a while back was a package of Crispy Chews. The package said “Critters just can’t resist the crunchy rings.” It also said that the product was:
All natural
USDA Approved food colors (orange, green, and yellow)
Promotes clean and healthy teeth
Safe to chew

Crispy Chews are dried slices from fibrous interior of gourds.

Hmmm, I thought. Gourds are vegetables. Freckles likes a lot of different vegetables. These could be just the thing for Freckles to enjoy.

I opened the package and placed an orange Crispy Chew on the floor behind the chair in the living room. Freckles wouldn’t be able to miss it when she came down the hall. I couldn't wait to see how she reacted!

The Mysterious Object

Freckles:

When I first saw the object I thought it might be some new creature that had snuck into the house. It was small and round and very, very bright. I decided to sneak up on it to see if it moved. Slowly, slowly, slowly I crept toward it. I leaned forward as far as I could without taking another step and then jumped back when I thought it moved. Nope. Just my imagination.

I hopped around to the other side of it. Maybe it would look different from another angle. Nope. It pretty much looked the same from all angles.

What in the world was it and what was I supposed to do with it?

Checking for Any "Freckles Damage"

Deb:

I shooed Freckles down the hallway to the living room. Enough exploring for her for one day! I checked the room to see if there were any more “surprises.” I found a small piece of paper that had been ripped to tiny pieces. Other than that minor issue, everything else seemed to be intact.
I turned out the light, closed the door firmly, and headed down the hall to see what Freckles was up to in the living room.

Back in the Other World

Freckles:

After I chewed on the object with the strings, I rested under the big cave. Sometime later that day, I woke to the sounds of the High-Voiced one lumbering through the area. Whoops! From her cries I realized that she must have found the dusty-tasting thing. Soon her eyes peered at me from the edge of the cave. I won’t go into details, but I it didn’t take long before I found myself hopping down the tunnel.

Back in the Other World I made my rounds, checking the area for anything unusual. Hmmmm. What did I spy behind the big bush?

Freckles Tastes of Poetry

Deb:

After I’d made sure that Freckles was out of the bedroom, I searched the room for other potential damage. When I glanced at the bookcase, I saw it…a copy of The Standard Book of British and American Verse with added chew marks on the top. It was an old book, but probably not worth much (I hope). It was still readable – she hadn’t damaged any of the pages. Freckles probably didn’t care for the taste or she just isn't a fan of poetry.

Well, we certainly needed to make sure that the bedroom door wasn’t left open again! In the meantime, I put any of the books that meant something to me on higher shelves. No use taking any chances!

Exploring the Sleeping Land

Freckles:

I knew that the High-Voiced One and Big Guy wouldn’t return quickly, so I took my time exploring the sleeping land. Platforms filled with rows and rows of smaller items caught my eye. I pulled an item from the flat surface and tested the taste with my teeth. YUM! Delicious flavor! I decided chew a little more. After a few bites it took on a dusty flavor, so I pushed it aside and looked around the room.

I noticed there was a giant cave in this land just like the one in my Home Place. I scooted underneath and checked out the objects hidden there. One of them smelled like Big Guy. I pulled it closer and chewed the edge, moving onto the snake-like strings attached.

Good-bye, Stanley

We are sorry to report that we have lost another dear bunny friend, Stanley, on June 10th. Stanley lived at a Houseful of Rabbits and had a wonderful life, as evidenced by his own words in a post on the blog on March 2, 2008:

"I'm Stanley and, for me, this is as good as it gets. Tucked up with Bunny Lady for cozy snuggles several times a day! I've got a nice indoor two-story condo (daily maid service!) and a dandy outside pen (with view) with Chico on one side and Baxter and Zoey on the other. Plenty of fresh hay and water, the right amount of pellets and oats, a dainty breakfast, and a hearty evening salad of greens and fruit tidbits. A nice chewy hidey-hole box.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
(it's really hard for me to disapprove)"

Binkies to you, Stanley. We think of you hopping around just over the Rainbow Bridge with Benson and Archi Ann!

The Shoe

Deb:

I arrived home with my treats from the pet store and discovered that we had left our bedroom door open this morning. Freckles was nowhere to be found. I called and called her name, but she didn’t show her little face. Finally, I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the bed. There she was, spread out and resting directly under the middle of the bed. And right beside her was one of my husband’s shoes.

After I got her out from under the bed (no easy feat, believe me!), I checked the damage on the shoe. Tongue and laces received the brunt of the chewing. I guess she'd found her own toy to play with today!

Looking for Adventure

Freckles:

I was feeling curious today. I'd been pretty lazy lately and realized that it had been quite awhile since I'd been exploring. After everyone left through the big portal in the Other World, I hopped to my feet and searched for adventure.

I decided to check out a few areas I hadn’t been to for awhile. As I headed down the tunnel, I froze when I saw something quite interesting. Look at that, someone had left the portal to the High-Voiced One’s and Big Guy’s sleeping land open. Hmmmm. What could I find to explore in there?

Treats and Toys

Deb:

On my way home from work, I stopped off at the pet store. The rabbit aisle is filled with toys and treats that boggles the mind (and the wallet!) I picked up a few things I thought Freckles might like. With her you just never know. What you think she will love, she turns her nose up at, and something you don’t think she will like becomes her favorite toy of the minute. Rabbits certainly have minds of their own!

Anyway, I can’t wait to see if Freckles likes the new treats I bought for her.

The Good Life!

Freckles:

I discovered that the little tubes were actually quite yummy and I chowed down on a few of them. Ripping and chewing relaxed me as I reclined in the clearing beside my little cave. Ahhhh, I live the good life!

Soon, however, I began to lose interest in this latest nibbling project, and I found ripping the little tubes a trifle tedious. I glanced around the area and located the white paper I had chewed on earlier this morning. Placing the paper on top of the tubes, I ate it for dessert!

Success!

Deb:

I cut up the paper towel roll into several smaller tubes and dropped them in front of Freckles. At first she nosed them, but soon she got into the spirit and tossed one into the air. Then, she tossed another one before carefully ripping it to pieces.

I’d finally found something that she could enjoy. I decided that I’d stop at the pet store on my way home from work to see what was new and different in the rabbit aisle.

Cardboard Tubes

Freckles:

The High-Voiced One dropped several objects directly in front of me. I thought, now, what am I supposed to do with those? However, she looked so pleased with herself that I couldn’t bring myself to turn away. I leaned forward and sniffed the closest one. It was a round tube made of the material I especially like to rip apart. I picked it up in my teeth and tossed it into the air.

The tossing wasn’t nearly as much fun as ripping, but I tried tossing another of the tubes. The High-Voiced One was positively gleeful. Well, whatever makes her happy. I grabbed another tube, placed it between my feet, and started ripping it to pieces.

A Tube Full of Fun

Deb:

As I walked into the kitchen, I spotted the paper towel holder by the kitchen sink. Someone had used the last of the paper towels and there on the rack hung the cardboard tube that was left. I ran to the garage and grabbed a new roll and exchanged it for the empty one. I wondered if Freckles would enjoy ripping apart the roll. I headed for the living room, but before I arrived I got a much better idea! If Freckles liked a paper towel roll, she would REALLY like a bunch of paper towel rolls. I grabbed the scissors.

What in the World...

Freckles:

I gave a warning grunt to show the High-Voiced One that it was beneath my dignity to be playing with a ball. I like to toss and chew my jingly ball, but this new ball did not look tossable or chewable. She could bounce it all she wanted to. I was not going to roll it back to her.

She stood on her back feet and walked out of the Other World, leaving the weird little ball behind. I wondered what she was up to now. While I waited, I took a little nap. I couldn’t have been asleep very long, when I heard her return to the clearing. I heard her say something and then she dropped several objects directly in front of me. What in the world...

Another Possibility

Deb:

Freckles grunted at me! It was a quick, low grunt from deep in her throat. After the shock of her negative reaction wore off, I realized that the tennis ball was a loser in the thrilling toy department. I left the ball on the floor in case she changed her mind and searched for something else.

As I canvassed the house, my eyes fell on an object that was a definite possibility. Freckles generally likes to rip up cardboard (except for one particular box). Hmmmmm. Maybe I had the perfect thing!

Freckles Shows Her Displeasure

Freckles:

I glanced at the ball that the High-Voiced One had rolled my direction. It wasn’t nearly as lumpy as my favorite jingle ball and worse than that – it didn’t jingle! B-O-R-I-N-G! And not worth my consideration. I let it sit there.

The High-Voiced One grabbed the ball and bounced it a couple of times. I’m glad she was able to find it entertaining. Then, she rolled it back to me again. I’d had just about enough of this and showed my displeasure by giving her a warning grunt.