House Rabbit Network

Hi! My name is Dominic. I’m a little guy with a big personality: curious, intelligent, and self-assured. I have excellent litterbox habits; you will not find a stray poop outside of my “powder room.”

When it comes to food, I’m the lapine and vegetarian equivalent of a “meat and potatoes guy”. Just give me romaine lettuce, kale, and flat parsley, with occasional broccoli. None of that fancy mixed or Asian greens, no thanks! Oh, but I have a sweet tooth (who doesn’t?): I love berries, nectarines, apples, peaches, grapes, bananas, dried cranberries- Yum!

I am physically fit and pretty active. If there were a Bunny Olympics, I would be a track and field champion! I am an agile jumper: I can clear 3 feet! (My foster family had to get a taller ex-pen for me, ha-ha). When I am out for my playtime I like to start with a circuit: zip down the hallway, up the stairs, and back to the kitchen. You should see my binkies! When I have some freedom to run and explore, I am a happy guy!

Speaking of running and exploring, I like space, and lots of it. I live in the aforementioned ex-pen that cordons off part of a large room. I have lots of cardboard flats and paper to chew on. My favorite chew toys are willow balls, paper, and untreated wood blocks. I also like this little plastic
barrel that has a bell in it- I grasp it with my teeth and give it a shake.

I’m pretty good at figuring things out. When I want to get from Point A to a (higher) Point B (ahem), I stand on my hind legs and assess the situation. The assessment may take a few hours or a few days. Boy, did I surprise my mom when she discovered a half-eaten nectarine on the kitchen table!!

Expending all that energy, I need my down time. That¹s when I seek refuge in my cardboard box or under the pantry shelf. Or, I will sprawl out under the kitchen table and snooze.

I’ve been in foster care for a little over a year. Why so long, you wonder? Sigh- Well . . . despite my athletic build and handsome face, I’m a red-eyed white (REW), and REW are like the “plain Janes” of the bunny world. Still, my foster family and I are hopeful that my forever family is out there somewhere: a loving, patient, stimulating individual, couple, or family with older children, and perhaps a sweet ladybun to soothe my restless heart.

Hello from Skippy and Noodles!  We are a bonded pair.  We are HRN ’sanctuary’ rabbits.  What exactly IS a sanctuary rabbit you might ask…..well….it is a rabbit with a health issue that will remain for the extent of that rabbit’s life….cancer, infections, head tilt….there are numerous reasons that a rabbit would be given the sanctuary status.  The members of HRN do not believe in euthanizing rabbits just because they have health issues.  As long as there is life, there is hope.  As a sanctuary rabbit, I am incredibly grateful for the volunteers and foster homes of HRN….if I had been in a ‘regular’ shelter, I would have been dispatched over the Rainbow Bridge a long time ago!

Let me introduce myself and my bond mate.  I am Skippy….a neutered Harlequin lop….my bestest friend in the entire world is Noodles, a gorgeous spayed Dutch….of course she has gotten a little chunky in the past year or so because she eats the food that my foster mom leaves for me, but I love her, no matter what shape she is in….round is, after all, a shape!  The reason that I am in sanctuary is because I have an abcess in my right ear….and I have had to have a couple of teeth pulled….if the abcess would continue draining that would be a good thing, but unfortunately, it closes up, and that is when my troubles start.  Noodles does her best, she is amazing at grooming me and taking care of me, but still this nasty thing persists!  I know that I am probably never going to get better, but I would love to have a forever home where I could live out the rest of my numbered days with Noodles and a family who loves me.  It takes a special sort of person to adopt an animal with a pre existing condition….but I just know that there is a family out there for me and Noodles!  Could you open your heart and home to the two of us….I promise you, you will gain far more than you give….

binkies,

Noodles and Skippy

Good evening HRN fans and fellow bloggers!  I am Shelby!  Look at me and fall under my spell!

I am a hunka hunk of loving fluff!  A red eyed white Jersey Wooly…..small, only three pounds…..but packed full of love and personality!  A tiny bundle of joy who loves snuggling and ear massages.

Let’s talk about red eyed white rabbits or REW……some people think we are ‘creepy looking’!  What’s up with that???? REW rabbits have eyes that are all shades of pink to lavender….this is the result of a lack of pigment in our irises….a form of albinism…..resulting in eyes that reflect the colors of our retinas.  REW rabbits are no different than other rabbits who are pigmented….we are not more prone to disease, we are not in contact with shades from the netherworld….we are just rabbits looking for our forever homes.

More later….

Yours in hoppiness…..

Shelby

HEY!!!  EVERYBODY!!!!  OVER HERE!!!!

I’m Hudson, a neutered male Hot Tot.  I was caught in a car wash.  I have absolutely perfect litter box habits.  I love my salads.  I make lots of grunts of pleasure when I get my food……..AND……………..drum roll please!!!!!

I JUST GOT ADOPTED!!!

HOORAH FOR ME!

Hudson

DOB: 2010

Weight: 3.5#

‘Scooby, Dooby, Do….. If I Can Make It There, I’ll Make It Anywhere…..’  Oh, excuse me, I get carried away sometimes and just start singing…..

Helloooooooo Ladies!  Frankie is here to love and entertain you!  Have you ever seen a more handsome rabbit???  I am all dressed up in my formal wear with no place to go!  Just look at my shiny black fur, and spotless white nose, chest and toes….almost like wearing a tuxedo with spats.  But my eyes……look deep into my eyes…….I have been told that they are my BEST feature.  My right eye is a gorgeous shade of sky blue, and my left eye is a combination of earth and sky, or brown and blue.  Really quite striking, aren’t they?  I cut a rather dashing profile, wouldn’t you say?

I am a young, neutered male, Dutch.  I came to HRN from another shelter.  They sent me to HRN because they had the (totally wrong) opinion that I was ’slightly cage aggressive’…..what that really means is that I didn’t like being kept in a tiny cage with no room to roam….but, no one even considered my opinion…..’Give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above……DON’T fence me in!’  (Oops, there I go singing again!)  Because of this, I would do best living as a free range rabbit, or in a very large ex-pen. Once I am out of my cage, I am really a very laid back sort of guy…..I enjoy classical music, sunshine on my shoulder, Romaine lettuce, dandelion greens and long hops on the beach….(well, maybe not the ‘beach’ thing, but isn’t it common to put something like that in an on-line description of yourself?)

Well, now that the subject of a ‘cage aggressive’ rabbit has been brought up, I think that this is a great opportunity for me to talk with you about that issue……many rabbits have met an untimely end in other shelters because of those two words.  First, it would be great if you could look at things from the rabbit’s point of view…..consider yourself small, very small….and pretty much defenseless….your eyes are on the sides of your head so you can’t see things directly in front of you, and if you are like most rabbits, you never use your voice.  Yes, I know some rabbits are downright, ‘talkative’ with grunts, growls, purring and snorts, but for the most part, we rabbits go through life silent.  The two things you have for defense are your teeth and your powerful hind legs.  Now, for a variety of reasons, you have ended up in a small cage, so small that you can’t even stand on your hind legs and turn around.  There is nothing to do.  You aren’t getting any exercise.  Your food may or may not be what you would prefer to eat if you had a choice. There is nothing on which to chew. You spend some time rearranging your litter pan, your food dish, your hay and towels, you shred the newspaper lining your cage.  You are bored. You lie down in your newly decorated tiny studio apartment and try to take a nap.  But there are other rabbits in the cages RIGHT NEXT DOOR!  and they are really not the type of folk you want as neighbors. They are really annoying!  There is a constant commotion around you, but you are able to find some solace by turning your back to the world and just chillin’.

AND THEN………some strange Human hand comes in and starts touching you and messing with your stuff!!!  HEY!!!! you want to yell, STOP THAT!!  The human didn’t even speak first to let you know they were there (which would have been the polite thing to do)….you didn’t see them coming, they just appeared because they approached you from the top of your head.  They frightened you.  They are undoing the decorating that it took you all afternoon to arrange.  This is your space, your little corner of the world, and they have invaded it.  Well, you can’t ask them to cease and desist, so you thump, but they ignore you, what else is there to do?  You use your teeth!  And it works!  The Human hand leaves!  You can go back to putting everything in your home back where it belongs….until the next time your space is invaded by an unwelcome intruder.  But, you have learned that using your teeth makes the Humans go away. This was not a good lesson to learn, but you find that it is effective.

So, you may ask, how to cope with this affliction known as ‘cage aggression’?  Well, the first thing is to spay or neuter your rabbit.  You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that hormones make all animals (even humans) crazy!  Rabbits are happier and healthier after they are spayed or neutered….so just do it, OK?  Then you need to give your rabbit exercise….and intellectual stimulation….boxes and tubes and tunnels to run and hide through, twigs and grapevines, and toys to toss and chew….and room…..lots and LOTS of room!  Get rid of the cage.  Just think how you would feel locked in your bedroom forever!  But the best way to combat ‘cage aggression’ is to interact with your rabbit.  A rabbit is a companion animal….they are social creatures.  Try clicker training your rabbit…play hide and seek….reward good behavior and ignore bad behavior.  You will be surprised by how quickly you can capture a rabbit’s heart.  TIme, patience, understanding of rabbit behavior, and some well placed treats work wonders!

‘These little town blues….Luck be a lady tonight…..So, set ‘em up Joe….’  Looks like I need to sign off and get back to my singing….but, if you are in the market for the most handsomest rabbit out there, I would love to join your ‘Rat Pack’!  See ya Kid!

Yours, (hopefully)

Frankie Blue Eyes

DOB: 2/09

Weight 8#

Hello.  My name is Olivia.  I have been in my foster home for almost TWO years!  Believe me, it can be really hard on your ego when other buns come and go, and you are left behind.

I was in a stall in a horse barn in Rowley, MA when HRN rescued me….there were three of us, but my two brothers were adopted as a bonded pair.  For the life of me I don’t understand why I have been ignored for so long….OK, so I am a little shy……well………painfully shy to tell the truth….and I will need a really quiet home, and someone who is bunny savvy.  But, there must be someone out there that fits that description?  Right????  With lots of love and attention I just know I could break out of my shell and be an awesome addition to a family.

I am really quite beautiful, with my shiny black fur with the silver tips.  I am a Silver Fox rabbit.  Being so beautiful has made me somewhat of a Diva.  I have definite opinions on how my world should be!  Humans need to understand that! Some Humans can be so very pushy!  I need patience and understanding and time and gentle persistence to give me self confidence I so want to have.  My perfect owner would be someone who has the skill and time to socialize me. I am not so sure how I would do with other animals.  I live in a room with bunnies just on the other side of my x-pen…..I am not aggressive towards them, but I am not really interested in getting to know them better either. (more…)

Hello Friends and Fans!!!!

Eskie here again! I wanted to share some photos that show how we start off each and every day. This photo was taken on a Saturday, so our
Foster Dad wasn’t in his ‘go to work’ clothes.

Every morning at 6:00 our Foster Mom comes down stairs and lets out the cat, takes out the dogs, gives Jenna her breakfast, and then and comes
to let us out of our sleeping crate.

Soon we hear our Dad’s footsteps on the stairs. MoMo and I come RUNNING from wherever we are and anxiously await his arrival on the sunporch. He comes
and sits down to chat with us and he feeds us BANANA CHIPS!!!!!! Now we know that there isn’t a bunny out there who can survive on banana chips as a
steady diet….it would be like you humans eating only chocolate…..but they really do make the best occasional treat! Mom says you need to have something
really, really special for training treats. Well, banana chips, dried blueberries (from Trader Joe’s) and raisins are the BEST! MoMo and I would do just about
ANYTHING for these treats!

When we first came to stay at our Foster Home, we were not exactly ‘interactive’ family members. We did our thing, and the rest of the family did their thing. This did not
work for Mom. She has this weird idea that everyone in the household is family, and we all need to be an active part of that family. Over the past month
we have learned that there is nothing to fear in this house. We know that the humans are a source of food and love (but mostly food….Mom calls us her
little furry pigs), that the dogs are friends (well, with the exception of Jenna…..she is probably very nice, but she is just too spastic….she jumps, she barks,
she hops, and she takes our Romaine ribs to eat, which in my opinion is just plain rude. Someone needs to teach her some manners!) And the cat just pretends that we
don’t really exist….he walks by in the morning on his way outside with his little pushed in nose very high up in the air….Last week MoMo wanted some fun, so she lunged
and growled at him as he walked past…..and…..MoMo frightened the big, brave, hunter cat! It was SOOOOO funny. I just know that Mom could hear me and MoMo
laughing….and she laughed too.

So, how did Mom and Dad and the Boy Who Lives At Home get us to be comfortable? Well, they were very, very patient. They talk to us constantly. The very gently introduce
new behaviors. When we do something good we get rewarded with minimal treats. At first when Dad would sit on the step, I would run up, grab the banana chip, and run away
where MoMo would try and steal the treat from my mouth. If Dad tried to touch us, we would run away…..FAST! Now we go up and beg for the treat. We stand up. We allow
ourselves to be patted and skritched. We ask for more. Training bunnies can be done….it just takes a little longer than training a dog. Tolerance, Time and Treats…..that about
sums it up.

Until later,
Yours in fuzziness,
Eskie

MoMo is asleep, stretched out under the table, but I wasn’t tired, so I thought I would go exploring. It is AMAZING everything you can see when you get up off the floor. It isn’t warm and sunny in the chair today, and Mom has the window closed, so the smells aren’t nearly as interesting as they
have been, but I love looking outside. Mom says that when the rain stops she will use a leash and harness and take me and MoMo outside.

Did you know that you can walk a rabbit? Well, actually, the rabbit walks you. We hop where we like, and the human follows along behind. MoMo and I are pretty amazed at how easy it is to train a human! But, back to the leash… rabbits should never have a collar around our necks, but there are
special harnesses that go around our chests and front legs that are just fine to use. We also need to have an elastic leash. A leash with a collar and regular unforgiving leash would be very easy for us to get injured, break our backs or necks.

There are a couple of other precautions that NEED to be taken before you take your bunny outside… PLEASE don’t think that you will be able to walk your rabbit down the street like you would a dog! Well, that would just be SILLY!! I mean, really, just picture it! If you want a dog to walk, get a dog because we are ‘prey animals’ it is hardwired into our brains to not like wide open spaces. All of that real estate and air makes a rabbit feel very vulnerable. It is up to you, the human, to make sure that the great outdoors is as secure as possible for your rabbit. That means finding a SAFE place, a fenced in back yard would be perfect. But don’t take our leash and harness off. You would be surprised how easy it is for us to hide or to find a hole in a fence! Never, never, ever take us to a park, or near a road, where there are cars, strange dogs, or people who don’t know proper bunny behavior, all of those things can be really, really scary! My Mom takes us out to her fenced in vegetable garden (she says it is funny that she originally put in the fence to keep rabbits OUT of her veggie garden) where she lets us stretch our legs a little and nibble on the lettuce or spinach leaves. She doesn’t even let us walk to the garden, she carries us there. Mom would NEVER run the risk of letting us pull the leash out of her hand.

Once you get the proper harness and leash though, as a human, you could start something called ‘clicker training’, which is just a controlled way to give a rabbit positive reinforcement for doing a wanted behavior. Rabbits don’t like being bored. When we get bored, we tend to be naughty. Clicker training keeps our bunny minds busy. We can learn agility courses like dogs, or do ‘rabbit jumping’ which is sort of like steeple chase events for horses. There is another reason to clicker train your rabbit… it builds the bond between bunnies and their humans and it is FUN!

Well, I am off to explore the family room, and possibly annoy that skinny little dog… more later

Eskie

Hello! Hello! My name is Eskie.

Eskie, move over, let me introduce myself….my name is MoMo!

MoMo, do you ALWAYS have to take the spotlight? Everyone ALWAYS comments on how beautiful you are. How gorgeous your ears are. What a spectacular color you are…..Do you have any idea how annoying that can be??? Especially if you are the agouti colored (read boring) sister who has one ear up and one ear down!

Fine, Eskie, YOU tell people about us! I am just going to jump up into the chair and look out the window, and enjoy the Spring weather. You are so much better at dealing with the mundane……I will just sit here in a sunbeam and be beautiful….it is, after all, what I do best!

Well, now that we have that figured out, let me introduce us. We are Eskie, and MoMo. Sisters. Born to Tiger Lily (RIP) who came to HRN with last Summer’s Great Angora Rescue from a hording situation in Canada. We are two girls from a litter of six. Our brothers Maple and Klondike have found their forever homes. MoMo and I live in a multispecies foster home, our sisters are in an all rabbit foster home outside of Boston.

Our names are ‘officially’ Eskimo and Molson…..you know, keeping with that whole Canada ‘thing’…..but our foster mom thought that those names weren’t ‘girly’ enough, so we became Eskie and MoMo.

We just turned a year old May 1st, so we are still learning how to become interactive members of a family. We are free range bunnies who only spend time in our bed when it is night time, or when Mom leaves the house. We HATE being in our bed! We much prefer to be chillin’ under the table or chair. We have impeccable manners and wouldn’t think of messing outside of our litter box. MoMo and I LOVE our diet! We get unlimited hay, and a whole GARDEN of fruits and vegetables and herbs. We actually don’t get pellets, which is fine with us. Not ALL bunnies do! Our foster mom is something called a ‘gardener’ so she goes outside and brings in herbs and pear branches and grape vines. This morning for breakfast we had a Spring salad mix, baby bell peppers, pineapple, strawberries, and celery. For dinner we are going to have more salad mix, some kolorabi, a few carrots, a few grapes, and some Romaine.

Our foster dad is wonderful. He is pretty new to dealing with bunnies, but he has found the way to our hearts. Every morning, when he comes downstairs to go to work, he sits on the step and gives us each a banana chip…..then he skritches our ears. We LOVE our foster dad!

Because we are Angora rabbits we need daily grooming. All of that nasty fur could cause something called ‘wool block’ if we were allowed to ingest our fur during grooming. Apparently wool block is a bad thing, and can be really bad for bunnies……so our foster mom brushes us every day. We are getting used to the brushing….it really isn’t so bad….and mom tells us how beautiful we are! Then……she uses our fur to make something called yarn…..more on that later…..it is time for dinner!!!

Love, Eskie (and MoMo)