Posted on March 15, 2025 by Abi Cushman
Otis loves to tunnel–even if the tunnel is just a folded padded envelope. He’s not deterred by the flimsy nature of this structure.
PHOTOS: Bunny Tunnel
Bunny Blog
PHOTOS: Snoozy Time
Posted on March 1, 2025 by Abi Cushman
The wind was howling outside, but fortunately, Otis was nice and cozy warm as he took a snooze in his cardboard castle.
Take a look at his cute bunny flop!
So sleepy!
Hope you’re all keeping warm!
February is Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month!
Posted on February 1, 2025 by Abi Cushman
February is Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month. If you’re thinking about bringing a bunny into your home, consider adopting one from a rescue or shelter instead of buying one from a breeder or pet store. There are several benefits to adoption:
1. You can give a bunny a second chance.
Through no fault of their own, some rabbits are surrendered to shelters or abandoned. When you adopt a rabbit (or pair of rabbits) from a rescue or shelter, you can ensure from that point on, that animal will lead a happy and healthy life.
2. You can find a good match.
Volunteers at rabbit rescues come to know each one of their rabbits’ personalities. You can find a good match for you and your family (and your other rabbit if you’re looking to adopt a bond mate), when you adopt from a rescue.
3. You can walk away with a litter-trained bunny.
Rabbits at rescues are often litter-trained by volunteers. It saves you the time, energy, and cleaning costs of litter box training your rabbit yourself.
4. You save yourself money.
Rescue rabbits are spayed/neutered at the appropriate age while at the shelter or in foster homes. Sometimes they are microchipped. So adopting from a rescue will save you money on costly veterinary expenses.
If you want to learn more, see our article, Benefits of Adopting a Pet Rabbit.
VIDEO: Bunny Binky!
Posted on January 15, 2025 by Abi Cushman
Because Otis loves zipping around so much, sometimes it’s better to take a video. Here’s a video of him doing a spectacular binky!
I included a slow-mo of the binky so you can see just how acrobatic it was.
To learn more about why rabbits binky, see our article, Binkies, Nose Bonks and Flops: Rabbit Behavior Explained.
If you liked this video, see more Otis stories and videos here.
VIDEO: Bunny Beaming Up (Into Drawer)
Posted on January 10, 2025 by Abi Cushman
A little while ago, I posted about Otis being my Drawer Bunny. He now loves snoozing in my desk drawer. It’s his little nest.
Some people were wondering how Otis gets into the drawer since it’s always closed. So I took a little video. He goes underneath the desk and gets beamed up. Take a look if you don’t believe me:
You’ll have to excuse the mess under the desk. Otis likes to throw papers out of the drawer to make it more comfy.
Happy Friday, everyone!
(And if you like this video, you can follow along with more Otis stories here.)
Reasons Why My Bunny Thumps: A Running List
Posted on January 7, 2025 by Abi Cushman
In the wild, rabbits thump their feet as a way to communicate with other rabbits in their warren. They may thump to show their annoyance, or more commonly, to alert others of danger. [Read more about rabbit thumping here.]
But “danger” seems to be a relative term when it comes to my pet rabbit, Otis. Here is a running list of the reasons why my bunny has thumped:
- I yawned.
- I was doing squats.
- I clipped my nails.
- I was taking a video of him.
- I sniffed.
- I sat back in my rolling chair and it moved an inch.
- Someone else walked in the room.
- We made accidentally eye contact.
- I picked up a book.
- I put down a book.
- I was carrying a curtain.
To be continued…
(Btw, if you like this post, see more Otis stories here.)
VIDEO: Bunny Infiltrates Drawer of Important Stuff
Posted on January 3, 2025 by Abi Cushman
What happens when a bunny infiltrates a drawer full of insurance documents, mortgage papers, and sketchpads? Mayhem.
The Backstory
I have this drawer in my desk that I keep random important stuff in. It has my sketchbooks with story ideas (I am an author-illustrator of children’s books), and it also has insurance documents and mortgage papers.
And yes, I know it wasn’t great to just stuff all those random important papers in a drawer, but I did.
Well one day, I couldn’t find Otis. He is an adventurous bunny, so I looked under and behind bookcases and boxes for 20 minutes while calling his name. I didn’t really expect that calling his name would do anything, and I was correct.
Finally, I tried opening the drawer in my desk. I didn’t actually think he’d be in there because the drawer was closed. But lo and behold! There he was!
As it turns out, underneath the desk there is enough space between the back of the drawer and the front of the desk. It is perfectly-sized for a little bunny to hop into the drawer from the back.
Drawer Bunny
Well, after he kept going in the drawer, I decided it wasn’t actually so bad. It was a nice bunny-sized hideout.
So I emptied the drawer of important papers and just left papers that needed to be shredded: A win-win situation!
He gets a cozy hiding place, and I get a drawer bunny!
UPDATE: Watch a video of how Otis gets into the drawer.
Follow along with more Otis stories here.
Hoppy New Year from My House Rabbit!
Posted on January 1, 2025 by Abi Cushman
Otis is kicking off the new year right: With a binky!
Wishing everyone a very happy 2025! May your new year be filled with joy and lots more binkies!
A New Bunny in My Life
Posted on December 21, 2024 by Abi Cushman
I took a bit of a hiatus from the blog after my bunnies, Coco and Cosette, passed away a few years ago. Coco succumbed to congestive heart failure, and then Cosette died a year later.
They were 11 and 12 years old–fairly old for bunnies–but their deaths hit me hard.
So for several years, I was a bunny person without a bunny in my life.
But I’m back now and with a new mischievous friend. Without further ado, meet Otis!
Otis is a gray dwarf bunny, a little over a year old, who we adopted from Bunlandia Rabbit Rescue.
He now lives in my home office. The setup works well because I’m always there during the day, and the kids come visit him when they get home from school.
There’s lots of room for him to run around and explore, and he loves zipping around. In fact, he’s usually just a blur in all my photos:
But he certainly has put my bunny proofing skills to the test! He’s found his own tunnels in my office behind bookcases and filing cabinets:
I’ll be posting more about all his mischief-making, so I hope you’ll come along for the journey! See more Otis stories here.
Make Mine Chocolate
Posted on March 14, 2022 by Abi Cushman
As Easter approaches, I like to highlight an important campaign that aims to stop people from buying live rabbits as Easter gifts.
Make Mine Chocolate is an international campaign started by the Columbus House Rabbit Society in 2002.
The campaign’s goal is to educate the public about the realities of owning a pet rabbit and to discourage the practice of giving live bunnies as gifts for Easter. Instead, they urge people to give chocolate bunnies instead.
The initiative started as a way to address the continual problem of people flooding rescues and shelters with their unwanted rabbits or just dumping the rabbits outside to die after the Easter holiday.
Learn more about Make Mine Chocolate and find out how you can get involved at their website.
Easter Rabbits: A 10+ Year Commitment
Posted on March 16, 2016 by Abi Cushman
It may be tempting when you see that adorable baby bunny for sale at the pet shop or on Craigslist. But before you buy a rabbit for Easter, consider these facts.
Rabbits are not low-maintenance pets
Although rabbits can be wonderful house pets, they aren’t for everyone. Not only do they live 10 years or longer, they have very specific requirements for care. This includes providing unlimited hay and fresh greens, bunny-proofing your house, and providing exercise space, social interaction and enrichment. Read more >
Rabbits are not good pets for young children
When you bring a pet rabbit into your home, keep in mind the primary caregiver should always be an adult. An adult must ensure the well-being and safety of the pet. Although rabbits appear cuddly, they generally do not like being picked up, held or chased. This is usually disappointing news to children. Read more >
Rabbits can be expensive pets
Perhaps you can get a great deal buying a rabbit from a breeder or pet shop (or maybe you can even get one for free), but throughout their lifetime, rabbits can certainly rack up the bills. Expenses include veterinary bills (from a rabbit-savvy, exotics vet), food and other supplies, and bunny-proofing/household repair costs. Read more >
There are many wonderful alternatives to buying a live rabbit for Easter, including plush bunnies, chocolate bunnies, bunny Peeps, and picture books about bunnies. The folks over at Make Mine Chocolate share alternative offerings and events that benefit rabbit rescue groups (who are flooded with unwanted bunnies just days after Easter every year).
If you’ve already bought a rabbit for Easter, read through our resources on properly caring for your the newest member of your family. Here are a few resources to get you started:
- Preparing for Your First House Rabbit
- How to Care for a Pet Rabbit
- House Rabbit Society (International organization advocating for rabbits as indoor pets)
Hoppy Leap Day!
Posted on February 29, 2016 by Abi Cushman
Coco wishes everyone a Hoppy Leap Day!
Featured Rabbit Rescue: New Jersey House Rabbit Society
Posted on January 4, 2016 by Abi Cushman
The mission of the New Jersey House Rabbit Society, based in Monroe Township, is to promote the well-being of domestic rabbits and to secure their place as a companion animal in society and in our homes.
Their focus is on educating the public on the proper care of companion house rabbits and providing a low-cost spay/neuter program. You can find a wealth of information about caring for house rabbits at their website, njhrs.com, or at their Facebook page.
Although they are not taking in rabbits at this time, they do list non-NJHRS rabbits who need homes–whether from private homes or from a Good Samaritan who found a stray– on their website and/or Facebook page. NJHRS also lists adoptable house rabbits from both shelters and rescue groups in NJ, NY, PA, DE, and MD each week on their Facebook page for those who may be interested.
View rabbits looking for forever homes here.
New Jersey HRS depends on donations to fund their work. Support the NJHRS here.
Featured Product: Fresh News
Posted on January 3, 2016 by Abi Cushman
One complaint I often hear from people about their rabbit’s litter box is that it smells. When I press further, I find out they are using newspapers to line the litter box. Unfortunately, sheets of newspaper just don’t absorb the strong smell of rabbit urine.
Using a newspaper pellet litter like Fresh News will solve the problem. Even though it’s made of newspaper, the compressed pellets somehow neutralize the odor much more effectively than sheets of newspaper.
Note: When choosing a litter or bedding for your rabbit, you should not use clay-based litter or cedar shavings because they are detrimental to rabbits’ respiratory systems. Always use a non-dusty litter/bedding made from recycled paper.
Learn more about litter training your rabbit at our article, Litter Training Your Pet Rabbit.
Here are a few tips about using a recycled paper pellet litter:
- Just put a very shallow layer of the litter in the litter box — enough so that the bottom is covered. It does not have to be deep because rabbits do not bury their droppings like cats. Furthermore, you will be discarding ALL of the litter every time you clean it, so you want to use the least amount possible to make it last and save money.
- You can buy large bags of Fresh News that are marketed for cats. You don’t have to get ones marketed for rabbits.
- Put hay on top of the thin layer of litter. Rabbits like to eat and poop at the same time. So this encourages them to use the litter box. Just be sure your rabbit has access to clean, fresh hay at all times.
January Carrots for Coco and Cosette
Posted on January 3, 2016 by Abi Cushman
As a result of this unseasonably warm weather here in Connecticut, we still have some greenery in our gardens – some still clinging to life from the past season and other plants confused and currently sprouting.
Coco and Cosette were the lucky recipients of some tiny (but fresh!) January carrots that I plucked from one of our raised beds.
Anyone else still harvesting from their gardens?
