Mr. Bun

It is with a heavy heart that I type this, our very own Easter bunny crossed over the rainbow bridge on Monday.

We cannot remember when exactly we got Mr. Bun, it must have been eight or nine years ago.  My husband found him hopping around in a washroom in one of the forest preserves where he works.  Mr. Buns former family gave him one more act of kindness before leaving him as they had placed him in a bathroom with a heater and they had left him a bowl of water using one of the dog dishes the district leaves out for hikers to use.  My husband said he was easily caught and transported, he kept him warm, and brought him into our family.  He was in good health and seemed like a calm good natured bun. We never knew why his family left him but if they hadn't he would not have been able to bring so much happiness to our lives, so I owe then that.  Red eyed animals are harder for shelters to adopt out but they have never bothered us, we have three guinea pigs with them too.  We learned that he had no interest in carrots, despite what the cartoon tells you, but did have a love of bananas.

In his youth with us he was big into leaping and hopping around like a big silly fluffy cloud.  He loved to rub his chin on all the furniture and mark it as his own, letting the guinea pigs know that he owned the place.  When he felt naughty he would sneak up on you and try to nibble holes in your clothing before you noticed what he was up to!  In his middle age he calmed down a bit and began a new phase of bunnydom.  We used to joke that since he had black ears and a black nose and deep grey feet that he was a little goth in his wizened outlook on life.  We thought he would write poetry about how the night is dark like his soul or that the world is cold like his life, perhaps he wore skinny jeans and had a garage band that got together to practice while we were at work.  All of this creativity was to earn the affections of our friend Sarah that we think he had a crush on.  She is adorably petite and blond and he fancied himself her knight in shining armor.

As a senior bun he used to while away the hours sitting on top of his castle soaking in the sun.  He would rarely stir unless pressed with treats or pets, he would rather warm himself than be bothered by our activities. He looked like a steamed bun with his ears resembling grill marks so we called him manju bun during these long naps.  Even the guinea pigs demanding food could not wake him when he committed to these relaxations  

We never set out to be bunny parents, I always assumed that we would be dog, cat, and guinea pig parents, but never bunnies.  I am unsure if we will ever care for another rabbit, but rest assured if another homeless bun crosses our path he or she will be welcomed with love and a castle in the sun. We love you Mr. Bun and we will look forward to seeing you again someday.
Kelly

A rather huge addition to our family...at least in numbers.

Two weeks ago there was a call out from a work friend about some guinea pigs needing a new home.  As guinea pigs are often used as starter pets for kids many of them end up in shelters when kids don't want to care for them anymore.  No more starter pets people, the pet is not your childs responsibility, its yours.  A parent had bought one guinea pig thinking this was a good way to teach responsibility, the problem is when you buy a guinea pig from a store there is a decent chance you are going to get more than you bargained for. Yep, she was pregnant.  So you now have four guinea pigs and need to care for two cages.  The problem was with her three little ones all born of the male persuasion unless she is alone in a cage you end up with multiplication tables again.  Well she was kept with a male and got knocked up teen mom style.  Time to get rid of the pigs.  This is where I come in.  When I heard it was a "we have to get rid of these pigs one way or another" situation I assume the worst and agreed to take them.  I wanted the momma to give birth in a calm setting and not be jostled into a big shelter who might not know what to do in an emergency or have the time to offer the care they need.  

We got the guineas all set up in my craft room with the plan that after she gave birth we would contact Critter Corral to get them into foster homes.  The Critter Corral is a great guinea pig shelter in our area that we adopt from when room in a cage opened up after a loss of a little friend.  That was a Wednesday, when I had not contacted the shelter by that Saturday, I was in fact waiting to see what the sex ratio of the little ones was going to be in case we could keep a few girls, my wonderful husband told me that we should go ahead and buy the cages and items we needed to keep them all.  This was a great stoke of luck as I saw a post on the Critter Corral rescue Facebook page stating that they are at capacity.

Two pet stores and an Amazon shopping trip later we have a huge new cage and lots of pigloos for everyone to be happy in.  That next Tuesday momma gave birth, in less than two hours mind you, to three adorable little piggies, two boys and one girl...I think.  We have a few weeks of nursing before cage reshuffling begins again as we will not have another pregnancy.  We now have nine guinea pigs and one bunny giving me the business every time I'm in the room trying to craft...let me tell you the little one can really give you the business if they think treats are not coming fast enough!

Introducing the small mammal house residents......

Mr. Bun

Libby, one of the original two pigs

Oreo, the other original piggy

Special Agent Phil Coulson

Director Nick Fury

Bucky Barns

Poundcake, the momma

Fluttershy

Dashie

Daring Do

I have all these cute little lives depending on me for good food and love.  Our veggie bill has quadrupled but all the happy squeaking and purring make it all worth wile.  Always remember Adopt, don't shop!

Kelly

Hoppy Easter!

Happy Easter from all of us at Rhinestone Beagle.