The Picket Project

Somehow, it's been a month since I have posted an update on Picket.. Time gets away from you when you're super busy.

As for Picket, well, she's enjoying the lazy life..

Actually, to be completely fair, the truth is that it's very hard to take a photo of Picket unless she's laying down as she really moves sooo quickly..   The bigger she gets, the more the Binkie 500s last and the higher the aerial acrobatics get..

 But luckily, she wears herself out after a while and she does settle down to rest, either on the bed, on the windowsill, or on my shoulder.

And that is when we get to snuggle and cuddle with her.. She's still an absolute love bug and loves attention.  We constantly joke that she's more loving than our cat.  LOL

Cuddles with Daddy

I love how Pics still loves to climb up on my shoulder and snuggle.  It's one of those experiences that you will never take for granted - I have one of God's wonderful creatures - a wild creature - that loves me enough to want to snuggle and be with me.  We're not talking a domesticated cat and even domesticated rabbits aren't nearly as snuggly as this lil girl is.. So it's pretty awesome when she bounces up on you and then snuggles her nose against your neck and trusts you enough to sleep in your arms.

She's also quite photogenic and loves to pose for the camera, can you tell?? lol

Even better than snuggles, is when you get those special rabbit kisses.. They are rare but when they happen, you know you just experienced something very few people have the opportunity to experience.

She still has a major sweet tooth and we have to keep candy away from her..  For example, Ashleigh had a package of gum which Pics felt was there just for her (don't worry, she wasn't allowed any).

Speaking of diet, Picket is still drinking goat milk, although now that she is 4 months old, she has been weaned to 2 smaller feedings a day rather than three larger ones .. She is also given unlimited hay, sage and grass as well as a rounded salad usually consisting of a rotation of cilantro, parsley, bok choy, napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, mini peppers, asparagus, cucumber, grape tomato, zucchini, pellets and depending on the day, a small nibble of either broccoli or kale. Occasionally she also gets a couple of grapes, half of a small banana, a slice of kiwi or a baby carrot but each of these are high in sugar so they are only given as a special treat maybe once or twice a week (and depending on what I have on hand).   Picket has a well-rounded diet with lots of veggies..

She prefers to eat in her hutch which makes it very easy for us..  I just make sure her feeding tray is filled each day (it is usually empty every morning) .  However, I do keep a package of unsalted rice cakes next to my bed as a very special treat for her.

She loves rice cakes!!   

Each of the other animals have come to accept Picket in their own way..Our youngest cat (and only male cat), Newton, will occasionally play with Picket.  We have created little hidey holes out of boxes and purchased a three-way cat tunnel for them to hide in.  My oldest cat, Kiera, has learned to tolerate the high flying bunny's presence so long as 1. that bunny does not jump on Keira and 2. the bunny is willing to share some of her morning goat milk with her.  So far, this arrangement has worked out well LOL

Kenny has learned that if he wants to be attached to the hip with me, that means he is also attached at the hip to the rabbit.. lol   He's also learned that she will share some of her goat milk with him in the evening and also share some of her rice cake with him so that works to his advantage.

And now for this posts Bunny Education. If you notice, all of my pictures of Picket feature her either laying down, sitting upright, or sitting in what is called the "BunHen" position.  However, often, on the internet, you'll see pictures of bunnies on their back.  For example:

There is a reason why you will never see Picket in this position.  Because this is known as Tonic Immobility or "Trancing a rabbit"..  It's actually pretty cruel to do.. But for whatever reason, when a rabbit is rolled onto it's back, it experiences this tonic immobility.  Basically, while it looks like the rabbit is sleeping or completely relaxed, the opposite is true.  The rabbit experiences elevated respiratory and heart rates, a spike in blood pressure and is quite scared.  It plays dead in a last effort to save its life.  It's very stressful for the rabbit and putting the rabbit in this position is, in my opinion, equivalent to being chemically paralyzed during surgery but not anesthetized.

Granted, there are times when trancing a bunny is probably necessary.  I haven't found that reason yet and I would much rather continue to have Picket trust me then exert that sort of force on her.  As it is, she allows me to clip her nails, brush her, check her ears and check her teeth without the need for trancing.

Soooo, instead of cute pictures of bunnies "relaxing" in the bathtub (which is bad to start with, but I'll talk about that next posting), you'll get cute pictures of Picket like this :)

Until Next Time!!!