Sometimes

SOMETIMES

BLACK

AND

WHITE

IS ALL YOU NEED

Bunday Night at the Movies

Rabbits Eating Rose Petals

Monday Bunday: Training Update

I've made some adjustments in the Spots training program. For a while I had them jumping up on the couch, but became concerned that that was too much excitement for optimum digestion; it just didn't jibe with the precepts of Chinese Medicine with recommend quiet relaxation during meals. Now all training is done on the floor. With horses if you over train the animal will get "sour" and refuse to do what you ask it to. To avoid this I cut back and no longer intensively train at every meal. Now the twice a day pellet rations are fed in the pen, the only requirement is both rabbits have to let me give them a brief pet and touch their ears (remember ear touching is a bonding /your are sooooo dominant gesture). Tyler is good with this and often presents himself when he knows I'm coming with pellets, it is little harder for Sydney, but she is improving. Greens involve various numbers of  "paws on". Very occasionally I will get both rabbits in my lap munching away, more often they trade off perching on my leg and eating. Tyler is quite adept at this and Sydney will, after a bit of a warm up with two paws on, hop all the way on. Behavior outside of training includes Tyler demanding more pets and being more comfortable with me being close to him while this happens, as opposed to arm's length away. Sydney will come and see me if she suspects a treat may be involved and on finding there isn't will only retreat a  short distance, as opposed to simply running away in scorn. I think she is getting closer and closer to presenting herself for petting, but if Tyler is around she'll hop off; he is top bun. I must convince her that she, too, is top bun in my eyes.

Greens for Spots; both rabbits crowd into my lap to grab a bit of salad mix. Tyler pushes his way on first!

Lap feeding can get pretty crowded, but provides exciting and challenging photography conditions.

Here is Sydney having a good long perch and munch session. 

Tyler in perching pose, he seems quite comfortable.

This picture show why Tyler is sometimes known as "Mr. Whiskers" and sometimes as "Smudge Nose".

It is always Bunday in a Rabbit Centered Universe.

Spots Watch TV

Sometimes the Spots like to watch TV, depending on what is on. They don't like explosions and loud action flicks or much to Boyfriend's disappointment Tennis (Bandit LOVED Tennis), but documentary or quieter programs will bring them out onto the carpet.

Being unborn or a small tot for some Nixon's shenanigans, I was interested in the early years that formed the president, who in general I don't like, but who essentially brought acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to the US.

 Here they are watching the Nixon documentary that was on the PBS last night. A hay cube snack, just in case a nibble is needed is close at paw. Tyler watches out of one eye, Sydney approaches the matter with one ear up.

The Spots ask what happened to Checkers and were particularly interested in Nixon's skill at Poker which he employed while stationed in the Solomon Islands during WWII. He won several thousand dollars which he sent back to California to fund his next political campaign. 

Tyler and Sydney Present

Tyler and Sydney present Spots of a Different Ilk. 

Spots are quite fashionable on animals and can enhance any  form. For instance we traveled down to Watsonville to visit farmers Jean and Bob last week and found a good example. 

Look closely under the tree, is that you Ty? No, is it you Syd? Those are some cute piglets. Yeah they sure are, and those are some classic momma pig shapes too. 

These pigs are Gloucestershire Old Spots, they are the oldest pedigreed pig. Hey, that's what they say about us! We're not pigs, Sydney, well I'm not. You eat like one. Hush, this is being recorded. We are English Spots and it is written that Spots are the the oldest of breed of Fancy Rabbits. I guess the English have a thing for spotted animals.

 Here's a closer look at the piglets. Why is that one on the left kind of reddish? Oh, that one is showing his grandfather's breeding which is a Red Welsh. I like the black on white better, I don't know why.....OK, so that is our show on Spots. Do you think people liked it, Sydney? I don't know, I feel like maybe they weren't interested. Maybe they don't know what ilk means. What does it mean? It means family, kind or class. Hmmm, well at least it was a correct use of the word.