The Summer Home
Posted on August 16, 2012 Posted by John Scalzi 57 Comments
Folks have been asking after the rabbit, so here’s a quick update. First, the rabbit turns out to be a she, a fact we ascertained by the ruff on her neck and by the fact that at no time has the rabbit tried to mate with its toys, our shoes or the cats. This gender switch has precipitated a name change. It is no longer Cthulhu, Lord Snuggleston; it is now Lady Snuggles, which has the virtue of being shorter. I wanted to hold out for Cthulha, Lady Snuggleston, but was summarily overruled by the daughter. It doesn’t really matter in a practical sense because we just generally refer to it as “the bunny” and in any event it doesn’t know its name, so what’s the point.
Two, here she is in her summer home. Prior to this she’s been in a room in the basement, which is fine but which has certain problems, not the least of which is the continual risk of the house smelling of rabbit. We bought the hutch some time ago and intended to get her in earlier, but you may recall that earlier in the summer the average daily temperature was something like 370 degrees, and it seemed like it would be cruel to put her out into it. These days, however, the weather is lovely, and she seems to appreciate the view. Once it starts getting cold she’ll be returned to her winter quarters (or alternately we’ll move the hutch to the garage). Yes, this is a spoiled rabbit.
Rabbits generally tolerate cold better than heat. Give her a big wad of hay to stuff in a nest box or hidey hole and see if she’ll make herself a hay burrow. Our Mini Lop buck wouldn’t do that but the Standard Rex buck would take all of his bedding hay and stuff it in the hidey hole in his hutch, then make a tunnel. That buck was quite the landscape decorator.
Heat is what does kill rabbits, though, because they only sweat through their ears.
Cute. Nice hutch, too. Would be good for chickens. But we’re still at 370 degrees.
Point: Lovecraft never did establish Cthulu’s gender so calling it Cthulu would still be accurate.
I think you mean “It doesn’t know its name.”
Scorpius:
There’s also the problem of whether Latin declension works with that particular name.
And just like us all, even if we have the posh cage with fresh grass and room service, that open lawn looks like so much more fun. You know, until the cats are about.
Is there a lagomorphic equivalent of Frontline? Also, from the picture it looks like there’s no floor to the hutch, but that’s not right, is it?
I’ve been curious how sociable and friendly she is.
You’d have to be pretty brave (and pretty strong) to turn Cthulhu upside-down and sex him/her, it must be said… and what squamous, rubious, rugose horrors might lurk thereunder?
The hutch is open at the bottom so that Her Ladyship can eat grass, no? An axle would be handy, so you could migrate her about the yard, letting her safely get fresh grass and fertilize where she is. Just a wild-ass notion. Thinking from the critter’s POV.
Ah, I miss my bunnies. They are delicate creatures, however, which explains why there are so many of them.
She’s lovely, and that hutch is gorgeous.
I believe the only Latin declension that involves an ‘-u’ ending is the fourth, and only for the ablative singular and a couple plural forms. Fourth declension words can be masculine, feminine or neuter but they almost all have the same endings regardless. So Cthulhu would technically be an appropriate designation for Lady Snuggles, if one decided that Cthulhu were somehow derived from Latin. Which, um, it isn’t. :)
That is quite the hutch.
My sisters had rabbits for a long time, and it gets over 100 in the summer around here – they were in the shade, but we would also fill old soda or water bottles with water, freeze them, and put them in the cages for the rabbits to snuggle up to. They loved them.
man, rabbits smell something fierce.
I had a rabbit for seven years. They’re delightful creatures. One word of warning about outdoor hutches: watch out for predators. My neighbour found that out the hard way.
It could be wire-bottomed. That would let the grass in and droppings out while still keeping the rabbit from digging its way out.
Gorgeous bunny condo!
Yay! Lady Snuggles has not been eaten!
“That would let [the droppings out.]”
Hopefully, not all of her droppings.
Cute and nice abode for her. Now I’ll wait for a more close-up picutre that we can all go “Aaaaaaw!” at.
@Daniel
The sexing of Elder Gods is a delicate matter, and not just one of your Holiday Games…
What annalee said. Some nocturnal predators will dig right under that wire lunch-box, or knock it over if it’s not staked down.
The real problem is not that she doesn’t know her name, but that she can’t articulately express her human name to prove to you that she knows it. And you, not knowing her rabbit name, pretend to superiority? Hmf! One day you’ll wake up, trying desperately to translate the nose twitches and ear motions that determine whether you will live, or die. Fortunately, it will only be (untranslatable) saying “… but he doesn’t know his name, so it doesn’t matter.”
“in any event it doesn’t know its name, so what’s the point” Uh. Mine knows her name just fine. But then again, I don’t disparage her intelligence.
If at any point in time you are smelling “rabbit”, please clean the litterbox/area of the rabbit more often. I recommend daily. The only time I ever smell “rabbit” is near her litterbox. My rabbit runs free in the house, as well.
To the person who asked about Frontline: Revolution is approved for use on rabbits, mine has had to have some on a regular basis before. It’s the only one as far as I know.
If you’re going to leave Lady Snuggles out in the hutch at night, watch out for signs of raccoons. The little bastards are very good at opening latches, and they can also dig under a hutch like that without much trouble.
Um …. I share my house with four bunnies, and because I clean their rooms every few days, the only “bunny smell” is hay (which I don’t mind). I’m echoing what Julia said — “rabbit” smell, especially if your bunny is a girl, really shouldn’t be an issue. I think a little outside time is nice, but if your bunny is outside, you have to worry about not only predators, but things like fleas, and other little nasties. Also — if bunny is by herself out there all the time, how much interaction time is she getting with people? Rabbits tend to be very social … so I’d worry about her being a bit lonely out there, and without a ton of room to move around in. This hutch is nice, but Nature designed rabbits to be able to move around ….
As you can tell, I’m a House Rabbit person — and I just wanted to bring up a few points. If you want to know more about “rabbit smells” and all that, and solutions for having a bunny in the house, http://www.rabbit.org is the National HRS site, and has lots of info (along with a list of vets …. so, like, you can have your bunny properly sexed and checked out — a good idea if she’s going to be outside). :)
you could just call her Lady Romney.
Ill bet your cats think she looks yummy.
> Yes, this is a spoiled rabbit.
Sorry to hear this – she doesn’t look gamy at all in your photo.
@ Marko Kloos
I’ve seen raccoon families do some crazy coordinated stuff. There clever little bastards, and very feral.
That’s pretty cute!
D’aww! Bunny! :-)
I second “D’aww! Bunny! :)” And add “that is a pimpin’ house, there.”
Ashley Reid: Actually, fourth-declension neuter nouns end in “-u” in the nominative.
J.o — exactly. My rabbit gets regular walks outside, on a leash and harness. More now that her beloved older sister, the cat, has just passed away. It’s great bonding time for us. But as she is longhaired she MUST stay indoors the majority of the time…I live in the SE US and refuse to subject her to the 370 degrees.
Rabbits are not “easy” pets despite popular lore.
Very cute!
But…it’s duck season…
Wire cage bottoms are VERY BAD for bunnies. They cut up their feet. Rabbits like a solid surface, preferably one that they can either dig into or gnaw on.
Bunny walkies are the second cutest thing ever. For the cutest thing ever, Google “kaninhop”.
Rabbits need to sproing. It’s what they do.
That’s some seriously hiltonesque hutch! And yeah, looks like a happy home for the bunnzer. We always overcompensated for our critters too. We used misting and shade cloth for those hellishly hot days in the central valley. But Modesto had ~dry~ heat as opposed to your subtropical heat… and no polar freeze either.
Ah, rabbit. Good eatin’. (I grew up on a “wabbit wanch” and had to feed 500 of those furry little buggers every day after school. We also had show rabbits, and I still have scars from carrying them in and out of the judging ring.)
I assume we’re only seeing some of what the bunny does/has, but in case not, know that bunnies love toys and love to run and play. They’re just more delicious-looking cats, really. And yeah, heat is very bad.
It’s a tough crowd when you can’t get away with a little slip in Latin fourth declension nominative.
@ Allison Stein
One rabbit is cute. Five hundred rabbits is ranching :-)
Honestly, though, I’ve had rabbit. It wasn’t that tasty.
Please note that dogs or racoons can chew through the wire pretty quickly if they are determined. May i suggest putting it up on legs? When we did this, my handy husband added bicycle wheels and a simple axle to the front two legs, and by using boards that were abt two feet longer than the length of the hutch, we had handles that made it so we were able to move it like a wheel barrow. A loose piece of plywood or carpet to cover the wire in one half the floor gives bunny a place to roll or dig without wire damage to paws, and leaves the potty end free for air flow. Bunny will chew the wood, but less so if you provide greensticks etc that taste fresh: she’ll chew the tasty stuff first of course. And if you dont give her some kind of chew toy, she’ll chew corners and wire. My bunnys liked empty toilet paper rolls. As for walkies, its fun for people. Bunnies like freedom too. Sooner or later you are going to end up buying one of those four foot tall folding sectional pens, to let her play while you weed and mow, or just sit there and read in the sunshine. You need another excuse to sit and read, don’t you?
That wabbit reminds me of my own child pet named Bubble, her buck Squeak and then their first litter of baby rabbits called Whisky, Brandy, Sherry, Rum Punch, Hooch, Vodka, Absinthe and Bitters. They were house rabbits who were shooed out into the protected yard so that they could exercise and eat grass, twice a day. However, they were locked up in the spare bathroom every night so that cats could not get at them. We did not know about hutches in those days of yore when we kept rabbits as kids! Rabbits love to eat at night so cabbage leaves and plenty of fresh water was left out for them at night. And those bunnies slept on a bed of fresh grass. And no they did not go into pies. I do not know about your rabbit but our rabbits loved to be lifted and cuddled. They did not scratch if you put a hand under their tummies and scooped them up. Anybody lifting them up by their ears should be reported to the SPCA. and if they complain that they have been scratched well wouldn’t you kick out if someone hauled you up by your ears?
Last point- how does on pronounce Cthulhu? That’s Latin? I thought it sounded Celtic, Welsh or possibly Swahili. And what does it mean? Oh toothsome beauteous one?
childhood pet named Bubbles. OOOOPs.
Not at all if one is smart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu
That said, John’s daughter overruled a primo rabbit name, elder gods be darned.
Alternatively, 370 degrees is ideal for mustard basted rabbit.
YOU ARE A BAD MAN WITH TASTY IDEAS
Better that than a tasty man with bad ideas but, who wants to go there?
Better that than a tasty man with bad ideas but, who wants to go there?
Mmm…longpig.
A cat and a rabbit? I would have settled for two cats and a dust bunny. Or dust mice (for the cats of course).
@ Ghislord & David
LMFAO
Cthulhu, Schmulu… Where’s the Bacon-on-Bunny picture?
That is one awesome rabbit and rabbit condo. I had a rabbit a few years ago: Freya Shoggoth. >_<
She had fairly free run of the house, and chased the cats. The cats were TERRIFIED of her. She just randomly had a stroke one day, outside enjoying the yard. :(
Re; bunny smell. There really shouldn't be much of a bunny smell, especially with a female. If there is, she needs her bedding and litter changed more frequently.
When you have a chance, you might want to take her to a vet experienced with exotics (under which category bunnies fall, for some reason) and see about having her spayed. Female bunnies will almost definitely develop uterine cancer if they don’t breed and are left with their ladyparts intact. Here’s a little more info: http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/basics.shtml#fix
All of my house rabbits have known their names, and if you add a litter box with wood pellets (way cheaper than cat litter), then the inside won’t smell. Also: Ditto on the spaying. There’s significantly higher chance of cancer in ANY rabbit if it is not spayed or neutered. Another good resource is the House Rabbit Society.
You want to be very careful moving the rabbit in and out of doors. It doesn’t take long for a rabbit to become acclimated either to being n inside or an outside rabbit and once it’s acclimated it can’t change back and forth without becoming very ill. My outdoor rabbit suffered a stroke so we brought him into the basement. Sadly, it was the bringing him in that actually killed him.