Volume
4, Issue
2 -
May
2004
Dear
Auntie
Bea
Dear
Auntie
Bea:
We just
got
a new
rabbit,
and
I'm
worried
there
is something
wrong
with
him.
His
urine
color
is orange-red.
Is he
bleeding?
--Worried
Dad
Dear Dad:
Bunny urine can range from white to orange, and your rabbit is probably just fine. There are many things that can affect urine color, including diet. If you see urine that has "spots" of red blood floating in it, then yes, you should take your bunny to the vet immediately.
Dear
Auntie
Bea:
I'm
having
trouble
catching
my rabbit
when
playtime
is over.
She's
very
fast
and
I don't
know
how
to safely
catch
her
without
scaring
her.
Can
you
help?
--Slower
than
the
Rabbit
Dear Slower:
There are several things I can suggest. Save her papaya treat for bedtime. Shake the bottle when it is time for her to return to her enclosure and offer the treat in her own territory. In time, she'll become accustomed to this routine and will come running at the sound of her bedtime treats. If you must catch her, I suggest slowly "walking" and guiding your bunny back to her territory. Get behind her and keep walking her in the direction of her house. You can also put her nighttime meal there, and she'll come to expect her dinner and go home to eat. I do suggest you pick up your bunny on a daily basis--a quick cuddle or kiss--and put her back down. She'll eventually realize that being picked up is not always being "caught."
Dear
Auntie
Bea:
It is
with
profound
regret
and
sadness
that
I am
writing
this
letter
to you
in the
hope
that
you
will
publish
it as
a warning
to other
rabbit
adopters.
I left
my two
bunnies
unattended
in my
backyard.
My dog
found
his
way
into
the
yard
and
before
we knew
what
happened,
the
bunnies
were
dead.
I think
that
my dog
accidentally
stepped
on Missy.
Thumper,
her
mate,
was
so terrified
that
he died
too.
Neither
bunny
had
a mark
on them.
I think
they
both
died
of fright.
I am
just
sick
that
this
happened
and
can't
begin
to express
how
deeply
sorry
I am.
I realize
that
this
was
a violation
of the
contract
that
I signed
when
I adopted
my bunnies,
I just
didn't
think
that
this
could
happen
to me.
--Name
Withheld
by Request
Dear Name Withheld:
Thank you for your letter. This too, profoundly saddens me. Thank you for having the courage to pass on the painful lesson that you learned.Dear Readers:
I would like to take this opportunity to remind all members who have adopted rabbits from us that the articles in the Adoption Contract that you signed are in the contract for a reason. We want to protect the bunnies who have been entrusted to our care. We take the death of each bunny whom we've placed very personally. We feel that we have failed the bunnies in some way by not stressing enough to their adopters the importance of following the terms of their contract. Please take a moment to review the contract that you signed. If you are unwilling to abide by those promises, we would like you to return the bunnies to us for their own safety.
If you have a question for Auntie Bea, you may write to her at:
Auntie Bea
Colorado House Rabbit Society
P.O. Box 238
Broomfield, CO 80038-0238
