# Got Ears?



## Yurusumaji (Oct 30, 2009)

Michiko's Gotcha Day: October 29th, 2009. She turned 3 months old on October 28th, 2009.

Michiko is a cream English Lop doe. She came from a breeder as a disqualified show rabbit, but she's loved here.

Michiko is a Japanese name. It means "beauty, wisdom".

Her first night home we set up her room and realized there's more to be done. Isn't there always? She got run of the house until we went to bed. She is incredibly inquisitive and adorable. She likes to stand up on her hind legs and look around. My husband says she looks like a long-eared prairie dog. :biggrin2:

I have wanted an English Lop since I was 16, I turned 22 on October 26th, 2009.

She will hold a special place in our hearts like all of our babies do, but maybe a little more-so for me because I have been waiting for so long.


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## Fancy77 (Oct 30, 2009)

First off Happy Belated Birthday!!! :birthday

And 2nd i am so happy u have finally got your heart bunny!!!
:yahoo:


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## Yurusumaji (Oct 30, 2009)

Today we learned that Michiko is nocturnal and will have no part of my human ogling during her sleepytime. I even snatched her from her bed and brought her out to the living room, hoping to tempt her into some good, old-fashioned play and exercise. She thanked me by urinating on the carpet and promptly hopping back to her bed. I snuck in some couch-bound snuggly time with her, but the dogs began to bark so I allowed her to return to her own bed where the disturbance would be less.











We are working on litter training, but she was a little bit cheesed when I burst into her room with some sort of rough, hairy contraption and touched all of her things with it. I mean, how dare I? Seriously.






She offered me another pee for this disturbance and then decided she'd come touch all of my things and see how I like it. She wasn't prepared for my approval. Muwahaha!











She binkied. I was ecstatic, as I have never in all my life seen a rabbit binky. I was actually quite heavily impacted by the sight and I hope to acquire some sort of recording device so that I may someday catch said spectacle, share it with the world and also keep it forever.

While I was typing this, she decided she wanted to offer us all one more fantastic photographic moment. She has a water bottle in her room, though it seems she may not even know how to use it or understand what it is for. I am quite glad I let her out to roam, as she spotted herself a watering hole.











My dogs are pretty good at sharing amongst the family, so I don't think they'll be upset. However, I do think they would be quite confused at the sight of the newcomer having a go at their watering hole. I don't think I'll tell them about the treachery afoot.

We have secured some plexiglass in front of the exposed wires of the computer so that Little Miss Curious may investigate without being in harm's way or causing damage to our rather expensive equipment. We also got more supplies for flooring her room, so that we may reclaim our towels.

I have to admit that I could not be more happy with our decision to bring an English Lop into our home. I am happy as could be with my amusingly curious and strong-headed rabbit. I can already tell that she is going to enrich our lives for many years to come.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Oct 31, 2009)

I have found my e-lop to be close to the way you described yours. A good friend told me there is rabbit proofing and then there is e-lop proofing a room.


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## SweetSassy (Nov 1, 2009)

I love this pic!! 






And this one






I'm just now seeing this thread. I just love her. She is so pretty!!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 1, 2009)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> I have found my e-lop to be close to the way you described yours. A good friend told me there is rabbit proofing and then there is e-lop proofing a room.


I owe special thanks to you for telling me what to watch for.  Thank you so much.

Our plexiglass held up for one whole night, then she discovered she can get back there if she takes the scenic route behind the tv. LOL! We had to shoo her out and use what we had available to block that off, too. :biggrin2:

She is so inquisitive. She spends a ton of time up on her hind legs, scoping things out. Looking around for the next barrier to tumble! LOL!

At least the bathroom was easy to EL-proof!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 1, 2009)

Today Michiko discovered the joy of jumping into the dogs' toy box. Then jumping out of it and running around the back of the tv, looking for trouble. Lol! What a total nerd.

We had to shoo her out of her own room while we did some remodeling. It's not done, but here is what we have so far:

The left side of the room.





Front and center.





The right side.





We are going to get more mat to put where that blue towel is and that will complete the flooring. So far so good on that end. No chewing of the mat. Let's hope she sticks to that attitude.

For the right side I have several larger than life cardboard boxes broken down in a closet from the move. I'll be turning one of them into a large cardboard hut for her with some fleece bedding.

I'll have more photos tomorrow night once those things are finished. I need to find more things for her to chew on as well. I'm open to suggestions.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Nov 1, 2009)

Daisy loves to shred phone books andTP tubes stuffed with hay.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 1, 2009)

The room is done. For now. Toys and chews need to be added, but the actual room is complete!
















The dogs' bathing system is set up in her bath tub. As it turns out this works well. Hubbs took Kuma in there for a bath today and he stood up on his hind legs to watch Michiko the whole time and she did the same to him. LOL. Bathing Kuma has never been so easy!

:inlove:


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## sharlaelizabeth (Nov 1, 2009)

*Yurusumaji wrote:*


>


This picture reminds me of a shampoo commercial when the woman has just done a hair flip so that you can marvel at how beautiful the shampoo has made her hair. Love it!

She is so beautiful! I'm definitely going to get an English lop between Michiko and Miss Daisy. 

What kind of mat are you using in her room? It looks kind of like a yoga mat.


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## TinysMom (Nov 1, 2009)

Between you & Dave & Bassetluv's Yofi - I am wanting an English lop so bad....they look like such fun.

Congrats on getting your heart bunny - I look forward to seeing more pictures and posts!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 1, 2009)

It is a yoga mat.  It's called DanSkin and we got 4 mats with a little left over to cover the whole bathroom at $10 each. They come in purple and green. 

She does this crazy run-and-slide move, which causes her ear to flop over to the other side. I think it's so flirty-looking. Ha ha!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 1, 2009)

*TinysMom wrote: *


> Between you & Dave & Bassetluv's Yofi - I am wanting an English lop so bad....they look like such fun.
> 
> Congrats on getting your heart bunny - I look forward to seeing more pictures and posts!


Thank you. EL's are fantastic bunnies! :inlove:

I have to say of all the bunnies I have had, Michiko easily has the most personality. She is a riot and very smart!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Nov 2, 2009)

*Yurusumaji wrote: *


> *TinysMom wrote: *
> 
> 
> > Between you & Dave & Bassetluv's Yofi - I am wanting an English lop so bad....they look like such fun.
> ...


Daisy is too, she doesn't have a litterbox in her cage but when she is out, she will use the litterbox I have in the corner.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 2, 2009)

We're still working on in-room litter box training. LOL. She's quite the stubborn little one. 

Funny thing is she won't really potty when she's out - she'll always go back to her room to do it. She's such a weirdy. :rofl:


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## bunniekrissy (Nov 2, 2009)

The pictures are great, especially the ones of her lying on her bed. What a sweet-looking bunny!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 2, 2009)

So now that I've gotten the bunny room done and have given everyone [including myself] a thorough introduction to Michiko, I suppose I'll introduce you to everyone else. Have it be known though, Michiko may have been the last in but she's my heart bunny - *she rules the roost*. 

Let's start with the humans. There's only 2 of us.






Me and my hubbs, September 24th, 2009. This was his Airman Leadership School Graduation where he was honored with the Levitow Award for being the top graduate in his class. He not only had the highest GPA exiting the class, but Levitow also honors him for being a shining example of what an Airman ought to be.

I am actually nearly bald now, sporting a military-style cut. It's a long story.

Apollo. American Eskimo/Pomeranian [coined a 'Pomimo']. Male. Born September 16th, 2008.

He was born with Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy - HOD. I gave him an incredibly high-protein kibble as a pup which triggered it to flare and from 11 weeks to 6 months old I fought to keep him alive and comfortable. I owe a lot to the vet who went the extra mile to diagnose him and make sure she was treating him properly. She saved his life and I could never repay her for the gift she gave us.

Apollo @ 6 months old.





Apollo today.





Kuma. Pomeranian. Male. Born December 9th, 2008.

He is from a Show Breeder as a disqualification on a pet-only contract. He's healthy other than having a sensitive digestive system. He also loves everyone and everything, unlike his older brother. He could easily be coined the happiest dog alive. His face never seems to be doing anything but smiling.






Kami & Yasuo. Males. Sugar Gliders. Age Unknown.

These guys are hilarious [if not sometimes annoying] pets. They are very curious and are still somewhat 'under the radar' as pets, but are quickly growing in popularity. Their care is more high-maintenance than your basic rodent, thus these guys get rehomed fairly often due to people not doing proper research. They are nocturnal, waking up anytime between 7-9 p.m. and going back to sleep in one of their pouches anytime between 6-7 a.m. They have to have a special wheel and pouches and they also have to have a homemade diet versus the bagged diets we feed our rabbits and rodents.






Phoenix. Female. Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure. Hatched on April 28th, 2009.

Phoenix is daddy's girl. She loves to bite our fingers, ears, wedding rings and necks. She also loves chewing on daddy's glasses and gaming controllers. She's got some antics that would have you rolling on the floor before long, but her favorite thing is to be on or near her people. She also likes the dogs.






Robo and Samson. Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters. Males. Age Unknown.

Who can say no to hamsters? I have never owned Robos before, so when I saw these guys I couldn't help myself! I originally only had Robo, but he wouldn't eat or run on his wheel. After 2 days of watching him sulk we got him a friend named Jasper. A mere 48 hours after bringing Jasper home we rushed him to the vet for emergency care, but he did not make it through the night. I wasn't going to get another as I was incredibly heartbroken after Jasper's untimely passing, but hubbs insisted we try again. That's where Samson comes in and it's been good tidings ever since.

Robo





Samson





That's my furry and feathery family. It's crowded in here, but I have to admit I feel right at home being surrounded by the craziness that goes on.

I hope you enjoyed the guided tour of my zoo! Come back soon now! :bunnydance:


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## SweetSassy (Nov 2, 2009)

Cute pic of youand hubby

Apollo is beautiful! so is Kuma 

The sugar gliders are awesome and soooo cute. I love birds. I would love to have an exotic bird but I know they live long and are lots of work. Phoneix is adorable. Your hamsters look so little. I had a hamster when I was younger. They are the coolest little things. 



Kelli, You have a beautiful Pet Family! :biggrin2:


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 2, 2009)

*SweetSassy wrote: *


> Cute pic of youand hubby
> 
> Apollo is beautiful! so is Kuma
> 
> ...


Thank you so much! :biggrin2:

It gets a little nutty around here, but you know I just wouldn't have it any other way.


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## Fancy77 (Nov 3, 2009)

OMG the pics r great... I think there might b programs or support groups for animal oholics lol You do have a lovely family!!!!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Nov 3, 2009)

*Yurusumaji wrote: *


> Me and my hubbs, September 24th, 2009. This was his Airman Leadership School Graduation where he was honored with the Levitow Award for being the top graduate in his class. He not only had the highest GPA exiting the class, but Levitow also honors him for being a shining example of what an Airman ought to be.


:great:Congratulations to your hubby. That is quite an accomplishment and he should be very proud. I retired from the Air Force in 2005. Thank you both for your service, military members can't do it without a supportive spouse.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 3, 2009)

Thanks everyone! The story of me and hubbs is actually a rather interesting one.

I'll tell it to you all soon. 

Dave, I'm sure you know it can be really tough. This past year has been my worst nightmare. Still, I love the man and so I stand by him. I just keep hoping it gets better soon.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Nov 3, 2009)

*Yurusumaji wrote: *


> Dave, I'm sure you know it can be really tough. This past year has been my worst nightmare. Still, I love the man and so I stand by him. I just keep hoping it gets better soon.


It will, it will.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 3, 2009)

So a couple members were curious about the story of me and hubbs. It is an interesting bit of story, so here goes nothing.

I met hubbs on his birthday, June 14th, 2008 for the very first time. I saw him again a week later at our friends' D&D gathering and we were immediately taken with each other. The guy I was seeing at the time was there, but I guess everyone saw that was headed downhill rather quickly. For the next week I spent everyday except one with Nick. Everyone was furious. He was on leave after being deployed to Iraq and coming home from being based in Japan. He was only up for 2 weeks and then he was being flown to Texas and placed on a new base. I called, we did things. The attraction was immediate. Obviously I quickly split with the guy I was seeing to pursue this new fellow. What can I say? I'm a risk taker.

A couple days before he left he bought me a round-trip ticket to see him for a week at the end of July. This was to be a "trial" to see if we would still get along after being apart and then having to spend every moment together.

Nick left for Texas on July 1st. I dropped him off at the airport and on my way out I sent him a text that read, "I love you." and he sent one back that said, "I LOVE YOU TOO BABY!" I called as I was driving home to make sure he made it through security ok and at that time he asked me to stay when I came down to Texas and skip the flight home. I said I would. That night, his grandfather passed away. Nick returned to Michigan on July 3rd for his grandfather's visitation and I took the next week off work [even though I could afford no such thing] to go to the funeral with him and then spend the rest of his time home with him to show my support. He says the day of the funeral, July 4th, was the day he knew he was going to marry me.

After he went back to Texas he moved up my flight to July 14th. Our phone calls started moving toward talk about getting married and he started looking for an apartment for us. I spent the next week packing up my own place and getting everything boxed and making sure I had what I needed for my flight.

I got on the July 14th flight and man was I _excited_. After several hours of flying and one anxious layover I landed here in Abilene, TX and there he was waiting for me with Taco Bell. LOL.

There wasn't much in the way of planning for our wedding. We did a quickie wedding at the courthouse for a mere $20 with no one but us on August 1st, 2008. It was _pouring rain_ that day - so bad our car stalled out and a good samaritan had to help hubbs push our car into a Whataburger parking lot. We skipped our nice dinner in favor of going home and getting delivery. LOL.

Both of my rings.





Hubbs was in Qatar from January 14th, 2009 until July 30th, 2009.

For our one-year anniversary I talked hubbs into getting name tattoos. I know, taboo! Despite what other people think and say about our choice, we are both very happy with our decision.

Mine.





His.




Aeternus is Latin for "Eternity".

I have one other tattoo I got several years before we met.

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.





Another thing of interest is my health. I'm 22 and just turned it on October 26th, 2009. Still, I have a rather exciting medical history.

Newborn: Jaundiced and excessive vomiting.

16 years: Diagnosed with Chron's Disease and 5 ulcers - 2 in the stomach, 3 in the colon.

18 years: Right knee fills with fluid for 2 weeks every 3 months. This continues on and is still a problem. Severe anemia. Discovery of severe and extensive food allergies.

21 years: Arthritis-like problems start in left foot, move to right foot nearly a year later. Joints are red, swollen and very painful at base of toes and in arch and ankle. Anemia gets so bad a doctor actually tells me he can't believe I'm still functioning.

My husband is my lifesaver. I was working a fast food job full-time without insurance. I had no way to see doctors or get medications and I still have thousands of dollars in ER bills looming over my head. Today I can stay home with my little ones and work at my own pace on the house chores while my husband supports our family, takes care of me when it's needed and helps me on my hard days.

Despite all my health issues, I couldn't be luckier. :inlove:


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## Fancy77 (Nov 3, 2009)

I think I said OMG like 60 times. OMG your story of how you met was so sweet...love at first sight...way to cool like serendipity 

Then OMG at all the health stuff...OMG shocking...u r one lucky lady!!!! 

If that is a current picture...UM U r thin as a rail- Jealous lol

Ya and another OMG on that beautiful ring!!!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 3, 2009)

That photo was taken July 4th, 2008. Luckily I'm not much bigger than that.


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## Fancy77 (Nov 3, 2009)

well u r one lucky lady...Nick is so cute, watch out when I come visit my grandad in TX your hubby and your bunny will be Mine all Mine lol


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 3, 2009)

LOL!

The photo from his graduation is recent, just this past September. When I met him I told everyone I was marrying his rock hard abs. LOL!

On our 2nd date he said he didn't believe in love. He was cooking me a spaghetti dinner at the time. I look up at him and go, "You're an idiot." and he looked at me like O.O - HAHA! Apparently that was his "test" to make sure I was as strong-minded as I seemed. Or something.  Guess I passed.

Like I said, I just _knew_. After we started seeing each other I just knew he was the man I would spend the rest of my life with. It's hard to explain, but it was very clear to me the whole time. My grandmother says she can see the love between us and she believes we'll be together forever. That felt really great to know she believes in us and that we have her blessing. My mother was shaky at first, but she came around fast. Now she loves him.


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## SweetSassy (Nov 3, 2009)

What a cute story!! :biggrin2:

Love the rings and the tattoo's! 

You guys are such a cute couple. Thanks for sharing.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 3, 2009)

*SweetSassy wrote: *


> What a cute story!! :biggrin2:
> 
> Love the rings and the tattoo's!
> 
> You guys are such a cute couple. Thanks for sharing.


Thank you very much. 

I love my butthead, sharing our story is always a lot of fun for me.


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## DeniseJP (Nov 3, 2009)

Oh, I love your blog! Great tattoos, and those gliders are adorable! And the EL... those lovely ears!

Thank you for sharing!

Denise


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 3, 2009)

*DeniseJP wrote: *


> Oh, I love your blog! Great tattoos, and those gliders are adorable!
> 
> Thank you for sharing!
> 
> Denise


Thank you! inkelepht:


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## JadeIcing (Nov 4, 2009)

I LOVE your blog. I love your bunny but the dogsâ¦ I ADORE! Love poms have one myself. My grandma has her sisters.


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## kirbyultra (Nov 4, 2009)

Such a cute family. Love your e-lop!!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 4, 2009)

*JadeIcing wrote: *


> I LOVE your blog. I love your bunny but the dogsâ¦ I ADORE! Love poms have one myself. My grandma has her sisters.


Poms are something special, aren't they? They are so stubborn, though!

Still, even on the days when they annoy the crap out of me I still adore them. They are loving little boys.

Though Apollo is our shy guy. He doesn't discriminate, he just hates everyone.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 4, 2009)

It's bunny room cleaning day at our house. I did all the animal cages on Monday, but her room wasn't bad yet. I do daily sweeping of poop, but the deep clean will be a once-a-week event. I got lucky, her yoga mats clean up a lot better and easier than I expected! It's now hanging up to dry.

I have to gate her out of her bathroom while doing cleanings and she _hates_ it. I have never in all my days met a rabbit so against being out of her, uh, "cage". I mean, it's true she's got a ton of room and all of _her stuff_ is in there, but I expected her to want to be out when I took the gate down. Nope. She always wants to go back in.

She's not aggressive toward me when I clean in there, but she does get her fat little tush in my way quite a lot. Lol! Thus why I lock her out. I feel bad, she always looks so upset at me for not letting her in _her palace_, but honestly, I'm a little taken aback at her dragging her ears through urine. Had to give them a good wiping yesterday. I wish she'd get this litter thing down. Nothing I'm doing seems to be working. Yet again, open to suggestions.

Lucky me. Even when she's not happy with me, she'll still let me torture her for a photo op.




















She met our pup, Kuma, without the gate today. Unfortunately he got way too worked up and daddy had to kennel him so as to prevent any possible injury to Michiko. We'll try again later.

*GOD I ADORE MY RABBIT.* :inlove:

Husband is out-of-order as of late. New video game came out the other day and he's completely out of touch with the world. He'll stay this way until he beats it. He's set up a pillow throne for himself on the floor. His dog has taken it to mean it's cuddle time and will lay in hubby's lap while he plays his game. Lol. Crazy boys.

Husband's vacation starts on Veteran's Day, November 11th and he is taking until December 5th off of work. We had originally planned to go up north and visit family, but he's been gone for most of this year and we haven't had much time to spend with each other, so I asked that we not go home this year. He decided to still take the vacation days off of work, but we're just staying here instead and getting to know each other again. :hearts I am very excited.

At least I won't have a shortage of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 4, 2009)

And yet another gem. She wants to be a person. LOL.


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## SweetSassy (Nov 5, 2009)

I love the pic's!! The last pic is so cute, the way she's sitting!!!LOl. :inlove: 



I like your hair. It is short, but you can pull it off.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 5, 2009)

Thanks, April. It was "bootcamped", but I have always had short cuts so my hair grows quickly since I get it cut a lot. I love experimenting with my hair.

Anywho - I shaved it because I was actually ripping my hair out when I was stressed, bored, etc. It's an OCD condition I developed while hubbs was deployed. It wasn't getting better so hubbs shaved it for me so that the hair can grow back in undamaged and fresh and my bald/thin spots could fill back in. Now I'm just hoping this works and I've broken the habit. Guess I'll just go back to twirling my hair instead. LOL!


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## Seras (Nov 5, 2009)

OMG! she is so cute! I love her ears!


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## JadeIcing (Nov 5, 2009)

*Yurusumaji wrote: *


> *JadeIcing wrote: *
> 
> 
> > I LOVE your blog. I love your bunny but the dogsâ¦ I ADORE! Love poms have one myself. My grandma has her sisters.
> ...



Very stubborn. Though my girl is very well trained makes my family jealous. 

I know the feeling, she can annoy the living daylights out me but I love to bits.

He sounds awesome!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 6, 2009)

Oh, these days ... the days where someone snaps and makes us all quiver in our corners. Ridiculousness that goes on in this world. The war? It's happening all around us, everywhere, it's in more places and creeping up behind more people than Jesus himself. We ignore it for a while and then someone with a gun reminds us that we should be alert 24/7 and always have a way to defend ourselves and our loved ones when the business goes down.

Today @ Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, TX:
- 1 gunman, 2 pistols
- 12 dead, 31 injured

He was upset over an upcoming deployment. Hm. If you don't want to be deployed overseas ... *don't join the Army*. Duh.

It's terrifying that we no longer only have to worry about our loved ones overseas, but now also when they go to work on a day-to-day basis. I am so very glad my husband is getting ready to take a month-long vacation and stay home with me. Having him safe at home with me will be a phenomenal feeling.

It has been on my mind a lot lately - getting registered to own a firearm and then obtaining a permit to carry a concealed weapon with me. There are always things that scare me so bad they just make me feel like ... maybe I really do need one.

I need to pick up my reading again. I was working so hard on The Dark Tower series I really burnt myself out pretty badly by book 5. I'm about halfway through it and it's a very good book, I guess I'm just worn out.

Michiko did circles around our couch today. She was dashing around and my husband thought perhaps we'd actually driven her nuts with all of our love and grooming and treats. She calmed down pretty quick though, so I think she's just feeling more excited about her home. Finally getting used to us and starting to love her new place a little more. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. LOL.

Michiko is still fairly skittish, especially when in her palace. If I approach it she will first start to slink up on her front feet, then I'll lay down on my belly to show I am not a threat and she darts off behind the toilet. I keep forgetting rabbits aren't dogs. To her I must look like a predator getting ready to catch its dinner. Time to brush up on my bunny skills!












The sugar gliders are getting their first taste of green beans tonight. I put a couple pieces through the cage bars. If they were mealworms they would have been snatched from me! Still, Kami sniffed one for a bit and gave it a few licks - then he darted off with it! LOL! Might be getting more green beans in the future for them. Can rabbits have green beans? They're not listed on the food lists I have ... not under 'safe' or 'not safe'. So ... I don't know how I feel about that.

Grabbed Orchard Grass and a few more chew things for Michiko [a wooden carrot and Lava Bites]. She was quite excited about Orchard Grass. I put a little in with her Alfalfa.

Getting on a rabbit forum was probably a bad idea. All these multi-bun homes ... I truly forgot how much I enjoyed having rabbits, but Michiko has renewed that in me and she has really brought on a feeling of being whole for me. She is my heart bun, a breed of rabbit I never had the joy to meet in person but always dreamed of having. I adore her and I am extremely attached to her, even after such a short amount of time and I am grateful to have her in my life.

Still ... you dang people and all your cute babies. How dare you tease me in such ways! :grumpy:


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 8, 2009)

Michiko is starting to love us and she is getting used to her surroundings. She's coming out more, getting even more inquisitive and has also begun taste-testing her humans. Poor hubbs got a nip in the hand while sitting on the floor playing his new video game. I later went to her room to find her bowl empty. LOL. Message understood. "I'm hungry enough to eat you!"

After the bite, they kissed and made up.





And she hugged him, bunny style.















Before that box was empty it held my 2010 Cute Overload Page-A-Day Calendar. :biggrin2: I suggest everyone order one. A cute animal a day keeps the blues away. I kept most of them a secret for the upcoming year, but we mused at which animals were on our birthdays. Hubby got a hedgehog, mom had a pug and me and my sister both got kittens. LOL. I always had a suspicion I was more of a cat person. 

The foot is getting bad again. I have an appointment for another Cortisone shot at the rheumatologist's on Monday. I was smart and talked hubbs into going with me to take the dogs for a walk on Friday and we had a great time. I'm glad I did it before I was unable. It was so refreshing.

Having lovely weather here, hope next weekend give us more lovely weather. If so, we may head out to Dallas to visit the zoo. I have been waiting to pet the stingrays for 2 years!

I'll explain stingrays on another day. Hope everyone had themselves a lovely weekend. :rainbow:


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## SweetSassy (Nov 8, 2009)

I love the pic's!! She is just beautiful!! I want a ELOP now. After seeing 2on ROthey are just gorgeous!! :biggrin2:

Sorry to hear your foot is flaring up. Hope the cortizone works.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 10, 2009)

Had a rheumatologist appointment today. I love my rheumatologist. Today's visit is the visit I've been waiting for these last 5 years - a long-term solution.

First off, my infusions will allow me to put my pills away. While I am on my infusions it will calm both my Chron's and arthritis, which is phenomenal. Getting treatment will also help my body bring its iron stores back to normal.

The downsides are that I have to get infusions once a month [which is not a big deal] and it will take 2 hours for each infusion [which I consider a downside, but really I have all the time in the world to sit around with an IV in my arm]. It will also be stressful to move with this treatment going on because I have to make sure I have a doctor lined up where I'm going and that they are ready to start my infusions when [or shortly after] I arrive. And of course this is a lifelong treatment because it will control my Chron's.

In the end, I of course feel that the benefits this will bring me largely outweigh the cons. Serious side effects aren't a big problem with this treatment, so I'm feeling very confident about getting it all underway. Insurance is a pain, but they are hoping to get my treatment started in the next couple weeks. I've already phoned my PCM and told them to contact my rheumatologist to get referrals taken care of and once those are done we just have to wait for my medicine to arrive at my doctor's office. Woohoo!

*Normal life, here I come!* :bunnydance:


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## SweetSassy (Nov 10, 2009)

That is GREAT Kelli! :bunnydance::bunnydance:That is awesome that your getting the treatment you need.


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## kahlin (Nov 10, 2009)

Your pictures are cute. I think Michiko is going to keep you on your toes.

It sounds like this are better on a number of fronts. I hope things continue to improve for you.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks guys! I was feeling much better when I exited the office yesterday. To have a treatment available that will take care of all my of my big illnesses is a really great relief for me.

I've been fighting Chron's for 5 years without success and the arthritis for 3 of those 5 years, also without success. For someone to tell me what I have as soon as I walk in the door and tell me there's a treatment perfect for me that's available - it was the best thing I'd ever heard in my life.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 11, 2009)

Well my 2 boys Robo and Samson were getting along at first, but it appears there has been serious fighting for a little while. Samson is a total submissive, so he's injured and raggedy. They've obviously been fighting while we've been sleeping in the night, as Samson's entire rear end is one enormous scab and he has small bites on his back feet. Poor bubs.  I immediately removed him when I heard the fight break out and kept him in a bowl until hubbs got home. He now resides in a huge footlocker until Thursday when we will go out and get him his own digs. Rigging the water bottle was a _pain_.

Samson will make a full recovery. I also noticed he's so submissive he won't even nip me. Not even a taste test. This is rather exciting for me and I'm contemplating the possibility of him becoming my "hand hamster", since I am certain Robo is far too much of a grump to ever be handled.

For now though, I gave him fresh food and water and got him his own igloo so he can get some rest.
















Last night I tossed Michiko's bed into the washing machine, as it was quite saturated and disgusting. When I opened the washing machine to move the bed into the dryer I discovered a machine full of bed fluff. She's chewed a hole in one side and a large amount of fluff from that side escaped into our machine. LOL. Crazy rabbit. The bed still appears to be acceptable according to the queen.

Michiko also met our Green Cheek Conure last night and got a nip to the nose. HA HA! She ran away and is no longer a fan of her feathered roommate, though Phoenix is interested in scoring some hoppity transport. Michiko refuses to oblige. :laugh:


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## kahlin (Nov 11, 2009)

Hehe, too funny. Poor Michiko!


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## godzirra (Nov 11, 2009)

omg your bunny is so adorable, it looks as if it has a night cap on because of it's long ears, how adorable


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## SweetSassy (Nov 11, 2009)

I love the little hamsters. So cute!! 

If Phoneix ever gets on her back, make sure you get a pic. LOl


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you, godzirra! :hearts

Thank you, April.  I will definitely get a pic if it ever goes down. I totally missed a pic last night of Michiko in the dryer!


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## Fancy77 (Nov 11, 2009)

Oh that is so sad about your hamsters  hope they r doing better soon


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you Denise. Samson does appear to be in some pain, so I gave him a box full of Kleenex and he's been resting up for the past day. He'll make a full recovery and tomorrow he's getting a new house all his own!


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## Victoria (Nov 14, 2009)

you have a lot of pets and I thought and was told by my mum that my place is like a zoo. We (my fiance and I) only have 4 rats and 2 rabbits. 
And what you described re your health problems it is all related to Crohn's (arthritis, anemia ) but you prob know that.


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## Victoria (Nov 14, 2009)

PS when I wrote this I have not seen the last page of the posts sorry (re Crohn;s disease)


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 14, 2009)

*Victoria wrote: *


> you have a lot of pets and I thought and was told by my mum that my place is like a zoo. We (my fiance and I) only have 4 rats and 2 rabbits.
> And what you described re your health problems it is all related to Crohn's (arthritis, anemia ) but you prob know that.


Ha ha - yeah. Every time we add on my mum gives me the "Ugh." response. LOL! I miss having rats.  Someday. We enjoy the crazy that goes on around here.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 16, 2009)

So a couple nights ago Michiko discovered she can get up on the couch. She's rather taken with herself over this and my couch continues to shrink in size, it seems. LOL.

Today Michiko discovered she can jump her gate! Isn't that fantastic? I might as well take the thing down if it didn't keep the dogs out. She jumped out today and neither of us were any the wiser. The dogs are running and barking, which is normal for them when they are playing together. It was out of pure luck that hubbs happened to look over at them and see poor Michiko fleeing in terror from the beasts that pursued her. I had to rescue her from her hiding spot behind the sugar glider cage.

We left for the market for not even 30 minutes and came home to a loose rabbit. She was out prancing around like the owner of the house and then when she decided she was hungry she jumped right back into her room. I swear I'm going to start charging her rent. Ha ha ha.

Michiko has settled in really well. She binkies on a nightly basis and loves nothing more than to jump up on the couch when I'm by myself and eat my Doritos bag and book. I try to find things for her to play around with, but she's generally not impressed with anything I give her. Boxes, toys, etc. If it's not food, she doesn't care.

We have started her on collard greens, which she approves of and enjoys on a nightly basis. She started with a very small piece and gets a little bit bigger of a piece each night. This seems to be going well.

Now I just need to figure out how to keep her in that room ...

Oh yes - and there is talk of hedgehogs. Hubbs made me promise no more pets and then today after seeing a hedgehog peeking out of a cup on Cute Overload he blurted, "Maybe we'll get a hedgehog someday." I think he has decided he wants one. LOL.

There is hope my treatments will start within the next week or two. I'm excited!

Considering the possibility of a harness for Michiko. Would _love_ to take her to the beautiful green park on base that our dogs enjoy.


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## Fancy77 (Nov 16, 2009)

wow so much going on by u. Michiko is such a charecter keep up with the cool stories. 

Jay Jay just decided he wanted up on my desk and then wanted the Mountain Dew I had sitting there too. He dumped over the can (huge mess) I caught him sitting on the desk licking up the soda... then I couldnt get him to move when I was cleaning it up he was fighting me as if to say "No No I can get that"


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 16, 2009)

LOL! With the dogs around we are very careful about where we put our soda.  Michiko is determined to try a Dorito, though. Ha ha! And apparently she has a taste for Stephen King.


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## Fancy77 (Nov 16, 2009)

I really like the fact u spend time listening to her read to u...err...umm...chew lol

Only Buns here and Jay Jay is dog like...the little shister


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## kahlin (Nov 17, 2009)

Gate jumping is an olympic sport you know.  We had to add some NIC cubes to our gate to keep Behr within his confines.

And he too has no interest in toys unless it's something he can put in his belly.


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## SweetSassy (Nov 17, 2009)

Michiko is a character!! A hedgehog huh?? They are cute! I love pic of your dogs in the car!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 17, 2009)

Michiko has been successfully deterred from clothes-nomming in favor of newspaper-nomming. Hubbs is happy. He loves to sit on the floor and play his video games while I lay on the couch and she always comes up to him and tries to undress him with her mouth. LOL! So I finally brought out some paper for her to chew on and voila! Peace has been restored.

Unfortunately today the white dog, Apollo, used our new car [it's a 2010 Ford Escape] as his personal bathroom.  Hubbs was FURIOUS when he came out of the store. We'd left them in the car before without any problems whatsoever, but this time, there was poop and pee _all over our front seats_. *sigh* They'll be in their kennels the rest of the day and Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky Daddy is an inch away from shipping poor Apollo out to China to become dinner for someone's family.

My dog sat in the backseat and behaved himself. Teeheehee.

This is turning out to be some vacation!


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## Fancy77 (Nov 17, 2009)

VACATION what??? what vacation?? what did I miss??


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 17, 2009)

Hubbs is off work until December 5th as vacation time. We were going to head back to Michigan to see our families, but decided against it for several reasons - so we're vacationing at home. ^_^


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## Fancy77 (Nov 17, 2009)

OHHHH whew I thought I missed something huge. Oh I wish u would have come to MI we could have met up to have drinks or lunch, that would have been a blast!!! SO then what r your plans?? going any where fun??? or Vegging on the couch??


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 17, 2009)

Vegging. My knee is starting to fill with fluid, a problem my Chron's has been causing me for 3 years now.

They are trying to get me in for my treatments so that I can get my medical issues under control, so I'm glad we decided to stay instead because I wasn't supposed to get in for treatment until the end of December, but now they're saying that I might be able to start this month instead now that we are staying home.

In the end I need time to relax and the 27-hour drive with all these critters in tow [and then deciding where to store them all] was going to be a lot on top of bickering over who goes where and at what time since his mother disowned me from their family.

I didn't want to be like this, having a million people to see and things to do. I'm barely inching around our little apartment. 

We are talking about either coming for Easter or doing rotated flights [I go for a week, then hubbs goes for a week]. We'll see.


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## Fancy77 (Nov 17, 2009)

That would b nice but cant u get a pet sitter?? that would b so much less stress than traveling with all the animals. OR swing by my place and drop them off while u go visiting. I am not sure what animals u will get back, but want to offer lol


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 17, 2009)

Ahahaha!!! Well I think Kuma would do well with someone else, but Apollo is very shy and mistrusting with some pretty serious anxiety problems [which is why he decided today to use our car as a restroom] so I wouldn't even be able to bring myself to leave him with anyone but my mom.

The gliders are a little more high-maintenance and so I'm nervous about leaving them with people because they have to be fed every night and what I make them is homemade and very specific.

The bird and hamsters are not a huge deal at all, really. As for Michiko, well, I don't have any bunny-loving friends except online.

See - I don't know anyone in the city we live in. Hubbs has a few friends, but they're all lazy and self-centered. So ... there's really no one for me to leave them with.


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## Fancy77 (Nov 17, 2009)

Oh yes Michiko I will definitely take her when u come up north...then she will be mine Muahahahaha

So then u get along with all Hubbys friends right lol


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 17, 2009)

Some of them I really do! One in particular I am quite fond of. He is a very nice guy and is an animal-lover like me so he doesn't mind chatting with me about the dogs or Michiko or the bird or whoever I'm gloating about at the time. Lol!

The others ... they just ... irritate me with their endless ability to lazy.

My birthday weekend to Dallas was canceled because one of hubbs' oldest friends promised me months in advance to watch our dogs, but then at the last minute broke up with his girlfriend and bailed on his promise in favor of getting drunk and being selfish. I was furious!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 17, 2009)

Dogs *grumble grumble*. Leg *grumble grumble*. *Oh look, a cute bunny!*
































*Batman Theme Music* BatRabbit! BatRabbit! BatRabbit! *Batman Theme Music*


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## Fancy77 (Nov 18, 2009)

:laugh:

I am happy to see u had time to take pics I know how busy u r with VACATION...no fare lol

Love the one with the ears in the air!!!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 18, 2009)

We love playing with her ears. She hates us for it, but lets us do it because she understands we're just stupid humans that find amusement in tormenting defenseless animals.

:rofl:


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 20, 2009)

My apologies for not being around the forums besides updating in here. I haven't been at the computer much because of my knee issue. I went in for a drain yesterday and feel much better today. I'm walking again. I'm a tiny bit stiff, but it's not painful or uncomfortable. We had a good day today.

I'm a little frustrated that my local PetSmart only carries pellets for adult rabbits. I wasn't paying attention when I bought it, but noticed it shortly thereafter. I'm letting her finish off the bag, but she's almost done with it and I didn't want to keep her on the Timothy pellets since the dang store doesn't have any alfalfa hay, either. Cue frustration and wanting to kick someone in the pants. Seriously people, baby bunnies exist. Trust me on this one.

So I got on Pet Food Direct and ordered a bag of Alfalfa pellets and Alfalfa hay. Woohoo.






Watching her grow into her personality and our family has been a real joy. She loves to be a pain and we love her for her quirks. She prefers to be up on the couch when she knows I'd rather she weren't. Today I put my healing hamster, Samson, in his run-about ball to have himself a good time and she had fun chasing him around the house. She even let him go in her room, where he got stuck in glob of wet rabbit poo.

:laugh:

Samson's wounded rear is healing great. The scabbing on each side has crumbled off and revealed fresh pink skin where he'll be growing new patches of fur soon. The middle of the scab is loose around the edges as well. He's very active and has a healthy appetite. He even jumped out of my hand twice tonight and dang near killed himself, but you know how hamsters can be, he wasn't even phased by the 5' fall. Turd.

My camera takes crappy shots in the Crittertrail.






Here you can see the fresh skin.











The zoo is doing great around here. Everyone is well-fed and in good health. Including me. My treatments begin December 2nd and I already have 3 appointments lined up until January 4th. Yay!

And it appears everyone around here - even the dogs - likes collard greens. Good thing too, we have a lot of it! Ahahaha!!!

Discussions continue on the possibility of a hedgehog. Hubbs loves the ones they post on Cute Overload and they've thoroughly piqued his interest. I think it's cute that he caught my sickness. :bunnydance:


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## Fancy77 (Nov 20, 2009)

I am happy to hear all is well. I didnt realize baby bunnies existed I thought they were an old wives tale lol. 

WOW your little hamster took a butt beating but it is looking better even though the pics r fuzzy lmao

I need to correct u....U dont have a sickness with animals it is totally sane to want a zoo, its all the other ppl that r sick lol


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 20, 2009)

AHAHAHA!!! So true, Denise!

We are _obviously_ the sane ones and everyone else is crazy. It makes perfect sense!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 22, 2009)

Well I was having a super week until yesterday, but let's start with the good and move on from there.

*Thursday:* I phone my pharmacy for a birth control refill, get a message it's expired. Flip through phone book [_hated_ my doctor last year], pick someone, phone them, make appointment for Friday.

*Friday:* Go into ridiculously early appointment and at the mention of birth control, tell doctor I want to receive sterilization surgery. He pauses for a second and then says, "I can do that. You're old enough to make the decision, you've done the research and you seem perfectly reasonable to me. I can get you in as early as next week." Thanksgiving actually messed up that calculation, but I am still looking at the first week of December once my results come in to receive my surgery. I phone my rheumatologist to let them know I need to cancel my infusions so I can receive the surgery and they tell me I can begin infusions one month after I am considered fully healed from my surgery. So ... bummer on pushing them back, but YAY for surgery! That sounds weird ...

*Saturday:* Phone mom to let her know about the upcoming procedure. She doesn't even know what a 'tubal' is when I mention it - LOL - so when I clarify she says she thinks it's stupid, but then leaves it at that. Now there's a big fight over my older sister. She has been weighing options as she just lost her place to live, so hubbs offered her the chance to live here a month ago, which she initially didn't take. She text me asking questions that made it seem like she is thinking about coming here, but with Michiko now taking up what would have been her bathroom we'd be in a jam to fit her into our already-crowded apartment. On top of that, she's got close to 20 animals of her own, most of which she'd be forced to re-home. Mom decided to call me unfair and then made a comment about how we are "no better than [my sister]" because we don't have the money to fill up our Escape and drive across the country to go get her right this second. I've been steaming over it ever since she said it, but the bottom line is my sister just wants to mooch her whole life and I've pretty much decided I'm not letting her move in because it's going to cause problems here that we certainly don't need. I've been treated like garbage by these people my whole life and it's over. My foot has been put down. I found my way - everyone else can buzz off.

So anywho ... the good and the bad, everything will work itself out and all shall be well. As a whole, I'm satisfied. I am about to get sterilization surgery which is very important to me. I am also preparing for serious treatments for health issues that I've been dealing with for 6 years. Looks like I'm losing what little is left of our broken family, but I'm not as sad about it as I thought I might be. After being everyone's 'black sheep' all my life, I've just lost interest in all the muck. I have no interest to care about people who don't care about me, family or not.






The little ones and my husband are all the family I'll ever really need. :hearts

*Hits self-preservation switch*


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## Wabbitdad12 (Nov 23, 2009)

*Yurusumaji wrote: *


>


Great picture, just love those ears!


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## SweetSassy (Nov 23, 2009)

Catching up on some reading. Love the pic's. So your having surgery( i know thats what you want)and getting the treatments you need, that's great. :hug: :biggrin2:


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 23, 2009)

*SweetSassy wrote: *


> Catching up on some reading. Love the pic's. So your having surgery( i know thats what you want)and getting the treatments you need, that's great. :hug: :biggrin2:


Yes, yes. Very excited!

I have been pleased to find that I have a lot of support from my husband and my friends. This is definitely the best choice for my own personal situation and I don't want anyone to feel like it's selfishness or that I'm 'against babies'.

I used to a member in an online childfree community until the posts became pile-ups of women crying about needing abortions and one woman even bragged about having had 7 abortions. :shock: I have no intention of ever having an abortion because I don't want one, but I also don't want a child, so this is my solution.

We've agreed that if we want one when we are older then we will adopt. 

Thanks for being so supportive! It really helps me feel good about what I'm doing.


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## SweetSassy (Nov 23, 2009)

If Adoption is right for you in the future, that would be great


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## kahlin (Nov 23, 2009)

I just wanted to add some support to your decision. My husband and I have also decided that we likely won't have children. In time he'll probably have a vasectamy. I'm 27, and he's 30...so we aren't rushing into it just in case one of us changes our minds - but I don't think we will.

You're definitely not the only one out there making this kind of choice.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 23, 2009)

*kahlin wrote: *


> I just wanted to add some support to your decision. My husband and I have also decided that we likely won't have children. In time he'll probably have a vasectamy. I'm 27, and he's 30...so we aren't rushing into it just in case one of us changes our minds - but I don't think we will.
> 
> You're definitely not the only one out there making this kind of choice.


Thanks so much! We're pretty stuck on adoption if the situation ever warrants children because my husband is adopted, so I'm none too worried about the surgery being something I regret.

I'm a little nervous because, well, it's surgery! Cuts and recoveries and such, but overall I'm quite ecstatic about getting it done and never having to worry on it again.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 24, 2009)

Finally having some slow days, except this morning because hubbs is putting me on an exercise regimen. Oh lordy ...

Michiko has decided the couch is hers. We need to be off of it when she comes out so that she may jump upon it and then run laps on it and fluff her pillow. Mommy is allowed to sit on the couch when the running is over to provide a lap to lay in.





















I bring out her food dish, a water dish and some lettuce for her each night and put it on a piece of yoga mat for her so that she can be out with us while she eats and enjoys herself. She approves of such fine slavery.

Tonight our little Apollo finally got the chance to snuggle his feathered sister, Phoenix. I've been shunned from the bird-loving community for allowing my dog to interact with my bird since my dog will obviously just lash out one day and eat her. *Obviously.*


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## Fancy77 (Nov 24, 2009)

Love that, sooo cute. I promise to b nice to u ofr the rest of the night lol Your bird looks fake like a stuffed animal, but soo cute thx 4 sharing


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 24, 2009)

:laugh:

I'm just glad you enjoy them.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 25, 2009)

Hubbs came home with greens tonight. I have to say he's a way better lettuce-picker than me! LOL!


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## SweetSassy (Nov 25, 2009)

:inlove: What cute pic's!! The pic's with the dog and bird are kinda scary.( i know your supervising and everything is fine)Apollo, Licking allowed only.Lol.


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## Fancy77 (Nov 25, 2009)

OMG where did he find that and what is it called I want one lol I cant believe it is as big as her wow


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## kahlin (Nov 25, 2009)

I love the pics...What a lucky bunny to get such a good lettuce selection. My monsters would stare at it in disbelief!

I really loved the Apollo pictures. I wouldn't trust most dogs with my pets, but I know there are exceptions. We had a dog that loved our bunnies. He was scared of storms and would snuggle with them for comfort.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Nov 25, 2009)

That leaf looks as big asher!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 25, 2009)

The lettuce is Collard Greens.  I purposely picked a small bushel last time because I was slowly introducing her to it and I didn't want it all to go bad.

Hubbs calls me and goes, "There's no way this can be the right lettuce. It's *huge*!"

:laugh:

Michiko is pretty sure he got the right lettuce. LOL!


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## kirbyultra (Nov 25, 2009)

LOL What a huge leaf!!!


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## SweetSassy (Nov 26, 2009)

I'm lazy... I buy my collards already cut up in a bag. Lol. Cute pic's :biggrin2:


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 26, 2009)

Ha ha! Well I just give it to her by the leaf anyway - wouldn't you know she ate that whole thing?!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 26, 2009)

*Happy Thanksgiving!*

Last night I finished reading Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer. It was an amazing book! I don't know if anyone else here has a LiveJournal, it's not likely, but I post book reviews in an LJ community [and would be happy to post them on here as well - I've really gotten back into it]. Anywho, today I start Bitter Is The New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered, Smart-A**, or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster. I expect to finish it sometime tomorrow. Maybe I should make a book blog ...

Today hubbs and I aren't doing a thing, really. I'm going to cook us up a few simple things, but there is no giant turkey or green bean casserole or even annoying extended family driving me up the wall and making me homicidal. Ah, love. I plan on getting some cleaning done and doing a little organizing.

Michiko will need some TLC for a while as she gave herself a small cut on one of her ears last night. As small as it is, it bled pretty badly so it will need to be watched. I disinfected it, cleaned it up and then got the PediPaws out and shaved down those back nails of hers. It was my first time using the PediPaws and I have to admit that it takes patience to use, but I like it because I do it ever so slowly and I can shape them a little bit more. I also cleaned out Michiko's room and scrubbed down her floor so that she's not dragging the cut through urine and feces, but I will have to continuously do this until the little cut heals up and is no longer prone to infection.

We're watching the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Game today. *GO LIONS!*


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## Fancy77 (Nov 26, 2009)

Happy thanksgiving to u to Kelli!!! Hope Michiko gets better soon, I think you can put neosporin on it to help it heal. Can u tie her ears up so she cant drag them in that yucky stuff till it heals?? 

I am sewing today while the boys go to that Jim Carey xmas movie..I love thanksgiving when I have nothing to do whoo hoo


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 26, 2009)

*Fancy77 wrote: *


> Happy thanksgiving to u to Kelli!!! Hope Michiko gets better soon, I think you can put neosporin on it to help it heal. Can u tie her ears up so she cant drag them in that yucky stuff till it heals??
> 
> I am sewing today while the boys go to that Jim Carey xmas movie..I love thanksgiving when I have nothing to do whoo hoo



Happy Thanksgiving!

I have tried to use hair scrunchies to hold them up, but they just drag on one side instead. LOL! I thought about Neosporin - I used it on a Holland Lop once when he had some serious rear-end damage done to him by another male rabbit, but he was bottom-heavy and couldn't lick it off so I wasn't worried about him getting sick from it. I could apply a very very small amount to her cut, it's so minor. I was just worried concerning how badly it bled and I don't want it getting infected. Thanks for the tip!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 30, 2009)

I has gots the nommies, mommy.







So I have been discussing with my husband that I would like another tattoo. I would like to do our dogs at some point, but I am actually thinking about getting Michiko somewhere. Reason being - Michiko is my heart bun. Michiko is my baby girl, perhaps my favorite of all our pets [shh, don't tell on me!] and I see everyone else's bunny tattoos and think how ... regal and elegant they look. I'm putting a lot of thought into this as I have also promised to get a tribute to my late rat, Stewart, who changed my life for good [though have been at ends with hubbs for the past year about having an actual rat portrait tattooed onto my body].

Michiko's little healed cut healed up nicely and all is well again in the lagomorph kingdom. Finally got her on the right food and am quite thrilled over it. Got the right hay again, too. I may keep ordering from Pet Food Direct since the food came in way before tracking said it would.

We're doing our local zoo's Giving Tree this year. The tree had ornaments all over it and each one has a picture of which animal it is for and then on the back it has a photo, name, price and where to buy that particular item the animals need. We chose 6 gifts for 6 different animals. We are getting something for the black bears, hawks, meerkats, cougar, rhinoceros and lemurs.

I am headed in to our local animal shelter tomorrow to offer volunteering services. I have always wanted to volunteer, but I used to be close to the Michigan Humane Society who has so many volunteers that it's more like applying for a job than a volunteering position. I sent in paperwork with a resumÃ¨, waited for a response for <i>months</i>, then got a letter saying they were bogged and I needed to re-submit my paperwork and resumÃ¨ if I still wanted to volunteer. Wowzers! The next time I tried they demanded a certain amount of months of commitment and you had to wait for an orientation with open seats [there were none for several months] and I was headed back to base soon. This is my chance! Finally!

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and best wishes and many noms to our bunny friends!


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## Fancy77 (Nov 30, 2009)

WOW u have a lot going on right now I hope u do get a tattoo of Michiko that would b so nice. Goof Luck with volunteering that is interesting how hard it is to do that I am surprised.


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 2, 2009)

Finally sick of being home all the time, I opted to volunteer at the local animal shelter. I signed a piece of paper, was asked when I would be in. I went in this afternoon and was bored out of my skull. I took out several dogs and played with them, but it was raining, so I had to keep bringing them through the front and into the meeting room. Later on, the other ... volunteers ... took out all the same dogs instead of allowing any of the others to come out as well. *sigh*

I came home to Apollo peeing on the carpet and this:





LOL! That's what I get for leaving a roll of paper towel on her counter!

I also got a fancy french manicure. I feel so pretty! Teehee! I went in to get my eyebrow done [that's not a typo, I suffer from "Seagull Syndrome"] and my hubbs suggested I have my nails done while I'm there. Isn't he precious?! They're gorgeous and the woman made them super strong for me. It's my first time ever getting my nails done. It's too expensive to become a habit, IMO, but it was fun to do.

Still no call from the doctor about my test results. Hubbs is getting antsy.

The zoo is still spoiled and fantastic, of course. Nothing but the absolute best for my babies!






We might be getting a PS3 as our Christmas present to ourselves. :bunnydance:

*ETA:* I am getting Stewart's tribute tattoo. I am getting his face from the photo below tattooed within a Daisy. It's going on the inside of my lower right arm. I have decided to get a tribute to Michiko opposite Stewart on the inside of my lower left arm. I haven't designed it yet.


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## Happi Bun (Dec 2, 2009)

Oh my goodness, Michiko made quite the mess! :biggrin2: Very adorable rattum.


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 2, 2009)

*Thank you.* I do miss my Stewart everyday ... it's been almost 3 years now and still the guilt fails to fade ...

That's a story for another day.


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## Fancy77 (Dec 2, 2009)

Holly Cow what a mess I do not envy u lol Good 4 u for volunteering!!!! That tattoo sounds real cool cant wait to see it!!! 

IMO getting your nails done is sooo spendy to do it on a regular basis. SO I went to a great web site and got all the stuff I needed to do my own... I have to say I am pretty good *pats self on back*


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## kahlin (Dec 2, 2009)

Wow, that is a mess! I think I should appreciate my super clean Finley and mostly clean J.Behr a bit more!


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## SweetSassy (Dec 2, 2009)

WOW!!! Never seen a mess that bad!! Lol.


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## Dragonrain (Dec 2, 2009)

Ha I bet you had fun cleaning that up! My trio made a huge mess over the Thanksgiving long weekend, it took me forever to clean their room once I finally got up enough courage to start.

I loooove your sugar gliders. I have been wanting a pair of them for a long time but I'm holding back because I'm not sure if they'd be too loud at night and annoy the other tenets in our building. Plus my better half insists that we already have enough pets for now 

Stewart was adorable! I'm sure his tattoo will come out amazing! You'll have to post pics when you get it.


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 2, 2009)

Thanks everyone! The mess was a fairly formidable opponent, but I have a janitorial broom and a Swiffer! HA HA! I got it all cleaned and I used these new Swiffer wet pads with Febreze to freshen the place up a bit and then I kept her out for several hours while I ran the fan and it dried. It wasn't too terrible. 

I am very excited for the tattoo now! It won't be until the beginning of next year because it'll be a bit pricey, but totally worth it.

Denise - maybe I will have to take some time to learn how to do my nails on my own.  You rock!


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## Fancy77 (Dec 2, 2009)

I love doing my own nails. It takes a bit longer than when u go to the salon, but that is to b expected. I actually learned through youtube. lmao I am a goon I know. 

http://buynail.com/index.aspx


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## SweetSassy (Dec 2, 2009)

I had my nails done maybe.. twice. NEVER again! that was the most painful thing. LOl. I was working at Delphi at the time and they would break from the hard work and I hated going back to get them fixed. It felt like they were ripping my nails off. :grumpy:


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 3, 2009)

*SweetSassy wrote: *


> I had my nails done maybe.. twice. NEVER again! that was the most painful thing. LOl. I was working at Delphi at the time and they would break from the hard work and I hated going back to get them fixed. It felt like they were ripping my nails off. :grumpy:


I paid an extra $15 for stronger, more durable nails. I volunteered at an animal shelter yesterday and did not have _any_ problems whatsoever - even between being pulled by leashes, wrestling with pit bulls and fighting open rusted kennel locks.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Dec 4, 2009)

I have never had my nails done!


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## Fancy77 (Dec 4, 2009)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> I have never had my nails done!


Dave you need to try it, it is a uplifting experience. Oh and a full body massage OMG that is wonderful...hubby loves them more than me. :biggrin2:


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## JadeIcing (Dec 9, 2009)

Hey how is everything?


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 11, 2009)

Hi everyone! I know I am usually so good at updating, but truthfully I have not had much to update. Everyone herehasbeen doing well, both animals and people. Hubbs' vacation ended on Monday.

I waited almost 3 weeks for results so I could get scheduled for my surgery. They came in and I got a call yesterday saying they got a cancellation and so she gave it to me ... it was for this morning. LOL!

I went in yesterday afternoon for pre-admit testing and then I was back in before 7 a.m. for the surgery. I was questioned until my brain was exhausted, given "goofy medicine" and then questioned some more. Soon I was in a room that was cold as ice. I was awake for a few minutes and then the next thing I know I'm in recovery. I was there for a while, dozing in and out. Next I was moved to the other side of recovery and my husband was brought back to be with me. He had brought me McDonald's, but they had screwed up my order so I couldn't even eat the awful thing they'd given him.

Hubbs sent a text to my sister to let her I know I was out and I was doing well. She has been very supportive, mostly because we are fairly close and also partly because she is also childfree and hopes to get a tubal of her own someday. After that my mother was phoned by hubbs and as soon as he'd finished telling her that I was ok all she asked was, "Why did you even let her do it?" He was quite upset, but just gave her his best sugar-coated explanation and the call was abruptly ended. In the end, my husband's support is all that matters and I am glad I have it. My sister's support has been a great bonus. My mother can bite it.

So right now I am on bed rest [using hubby's laptop]. Tomorrow I am allowed off of bed rest with a "common sense citation", a.k.a. no overdoing it. If it hurts, stop. I am expected to be at 90-100% by Monday. 

So the surgery went great, I am not in a lot of pain at all. I am a bit sore and quite groggy, but have not even needed the pain pills I was prescribed. Excited to get back up on my feet. I have an appointment in 2 weeks to have my incisions checked and then I am home free!

Thanks to everyone who has been supportive during this!We very much appreciate it!

I promise to post new photos of Michiko as soon as I can! I don't have any here on the laptop.


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## SweetSassy (Dec 11, 2009)

I'm glad your surgery went well. I think you need to give your mom some time. I can see how she would be a little upset because of grandkids. I know it was best for you though. I totally get where your coming from. 



Hope you feel better soon!! :hug: Can't wait for pic's of your gorgeous bunny!!


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 11, 2009)

*SweetSassy wrote: *


> I'm glad your surgery went well. I think you need to give your mom some time. I can see how she would be a little upset because of grandkids. I know it was best for you though. I totally get where your coming from.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope you feel better soon!! :hug: Can't wait for pic's of your gorgeous bunny!!



Mum has known since February that we were trying to get me approved for a tubal and she initially pretended to be completely on board with me thinking there was no way I'd find someone who would do it for me. As I continued to make it clear that I wouldn't give up until I got approved, she started to show her true colors about it. The tensions between us go far deeper than this surgery. My mother has deemed me "not good enough" since day one and has favored my sister my whole life.

Time heals nothing for my mother. She's still bitter over my father leaving, which was 14 years ago. She'll be angry about this for the rest of her life. She's bent on dying bitter and angry, I'm sure of it. It's all rather unfortunate, but she's a lonely person because of it and I refuse to keep being at the brunt of her bitterness. This was her last chance to redeem herself, but instead she offended my husband and I'm finished with her.

Thanks for being supportive.


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 12, 2009)




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## Dragonrain (Dec 12, 2009)

Cute pictures! My trio would love that box, although it would be in shreds in less than a weeks time. The completely destroyed their last set of box forts. I'm waiting for a few things I ordered online to get here so I can use the boxes to make them another one!

Glad to hear that your surgery went well! I can unfortunately relate to how your mother is treating you. It took me some time to realize that I had to start living for myself, weather or not I had my parents support. My parents make it a point to tell me every time they talk to me all the "mistakes" they think I'm making, but I'm very happy with my life and the decisions I've made, and that's what matters most.


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## SweetSassy (Dec 12, 2009)

:inlove: Love the pic's, like always.


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 12, 2009)

*Dragonrain wrote: *


> Cute pictures! My trio would love that box, although it would be in shreds in less than a weeks time. The completely destroyed their last set of box forts. I'm waiting for a few things I ordered online to get here so I can use the boxes to make them another one!
> 
> Glad to hear that your surgery went well! I can unfortunately relate to how your mother is treating you. It took me some time to realize that I had to start living for myself, weather or not I had my parents support. My parents make it a point to tell me every time they talk to me all the "mistakes" they think I'm making, but I'm very happy with my life and the decisions I've made, and that's what matters most.


Thank you.


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## Myia09 (Dec 13, 2009)

Michiko is quite adoralbe! This makes me so excited for my EL!
Your sugar gliders are amazing. I did rehabiltation with them for awhile, and been looking for a pair myself, however I haven't found the 300+ dollars for a pair. For some reason they are very expensive in arizona, I know most are 175+ for one, but here in arizona they are usually 225+. I would try craigslist but I am afraid they will be ill due to lack of care.

I hope health wise your doing better!


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 13, 2009)

*Myia09 wrote: *


> Michiko is quite adoralbe! This makes me so excited for my EL!
> Your sugar gliders are amazing. I did rehabiltation with them for awhile, and been looking for a pair myself, however I haven't found the 300+ dollars for a pair. For some reason they are very expensive in arizona, I know most are 175+ for one, but here in arizona they are usually 225+. I would try craigslist but I am afraid they will be ill due to lack of care.
> 
> I hope health wise your doing better!



Thank you. 

I got my suggie boys from CL and even though they were in fairly bad conditions we have not had any problems with them since we got them, which was back in early July.


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 15, 2009)

Poor Michiko. It had been almost a week since she was allowed out of her room. She's a jumper, which I don't mind, but we were concerned about her jumping on my stomach and damaging my navel incision. Also, hubbs is lazy so her room is covered in poop pellets. :X He's aware that he'll be helping me clean up that atrocity today.

I let her out this morning and boy was she happy! She was binkying and giving me one heck of a hard time! I gave her a nice big salad of collards, parsley, broccoli and carrots - all fresh from the market. She got herself in trouble a few times, but overall did pretty good while she was out.

Now that I'm feeling better she'll be allowed to come out every night like normal. I still feel so guilty that she had to stay in her room for such a long time, but I was very happy to see her binkying and coming to me for pets and attention. At least she's decided that I can be forgiven. 

We are taking the dogs to see Santa tonight. Our local mall is having an event. I actually thought about taking Michiko, but she hates being handled and she would probably tear poor Santa to shreds.

As for me, I am doing much better today than on previous days. I'd actually been progressively worse throughout the weekend and was a bit concerned, but this morning I woke up feeling rested and my navel incision [my 'problem area'] isn't causing me pain like before. Thank goodness. The knee is going back down as well and I am regaining some movement in it. Woohoo!

Doing my Christmas shopping for the pets today as well, getting some chores done and then relaxing on my couch and doing something entirely aimless and unproductive. It's going to be a good day. Ha ha!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Anyone else going to see _Avatar_ this Friday? What about _Sherlock Holmes_?


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## Fancy77 (Dec 15, 2009)

I wanna see both...Johnny and Judd OMG *slobber - drool*

SO happy to hear u r feeling better YEAH!!!


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 15, 2009)

*Fancy77 wrote: *


> I wanna see both...Johnny and Judd OMG *slobber - drool*
> 
> SO happy to hear u r feeling better YEAH!!!


We are so spoiled, we're going to see _Sherlock Holmes_ on Christmas Day when it comes out. :biggrin2:


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## Fancy77 (Dec 15, 2009)

one word...JEALOUS!!!!! lol dont tell me anything about it...promise!!!


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 15, 2009)

*Fancy77 wrote: *


> one word...JEALOUS!!!!! lol dont tell me anything about it...promise!!!


I never ever _EVER_ give away spoilers to a movie. Ever. I have had it done to me so many times and it's the _worst_!

I do promise to tell you whether it was good or not.


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## Fancy77 (Dec 15, 2009)

OH yes I would like that!!!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Dec 15, 2009)

*Yurusumaji wrote: *


> My mother can bite it.


You really need to learn to open up more.


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 15, 2009)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> *Yurusumaji wrote: *
> 
> 
> > My mother can bite it.
> ...


Ahahahaha!!!!!

She's actually coming around and don't worry, I'm being nice.  I was just agitated that she didn't appear to care at all about my welfare, even being against this surgery only because she wants grandkids fully knowing about all of my medical shortcomings. It put me off my marbles.


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 26, 2009)

Omigosh - busy, busy, busy! I haven't updated in weeks!

First off, *I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas [and your buns, too]!*

Second off, everything is well here. Michiko has even made a new friend! We adopted a pound kitten this Christmas, her name is Nyx. Nyx is still a little nervous around everyone else [the dogs and bird], but her and Michi get along really well which has been great. They don't really play together, but they will lay next to each other and Michi likes to nose Nyx's butt.






:biggrin2:

Michiko is doing well. She is getting so big! She's also getting a lot more cuddly. She nudges and nips me for pets and if I stop she nips me some more. LOL! She is fit as a fiddle and daddy is helping me more with upkeeping her room. 






Everyone here had a very merry Christmas and hubby got me a new Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i to take super-nice photos of our babies with!

Also had my appointment on the 23rd to have my incisions looked at. I just showed the nurse and she sent me home, so all is well there. Yay!

Btw, we saw _Avatar_ and _Sherlock Holmes_ this week and both of them were great flicks! You have got to see _Avatar_ if you haven't yet.

Have a great weekend everyone!


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## Myia09 (Dec 26, 2009)

She is soooo cute! I am just in love with her!
Your new kitty is adorable too! Good luck with her!


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## Yurusumaji (Dec 26, 2009)

Oh yeah ... funny story about little Nyx.

Nyx came to us last Thursday emaciated with fleas, tapeworms and coccidia. Our city shelter doesn't give their surrenders or rescues any veterinary attention [in other words, if they're sick then they're in need of being rescued again]. She is getting much better, but lordy was I furious. 2 of her siblings were there as well. 

They told us she was 4 months old, but she was only 6 weeks old when we brought her home. *sigh* Anyhow, she's a little fighter [like all my babies!] and she has really taken it up a notch. She still won't drink water, though. Wet food is my savior.

Thank you for the compliment, dear! Our pets are our babies and our pride and joy.


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## SweetSassy (Dec 26, 2009)

Awwww She is a cutie. Congrats on your new addition!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Dec 29, 2009)

Glad things are going well and welcome to your new addition. Not much of a cat person myself, but Nyx is cute.


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## kahlin (Jan 2, 2010)

Congrats on your new addition.


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## BooLette (Jan 13, 2010)

I love your blog! Can't wait until you update again.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Feb 3, 2010)

Any new pictures?


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## Fancy77 (Feb 3, 2010)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> Any new pictures?


Any updates??


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## Yurusumaji (Feb 3, 2010)

I'm so sorry you guys, been so busy with stuff lately!

Well, Michiko has taken the path of destruction.  She has thus far destroyed an $80 laptop cord with power box, the remote control and our dogs' bath sprayer.

She's still doing really well though and she is a big girl! She's still got the whole bathroom to herself and is in good health and good spirits. She has a deep fascination with Nyx, but Nyx is not too sure how she feels about Michiko.

Everything is going smoothly with Michiko lately besides her habit to get past all of our barriers and chew on cords.

As for me, I am working on my physical fitness and weight. I am doing exercise at least 4 days a week and belly dance 2 days a week. I also started my infusions for Crohn's and arthritis on January 27th.


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## Fancy77 (Feb 3, 2010)

Aww she is looking so nice!! thx for the updates, i am glad u r keeping busy tho with working out and such!!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Feb 3, 2010)

Thanks for the update and pictures, what a beautiful bun.

Probably too early to tell if the infusions are working. I hope they do.


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## SweetSassy (Feb 3, 2010)

Awww:inlove: She (Michiko) is so beautiful! 

I would love to learn how to belly dance. That is so cool I'm glad your getting your treatments now. Hope they work.

:highfive:


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## Yurusumaji (Feb 3, 2010)

Thanks so much you guys!

I have no idea if the infusions are working. I got massively lucky and did not have any illness-related problems for 2 whole months! Can you believe it?! So what I'm really hoping for is that I never have any problems ever again. I have 2 more infusions within the next month and after that I only have to get them every 2 months.

I'll give Michi extra snuggles and pets for all of you tonight and try to get more pictures to share.  I'll also start updating more and getting active on here again! *kicks self in butt*

Hey, weren't there some folks getting new ELops right when I disappeared?


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## SweetSassy (Feb 3, 2010)

I know Myia (Myia's Blog) has one. Black EL. 

I know alot of ppl want one. LOl.


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## Yurusumaji (Feb 4, 2010)

Thanks April.  A black ELop?! That has got to be adorable!


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## SweetSassy (Feb 4, 2010)

Yep, a black e-lop. I think she shows him. He is cute.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Feb 4, 2010)

I have an e-lop too.


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## Yurusumaji (Feb 4, 2010)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> I have an e-lop too.


I know you do, silly goose! :biggrin2:


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## Wabbitdad12 (Feb 4, 2010)

Sometimes I feel like Daffy duck!:embarrassed:


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## Yurusumaji (Feb 4, 2010)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> Sometimes I feel like Daffy duck!:embarrassed:


Daffy Duck isn't a goose! :laugh:


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## Wabbitdad12 (Feb 4, 2010)

Close enough, still water fowl!


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## Yurusumaji (Feb 10, 2010)

Hi everyone! How are y'all? I just found these pictures I took a little while ago. LOL. Silly me!




































Michiko is still doing great.  How is everyone's buns?


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## Wabbitdad12 (Feb 12, 2010)

I love this picture. I guess because I see it quite often from Miss Daisy. Its sort of like "Do you know your in my way?"


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## Yurusumaji (Feb 12, 2010)

Thanks Dave.  She is very much the Queen and will nip at the ankles of anyone who is in _her_ path. LOL!


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## Yurusumaji (Mar 19, 2010)

Woo, it's been a while! Don't worry everyone, Michiko is just fine! We've been having some issues with Michiko and her chewing. The way things are set up it's been hard to keep her away from the wires. LOL! So unfortunately she's not out as much as of current. I know ... sadness. However, there is a light at the end of Michi's tunnel! When we move we have decided to do some mega bunny-proofing and build an NIC Cage for her with an open front. This will allow her to be a house rabbit and come out as she pleases, but have a place to run away if something startles her. A place that is hers. Hopefully that will work out well. I wish I could let her out every night.

Also, new pictures!




































I hope everyone and their bunnies are doing well!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Mar 20, 2010)

Glad all is well, I know what you mean about bunny proofing. Everytime I think I have something e-lop'd proof, Daisy lets me know I failed.

Great pictures!


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## Yurusumaji (Mar 20, 2010)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> Glad all is well, I know what you mean about bunny proofing. Everytime I think I have something e-lop'd proof, Daisy lets me know I failed.
> 
> Great pictures!


Thanks Dave. That is so true!  We actually resorted to stuffing pillows anywhere she could have access to wires. HA HA HA! But she incessantly digs at them or finds another way around. Crazy girl!

Once we move we'll be using cord protectors and PVC piping over the wires and I might also enclose some NIC cubes around the entertainment center for extra protection.


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## Yurusumaji (Apr 1, 2010)

How about some Michiko pic spam to brighten your day? She's extra lazy this evening and encourages everyone to just take a break from the fast lane and remember to sit it out once-in-a-while.















































We are getting ready to move into a bigger place in a month [yay!] so we may be away for a bit while we get setup in our new place.


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## Yurusumaji (Apr 1, 2010)

P.S. - Michiko is being let out every night again. She's been doing super good lately!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Apr 3, 2010)

Great pictures, she looks like a contented bunny.


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## Yurusumaji (May 1, 2010)

I apologize for being gone so long. We have moved to the complex right next to our old one. The actual apartment is bigger than the old one, but the bathrooms are much smaller. This means no more bathroom for Michiko. However, it does not mean Michiko needs to move in to something smaller. We built her an enormous "cage" [playpen] upstairs to live in and she seems to be perfectly content. It's not quite finished, but it's done enough to be inhabited.

Just need to cut and staple the vinyl back in the closet.
















She's a little nervous about the change, but she is doing good so far.






We are getting one of these to close off the half of our living room that's full of electronics so she can come out without worry every night and enjoy time with us downstairs.

Yesterday we had a nasty heat wave come through and while we were building the rabbit cage we were sweating waterfalls and Michiko was suffering pretty badly. She laid down on the new staple gun to get cool even though I put a bag of frozen peas on her, so I rushed her and the dogs down stairs for emergency water and I put her in the kitchen where the floor is cool. She was back to normal in a flash and we went to work on the cage some more a little later. We got an A/C unit for the window [the A/C in this place does not work well and cannot manage to cool down the home at all] and it cooled down fairly quickly. We have the A/C unit running on low now with 2 fans keeping the cool air circulated. I have frozen water bottles ready as well.

Michiko is the hardest of all of our critters to move. Ha ha. But ya know - we love her. She seems to be shedding/getting rid of fur right now as well. You can see how uneven it is so I got a FurBuster to help her with that. It's the same thing as the Furminator, but $15 cheaper. :biggrin2:

I'm getting her a harness soon. I think she would enjoy the great outdoors. Hey Dave - any suggestions on a harness for a rabbit her size? Should I go for a small dog harness instead of a large rabbit harness? Thoughts from you or anyone are appreciated!

Hope you and your buns are well!


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## kirbyultra (May 1, 2010)

Yay! Michiko pix! Welcome back.


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## Yurusumaji (May 1, 2010)

Thanks Helen! Things have been real crazy around here, but they should slow down after the weekend.


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## Cabrissi (May 1, 2010)

Michiko is way too gorgeous with those big e-loppy ears of hers! What a little sugardrop! Hopefully the weather settles out for you soon and it's not so hot, they do feel it quite keenly don't they?


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## Yurusumaji (May 1, 2010)

*Cabrissi wrote: *


> Michiko is way too gorgeous with those big e-loppy ears of hers! What a little sugardrop! Hopefully the weather settles out for you soon and it's not so hot, they do feel it quite keenly don't they?


Even we were sweating rivers. Hubbs shirt was ruined before long. It was HOT in that room. It's upstairs, so all the hot air was up there. The new A/C unit has fixed the problem, though. 

Thank you very much! She is a gorgeous girl. :inlove:


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## Yurusumaji (May 1, 2010)

More Michiko pic spam? Yes, please!

We brought her out for a little while last night so she could explore and enjoy herself. She had quite a lot of fun! She loves that dog bed ... I might get her one and put it in her closet.



















































It's crazy to think she's only 8 months old. She's huge!

I have to say having her in a cage feels so much better to me. I hated having her shut in that bathroom. She can't [or hasn't tried to] jump out of her new pen and I love that I can constantly see her and keep an eye on her. Caring for her is much easier, too.

Oh, Michiko. I adore you. :inlove:


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## cheryl (May 1, 2010)

She sure is a very beautiful girl...loved the pictures!


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## Dragonrain (May 2, 2010)

Michiko is such a pretty bunny! I hope your move went well and that you're all settling into the new place.


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## kirbyultra (May 2, 2010)

She's so gorgeous! I wanna bunnynap her!


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## tonyshuman (May 2, 2010)

Aww!! Such a pretty girl. I use x-small dog harnesses for my dutch and holland, so a small dog harness would probably be good for her. I like the I-shaped ones better than the figure 8 ones--you don't have to pull it over their head.


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## AngelnSnuffy (May 2, 2010)

Love this blog!!:biggrin:

Want to hold those bunz!:whistling


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## Yurusumaji (May 2, 2010)

*Dragonrain wrote: *


> Michiko is such a pretty bunny! I hope your move went well and that you're all settling into the new place.


Thanks! All went well, which is surprising considering me and hubbs did it all by ourselves minus some help from Friend-With-A-Truck to move the large furniture and bed. Everyone seems to be adjusting well.


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## Yurusumaji (May 2, 2010)

*tonyshuman wrote: *


> Aww!! Such a pretty girl. I use x-small dog harnesses for my dutch and holland, so a small dog harness would probably be good for her. I like the I-shaped ones better than the figure 8 ones--you don't have to pull it over their head.


Thank you for the suggestion.  I definitely don't feel like the rabbit harnesses would be big/sturdy enough for her. Ha ha. I'll look into dog harnesses! Michiko ain't fussy about being touched, thankfully.


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## Wabbitdad12 (May 2, 2010)

I think Michiko needs to come to northern Indiana and cool off.


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## Yurusumaji (May 2, 2010)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> I think Michiko needs to come to northern Indiana and cool off.


Just remember the Michi leaves with me!


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 20, 2010)

It has been a really long time! WOW!

Life had just gotten so WHOA around here. We were talking about re-homing Michiko for a short while.  But then I really put thought into it and realized I could never go through with it. So Michiko is stuck with us.

Over the summer we got Michiko a cute harness and took her outside a couple times. She also got to take a trip to the pet store because one of the managers there LOVES her so much.










































She seemed to have a mixture of curiousness and nervousness while outside, so we didn't push it too much. The weather is getting cold here now, but I might try to take her out one more time before it gets too bad.


























I was hoping that ball would provide Michi some good entertainment. She destroyed it within a few hours. :biggrin:

It hasn't been too exciting of a year. We made our big move, but after that we have all just been going on day-by-day. I hope all of you are doing well.


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## JadeIcing (Nov 20, 2010)

:biggrin2:Great seeing you posting! Hope life has settled now.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 20, 2010)

*JadeIcing wrote: *


> :biggrin2:Great seeing you posting! Hope life has settled now.


Ha ha, great to be posting!

Life will settle soon. The holidays are the time we take out to unwind and let the stress melt away. :wink

The military just always has hubbs being shifted around everywhere. Ugh. It gets old.


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## JadeIcing (Nov 20, 2010)

I think you should enter the photo contest. She would be an amazing entry.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 20, 2010)

*JadeIcing wrote: *


> I think you should enter the photo contest. She would be an amazing entry.


Sure thing! I will definitely look into the contest!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Nov 21, 2010)

Great to have you back!

Those are great pictures, she looks so sweet.


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## Yurusumaji (Nov 21, 2010)

*Wabbitdad12 wrote: *


> Great to have you back!
> 
> Those are great pictures, she looks so sweet.


Thanks so much! We are happy to be back!

Thank you. :innocent She is a huge sweetie and you know we just love her.


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## Yurusumaji (May 9, 2011)

Wow, I am a whiz at disappearing!

Michiko is still as healthy as a bunny and my sweet little crab apple. Also, she's huge!





















We're working on fixing up her cage as she found ways to get out of it and she destroyed the flooring (and the carpet below). We are also trying to find new toys and entertainment for her so she has more consistent outlets for her chewing.

I'm so glad the weather is getting so nice down here. I'm excited to take Michiko outside again on her harness and enjoy the grass and fresh air!

As for me ... I'm mostly just getting older and watching life pass me by. I am very excited though because I finally get to return to college next Fall! My current plan is to get a degree in Zoology. It's going to be a long, hard road. I'm so ready for it, though.

Hopefully I manage to hang around this time. I'm so ADD, I swear.


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## JadeIcing (May 9, 2011)

LOL again nice to see you posting again.


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## Yurusumaji (May 9, 2011)

Funny story, I'm catching up a bit on your blog! So much going on with you, it's nuts.

I kept forgetting to bookmark this place and I'd just not think about it. We are going through some huge rabbit renovations right now though and it made me think I need to come back. Hubbs and I are pulling our hair out (I am doing this in the most literal sense, I'm a mess) trying to find a caging solution that is both functional and affordable. Michiko can truly be such a terror.


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## Yurusumaji (May 10, 2011)

With all of the planning and decision-making concerning the rabbit renovations, I have been quite stressed. Not to mention I have a lot of cleaning to start shortly here as we have company coming by tonight.

To help relieve my stress, I have been terrorizing the critters of my house for photographs. :biggrin:





Apollo is and always will be a terror. He barks at everything, including the wind and loud vehicles. He does, however, love the dog park. It took some time, but we have been going every week since December and he has really loosened up and learned to enjoy the company of other dogs and people. It's such a big step in the right direction, but there have been issues with bringing that confidence out of the park. He's at his absolute worst at home.





Kuma is Apollo's polar opposite. Kuma loves people and will roll over and expose his belly to anyone willing to give him the time of day. Brushing him and shaving him are real pains and every time we go to the dog park he gets a runny poop and it gets stuck to his back end. His back end is white, so this is a bit embarrassing when I do all that work to make him look nice. LOL! Lately he's been scarfing down his food too fast and throwing it up right after, so I may have to get him one of those bowls with the protrusions in it to help him slow it down.





Nyx is my baby! We enjoy snuggling and terrorizing each other. I wish she would let me brush her more as we recently had to cut 3 mats off of her, one of which was enormous! She hasn't been up to much lately, just doing her own thing and bullying the dogs. When we adopted her she was underage, underweight and pretty sickly. She went in for her yearly rabies vaccination and check-up recently and she was awarded a "Perfect Bill of Health".





Phoenix is Daddy's Girl and she has become fairly aggressive toward me. Unfortunately for her, I am the Critter Caretaker here and she just has to learn to tolerate me. Lol! I have been doing some work with her to help her get more comfortable with me. Yesterday after a bit of a stand-off, she finally came to me! I was so very excited to get her calm enough that she would give me a kiss and then come to me on her own. We will be continuing our work together on a daily basis.









Kami (top) and Yasuo (bottom) are spoiled goobers that are adorable. Their cage is huge and when we clean it we have to carry it up a full flight of U-stairs and get it into our bath tub. They are very demanding pets to keep, but we think they're fantastic and worth the pulled muscles in our backs. Ha ha! Kami needs to go on a diet, though. As you can see from his photo, he has boobs. :laugh:





Oh, my little Robo. He sleeps a lot, but whenever I run the kitchen faucet he runs over to me and climbs up on his cage bars. This is his cue that he wants a a frozen veggie, usually a pea or piece of corn. I also give him the rare banana chip or yogurt drop. He's very skittish, so I don't bother him too much. This photo was really hard to get because he was darting around all over the place trying to get away from me. Lol!

That's everyone! We all co-habitate really well and I love being surrounded by so much cute on a daily basis. I would love to have more someday, but for now I'm really happy with my mini-zoo. There is so much joy in sharing my life with these little ones.


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## Luv Buns (May 11, 2011)

I luv em! So cute. I'm an animal lover all the way so I would have a blast at your house!


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## JadeIcing (May 11, 2011)

Awesome update. Nice to see the dogs. Adore them.


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## Yurusumaji (May 11, 2011)

Thank you both! All of our furkids hold a special place in our hearts.

Small dogs are such little trouble makers, but I do love mine. It may not be all unicorns and rainbows, but they're great dogs that I'm glad came into my life.


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## Yurusumaji (May 11, 2011)

I don't know if I ever told this story, but I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I do sometimes and I feel the need to tell it.

In my Freshman year of college I got a job at some dinky little hole-in-a-wall pet store. We often had people come in to dump their animals there. Many of them were rodents and they all went home with me and sought treatment for whatever it was that made their owners think they were "defective".

Then one day I was cleaning out the rodent cages when one of the managers came rushing back and told me I had to go up front ASAP, someone had just brought in a rat that was bleeding from the eyes. The rat's name was Stewart and his eyes were still intact, but he was bleeding from behind them and he had poryphrin coming out of his nose. He had obviously suffered either a brutal squeezing or severe head trauma. He was suffering from loss of motor skills and he couldn't eat anything solid. I told the woman she needed to take him to the vet immediately. She told me she couldn't, so I asked her to let me take him and she did.

That night I took little Stewart to the emergency vet and he was given medication. He made a full recovery and we became very, very close. He always wanted to be on or around me. He would give me kisses and sleep on my bed. He'd ride around town with me, in my purse or hoodie pocket. My little sidekick and best friend.

I was in the habit of giving Stewart dog treats on occasion. It's good for rats and he loved them. I would usually just give him whichever new treats my mother bought for her dog that the dog didn't want. In February of 2007, I gave Stewart one of these dog treats. The next morning I received an e-mail that those treats had been recalled. I ran to check on Stewart, but I was too late. He had died in the night. I have never stopped feeling guilty about what happened to Stewart and my heart has never healed.

Stewart made a really huge impact on my life and how I am with my pets now. One thing I have noticed is that I never got very many pictures of Stewart in the short time I cared for him. These days my camera is nearly another limb. I try my best to treat everyday like it might be my last with these precious creatures. I hope they know I love and treasure them, just as I love and treasure my memories of Stewart.





I miss you everyday.


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## JadeIcing (May 11, 2011)

I know the feeling *hugs*


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## MiniLopHop (May 12, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss :hug:


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## Yurusumaji (May 12, 2011)

Thank you both.

I talk about Stewart a lot still and think about him more. Stewart taught me that every life is precious and worth saving.

I got made fun of a lot for taking Stewart in and spending so much money at the Emergency Vet to save him because he was "just a rat". Despite what everyone said, I was so glad I did. Stewart thanked me everyday with kisses and snuggles. That was plenty proof for me to know that what I did didn't go unnoticed. I know Stewart knew I saved him and I know he was constantly reminding me how grateful he was that I didn't let him die.

Now, on to something more cheery and pleasant. Michiko was binkying like crazy last night! I couldn't have been happier watching her have so much fun. Of course E-Lop binkies are extra-awesome because of all the ear flipping. :biggrin:









































Rabbit Room Renovations are tonight and I am so ready! Woohoo!


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## Yurusumaji (May 13, 2011)

Rabbit Room Renovations are almost done. Hubbs and I are both completely worn out and I'm crabby because there's no hot water, so I can't even take a shower.

We're going to lay some bricks down on the corners so Michiko can't push the grids around. Unfortunately it seems she can jump out, so there may be a roof in her future as well. It's pretty bare as this was just after we finished construction. I think I'm going to bend a grid into a hay rack for her.

I am also waiting on an order of toys for her because I just bought her one of these at PetSmart a few days ago and by the next day it was demolished. LOL!

Oh, so exciting! I am so domesticated, it's sad. I have been begging hubbs for a shop vac to make bunny cleaning much easier on me and my poor old lady back. He totally surprised me with one yesterday! He found a 5 gallon on sale and I got to use it today. It's so awesome!






The cage is approx. 6' x 6'. The plywood was my idea to flatten the flooring and we stapled the linoleum to it so Michiko couldn't tear it up like she did it to the last linoleum floor she had. This set up for the floor was actually fairly inexpensive, but it was a lot of work. Plywood is not a lightweight in the lumber world and we had to get that stuff into our car, then our home, then up our full flight of U-stairs. It was really hard work, but so worth it in the end. I'm just a little sad we won't be able to take it with us when we move. LOL!


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## Yurusumaji (May 14, 2011)

WOO! Rabbit Room Renovations are officially done!

You can now see how she has dirtied it up in a mere 24 hours and you can see the hay rack I made for her. My toy order shipped today so I should be getting them early next week! Things have really come together well and I'm very happy with the end result.































Last night during Michiko's time out of her cage she was being a bit of a troublemaker, but after a while she started to calm down and she laid under my chair and let me pet her for quite a while. It was a very nice bonding experience for us.


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## JadeIcing (May 15, 2011)

Wow nice space for her!


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## Yurusumaji (May 15, 2011)

Thank you! It's great to get some feedback on it. We have notebook pages full of our crazy ideas on how we were going to go about building her new floor. After more than a week of planning we got everything to come together and we couldn't be happier with it.

Michiko seems to be happy with it, too. I'm sure she likes the cool flooring, especially with the way the weather has been. Hubbs was really excited when he saw the little hay rack I made for her. He would always get upset before because she'd poop in her hay. LOL!


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## Wabbitdad12 (May 15, 2011)

Really nice cage area for Michiko. My elop Daisy would jump over two panels also. Now before I take of the bunny's I put up a baby gate in the hallway to keep her from running all over the house.


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## Yurusumaji (May 15, 2011)

Thanks Dave! It looks like she's been staying in there the past couple nights (or at least mostly staying in there), so no roof yet. So long as she goes back in to potty, I don't really mind that she gets out. The room is entirely rabbit-proofed, the only bad part is if she is coming out then I can't put a fan or any loose items in there. So we'll see.

Michiko is in her own room and her door has to stay shut at all times. If the cats gets in, she'll poop in Michiko's litter box because she's not very bright. Or maybe she's spiteful. It makes Michiko very grouchy.


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## Yurusumaji (May 16, 2011)

Have I mentioned how much I hate living in a townhouse? We have decent space, but I really hate the fact that it is constantly invaded by strangers I didn't invite over.

We received a notice Friday that some men from an electric company would be here today to change out some of our outlets. Unfortunately, hubbs is on overnights from 5 p.m. - 6 a.m. and these guys tried to come by this morning. They didn't get in, even with the key. See, I'm a genius and I put the chain up because I knew they'd just try to barge right in. Sorry, but it's effing creepy when 2 strange men try to enter my home while I'm sleeping. Not to mention we have some really nice things and I'd love it if those nice things were still there when I got up. We have been robbed twice since moving to this city, so I trust no one.

I have never let someone in during the morning hours. Never, not once since we moved here which was more than a year ago. I have had people try, but I have never had anyone succeed. You would think they'd get the hint. Instead of getting the hint they woke poor hubbs up with a phone call asking us what was going on with the door being bolted. Does no one else find it odd that I'm being interrogated for locking strangers out of my home?

The good news (or maybe bad news) is we're leaving in January 2012 (I know, such a very long time ... I cry at night just thinking about it) to go to Maryland for hubbs re-training. We'll be there for 3 months and then we'll be moving to our next base. I'm so ready to be out. I wanted to rent a house, but it just didn't happen because hubbs thought we were going to be out in June. You can see how well that worked out. I have to admit, I'm really PO'ed that I have to wait until January to bail on this place. If (and this is one huge 'if') we get the base I want next, it will be worth the wait. We're hoping to get Patrick AFB in Florida so we can buy a house there and be ready to retire in it when hubbs is done with his military career. I am so ready to buy a house. So, so ready.

I told hubbs, "When [the electricians] leave I am officially on vacation." They're gone, I'm on vacation. It has been such a long weekend! All the dishes are done, the house is mostly tidy, there's clean clothes. I dusted the electronics and now I'm taking a break until Friday when it's time to start critter cages again. Lol.

OMG. I woke up today, came downstairs and the gliders' door was wide open! Poor hubbs came home and took out their food dish and forgot to close their door. They had been trying to get into the ant traps, but thankfully it looks like they weren't able to get anything out of it. I checked their pouch to make sure they both returned to their cage and they did. I almost had a heart attack, I was so scared I'd lost my little boys.

What a long day. I am so ready for Wednesday. Hubbs has the day off and I'm thinking maybe we'll go unwind and do something fun. Oohh, we should visit the zoo. Yeah, I think we're going to go to the zoo.


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## Yurusumaji (May 20, 2011)

Two boxes of goodies arrived today! These are just the things we got for Michiko, but there was also a bird toy in there for Phoenix, a seed catcher for Phoenix's cage and cage wipes for the glider cage.







Michiko has already received the mat and one of the Veggie Salad Bowls. She pulled some hay from the salad bowl before I could pour in the veggies, but now she won't touch it. Lol! She also nibbled on her mat a bit. Seems daddy forgot to feed her last night so I filled her bowl and hay rack for her and now she won't pay attention to her goodies at all. :rollseyes Such a goofy rabbit.

I'm super excited to see if she likes the Teach & Treat toy. It seems like such a neat idea and a rabbit owner gave it a good review, but I'm sure it has a lot to do with the temperament of the rabbit. Phoenix is a bird who is supposed to love to forage, but I gave her foraging toys and she ignored them as hard as she could.






Who needs some fancy salad bowl when you've got yummy pellets to eat?


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## Yurusumaji (May 21, 2011)

Does anyone else enjoy puzzles?

I love to do puzzles and I was waiting for the chance to do my black bear puzzle for almost a year before I realized my table was more than big enough. :rofl: So I got started on it the other day and hubbs and I knocked it out in less than 24 hours, which surprised me. Now I need a new puzzle.






The black bear puzzle was my choice because we have a small local zoo here, whose marketing gimmick is that visitors can buy crackers and feed the animals with them as they walk through the zoo. One of the black bears there really loves the crackers and every time we visit the zoo he's sitting in the same spot at the fence with his paws through the grid pulling up the crackers people throw to him. He is hubbs' favorite animal at the zoo and he has made hubbs very partial to black bears. I've glued the puzzle together and we'll be framing it soon.

My animal is the manatee, so I ordered this puzzle today.






I've only found one rabbit puzzle that has 500 pieces or more, but I'll keep looking.


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## Wabbitdad12 (May 21, 2011)

My wifes parents like to do lots of puzzles, she likes to do them too, but the cat won't leave a puzzle alone until all the pieces are on the floor.

Good luck with your hubby's next assignment. Having been in your situation I can definitely understand.


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## Yurusumaji (May 21, 2011)

I've had cats wreck my puzzles before, very frustrating. I push the card table away from things Nyx can get on so she can't jump up there and tear the puzzle apart. Puzzles relieve my stress. Cats wrecking my puzzles adds to my stress. :rofl:

Thank you. I'm really anxious to find out where we're going, but it's been so annoying because the time frame until I leave just keeps getting longer. Makes me want to scream sometimes.


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## Marrie (May 21, 2011)

Heh, I disliked that about apartments too - "oh btw, strange people will be coming in your apartment on X day" and ... and they NEVER knock, or they'll knock once lightly then just barge in. I mean, hello? My living space, show some common courtesy rather than barging in on me in a towel people.

The puzzle looks awesome, I like to do them, but boyfriend thinks they're dumb so I have no one to do them with.  

Hope you get the base in FL! I grew up there, it's gorgeous and being able to go to the beach anytime you feel like it is awesome.

Birds don't know how to forage naturally - they have to be taught, in the wild their parents teach them but in captivity it's up to us. So, you have to start them out with really easy foraging, like throwing dry pasta in a plate over some food, then gradually increasing the stuff in the plate (add some beads next, then some wooden blocks, etc). Or a box/paper cup with nothing in it but food, then start putting newspaper into it gradually. 

Thanos ignored every forage toy too, he still ignores the hard ones, but some bamboo finger traps with treats up them make for a fun (messy) time for him after I taught him how to get hidden food. lol


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## Yurusumaji (May 22, 2011)

No one ever told me I had to teach Phoenix how to forage, they always just told me to get foraging toys to exercise her brain and that she'd figure them out. How lame.

Thank you! We want to buy a house in Florida and retire there. I have family there and they love it. I can't stand the cold so I'm keen to stay south, just not in Texas.

Your beau is nuts, we love to do puzzles together! They're great stress-relievers and we feel very accomplished when we finish one.


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## Yurusumaji (May 22, 2011)

Michiko hasn't been out for a few days because of the craziness going on with hubby's 12-hour overnight shifts. Those shifts are over now though, so Michiko got to come downstairs and play tonight. She is so happy! She has been binkying and doing the Bunny 500 since hubbs brought her down. Not to mention destroying her broccoli.

I finally got to use the Teach 'N Treat! Michiko figured out Level 1 really easily, I didn't even manage to get a photo because she figured it out so fast. The three pieces in there now are Level 2, which she hasn't figured out yet.



















































LOL! She was turning around and scratching at the chair at the same time. My photo was so opportune I got one where it looks like she pooped out a whole broccoli stalk! :laugh:


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## Marrie (May 22, 2011)

Some birds will take to foraging naturally, some won't... most captive ones won't. They get food in their bowl, so they see no reason to work for their food when they can just go get it. I put treats that Thanos doesn't get any other time (millet spray) into the toys and we play a few games with it. His favorite is when I move the container - he loves to crawl into it so I purposefully leave it out but move it to a new spot every few days. When he finds it, he gets to eat a bit then I move it again. Best forage toys are ones you can make yourself with stuff around the house, cardboard and paper mainly. Or bamboo finger traps with a treat in the middle. 

I'm a FAQ mod on a parrot forum - the "my bird won't forage" question is VERY common, because everyone gets told the same thing... buy foraging toys, with no mention that you should start out slow with them. Here is a site that is very informative on how to teach a bird to forage, some instructions on basic home made toys, etc: http://www.feathersandforage.co.uk/?page_id=647

I can't stand the cold either, so I don't blame you. Snow / ice is no fun!


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## Wabbitdad12 (May 22, 2011)

Michiko is a smart bunny, love the photo's so cute!


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## Yurusumaji (May 22, 2011)

Wow, thank you so much. I can't believe I never got wind of this. It makes perfect sense, but the girl we got Phoenix from seemed plenty knowledgeable and even fearful about Phoenix going home with us because we weren't experienced bird owners. Alas, she gave me a great lecture of horrible advice and left a lot of important things out! I should know better, I am usually the type of person to do my own research.

I grew up in Michigan, but my circulation to my digits is bad so my tolerance for the cold is incredibly low. Plus I love the water and the ocean, not to mention manatees. I want to work with manatees some day so Florida is a great destination for me.


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## Yurusumaji (May 22, 2011)

Michiko is so smart, right as I was reading your comment she figured out Level 2 all on her own! I'm really excited that she's showing interest in the toy even when no one is around her to show her the treats. I'm thinking this toy was a good investment for us. Thanks, Dave!


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## Marrie (May 22, 2011)

You're welcome. There is a lot people don't get told when they get a bird and a lot of bad advice floating around about them! There is a "bird rescue" near me that was selling a ROUND cage as "great for a pair of cockatiels or budgies" .. *grumblegrumble*

Michiko is so cute in her pics! That toy looks interesting - such a smart bunny to have already figured two levels out!


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## Yurusumaji (May 22, 2011)

Yeah, I was looking at X-pens and I saw the toy in the Drs. Foster & Smith catalog. It seemed neat so I checked out the reviews. Michiko is very smart and willing to exercise her mind, so I got it hoping she would be able to figure it out and enjoy playing with it. So far I seem to be right, thankfully.

Oh goodness. Even I know not to use a round cage. How sad.

I'm really cranky because the girl who was giving us information on Phoenix told me that if she didn't listen to me when I told her to step up that I should push my finger into her belly. I don't know if that's the norm, but it made Phoenix into a nipper. She doesn't full-on bite, but she hates being forced to do anything and I've had to restart our bonding process and letting her come to me. She's doing really well with it which is great, but it agitates me that I had to go through this to begin with. Birds are such complicated pets. Lol.


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## Marrie (May 22, 2011)

Her advice was accurate, sorta. She should have prefaced her statement with "give the bird time to adjust and bond with you before you try to make her step up" - she should have also mentioned that green cheeks are a very nippy species and they require certain training techniques to stop that behavior. To train step up what I do is take a treat and get the bird to eat out of my hand over a few days, then move the treat up my arm until they HAVE to step up to get it. When they step onto my hand, say "step up". Though you can touch their bellies, very lightly, no more than a brush against the feathers and it will trigger a step up response, I normally don't recommend it until your bird trusts you enough to put up with it. You can also clicker train for step up. 

My method of training took about a month, but he steps up for me when I ask now no matter if he's being difficult and not wanting to go to bed or not. He also learned to trust me, so I can cup my hands over his wings to hold him, etc without stressing him out or getting bitten. I always take positive reinforcement over forcing an animal to do something they aren't comfortable with, it seems to work well, which is what it sounds like you are doing now with Phoenix.  

It sounds like she gave you information on how to care for a conure... but gave it as if she was giving you a conure you'd had a while and was fully adjusted/trained/knew everything it needed to know. Rather than talking to a new bird owner with a new bird.

I was watching youtube videos of bunnies with that toy you got Michiko - so cute! I need to get one for Powder, see if he could figure it out. He's always moving boxes and stuff around lol I bet he'd just knock all the plastic things out of the toy though for the food, he's a bit of a wrecker when it comes to food.


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## Yurusumaji (May 22, 2011)

Phoenix is very people-oriented. The first couple days I let her come to me it took a long wait, but I just sat still and talked to her quietly and she eventually came to me. I'm now learning that if I just wait a second she'll happily come to me on her own.

Trying the other methods right off the bat made her wary of fingers, so newcomers can't handle her at all because she'll just bite them really hard and run away. I think I'm much happier just letting her do it on her own. We do coax her with treats if she's being fussy about going back in the cage, but in general she's very well-behaved. She's great with hubby, but that's because I was doing all the training so he never got pitted as a bad guy who makes her do stuff. LOL! He just gives her treats and lets me get bit when I try to feed her.

Things are way better between Phoenix and I, but I wish we could have been happy together from the very start. Thankfully I didn't let it deteriorate to a point where we had to start from scratch, so a little patience on my part has gone a long way in rebuilding a trusting relationship between us. I have to count my blessings. If Phoenix didn't adore being around people so much I know it could have taken many months to rebuild a good relationship with her. She really is a sweet girl.


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## Marrie (May 22, 2011)

Green cheeks are very sweet natured, once you get over their slight dominance tendency. I'm glad you guys were able to work things out with Phoenix and the girls incomplete advice didn't hurt your relationship with her too badly. I've never known a bird to hold a grudge too long, as long as the intentions were good.


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## Yurusumaji (May 24, 2011)

Last night I tried Level 2 on the Teach 'N Treat again to see if Michiko getting it before was a fluke. Well, it wasn't. She smelled the papaya through the little holes in the knobs and immediately started knocking them off the toy to get her treats. Lol! We'll try Level 3 tonight. If the third level is too easy I may have to rig it to make it harder!

Hubbs has been pretty sweet lately so I got out of bed at an ungodly hour this morning, showered and made him a cheese omelet for breakfast. I haven't made hubbs breakfast in months and when he realized I was cooking for him he went crazy with joy. My cheese omelets are good. 

Michiko's favorite buddy might be coming by today so I have to get to cleaning pretty soon here. I've fallen a little behind.

Something I started this week is exercise. I have needed to start getting serious about correcting my weight problem for a while now and I have finally done it. My stamina is incredibly low, but I am still working hard at my exercise everyday and being more conscious about what I'm eating. No calorie-counting. Just eating less junk food, choosing low- or no-fat candy to snack on, drinking more water and less soda, things of that nature. It's not some huge overhaul that can't be maintained, just some small steps in the right direction.

Michiko likes to hang out by me and sniff me a lot when I'm exercising. It's cute. :biggrin:


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## Yurusumaji (May 24, 2011)

I know I shouldn't post again so soon, but I have to share!







EEE! It's finally up on my wall. :hearts

We just left in the page the frame came with to use as a border around the puzzle. The puzzle is just a tad too short for the frame though and so the dimensions were showing below. I printed out a photo of a real mother black bear and her cub and put it beneath the puzzle, which actually just made the whole thing look that much more awesome. I'm so happy with it.


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## Yurusumaji (May 27, 2011)

Wow, people. Living in BFE has never been so uncomfortable!

It's 107Â° where I live today. Of course we had to run out to the pet store and get some hay for Michiko and bedding for Robo. Michiko is a local superstar and one of the girls that works at the store always yells at me if I go without Michiko. Lol!

I wasn't paying attention to how hot it was, so we brought Michiko along. Omg. I am so sweaty from touting around such a big-butt bunny. Michiko does not seem to be any worse for wear and she was happy to get home where the A/C is running. I had to go twice because, as always, the girl who loves Michiko most was on her lunch break when I showed up and she would have been so mad if I hadn't come back so she could see Michiko.

I actually had a couple driving by in the parking lot stop and ask me how big Michiko is and what breed. Associates wanted to hold her, kids wanted to pet her. She did really well and pretty much took it all in stride. Once things calmed down I put her in the cart and we tied her leash up so she couldn't bail, but she never tried to so that was good.

All-in-all a successfully hot day in the world of Michiko. I got her home and she flopped down at the bottom of the stairs so I had to carry her up to her room. Poor baby. I'm going to be getting her some tile pieces from Home Depot and freezing them for her. This weather is ridiculous.


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## jujub793 (May 27, 2011)

:laugh::rofl: i loved that picture of Michiko where it looks like she pooped the broccoli....


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## Luv Buns (May 28, 2011)

I have to say there isnt a lot that makes me literally LOL but that bunny poops broccoli pic is ROFL:laugh::blueribbon:


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## Yurusumaji (Jun 6, 2011)

It has been a horribly stressful weekend. Hubbs sliced open one of his index fingers with an Xacto knife. He didn't cut the tendon and he didn't need stitches, thank goodness. However, he did bleed rather profusely and I think I was 2 seconds from a heart attack.

We got 2 tile pieces from Home Depot that I have been putting in the freezer for Michiko to help her keep cool during this wicked heatwave. She has been using them and seems to like having them to help her cool down. I have also been cooling water in the fridge overnight and giving it to the animals so they can have chilled water to help cool down as well.

We got a game called Munchkin on Saturday. Hubbs had played it before, but I hadn't. The score so far is 4-1 and I'm winning. I guess previous experience doesn't really matter. Ha ha! :biggrin:

Oh, I finally tried Level 3 of the Teach 'N Treat. Michiko figured it out right off the bat! She's too smart for me. Lol!


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## Dragonrain (Jun 6, 2011)

Ick that's hot! It got up around 90ish* here last week and I was so uncomfortable. Luckily it cooled down again and is much more comfortable this week.

So sorry about your hubby's finger! I hope he heals up without any issues.

Munchkin! My fiance and I play that once in awhile. Do you guys have the card game or the board game? We have both, but we play the card game more.


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## Yurusumaji (Jun 6, 2011)

It's been in the high-90's for two weeks. The first couple days it got over 100Â°. It's been pretty brutal, but I'll take it over the cold any day.

We got the card game, but I have seen the board game. What are the differences?

The Munchkin card game has the expansions and different versions and we'll end up getting most (if not all) of those as well. I love this game.


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## Dragonrain (Jun 6, 2011)

I'm the opposite way - I grew up in a valley in New England where, even in the summer time, it never got too unbearably hot. Horrible winters there though! But I guess I got use to the cooler temperatures because I get so uncomfortable when it gets too hot...I'd much rather be cold than hot.

Hmm honestly I think we played the Munchkin board game all of like two times. It's fun, but I thought it was even more confusing than the card game is. We play the card game a lot more often than we do the board game.

We have some of the card expansions but not all of them yet. We'll probably get all of them eventually too 

Do you guys play a lot of board games and stuff? I never use to really get into them, but my fiance really likes them so we started playing them together. We have a huge game collection now.


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## Yurusumaji (Jun 6, 2011)

We do play some board games, but hubbs is more of a card game guy and I'm really just happy to play anything. The only board game he wants to play often is Stratego, but omigosh I hate that game so much. LOL. I grew up playing board games and card games with my family, so they are both things I enjoy doing.

We both play TCGs so the card game doesn't confuse me at all. I may look into the board game to see what it's like.

I grew up in Michigan and spent a whole winter walking to and from work in the freezing cold. You'd think I'd be more adept to cold, but I'm not. I would much rather be sweating than huddling.


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## JadeIcing (Jun 7, 2011)

Someone gave us munchkin and we have yet to play... We have had it almost two years.


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## Yurusumaji (Jun 7, 2011)

You need to play it. It's fun!


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## tonyshuman (Jun 7, 2011)

My Tony and Muffin love their stone tiles, and sitting in front of the fan. We use window air conditioners here in Wisconsin, which is a real shock coming from southeastern MI for me and the deep south for my boyfriend. We can't afford window AC in both bedrooms, so the little bunnies get a window AC because we also sleep in that bedroom, and the big bunnies get a big window fan aimed right at the baby gate in their doorway. 

I should get that teach and treat! I think Tony could use the challenge--he's a smart cookie and loves to get into trouble--maybe if he had that to work on he wouldn't use his energy for destruction.


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## Yurusumaji (Jun 7, 2011)

We had a window A/C unit in Michiko's room, but she ended up chewing it and it sprung a leak. So now she can't have one. I'll be paying out the butt for the central air this month, though. I keep the house A/C on pretty much constantly except during the night. Keeping it 70Â° in the house when it's 100Â° outside of the house is not an easy task.

The Teach 'N Treat is a really cool toy, but Michiko doesn't have to waste any time figuring it out.  It's fun to watch her get all excited when she finds the treats, though!


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## MiniLopHop (Jun 7, 2011)

PA is now in a heat wave that will have tempatures in the high 90s and into 100s this week. My bunny room got so hot we put in a window ac unit last night. I fenced off under it so they wouldn't chew the cord.

Houdini is too smart for his own good. What an escape artist, he certainly lives up to his name! You would think with a whole room to run around in with his bunwife he would be content? Nope! He's happiest when he's caught being "naughty", he will binky the whole way back to his room when we point and tell him to "go home". 

I was just told about a large bird one of my coworkers has that may need to be rehomed. Any advice for a potential large bird owner? I have zebra finches, but that is very different.


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## Yurusumaji (Jun 7, 2011)

Well it depends on the bird, but any large bird will need someone who is home pretty often to keep it company and offer it entertainment. Large birds should have cages that dwarf their human and they're very intelligent, so you need to be sure you can continuously challenge their minds or else they'll get bored.

So long as you have the funds and the time, they're amazing pets.


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## MiniLopHop (Jun 7, 2011)

Man, I already have a bun that is smarter than I am. I'm not sure I'm ready for a bird that's smarter too!


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## Yurusumaji (Jun 7, 2011)

Ha ha! The biggest challenge is keeping them entertained. African Greys have the mental capacity of a 3-year-old. Kids get bored easy, large birds get bored easy. Large birds that get bored will pull out their feathers.

You need to be able to spend a few hours a day with the bird for enrichment. When you're not around just leave fun toys out for the bird to play with. Have lots of toys out at a time and switch them out each week. This will keep things interesting for the bird.

Besides that, make sure you feed a good diet (pellets with fresh fruit and veggies and some seed for treats), let the bird out everyday, make sure its perches are of several different diameters to keep the bird's feet healthy and prepare yourself for a loud, sweet animal that you'll love despite the squawking. LOL!

I also suggest against keeping the bird in the same room as the rabbits. Depending on the bird, it could be big enough to injure your rabbits and dander from small mammals can be irritating to birds so it's best to keep them separated as much as possible.

Also, do you have stainless steel cookware? If you have take the bird, you will need stainless steel cookware. No teflon-coated pots and pans! It's believed that the teflon coating doesn't fully stick to the pan even at regular cooking temperatures and this causes teflon to get into the air and kill birds.


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## MiniLopHop (Jun 7, 2011)

The diet, perch diameters, and the cookware issue is the same with the finches. They never come out of their cage because they panic and could hurt themselves. I have a 6 foot long cage that they can fly from end to end in so they stay happy and healthy. They like it when I talk to them, but they are not holding birds.

I'm thinking I may point her in the direction of a rescue that may be able to post it on pet finder for her. I don't think I could tollerate the noise either. I love the beeps of the zebra finch, but....

I don't think I would have enough time to keep it properly socialised either, it would probably end up destructive. With three rabbits, two cats, two gerbils, two turtles, 8 zebra finches, and two fish tanks I think my hands are full. Thank you for helping me think through this. I'm just not the right home and the bird deserves better.


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## Yurusumaji (Jun 7, 2011)

No problem, I know how it is. I have been looking into a Severe Macaw, which is a type of mini macaw. I was reading about how much time they need, how big of a cage they need, all that jazz. Since we're military and I'm not even in my own career yet I have had to accept that it'll be years from now if I ever did manage to get a Severe Macaw and by then I'll be totally overloaded! I don't think large birds are in my future, either.

I hope the bird finds a good home.


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## Yurusumaji (Feb 4, 2013)

It's been nearly 2 years since my last update. So, here goes.

In June, my family moved from Texas to Colorado. Michiko came with us, of course. We got her a great setup in our new rental home and she was very content. We were all living together happily until this past Saturday.

*Michiko has passed away.* As is the nature of the rabbit, Michiko showed no signs at all of illness until it was too late for us to save her. She was normal, then she was being odd, then she was normal, then she was dying.

Michiko took her last breath in my arms as I sobbed and had to keep telling my husband over and over that she was dying and she wasn't going to be okay. Michiko blinked as she laid there dying and a single tear fell to my arm. I held her for around an hour as I descended into hysterics and my husband tried to figure out what the next step was.

This was my husband's first big pet death and he has had an exceptionally hard time dealing with it. He wanted to bury her, as we have done for a couple mice in the past. However, this home is a rental and it's surrounded by burrowing creatures. I descended into hysterics once more when I considered the thought of leaving my Heart Bunny here on this property when we move this summer.

I had to make the decision and I chose cremation. I could never live without my beautiful Michiko, so I have decided that I won't. We dropped her off this morning and we should have her back by Wednesday at the latest. The place we went to was nice. I am confident Michiko will be taken care of while she waits to return home.

This whole thing has been really hard. I don't know how to cope with the early loss of my baby girl. I'm not sure this wound will ever fully heal.

I miss you so much, Michiko. I hope you know how much I loved you.


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 4, 2013)

I´d never seen your blog before and I clicked on this last page and read the news of Michiko´s passing and I just had to go back and read through the whole blog to get the whole story. It´s been quite a journey for you and I have so enjoyed reading about all your animals and about your life, I loved the story of how you and your husband met. 

Michiko was a beautiful little girl and the pics of her have been awesome and I´ve so enjoyed hearing about all the joys she´s given you and all the funny and naughty things ´she´s done. She was a much loved and a very lucky little bunny and you gave her a wonderful life. 

I can´t even imagine how lost you feel now especially as her passing was so unexpected. However, you´ve enjoyed her life with you to the full and it reminds us all that we should cherish and enjoy our bunnies every single day as we never know how long they´ll be with us. You were with her until her last moment and I know that must have been a great comfort to her being in your arms. 

I was genuinely upset to read about this and my thoughts and prayers are with you as Michiko binkies away over that rainbow bridge. Bye bye beautiful girl.


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 5, 2013)

I just read through your blog. I loved reading all the stories about your mini zoo and Michiko. I can't believe she passed away. I'm soooo sorry for your loss . She had a wonderful life with you and you must miss her very much. 

Good bye pretty girl. Cherish your memories with her.


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## agnesthelion (Feb 5, 2013)

Aww I just read some of your blog too and I'm so sorry to hear of Michikos passing. Although horrible, what a way for Michikos to pass in the arms of someone who loved her.

It is never easy. Binky free Michiko!


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## HolyHandGrenade (Feb 8, 2013)

So sad that you lost such a beautiful bun. She was still pretty young, too. I read through your whole blog not knowing what was here on the last page, and now I'm sad, but happy to have read about her life.


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