11/19/13

Name That Critter!

A couple of months ago, we noticed something was digging outside our animal run. Inside the run is where our three Cayuga ducks and three dwarf rabbits live. We were concerned that a predator was after the animals. Although we had predator proofed the run as best as we could, we were still worried.

One morning as I was trying to get a few extra winks of sleep, my husband burst into the room exclaiming that there was a large white rabbit in our garden. At first, I thought I was just having a weird dream, or maybe my husband was talking in his sleep cause he does that sometimes (a lot actually!). I got up anyway and looked out the back window. There really was a large white rabbit in our garden and it was trying to get inside our run! I tip-toed outside, quietly opened the gate, and corralled the ducks inside their house. The white rabbit watched without running away, so I stepped back and it hopped right inside the open gate.

What a relief to know there wasn't a determined predator, just a lonely (and very hungry!) male New Zealand White rabbit. Now I wouldn't have to fill in a bunch of recently dug holes around the perimeter of the run each morning! ...Or so I thought. The next day I happened to be chatting with our neighbors and mentioned the white rabbit. "Oh good! Maybe you can catch the two brown ones now!" TWO BROWN ONES? Sure enough, we noticed the digging continued around the outside of our run.
We tried a live trap, and several other brilliant, but unsuccessful plans. Then one afternoon I saw them outside and quietly opened the gate again... in they hopped! Silly rabbits! These two were large, brown mixed breeds with definitely a little lion-head in them. Another male and a female. We quickly found homes for the two males, but the brown female one we kept "temporarily" to make sure she wasn't pregnant.

Well, here we are, about a month and a half later and she is still with us. I think it's time to admit that she is going to stay with us. We just can't bring ourselves to look for a new home for her.
There is one main problem, however. We can't seem to find a name for her that fits. We just keep calling her "the girl bunny", which is ridiculous. Especially since she isn't even the only girl bunny we have! I would love some great name ideas! Ideas anyone?
I just love the tortoiseshell markings on her face, her fluffy white tail, and long wispy lions-mane. Plus she is so friendly and will come right up to me for treats and petting. ...Just ignore my falling apart shoes in the photo below. I'm not going to wear my nice shoes out to play with the animals! Never mind the fact that I was wearing a dress and striped stockings at the time...

*Just a side note: after asking around our neighborhood, it was determined that these rabbits were drop-offs. Sometimes people decide they no longer want their animals and just drive them out somewhere and dump them. As winter approaches, this is more common because people don't want to care for them in the cold weather. Please don't ever do this! This particular story has a happy ending, but that is not the norm. If they don't die from starvation or predators, they can reproduce and begin a feral population which can easily get out of control and cause a lot of damage.
  
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8 comments:

  1. Hi, I just found you through the Down Home Blog Hop over at Tilly's Nest. What a pretty rabbit with gorgeous colors! I love naming animals. You might consider Nutmeg, Ginger, or Cinnamon. Or even "Fancy" since she's not your run of the mill bunny! So glad you've given her a good home.

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    1. So glad you found me! Those are all good names, so I'll have to try them out on her and see if any of them seem right. Thanks for the input!

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  2. The first name that popped into my head was Jessica. But that may not be the direction you want to go in. Maybe Hazel, Aria, or Lily .. or something delicious like Gingersnap or Syrup.

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    1. Great names! I'll be adding them to my list of considerations for sure. Thanks for the great ideas, Mindy! :)

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  3. I'm not really sure why... Maybe its the expression on her face, I'm that first shot of her, but... She looks like the kind of friend you'd chat with, over the back yard fence - Gertrude, or more specifically, Trudy, for a close 'back yard friend's' name just poops into my head. I've gone back a few times, & each time I look at her, she just really looks like a 'Trudy', to me! Lol

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  4. Ha, I am not good with picking pet names. My Scottie is named Ladybug and the breeder thought it was not a fit name for such a dog....My chickens I named after mine and hubs deceased grandmothers and great grandmothers. I have decided that I will probably not name my chickens from now on because how can one put a chicken named after her grandma into a pot? My first thought when I saw your bunny is she looks like Janis Joplin....Not very bunny like but that is all I have for you. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  5. Too funny! Not just one visitor hopped right in. That is just the cutest bunny. Thanks for sharing with us at The Thankful HomeAcre Hop!

    Please join us again Thursday for our special edition The Thankful HomeAcre Hop at:
    http://summersacres.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-thankful-homeacre-hop_28.html

    ~Ann

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  6. I am glad you were able to rescue them. It makes me sad that people can just drop off their domesticated pets and think they will survive on their own!
    Cute bunnies :)

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