Introduction

[midnightbunny]

Hello, I'm "midnightbunny"

I joined this wonderful group after hearing about it from my very dear friend, Adele.

Although I am not living in the U.K. (I live in the United States), I have been a pet rabbit owner since the mid-1980's, and I am also a strong advocate for rabbit rescue. In the state where I reside I am licensed with our local wildlife rehabilitation center as a cottontail rehabilitator. Whenever any wild cottontail rabbits are in need of care/rehabilitation, I do what I can to help, and re-release them back into the wild. I believe that all rabbits are incredible small mammals, and I do what I can to further rabbit awareness efforts.

I am in awe of the dedication that Adele and her husband David have in running the Guardian Angels Rabbit Sanctuary, and I definitely support their efforts 100 percent. I have also continued to be a strong supporter of the Rabbit Rehome website, as I do feel the work done via their rabbit rescue efforts is extraordinary. Kudos to both the Guardian Angels Rabbit Sanctuary and the Rabbit Rehome website/rescue group.

Personally, I'm happily married, with children and pets (including 6 house rabbits)

It's wonderful to be here, and I look forward to getting to know everyone.

[bunnymad]

:thumb: Hi there

I`m in New Zealand, I too have a cottontail house bunny. Here I`m not allowed to release bugzee back into the wild. Here they are classed as a pest! (Thats any bunny that has been released or cotton tail breed)


I do have another rescue bunny called Shadow. At the bottom of this message is a link to my photos. Could you have a look at Shadow and Bugzee and tell me if you think Shadow is a cotton tail please. Bugzee is 100% cotton tail.

Welcome.

Looking forward to seeing some photos for your darlings. :)

bronie

[bunnyhuggger]

Hello and welcome :wave:

I can't wait to hear the stories you tell! I'd love to see a real live cottontail, they are quite different in appearance to our wild buns. I believe I speak for all of us when I say we think that Adele and Tamsin did a great thing in starting this forum and it can only go from strength to strength. It was sorely needed to further the 'education' of rabbit owners from all backgrounds.

Anyway enough of that..... 6 housebuns, now we DEFINITELY need pics of THEM!!!

[Kiwibunny]

Hi Midnighbunny, I love your silhouette bunny pic, so stylish! I agree this is a wonderful site - thanks to the originators and nice friendly members. So cottontails are not the same as European wild rabbits? The wild ones in Aust & NZ are Euros released by early settlers..where did the cottontails come from? Are they a native to the US? Are they a 'pest' species? Hey Bronie, we could have Shadow's DNA done and then we'd know what he is. Maybe he's just a mix breed like Tweed probably is, who just happens to be agouti coloured. Whenever people see agouti, they think 'wild', unless the rabbit is clearly something else ie lop or giant or fancy coated.

[midnightbunny]

:thumb: Hi there

I`m in New Zealand, I too have a cottontail house bunny. Here I`m not allowed to release bugzee back into the wild. Here they are classed as a pest! (Thats any bunny that has been released or cotton tail breed)


I do have another rescue bunny called Shadow. At the bottom of this message is a link to my photos. Could you have a look at Shadow and Bugzee and tell me if you think Shadow is a cotton tail please. Bugzee is 100% cotton tail.

Welcome.

Looking forward to seeing some photos for your darlings. :)

bronie


Hello and thank you so much "bunnymad" for the warm welcome. I appreciate that very much. Your rabbits are beautiful. Your Bugzee definitely resembles cottontails that we have here in the U.S.

In the Eastern part of America where I reside, they are often called marsh rabbits (Sylvilagus palustris), since they can be found around the marshy/swamp areas. They also swim and tend to walk rather than hop, as they climb over the wet areas and swamp lands.

In working with rescue efforts, I am usually called out to help if there are any that have been found by local residents. They are released back into the wild once they are treated/healed (if they have been injured.)

In the U.S. they are also seen as pests, but must be released into the wild where they have been found by law, since many states prohibit keeping what is considered a "wild" animal, as a pet. The wild rabbit populations in America are controlled often via hunting unfortunately.

Our six house buns are all domestic rabbits. I adopted them all via our local pet adoption sources, and they are definitely a part of our family. Even our dogs love them. :lol:

Thanks so much again for the warm welcome. I will share pictures in time as I learn more on how to post within the forum. I'm very happy to be here.

[midnightbunny]

Hello and welcome :wave:

I can't wait to hear the stories you tell! I'd love to see a real live cottontail, they are quite different in appearance to our wild buns. I believe I speak for all of us when I say we think that Adele and Tamsin did a great thing in starting this forum and it can only go from strength to strength. It was sorely needed to further the 'education' of rabbit owners from all backgrounds.

Anyway enough of that..... 6 housebuns, now we DEFINITELY need pics of THEM!!!


Thank you so much "bunnyhuggger",

I have to say, your icon/avatar, is absolutely adorable. I like how the rabbit hops in it.

I agree with you that it's so wonderful to see a forum where everyone understands that there are many different types of rabbit owners (as well as rabbits) in the world. By sharing ideas, concerns, etc., and spreading rabbit awareness, I think we can all learn so much regarding these amazing small mammals.

My own house buns are quite spoiled and reside with us indoors (along with our dogs.) They are all very much a part of the family. *grin* :) They are domestic rabbits though, as the work I do with wildlife rehabilitation does not allow me to keep the wild rabbits that I help in rescuing.

;)

[midnightbunny]

Hi Midnighbunny, I love your silhouette bunny pic, so stylish! I agree this is a wonderful site - thanks to the originators and nice friendly members. So cottontails are not the same as European wild rabbits? The wild ones in Aust & NZ are Euros released by early settlers..where did the cottontails come from? Are they a native to the US? Are they a 'pest' species? Hey Bronie, we could have Shadow's DNA done and then we'd know what he is. Maybe he's just a mix breed like Tweed probably is, who just happens to be agouti coloured. Whenever people see agouti, they think 'wild', unless the rabbit is clearly something else ie lop or giant or fancy coated.

Hello "Kiwibunny",

Thanks so much for the kudos on my silhouette bunny icon. I appreciate that very much. You are incredibly thoughtful.

The cottontails here in the eastern part of America where I reside are known as a marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris.)

This species frequents marshes from southeastern Virginia to southern Alabama & Florida. It usually walks instead of hopping and swims extensively. They are considered a "pest" in the United States, and so, hunters are allowed to hunt them to keep the numbers down. :cry:

We have various species of wild rabbits all over the United States, although I am not sure if this particular species is similar to the European Wild Rabbits in behavior/appearance. I will have to research that information.

I look forward to reading the posts here, as it is incredibly interesting hearing about rabbits in another part of the world.

My own six house rabbits are all domestic rabbits that we adopted from one of our local rescues. They are a part of our family. :)

Best Wishes, and please do keep in touch. It's wonderful to meet you, and I look forward to reading your posts. :)

[midnightbunny]

Hello Everyone,

I thought everybody might like to see a picture of the rabbits we have here in the Eastern and Southern part of the United States.

Marsh rabbits (Sylvialagus palustris):

http://www.midnightbunny.com/MarshRabbits.jpg

They have dark brown coats and white bellies. Their ears are fairly short, but quite broad. Their hind legs are shorter than those of most other species of rabbits. However, they can walk on their hind legs, which is an unusual ability for a rabbit species. They are a variety of cottontail rabbit.

Marsh rabbits flee to water when they are threatened. They run in a zigzag pattern to elude their pursuers. Because of their short legs, they are not quite as agile as other species of rabbits. When they are in water, they float with only their eyes and noses exposed, somewhat like an alligator.

[bunnymad]

A bunny that likes water :!:

I would love to see that bunny in person :!: It does look different but simular to the cotton tail.

bronie

[Kiwibunny]

Thanks for posting that pic midnightbunny, that's a lovely agouti pattern rabbit with very short ears for a feral, and fascinating about how they live in wetlands. Bronie, Bugzee has a new name "Cottontail Bugzee"! There are wild rabbits everywhere around my plpace and I love to see them run with their lovely cotton-white tails bobbing.

[bunnyhuggger]

Ooooo that marsh rabbit looks like a bit like a pika!

[Adele]

Hey Midnight Bunny Michelle... :D you made it here then....how wonderful to hear from you on Rabbits United, we have exchanged so many emails over the past Year or so, and are bunny soul mates.....now you can see what I am doing on a daily basis too :oops: :oops:

You are a wealth of information and have as much to offer the rabbit World (if not MORE) than us...please give your gorgeous bunnies a special hug from me, especially Tuxedo as he has not been too well recently..how is he doing now??.
Big hugs and lots of love to you too :D
Adele and David, plus 26 delightful bunnies
XX

[Rallybunny]

Wecome! http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/wave1.gif Thanks for posting the pic of the marsh bunny, it was very interesting to see! :D

[MandyM]

Hello and welcome :wave:

Can't wait to see more pics :thumb:

[Marlene]

Welcome midnightbunny. :lol: :lol: I have just read your posts and find them very interesting. I read a lot on a web site about cottontails and how they were able to be released back into the wild. I thought this would be incredibly diffficult. If you have a look at this

http://home.btconnect.com/Nucleus/bunnyhugger/hunnybun.htm

you will see the reason for my interest. Also http://community.webshots.com/user/marlene_154

Looking forward to more from you!

[sunshine]

:wave: hello Midnight Bunny. Looking forward to hearing more of your bunny stories!

[Dorothy]

Hello Midnightbunny and a big welcome to the Forum. Looking forward to hearing more about the cottontails and seeing pics of your house bunnies :D .

[midnightbunny]

Everyone has been so thoughtful. I don't know how to thank everyone for the very warm welcome I've received. It means a lot to me.

In no particular order, I want to send many, many thanks out to everyone who has welcomed me so far.......

Rallybunny, MandyM, Marlene, Sunshine, Dorothy, bunnyhuggger, Kiwibunny, bunnymad, and last but certainly not least, my very dear friend, Adele. I look forward to getting to know all of you much more over time here in the forum. This is a wonderful place.

I haven't been online much over the past week, so please forgive me for my late correspondence in replying to posts.

If you haven't had a chance to visit my website, please do:

http://www.midnightbunny.com/

There you can read more about me, and see some pictures of my pet rabbits (and dogs)...

http://www.midnightbunny.com/pets.html


Marlene, I'm especially interested to hear more about the cottontail that was found. The picture on the site link you posted is adorable. They look fragile, but surprisingly, they can be very strong in the wild. I wonder though how that particular little bun became displaced in the wild. I hope it will be alright. Please keep me posted.


Best wishes to everyone, and I'll be back soon to catch up more. :wink:

[midnightbunny]

Wecome! http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/wave1.gif Thanks for posting the pic of the marsh bunny, it was very interesting to see! :D

Oh my goodness "Rallybunny"....

Your lop rabbit is absolutely beautiful. Looks so much like our Snoopy....

Here is our Snoopy Rabbit pictured with one of our dogs. :)

http://www.midnightbunny.com/buddyandsnoopy.jpg

Thank you so much for sharing the picture. :)

It's wonderful to be here, and I very much appreciate the warm welcome. :wink:

[Lynn]

Hi there :wave: - must have missed your posting - better late than never eh :wink:

[midnightbunny]

Hi there :wave: - must have missed your posting - better late than never eh :wink:

Thanks so much Lynn for the hello. :) It's nice to meet you. Your lop rabbit in your avatar is absolutely adorable. :)

[Marlene]

Hi Michelle

Unfortunately Hunny Bunny unexpectedly died after 16 days and took my heart with him. The caring people here helped me through it and I now love reading all your stories and the photos of such beautiful, cuddly and elegant bunnies!

I love your picture with your dog....very,very cute :lol: :lol:

[Sage]

Hi :wave:

Welcome aboard, your pets are so cute. :)

[midnightbunny]

Hi Michelle

Unfortunately Hunny Bunny unexpectedly died after 16 days and took my heart with him. The caring people here helped me through it and I now love reading all your stories and the photos of such beautiful, cuddly and elegant bunnies!

I love your picture with your dog....very,very cute :lol: :lol:



It is very sad news about Hunny Bunny. I'm so sorry that happened Marlene. You and your family are in my thoughts, because even though he was a wildlife rescue, I am sure you were all attached. I know I get that way myself. Thinking of you and sending warm bunny hugs.

Sincerely,

Michelle

[midnightbunny]

Hi :wave:

Welcome aboard, your pets are so cute. :)

Hello there "Sage"...thank you so much for the welcoming hello. You are very thoughtful. I look forward to getting to know everyone here in the forum.

Whenever you have time, please feel free to visit my main website: http://www.midnightbunny.com/

Keep in touch,

Sincerely,

"Midnightbunny"

[Marlene]

Thank you Michelle - I knew you would understand how I feel. There was no way Hunny Bunny was going back to the wild....he was so tame and loving and cuddly :love: