House Rabbit - Corn - Advancement - Rabbit andf Otter - News

Hare of the rabbit podcast

House Rabbit: Today we are going to discuss the house bunny. The idea of covering an episode about the house bunny was suggested by Tom Woods from the Tom Woods Podcast which can be found at http://tomwoods.com/. The Feature product is Yesterday's News - which we cover later in the episode. You can support the podcast, and help keep the lights on, whenever you use through the link at Hare of the Rabbit on the support the podcast page. It will not cost you anything extra, and I can not see who purchased what. I would like to thank whoever purchased through the Amazon link, there were some interesting items: Mountain Man Beaver Balls String Silencer - Amazon Basics High-Speed HDMI Cable - 3 Feet (0.9 Meter) Supports Ethernet, 3D, 4K and Audio Return - Steam Gift Card - $20 - Mousepad Unique Design Mouse Pad Beautiful Purple Sunset - A lot of the information I gleaned about the House Bunny were from two great web sites: http://rabbit.org/about-us/ and http://myhouserabbit.com/ The House Rabbit Society is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization with two primary goals: To rescue abandoned rabbits and find permanent homes for them and To educate the public and assist humane societies, through publications on rabbit care, phone consultation, and classes upon request. They operate an adoption and education center out of our International Headquarters in Richmond, California. Why would you get a House Rabbit? Rabbits make wonderful indoor companions. They are clean, relatively quiet, and adorable! But before you jump into rabbit ownership, make sure a rabbit is a good fit for your family. First of all, ensure you’ve properly budgeted for your new furry friend. Costs include an adoption fee; vet bills for spay/neuter surgery, annual checkups, and occasional illness; housing and bunny proofing supplies; and food. After ten or more years, these costs can add up! House Rabbit Society, a national nonprofit organization, recommends that you keep your rabbit in the house rather than outdoors. Rabbits are intelligent, social animals who need affection, and they can become wonderful companion animals if given a chance to interact with their human families. Once you’ve set up the primary housing location for your rabbit, you’ll have to bunny proof the surrounding area where your rabbit will romp, rumble and play. Rabbit Proofing one’s home involves three things: 1) Preventing destruction of your property; 2) Protecting your companion rabbit(s) from harm; and 3) Providing safe and fun chewing alternatives for your rabbit. Now we are going to cover some tips to Bunny Proof your home. Pet rabbits love to dig and chew. If you are overly protective of your furniture then a house rabbit may not be perfect for you. House bunny proofing can only go so far and chewing on a bit of smoothed oak or walnut is perfectly natural as far as bunnies are concerned. In order to protect your house rabbit as well as your home you’ll need to bunny proof. Rabbits are chewers. Rabbits enjoy small, dark spaces. Rabbits are curious. These are three good reasons why you will need to "rabbit proof" your house prior to allowing your rabbit access to your home. Rabbit proofing your home will protect your rabbit and your belongings. Get down on the floor, and imagine for a minute, that you are a rabbit. Look at all of the wonderful places you have to explore and the many chew-able items available for your enjoyment. Wires are one of the main targets of bunnies. Their sharp teeth can slice through your wires quickly, damaging your favorite lamp or worse, electrocuting your rabbit. Bunny-proofing your home is part of living with a house rabbit. It is natural for rabbits to chew on furniture, rugs, drapes, and, most deadly of all, electrical cords. Preventing rabbits from chewing on electrical cords is of utmost importance, since rabbits can be badly burned or electrocuted. The consequences of biting into an electric wire are too severe to risk relying on training alone. Instead, you must take action to move the cords safely out of reach. So now I am sure that you are asking "how do I keep electrical cords out of reach?" Cords must be concealed so that the rabbit cannot reach them. Exposed cords can be encased in vinyl tubing (found at hardware stores). By splitting the tubing lengthwise with a utility knife the cord can be pushed inside it, It is best to cover wires with hard plastic sleeves or flex tubing - . These can be purchased at any hardware, home improvement or electronics store. It may also be called Spiral cable wrap, and It costs about $3 for 10 feet and works like a charm for most, but not every bunny. (Some will still manage to chew through it.) This stuff is very flexible so the cords are still manageable after wrapping. It works well with cords that you might have in the middle of the room or might move quite often, such as vacuum cleaner, phone, video game, extension, lamp and other cords. Simply raising the cords above floor level may NOT work. Remember that when sitting up on their hind legs, rabbits can reach a foot or more in the air. Placing cords behind furniture may NOT prevent your rabbit from reaching them. Rabbits can fit into some pretty tight spaces. Bitter sprays often do NOT work, since rabbits tend to like bitter tastes. Plastic tubing (similar to that used in fish tanks, or with “swamp coolers”) from a hardware or aquarium store can be slit lengthwise with a blade and the wire can be tucked safely inside. A harder, black, pre-slit type of tubing is also available. The best solution, is to keep all wires out of the reach of your bunnies. You can also use large flex tubing to protect wooden table or chair legs. Baseboards and moldings are also frequently chewed by bunnies. If a rabbit insists on chewing baseboards, edges of chairs, a board can be put over the places of temptation, making them inaccessible while also providing an acceptable chewing surface. You can protect your baseboards by covering them with plastic guards, 2x4s or furring strips found at your local hardware store. You can also protect the elaborate moldings with wood panels attached via velcro strips. This method should be combined with training your rabbit not to chew on these items. Blocking Off Areas. Some bunnies can jump 36 inches or higher, and their curiosity brings them on top of shelves, chairs and desks. They are also quite adept at squeezing into tight spaces, like behind your bookshelf or under your bed. You’ll need to make sure to block off these areas. You can use baby gates or puppy pens to block off sections or whole rooms, but ideally they should be made of metal, otherwise your bunny will chew his/her way through quite quickly. Watch out that the slats aren’t too far apart, or your rabbit will slip right through. If the slats are too far apart (which is often the case with baby gates), you can zip tie wood panels to the bottom. Bunnies are natural diggers and will dig anywhere they can, especially on your carpets. Any loose edges will be pulled and dug on until your carpet becomes a stringy mess. Tiles or untreated sea grass mats are good ways to cover areas that your bunny likes to chew. You can also arrange your furniture to cover spots your bunny frequently digs. Beware of Houseplants. Houseplants can be dangerous to bunnies. Many plants are toxic to your bunny, and contrary to popular belief, domesticated rabbits don’t always know by instinct not to eat these plants. It is best to keep any plants out of the reach of your bunny. Poinsettia, holly, tomato leaves, and tulips are among the plants toxic to your bunnies. Hang plants from the ceiling if you have an active bunny, but watch for falling leaves! Furniture: Upholstered furniture and beds that are several inches off the ground are wonderful places for rabbits to hide underneath. However, some will burrow up into the soft underside and make a nest. A flat cardboard box or frame of 2x4s, smaller than the area of the future base, will keep the rabbit out, and won’t be seen from human level. Rabbits may not only chew the upholstery that you can see, they may get underneath the furniture and chew the underside. Some rabbits will climb into the hole they have made. Use caution with recliners, since rabbits may get underneath them and into the mechanism. Books: Use glass-fronted book cases. Place books and newspapers you are still using in chew-proof bins, either hard plastic or metal. There are copper and brass wood bins for fireplaces that are very serviceable and aesthetically pleasing. Do not place books on the lower shelves of bookcases. Kitchen: The kitchen can pose special hazards for a curious rabbit. Open cupboards and drawers, open areas on the back of appliances, and toe kicks on lower cupboards are just several of the places that may look inviting to a rabbit. Removing the rabbit from one of these areas may mean moving the heavy appliances, with the possibility of hurting the rabbit in the process, or removing the bottom of the cupboard to free the trapped rabbit underneath. Block off areas around appliances and cabinets to prevent the rabbit from getting behind them. Keep in mind that there must be adequate air circulation around the appliances. Walls: Clear plastic panels from the hardware or plastic supply store can be affixed to the wall to protect against your rabbit chewing into the sheet-rock or tearing off the wallpaper. Placing furniture over that spot can also conceal the damage and protect against further chewing. Now one of the best solutions is Enrichment as a Distraction. Providing many toys can also help dissuade your rabbit from chewing on your belongings; when your bunny is occupied he/she will be less inclined to be destructive. Give your rabbit enough attention, safe chewables, and toys, so that she is distracted from chewing furniture and rugs. A cardboard box stuffed with hay makes an inexpensive play-box. Young rabbits (under a year) are more inclined to mischief and require more confinement and/or bunny-proofing than mature rabbits. Think of yourself as your rabbit's guardian, and about what you need to do to protect him. Rabbit proofing your home will be absolutely necessary if your rabbit will be in your house outside of his cage. Some people prefer to set up an indoor fenced exercise area for their rabbit, so the rabbit proofing does not need to be quite so intense. By bunny proofing your house, you’ll provide a safe environment for your rabbit and protect your belongings. This will make both you and your bunny very happy. House-training/Litter Training By nature, rabbits choose one or a few places (usually corners) to deposit their urine and most of their pills. Urine-training involves little more than putting a litter-box where the rabbit chooses to go. Pill training requires only that you give them a place they know will not be invaded by others. Rabbits may have free run of the home. However, it’s best for most–and necessary for some–to start with a space they can call their own. This can be an exercise pen, a large dog crate, a bunny proofed room, or a very large cage or condo. Use a cage large enough to contain a small litter-box (along with bunny’s food and water bows, toys, etc.) and still allow enough room for the rabbit to stretch out. Using a puppy pen is usually a better option than a cage because it provides more space, and it can be easily adjusted if you want to gradually increase the area to eventually give your bunny free reign in a bunny-proofed room (or rooms). Because puppy pens have doors, it’s easy to let your bunny out of the pen for daily exercise. To make this confined time learning time, make sure that there’s a litter-box in the corner of the space that your rabbit chooses for a “bathroom.” As soon as he or she uses the box consistently, you can give him some freedom. Place one or more large litter-boxes in corners of the running area outside the rabbit’s home base. If you don’t use a cage, you need to give the bunny a particular area to call its own. Just put a litter box wherever the bunny seems to prefer. Use only positive reinforcement such as treats and praise, and never punishment. Older rabbits are supposed to be easier to train than younger rabbits, especially babies. A rabbit’s attention span and knack for learning increases as they grow up. If you have a baby, stick with it! And if you are deciding whether to adopt an older rabbit, or litter train your older rabbit, go for it! When training, do not Let the bunny out of the cage and not watch with undivided attention; You can’t watch TV or read the paper or knit or talk on the phone and expect to keep your mind on what the bunny is doing every second. if there is an "accident" without being “caught” and herded to the litter box, your rabbit will be that much slower in learning what they are supposed to do. Start with a box in the cage, and one or more boxes in the rabbit’s running space. If your rabbit urinates in a corner of the cage not containing the box, move the box to that corner until they get it right. Don’t be concerned if your bunny curls up in the litter-box, as this is natural. Once your rabbit is using the box in the cage, open the door and allow your rabbit into their running space. Watch him or her go in and out on her own. If she heads to a corner where there’s no box, or lifts up her tail in the characteristic fashion, cry “no” in a single, sharp burst of sound. Gently herd your rabbit back to the cage and litter-box, or into one of the boxes in the room. Be careful, You don’t want to make the cage or the litter-box seem like punishment. A handful of hay in the box makes it a more welcoming place. After she first uses the box, praise your rabbit and give it their favorite treat. Once she uses the box in her room a couple of times, you’re well on your way, as her habits will be on their way to forming. As she gets better trained in her first room, you can increase her space. Don’t hurry this process. And if the area becomes very big, or includes a second floor, be sure to include more litter-boxes, so as not to confuse her. Remember, as she becomes more confident and uses fewer boxes, you can start to remove some of her early, “training” boxes. If your rabbit continually urinates in a spot where there is no litter-box, put his box where he will use it, even if it means rearranging his cage or moving a table in the living room. It is much easier to oblige him than to try to work against a determined bunny! Get your rabbit into a daily routine and try not to vary it. Rabbits are very habitual and once a routine is established, they usually prefer to stick with it. Does spaying/neutering make a difference? Yes! This is often the most important factor. When rabbits reach the age of 4-6 months, their hormones become active and they usually begin marking their territory. By spaying or neutering your rabbit, he or she will be more likely to use the litter-box (as well as be much healthier and happier). What types of litter should I use? It depends on what’s available in your area and what your rabbit’s habits are. Keep in mind the following as you choose your litter: ? Most rabbits spend lots of time in their litter boxes ? Rabbits will always nibble some of the litter ? Rabbit urine has a very strong odor. House Rabbit Society recommends organic litters, made from alfalfa, oat, citrus or paper. (Some brands to look for: Care Fresh (Natural only), Cat Country, Critter Country, Yesterday’s News - , and Papurr). Pros and cons of the various types of litter include: ? Swheat Scoop Litter should be avoided, because rabbits will often ingest it. Because it is comprised of wheat, it is very high in carbohydrates and can cause obesity, diarrhea, bacterial imbalance, and other health issues. ? Many people have great success with litter made from paper pulp or recycled paper products. These litters are very good at absorbing and cutting down on odors. A litter called Carefresh (use the Natural only product) is available at most pet stores, as is Yesterday’s News. A similar litter in a pelleted form is called Cellu-Dri. These litters are harmless if ingested. Every week I would like to bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience, and I have researched enough to recommend. Today’s HOTR Amazon Item of the week is Yesterday's News. Now when I worked i a pet store, people either loved the yesterday's news - or hated it. there did not seem to be any in-between. One issue people have about their rabbit’s litter box is that it smells. Using a newspaper pellet litter like Yesterday’s News - will solve the problem. Even though it’s made of newspaper, the compressed pellets neutralize the odor much more effectively than sheets of newspaper. Here are a few tips about using a recycled paper pellet litter: Just put a very shallow layer of the litter in the litter box — enough so that the bottom is covered. It does not have to be deep because rabbits do not bury their droppings like cats. Furthermore, you will be discarding ALL of the litter every time you clean it, so you want to use the least amount possible to make it last and save money. You can buy large bags of Yesterday’s News that are marketed for cats. You don’t have to get ones marketed for rabbits. Just be sure to buy the unscented version. Put hay on top of the thin layer of litter. Rabbits like to eat and poop at the same time. So this encourages them to use the litter box. Just be sure your rabbit has access to clean, fresh hay at all times. ? Another approach is to place a handful of hay in each box, or to simply use hay as litter. It is helpful to put several layers of newspaper under the hay, to absorb urine so that your rabbit is not standing in the urine. Most newspapers today are using soy-based ink, which is safe for your rabbit, but check with your local newspaper to make sure first. Obviously, you need to change the hay fairly frequently (daily), since your rabbit will be eating it. This method often helps to encourage good litter habits as well as to encourage hay consumption, since rabbits often eat at or near the same time as they use the litter box. ? Clay litter is dusty–if your bunny is a digger, the dust can make her/him vulnerable to pneumonia. Also be careful because the deodorant crystals in some clay litters may be toxic. Clumping litters will clump inside the rabbit’s digestive and respiratory tracts causing serious problems and often leading to death. ? Corn cob litter has the the risk of being eaten and causing a lethal blockage. ? Oat- and alfalfa-based litters (available from Purina, and Manna-Pro, are said to have excellent odor controlling qualities, but if a rabbit eats too much, they expand and can cause bloating; this litter can be added, with the bunny’s waste, to compost ? Newspapers are absorbent, but don’t control odor ? Citrus-based litters work well, offer no dangers, and can be composted, but may be hard to get and expensive in some areas. ? Compressed sawdust pellets are inexpensive, highly absorbent litters used in many foster homes. They are made from softwood or hardwood sawdust. Their wood composition helps control bacterial growth and odors. Wood stove fuel pellets and Feline Pine are two examples of this product. ? Litters made from Aspen bark are safe and good at absorbing odors. One brand is called GentleTouch. ? Some people have reported success with peat moss which can also be composted. Now to cover Cleaning and disposal: Clean litter-boxes often, to encourage your rabbit to use them. Use white vinegar to rinse boxes out–for tough stains, let pans soak. Accidents outside of the cage can be cleaned up with white vinegar or club soda. If the urine has already dried, you can try products like “Nature’s Miracle” to remove the stain and odor. To dispose of organic litters, they can be used as mulch, or can be composted. Rabbit pellets can be directly applied to plants as fertilizer. Pellets vs. urine All rabbits will drop pellets around their cages to mark it as their own. This is not failure to be litter-trained. It is very important for your rabbit to identify the cage as her property so that when she leaves the cage for the bigger world of your house, she/he will distinguish the family’s area from her own and avoid marking it. To encourage this, make the rabbit the king of his cage. Try not to force him in or out of it– coax him. Do not do things to his cage that he doesn’t like, or things to him that he doesn’t like while he’s in the cage. The trick to getting the rabbit to keep his/her pellets in the cage is to give him ownership of his cage–respect the cage as HIS: Don’t reach into the cage to take him out; open the door and let him come out if and when HE wants to come. Don’t catch your rabbit, herd him/her back gently, and let him/her choose to go in to get away from you (walk behind and clap hands, and say “bedtime.” They learn that you will stop harassing them with this until they go into their cage, so they run in except when they feel they haven’t gotten their fair share of time outside the cage. If the rabbit has been snuggling with you, it’s okay to carry him to the door of the cage and let him go in–just don’t put him directly into the cage, and try to avoid chasing and trapping to put him in the cage. Don’t reach into the cage to get food dishes–anchor them near the door of the cage so they can be filled with a minimum of trespassing into the cage, or wait until the rabbit is out to fill them. Don’t clean the cage while the rabbit is in it–wait until he comes out. He’ll come over and supervise you, even help you move things around that you’ve set down outside the cage, but as long as he isn’t in the cage, he won’t see your cleaning as an invasion of his territory. (I wouldn’t object if someone were cleaning my house, either) The same techniques can be used if a rabbit doesn’t live in a cage, but in a particular part of a room. Mark the territory with a rug, tape, whatever, and don’t trespass over that. Even if your goal is to let your rabbit have full run of the house, you must start small. Start with a cage and a small running space, and when your rabbit is sufficiently well trained in that space, gradually give them more space. Do so gradually! If you overwhelm them with too much freedom before they are ready, they will forget where the litter box is and will lose their good habits. House Rabbits and Other Animals House rabbits and indoor cats can get along fine, as do rabbits and well-mannered dogs. Dogs should be trained to respond to commands before being trusted with a free-running rabbit, and supervision is needed to control a dog’s playful impulses (this is especially true for puppies). Adding a second rabbit is easiest if the rabbits are neutered adults of opposite sexes, and they are introduced for short periods in an area unfamiliar to both rabbits. CONSUMABLES Limited pellets daily Fresh water Hay /straw (for digestive fiber and chewing recreation) Fresh salad veggies/fruit (add gradually) Barley/oats (very small amounts) Wood (for chewing recreation) Multiple enzymes (digestive aid) Petroleum laxative (when needed for passing hair) GROOMING Flea comb Brush Flea products safe for rabbits. Toenail clippers GENERAL SUPPLIES Dust-free litter Whiskbroom/dustpan White vinegar (for urine accidents) Hand vacuum Chlorine bleach (for disinfecting) Newspapers Be sure to find an experienced rabbit veterinarian before any problem develops. Bunnies take time. Perhaps that’s one of their special gifts to us in this hectic world. They require that we take time out to sit and watch and do nothing else. Besides getting a well-trained bunny for your efforts, you also get a short period of time each day to watch one of the most charming little creatures on earth explore, skip for joy, and in general entertain you with her bunny-ness. If you would like to support the podcast, you can support through Patreon/Hare of the Rabbit for one dollar a month. Patreon/Hare of the Rabbit is an established online platform that allows fans to provide regular financial support to creators. A lot of the information I gleaned about the House Bunny were from these four great web sites: http://rabbit.org/about-us/ and http://myhouserabbit.com/ http://myhouserabbit.com/rabbit-care/bunny-proofing-your-house/ http://myhouserabbit.com/new-to-rabbits/preparing-for-your-first-house-rabbit/ http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=18+1803&aid=2724 http://www.justrabbits.com/house-bunny-proofing.html Plant of the Week: Corn Word of the Week: Advancement Rabbit and Otter, The Bungling Host http://www.indigenouspeople.net/bunghost.htm Many native American tribes have legends in which various animals display their ways and means of obtaining food from others, sometimes using trickster methods. They return meal invitations and even attempt to provide food of a similar nature and in the manner of the previous host. Sometimes, this leads to trouble. There were two wigwams. Otter lived in one with his grandmother, and Rabbit lived with his grandmother in the other. One day Rabbit started out and wandered over to visit Otter in his camp. When Rabbit entered Otter's wigwam, Otter asked if he had anything to eat at home. "No," replied Rabbit. So Otter asked his grandmother if she would cook something for Rabbit, but she told him she had nothing to cook. So Otter went out to the pond directly in front of his camp, jumped in, and caught a nice long string of eels. Meanwhile, Rabbit was looking to see how Otter would catch his food. With Otter's great success, Rabbit thought he could do the same. Rabbit then invited Otter to come over to his camp the next day. His grandmother had already told him that she had nothing to cook for their meal, but asked him to go out and find something. Then Rabbit went out to the same pond where Otter had found the string of eels; but he could get nothing, not one fish, as he could not dive no matter how hard he tried. In the meantime, his grandmother was waiting. She sent Otter out to find Rabbit, who searched and finally found him at the same pond, soaked and with nothing to show for his efforts. "What's the matter with you?" he asked. "I'm trying hard to get us some food," he replied. So friendly Otter jumped into the pond and again caught a string of fish, this time for Rabbit's grandmother to cook for their dinner. Then Otter went home. The next day, Rabbit started out to visit Woodpecker. When he reached Woodpecker's wigwam, Rabbit found him at home with his grandmother. She got out her large pot to cook a meal, but said, "We have nothing to cook in the pot." So Woodpecker went out front to a dry tree-trunk, from which he picked a quantity of meal. This he took to his grandmother, and she made a good dinner for them. Rabbit had watched how Woodpecker obtained his meal, so he invited Woodpecker over to visit him. The very next day Woodpecker arrived at Rabbit's wigwam for a visit. Rabbit asked his grandmother to hang up her pot and cook them some dinner. "But we have nothing to cook," she replied. So Rabbit went outside with his birch-bark vessel to fill it with meal. He tried to dig out the meal with his nose, as he had seen Woodpecker do. Soon Woodpecker came out to see what caused the delay. Poor Rabbit was hurt, with his nose flattened out and split in the middle from trying to break into the wood. Woodpecker left to return to his own wigwam without any dinner. Ever since then, Rabbit has had to carry around his split nose. Another day, desperate for food, Rabbit thought he would go and steal some of Otter's eels. He got into the habit of doing this every second night. Toward spring, Otter began to wonder where his eels had gone as his barrel was getting low. Otter thought he would keep watch and soon found Rabbit's foot tracks, and said to himself, "For that, I am going to kill Rabbit." Now Rabbit knew what was going on in Otter's mind, and when Otter reached Rabbit's camp, he fled. Otter asked Rabbit's grandmother, "Where has Rabbit gone?" "I don't know," she replied. "Last night he brought home some eels, then he went away." "He has been stealing my eels," said Otter. "Now, I'm going to kill him." So began Otter's search for Rabbit, who guessed Otter would be trailing him. Otter began to gain on Rabbit, who picked up a small chip and asked it to become a wigwam. Immediately, the chip became a wigwam and Rabbit became an old man sitting inside. When Otter came along and saw the wigwam, he also saw the gray- headed old man sitting inside. He pretended to be blind. Otter did not know that this was Rabbit himself. Out of pity for him, Otter gathered some firewood for the old man and asked if he had heard Rabbit passing by. "No, I have not heard any one today." So Otter continued his search. Later, Rabbit left his wigwam and started out on another road. Otter could not pick up Rabbit's trail, so he returned to the wigwam. Not only was it empty, but gone entirely. Only a chip remained in its place. Otter then saw Rabbit's tracks where he had jumped out of the wigwam. This trick made Otter very angry and he cried out, "You won't fool me again." Otter followed the new trail. When Rabbit sensed Otter was closing in on him, he picked up another chip and wished it to become a house, and there was the house, ready to live in. Otter came along and was suspicious as soon as he saw the house with a veranda across the front, and a big gentleman walking back and forth all dressed in white, reading a paper. This, of course, was Rabbit himself, but Otter did not know it. He asked the big gentleman, "Have you seen Rabbit go this way?" The man appeared not to hear. So Otter asked again. The gentleman replied in Pidgin English a phrase that meant, "Never saw Rabbit." But Otter looked hard at him and noticed the man's feet, which were Rabbit feet. So Otter felt certain this was his prey. The big gentleman gave Otter some bread and wine, and Otter left hurriedly to again track Rabbit back to the house. He came to the place, but the house was not there. Otter could see the tracks where Rabbit started running away. "He'll never have a chance to trick me again, that's his last time!" declared Otter. Rabbit soon came to the head of a bay where there was a very small island, so small that a person could almost jump over it. He jumped onto the island and wished it to become a man-of-war. Otter came to the same shore and saw the big ship anchored there, and the big gentleman in a white suit walking the deck. Otter called to him, "You can't trick me now! You're the man I want." Then Otter swam out toward the ship, to board it and to kill Rabbit. But the big gentleman sang out to this sailors, "Shoot him! His skin is worth a lot of money in France." News: Giant rabbit died after United Airlines staff put it in freezer: Report http://www.mid-day.com/articles/international-news-giant-rabbit-died-after-united-airlines-staff-put-it-in-freezer-report/18211162 London: A giant rabbit, who mysteriously died in the care of United Airlines, was accidentally shut in a freezer by a bungling staffer for 16 hours, a media report has claimed. Three-foot Simon, who was expected to outgrow his father Darius to become the world's biggest bunny, appeared happy and healthy when he touched down at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport en route to a celebrity buyer but was found dead a short time later. The Sun, citing a source, reported that the pet froze to death after he was accidentally left in a freezer for around 16 hours. However, a United spokesman denied the claim, saying that the "assertion is completely false. Simon was cared for at the PetSafe kennel facility which is kept at room temperature (on average 70 degrees Fahrenheit)." "He arrived at Chicago O'Hare airport in apparent good condition at 10:25 AM (local time). He was seen by a representative of the kennel facility moving about within his crate about 11:00 AM," he was quoted as saying. "Shortly thereafter, a kennel representative noticed Simon was motionless and determined that he passed away," the spokesman said. An airport worker was quoted as saying that the rabbit arrived fine but there was some sort of mistake and he was locked inside a freezer overnight. "The next day staff went in and did an inventory. The rabbit was huddled up facing away from the front of the cage towards the wall. Everyone thought he was just having a nap or something," the worker said. "Nobody realized it needed to be taken out," the airport worker added. The worker said temperatures inside the chiller were between 0 degrees Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius. He claimed the pets are usually kept in a special area kept at room temperature between 18 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius. The worker said United Airlines has launched an investigation but they do not know who put the rabbit in the chiller. "We know from the inventory that that the rabbit was alive when it reached the airport. So it happened in the warehouse," he said. "It has all been kept very hush hush but none of us know who froze the rabbit," the source said. United recently made headlines and remains under scrutiny following its treatment to the Vietnamese-American passenger, David Dao, who was physically dragged off an "overbooked" flight when he refused to give up his seat for United crew members on a flight from Chicago to Louisville. Just days after the incident, it emerged that a bride and groom headed for their wedding were booted from a United Airlines flight after they relocated to empty seats three rows up without permission. Sunny Bunnies scores US licensing partner Evolution will handle all North American licensing, merchandising and promotional rights for the non-dialog preschool series. http://kidscreen.com/2017/04/26/sunny-bunnies-scores-us-licensing-partner/ UK distributor Media I.M. has tapped California-based Evolution to handle all North American licensing, merchandising and promotional rights for Digital Light Studios’ CGI series Sunny Bunnies. Licensed apparel, accessories, publishing, toys, plush, home, food and health & beauty products are slated to launch next spring. (The property will make its debut at next month’s Licensing Expo in Las Vegas.) The 52 x 3.5-minute non-dialog show currently airs on Disney Channel and Disney Junior in the US. The first season of the series, aimed at three- to six-year-olds, has also bowed in multiple regions across the globe, including EMEA. The toon was adapted from the Sunny Bunnies YouTube channel, which has amassed more than 95 million views to date. It follows five fluffy balls that appear anywhere and have mischievous adventures. More than 100 runners participate in the annual Epic Sports Rabbit Run http://bangordailynews.com/2017/04/29/sports/more-than-100-runners-participate-in-the-annual-epic-sports-rabbit-run/ The annual Epic Sports’ Rabbit Run race winds through the Bangor City Forest. The 5.25 mile course saw over 100 runners Saturday. Proceeds went to benefit the Bangor Humane Society and the Clifton Climbers Association.