Friday, April 17, 2009

A Tragic Interruption to the Day. And Cute Bunnies.


It was simply awful and heart wrenching. It was tragic. We had the first mowing on our property today. We don't own a mower. To mow 5+ acres would require a 4-figure mower that turns on a dime. We have a guy who mows for us. He sometimes dresses up like a pirate, but that's taking me off topic.

So the mower guy has been busy and our grass has grown with all the rain of the season, and it was pretty tall in some patches when his brother came by to take care of the lawn business. With his big mower, it wouldn't take much more than an hour. Perfect, I thought, it was a beautiful afternoon, the sun was shining, it was pleasantly warm, and my studio windows were wide open. Twilight was playing and I was highly productive.

And then there was a soft knock on my door and the mower came in holding a very small bunny in his hands.

As sweet and gentle as that little bunny was, the story is just as tragic. Mother bunny and several siblings were lost to the mower today. What to do, what to do! How old was it? Could it eat on it's own? Wow, it was precious!

And then another bunny came to me. A sibling. A pair. Just too sweet and adorable for words. And not a responsibility I was prepared to accept. With a recuperating dog, and a 14 hour work schedule, how was I to work feedings for 2 little bunnies every 2 hours into my schedule?

I took the bunnies to the vet who volunteered to euthanize them. I left, bunnies in tow, to retrieve my daughter from school. I paraded the bunnies in the pick-up line, flaunting their cuteness, to no avail. Everyone loved them. No one wanted them. We then headed to the Tractor Supply Co. resigned to the challenge of trying to save the two bunnies on my own. With the promise of help from my 10 year old daughter, of course, who by that point had named them Daisy and Dandy.

To end this saga abruptly, because I have to go put more glass in the kiln, my plan was to pick up the formula for nursing bunnies, along with the smallest bottle feeder I could find, and with my fingers crossed, and lots of begging to a greater power, the hope of stumbling into path of someone more knowledgeable than your average suburbanite (me) who would scoop the bunnies up and take them home.

Luck was smiling on those bunnies, after all. At the local Tractor Supply Co., I found a rabbit enthusiast who was expecting a nest of rabbits at any moment. She generously offered to take the babies off my hands (about 3 weeks old, I learned), with hopes of convincing her mama rabbit to nurse them along with her own. And I will be able to sleep through the night believing those two little bunnies will have a fighting chance at survival. The happiest of endings for a very tragic afternoon.

17 comments:

LittleGemsbyKari said...

if you have contact with the woman make sure she puts vanilla on the mom's nose before putting them in with the litter. (I used to raise rabbits, and by now they'll smell like humans and she won't take care of them- the vanilla covers up our smell until they roll around and smell like the rest of the crew) Good Luck!

Annie Howes Keepsakes said...

Great point! I'll stop by ther tomorrow and pass it on. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Very sad. Unfortunately we had several similar accidents while cutting hay. It seems mother deer like to hide there babies in the tall hay and it is not as safe as they assume.

One baby was killed instantly and another had to be shot after losing his front legs.

I don't know why my husband has to tell me these things.

:(

lunarmagpie said...

sad story. another thing you might want to look into in case this should happen again is to see if there is a wildlife rehab person in your area. you can usually get this information from a local humane society shelter or even the fish and game department.

wildlife rehabbers are trained and often licensed, depending on the area, to take in wildlife like these bunnies, baby deer, birds and other wild animals that have been injured or displaced, until they can be returned to their natural habitats. there are often several people specializing in different species in a single area, so it's well worth checking out.

LORi said...

Oh My Goodness!! How super sad!!!
Sweet little bunnies! Makes me think of the ones I had as a child...Rhubbard, Buttermilk and Sassafras!!

BeansThings said...

How sweet of that lady...God bless her and you for being willing to take care of them!

JulieMeyer said...

So glad you found someone to take them. A couple of years ago, my then 3 and 7 year old boys came running into the house with a box full of what they were quite certain was an alien. It took me a few minutes to realize this hairless creature was a bunny that must have been hours or less old. We took it outside and placed it under some weeds near an adult rabbit that I'm sure it was it's mother. I watched her all day getting near the baby, but she never took it back. It was a good lesson for my sons to not touch baby animals.

btw - I'm still loving my pendant necklace from your shop! JulieMeyer

Welcome To Wilmoth Farms said...

I found your blog from a girl on twitter who suggest i get in touch with you, and then I read your blog (awesome by the way!) and see this adorable post! Oh my, I'm so glad it worked out, we get that happen from time to time///I hate it and try to save them all! LOL
if you are interested...and sell on Artfire..and live in KY, I have started a guild in artfire and a team, if your interested let me know! you can comment myblog or shop (wilmothfarms@artfire.com)
I really enjoyed your blog and I'm glad she pointed me in your direction!
Rachel
http://kyfarmlife.blogpsot.com
http://wilmothfarms.artfire.com
http://teambluegrassguild.blogspot.com
Come say hi sometime!

Lady J said...

That is a wonderful story. It's great to know that people are willing to help in their busy schedules. I have a similar story--involving a cat---but mine didn't end so well.

Cindy Shea said...

Oh my! I was biting my nails afraid to hear the ending to this story but alas...I can relax knowing it had a happy ending. Visit me sometime at www.thevintagevignette.blogspot.com and thanks for the info about diamond glaze. I plan to contact them about a replacement tommorow.

Hope said...

Hi there,

Nice to "meet" you. Heather from Vintage Bella was telling me about you and your pendant kits. Love your items. Take Care

Amanda said...

What a happy ending! Those poor other rabbits though! :( That picture is sooo cute though!

lindywil said...

Nice story, and all too common this time of year. I know it can be difficult to find a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, so here are some websites that will help you find one next time:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=22

http://www.wildlifeinternational.org/EN/public/emergency/emergencyrehab.html

Rabbits are among the most difficult to raise because they stress out easily.Keeping them in a dark, warm, quiet place and then finding help quickly are People often think bunnies and fawns are abandoned, because the parents leave them alone for long periods of time. Bunnies only nurse around sunrise and sunset, so even if you watched the nest for 8 hours, you might not see the mother. Sounds like you did a great job.

And by the way, I love your blog and your products. The 3D Crystal Lacquer and the Glamour Glaze are both wonderful.

woolies said...

weeks and months later ---

I wonder how the bunnies fared.
I've tried to save a bunny baby once, with no luck. I do have a wildlife rehabber nearby, but they had so many they couldn't take anymore.

stitch said...

Most cities have wild life rehabers who will happily take them off of your hands and rehab them. Mowers are horrible when it comes to bunnies.I remeber the day I was volunteering at my local SPCA and some one brought in a baby bunny after it had been hit by a mower. Bunnies are so fragile when they are little. At least two of the bunnies made it.

Abuzz Antiques and Collectibles said...

This is just too cute. You entire blog is wonderful. I am happy to come upon it.

God bless
Kathy Clark
http://www.cyberattic.com/stores/abuzzantiques/

janine said...

A month from today it will have been a year....I wonder how the bunnies are doing.

I have a sad bunny story: I had a dog who was chasing a bunny in the (fenced) backyard one (very) early morning. I was at the gate and saw what was about to happen to this bunny if my dog caught him, so I opened the gate and let the bunny out of the yard---freedom at last from my dog chasing him. The bunny ran into the street and got hit by a car. I don't think that I've ever felt so bad in my entire life!!

Love your ETSY store!!