Cruising with Rabbits

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

Rabbits have super natural powers...A friend of mine told me that he had one that died on him so he buried it out back,he went away for a few days and asked the guy next door to look after things,when he came back the rabbit was in the hutch!...He said the guy next doors dog had showed up with the rabbit in his mouth and the guy thought his dog had killed it,so he put it back in the cage!...I told this to someone else once and they told me that they saw that on a TV show! My friend said that he didnt make it up,that it did happen!...they do taste like chicken...

This might be a good website for you also with many interesting "facts"

Weekly World News | The World's Only Reliable News

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by Usagi

Although they both do share the characteristic of teeth that continuously grow, rabbits are lagomorphs, not rodents. ...

Yeah, I suspected I was privileging alliteration over taxonomy

(I had intended to write "rascally rapacious rodent" but I forgot)

Originally Posted by Usagi

I lived aboard for a number of years and was twice boarded by a rat so I am very aware of the damage they can do. Rabbits are too large to fit into hidden spaces so the danger they present to boat wiring and plumbing is not nearly as great as rats. Thumper, my one naughty, wire-eating bunny is pushing 9 now so she might not even be around by the time I travel.
...

You sound as if you have this well under control, and I'm sure you'll re-evaluate the relative size of hidden spaces against the dimensions of any rascally rabbits (minus fur) in your entourage when the time comes ...

Originally Posted by Usagi

My experience has been that a gringo that speaks Spanish is usually met with surprise and is more welcome than one who doesn't. I'm not sure if that would apply to officialdom in a country I visit, though. Maybe I'd be better off playing dumb?

In my experience this is a problem mainly with French-speaking officials: unless you can pass for a native (which I can no longer do for more than a sentence or two), they can be rather dismissive, presumably feeling protective of their beloved language.

On the contrary, while I'm not sure it would apply on the Spanish mainland, I've certainly found officials in Latin America generally responded very well to my unconvincing but serviceable Spanish.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

This might be a good website for you also with many interesting "facts"

Weekly World News | The World's Only Reliable News

I never knew that such lowbrow yellow trash existed,how ever did "You" find it?

[Blue Stocking]

Is that neutered male happy with the girls. You know what they say about sex and rabbits
Seriously tho, we have Peruvian and Abysinian guinea pigs (cavies, Andrew), and are entertained for hours.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

I never knew that such lowbrow yellow trash existed,how ever did "You" find it?

Easily...I'm a sailor...self explanatory...

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Usagi

...

The bunny in the picture is a Flemish Giant. Do you have a contact for the owner ? ...

...My experience has been that a gringo that speaks Spanish is usually met with surprise and is more welcome than one who doesn't. I'm not sure if that would apply to officialdom in a country I visit, though. Maybe I'd be better off playing dumb?

No I don't have any contact info, the lady with the monster bunny just happened to be laid up next to us in a crowded marina.

Yes, a little Spanish can help things go smoother. Although, I did play dumb once and pretend not to speak Spanish when a cop in Honduras was trying to shake me down...he finally got frustrated and just let me go (it was all just a scam anyway). But, I'm thinking that language skills might be needed to explain something unusual like rabbits on a boat.

[Usagi]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

Is that neutered male happy with the girls. You know what they say about sex and rabbits
Seriously tho, we have Peruvian and Abysinian guinea pigs (cavies, Andrew), and are entertained for hours.

Actually it's one girl and two boys, spayed and both males are neutered. Thumper (female) and Pegasus (male - the white lop that's my avatar) are a bonded pair but she usually mounts him. In rabbits mounting is a dominance thing, not necessarily sexual. Bunnies are very territorial. Nigel (male) and Thumper are both jealously territorial and alpha bunnies. They have to be kept separated or they would get into a life and death battle. I volunteer at the local SPCA and work with the bunnies and other small animals. We often get cavies in my area. They are very talkative and entertaining. Rabbits are quieter than cavies but their antics are also fun to watch. As for my bunnies, Pegasus dreams and appears to be running while he softly whimpers. Nigel, a Jersey Wolly, is a 3 lb fuzzball with very long hair who often mumbles softly to himself. He loves to snuggle under your chin and give bunny kisses. That is, he licks you non-stop all over your neck, face, hands and forehead. Thumper, a black Mini-Rex with a white nose and a white "Hitler moustache, will dance, hop and do the "frankenstein shuffle" all on her hind legs while begging for a raisin. She's been known to give children and adults a case of terminal giggles. She's been trained to do a few tricks, "gimme kiss" (rub noses), "walk" (do the frankenstein shuffle), "up" (climb stairs), "down" (go down stairs), "jump" (over an object or through a hoop). You just can't stay mad at her even after she eats yet another set of earbuds, which are her favorite treat, other than bananas and raisins.

[DeepFrz]

I have an internet friend who had 2 bunnies. One of them used to pick up its toys and put them back in the toy box before going to their cage for the night. It died right after she moved out west. I guess the trauma of the move was too much.

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

Rabbits have super natural powers...A friend of mine told me that he had one that died on him so he buried it out back,he went away for a few days and asked the guy next door to look after things,when he came back the rabbit was in the hutch!...He said the guy next doors dog had showed up with the rabbit in his mouth and the guy thought his dog had killed it,so he put it back in the cage!...I told this to someone else once and they told me that they saw that on a TV show! My friend said that he didnt make it up,that it did happen!...they do taste like chicken...

I don't think rabbit's are supernatural, bit Pooka sure are.

If you intend to sail with three Pooka, better get a big sailboat.

[Calvi]

myxomatosis and calcivirus are two rabbit diseases introduced to australia, so stay away from there! There are vaccinations for both.

Australia Advances - Rabbit Calicivirus

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Usagi

So a rabid rabbit is very rare.

Run away! Run away!

[Kmille]

Oh Lord, Usagi, don't ever asked any advise about pet-rabbits to French people. House-rabbits are in 99% of the time confused with domestic rabbits massively bred for their meat during and closely after WW2. Plus we (I am a French citizen born) never had the Queen Victoria, so making big fat jokes about eating rabbits is very common. Yes, on the matter we are dumb, rude and terribly happy to remain in our ignorance. Each time I go back to France, I get many of those country comments. Our bunnies are simply much more loved than most of the commenters (like the one who left the recipe for the rabbit stew) will ever be. Plenty of sailing boats are made in StNazaire/France and it attracts of course this kind of people.
Please forgive the rudeness of some, they just think they are being funny, just leave them for what they are and go the website of the House Rabbit Society where you can find the precious information you need: rabbit.org
Feel free to ask your question on BinkyBunny.com or other bunny people if you're heading on another cruise (post from 2012 I believe). Have a good trip!

[Panope]

[Steadman Uhlich]

Gives new meaing to the term "Boat Bunnies."

[Kmille]

I've sailed a lot around Vancouver but never dared to bring the bunnies :-) That's awesome Panope!