Ridiculously cute

One of the fringe benefits of working at the shelter six days a week is being among the first to see the new arrivals. Today, we were surprised to see a little of Harlequin bunnies who are only FOUR WEEKS OLD! Oh. My. Word. It is hard to get any work done with these furry little distractions around.

My new baby

Apparently this little sweetie was seized by the authorities due to abuse or neglect. Unbelievable! He's just a doll, as you can see.

Poor baby!

This is Snowball. She's one of the most neglected bunnies we've had lately. Her beautiful English Angora fur was a mess! It didn't look like anyone's ever brushed her. She was 2/3 mats and 1/3 bald! I spent 45 minutes on Monday, and another 45 minutes on Tuesday, grooming her, and I'm still not done. Of course, a lot of the mats needed to be cut off. Her nails are so long, they are growing in a weird shape!

She is really nice, though. I think she'll get adopted eventually.

They're getting so big!

The three baby boys are getting so big! This is Presto, the ringleader, trying to look innocent. They eat a lot, play a lot, and sleep a lot. Looks like they will be nice big bunnies. I am getting a little worried that none of them has been adopted yet; there is a prejudice against white bunnies, and I was hoping their babyish cuteness would counteract that. Not so far. It's the red eyes, believe it or not.

Check out the ears!

This is 3-month-old Lily, a little furry package of sweetness. Seriously, look at the pink nose! And the huge ears! She's just adorable in every way. When you come near her cage, she hops over inquisitively. She squirms a little when you take her out of her cage, but she's sweet and curious. Awww. I bet she'll get adopted soon.

Our newest resident

This is Charles, an English Lop. I'll try to get a better photo of him sometime; you can't really see how huge and long his ears are in that photo. (They drag on the ground.)

He came in a couple of weeks ago, but has been at the veterinarian's due to an eye infection. He seems nice, although his English Lop appearance makes him look depressed all the time. Actually, he gives the impression of being a high-class sort, maybe a bit of a snob, some lower-level aristocrat (like a baronet) who thinks he's all that and a bag of chips. He is condescending to stay in our primitive "shelter" until he is whisked away to a more suitable location. Having said that, though, he is a sweetheart. He seems mellow and patient.

He wags his tail! How cute is that?!

This is George. He came in a couple of weeks ago along with Maxine. They were strays, found in a field here in Phoenix. George is friendly and affectionate. (Noah taught him to "give a kiss". When you open his cage door, he comes over, and if you say, "Give me a kiss!" he puts is sweet little mouth right up to yours. Aww.) We noticed something else about George when we brought him outside to play this week: he wags his tail! Check it out!

Note: toward the end of the video, he rubs his chin on the wicker tent. This is called "chinning", bunnies do it to mark their scent on something, to establish it as theirs. It is funny to see how quickly bunnies will chin whatever's in their pen when they're put outside to play. Possessive little critters!