On Our Best Behavior
On Our Best Behavior is a heartwarming podcast where Mom, Kelli and 15-year-old son, Maccoy delve into the complexities of school, life's struggles, highs and lows, and various challenges. With a blend of humor and sincerity, they navigate through these topics while sharing their own experiences and insights. Their conversations are not only relatable but also enlightening, offering listeners a fresh perspective on everyday issues. Alongside their engaging discussions, they welcome intriguing guests, adding a dynamic element to each episode. Tune in to join this duo on their journey of growth, learning, and discovery.
On Our Best Behavior
Mary, MN Companion Rabbit Society
Happy New Year, friends! Mac and Kelli here, bringing you a heartwarming start to your year, as we share our holiday escapades — charcuterie magic and those cherished midnight moments. Reflecting on the past year's challenges, we embrace the fresh start, diving into resolutions that speak volumes about personal growth and tackling new adventures like hitting the road on four wheels. Oral health might not be your typical festive topic, but our latest dental escapade brings a smile to our faces, and hopefully yours, as we chat about the unexpected life lessons learned from time spent in the dentist's chair.
This episode isn't just about our tales; we're thrilled to bring the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society into the spotlight. These folks are genuine bunny whisperers, and they've hopped into the studio to demystify rabbit care and shine a light on the joys of fostering these fluffy companions. Witness the depth of their dedication to educating aspiring rabbit caregivers and hear heartwarming stories from the front lines of their work — it's about so much more than just cuddly critters. As the conversation shifts to succession planning, we are reminded that each volunteer's passion fuels the mission of transforming the future of rabbit guardianship.
We wrap up with a candid conversation about what it truly means to welcome a free-roaming house rabbit into your space. From bunny-proofing your abode to decoding rabbit language (yes, Bella, we're looking at you and your sassy demands), we're here to guide you through the hutch and beyond. Plus, we can't help but play a round of 'Would You Rather' that'll have you hopping between laughter and contemplation. Join us for this episode, and let's raise a carrot to these charming furry friends and the humans who love them.
Hey guys, welcome back to our best behavior. I'm Mac.
Speaker 2:I'm here with Kelly, I thought you were gonna say One of these times you're so close. I Know you were like you're here with Mac, and if you would have just said Kelly Bam, you would have had it Next time next time I can Kelly. Yes, see, you're so close. Well, happy new year. Are you excited to go back to school? No, not even a little bit. I'm really worried about how in the world You're gonna sleep tonight. Your sleep schedule has been all over the place, I Know this is I know do you think you're gonna be able to fall asleep at?
Speaker 1:a decent hour.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, okay. So New Year's, we had what do we have? Charcuterie board. I Got a capoco cheese dip. Sliders, yeah, we had a little smorgasbord, and I made it to midnight just so I could get my kisses from you and Justin, yep, and then I went right to bed. Actually, did you? Know, what did you do?
Speaker 1:I was like Fox what you never do that.
Speaker 2:Did you make any New Year's resolutions? What was your resolution you made?
Speaker 1:It was that I got permit.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm gonna have a driver in the house.
Speaker 1:Yeah, are you nervous? I had to be in the car with me because I don't know that well, that's the law.
Speaker 2:You can't get your permit and drive alone.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, I know that's your license.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know okay, so you have to be on your best behavior. If you want me to let you drive with me, who do you want? Who do you think you'll be the best driver with, if anyone?
Speaker 1:you can teach it me, you, you don't think.
Speaker 2:I'll be freaking out yelling at you. No, I'll be pumping my fake break?
Speaker 1:I don't know my fake break it is scary.
Speaker 2:There's nothing there. It is scary for sure. Okay, my resolutions were I'm gonna spend time worrying about more about myself and what I can change and control, and not other people. My actions only, like I can only speak for my actions.
Speaker 1:No one else's and worry what's ahead, and I'm gonna surrender, not try to be a control freak all the time, so I know what like sometimes there's nothing I could have done different.
Speaker 2:Sometimes there's nothing I could change, but in a healthy way. So I need to let that go and just be okay with it. And I told Justin that I want more outside time with him, like him, and I need to do more things together other than just be at home. Okay, you went to the dentist today.
Speaker 1:I did not like it they cleaned your teeth. It's not that bad, but it's. It was boring.
Speaker 2:Did they do x-rays?
Speaker 1:Yeah, they didn't know, cavities no.
Speaker 2:cavities no but they need to put sealants in so you have to go back in. Sealants are just a protective shield that keep germs and food out of your teeth. So it's not a cavity, it's nothing you did wrong. It's just kind of like a protectant. Everybody that goes to the dentist get sealants put in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:Nothing to add.
Speaker 1:No, isn't she just like. The link is like go this thing and like this, or whatever it's like so like in the back of your teeth, if you can feel back there.
Speaker 2:There's like a little, even with your tongue out. There's like a little hole, oh yeah and they kind of fill that up so crud doesn't get in there, oh, and like cause problems, okay, okay, today I spent my afternoon watching Netflix actually guess what I did in my afternoon. What's?
Speaker 1:it a nap. I took a nap. It was really good. I took like a two hour nap.
Speaker 2:I fell asleep for like 20 minutes Maybe, but anyway I got hooked on the show and it is called. It's a documentary. You are what you eat the twin experience Experiment.
Speaker 1:I watched the whole thing.
Speaker 2:I finished all of the episodes because it is so fascinating to me that you know this is. I watched this other show on Netflix years ago called Sea Spear see, maybe you remember it and I was like I've never eaten seafood again. And because I watched so much TV. Thanks, I Really don't I read more than I watch TV.
Speaker 1:You really read more than.
Speaker 2:I think so.
Speaker 1:That's that's interest. I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't count it as watching TV if I'm watching what Justin's watching because I'm just trying to Spend time with him. I'm not necessarily watching what he's watching, unless it's Finn.
Speaker 1:Okay, level three glaze.
Speaker 2:So anyway, the experiment on this show was they took to, they took sets of twins because like their. Dna is Totally the most close you can get, other than like two people, brother and sister. Twins have like the same DNA which makes them identical. So identical twins.
Speaker 2:I should rephrase that, and they put one on an omnivore diet, which is they can eat meat, and one on a vegan diet, which is like plant-based foods. And then they like, measure certain. They know they do a bone density scan, they do blood work, they check for Sexual arousal, they check for there's a stuff called visceral fat that is really unhealthy and it is visceral. This is a real fat like surrounds your organs and it's the worst kind of fat you could have.
Speaker 1:Oh really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's in a lot of things like oh so.
Speaker 1:I want to say that he meet and greasy food and.
Speaker 2:Bacteria and just like the junk that goes into your system.
Speaker 1:How does that even like get on your body like that?
Speaker 2:There's good fat and then there's bad.
Speaker 1:No, but how's it even build up? That makes sense. Everything goes in your stomach, like in your, but it does it disperses because your hands get fat, your fingers get fat, your face gets fat, so it's a little. So you within your body, I called it's like depends on like you're, who your parents are, some genetics yeah.
Speaker 2:But there's a lot. So you have your genetic DNA and then there's this other part of DNA I can't remember what it's called, but so there's some DNA you don't have any control of, but a lot of your, the sub DNA. You have control over lifestyle. So what you put in your body, if you exercise, if you take care of yourself Versus if you make poor food choices, if you're lazy and you don't exercise, all those things you know, if you make the unhealthy choices, you're more likely to get diabetes, oh I. Blood pressure, high cholesterol, all-timers, parkinson's all these things Okay, okay that you don't want.
Speaker 2:So the test was showing, like, with the difference of each twin on each diet, but anyway, it's super fascinating. But once again it talks about.
Speaker 2:it reminds me of how farming animals is so disgusting and how they're like in such close quarters with each other and they're living in each other's feces and there's so much bacteria and death and animals born with tumors and genetic disease and chromosomal abnormalities and they're just breeding them and breeding them and breeding them to eat them and they're feeding them shit and that's what we eat. They did a test on the show and it came back showing one out of three chicken breasts random in the grocery store, one out of three positive for E coli and one out of five positive for salamonella. Because they have strict rules, I guess, on fruits and vegetables having those contaminants, but I guess meat is a whole another thing. And the other thing, the conspiracy and the lies are, like they'll say, like free range chicken, which means they had, you know, maybe two by two range to walk around in, versus just being like corralled.
Speaker 1:Two by two is how hot. That depends on how big the floor is.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm talking like two by two, two feet by two feet for a chicken. So cause, chickens aren't that big. So anyway, that's really small so free range can mean they just give them a very small range. It doesn't necessarily mean they're, like often, this lush pasture living their best life just waiting to be slaughtered. So anyway, when I see that, it just makes me nauseous and not wanna eat like that.
Speaker 2:So I'm gonna be back on that kick about trying to not eat all that junk and it does whatever wear off. But because my question is I actually which I'm trying to get some of these people on the podcast to talk about it because my confusion is why is it okay? Okay, so, when they make these plant-based foods cause they're saying, like highly processed foods are terrible for you, that's like honestly what we eat because it's easy and quick. But when they're making all this food in a lab, like, how is that not full of toxic chemicals and not byproducts but preservatives? And so I don't understand it. So there's a lot of whatever gray area right. At the end of the day, should we all eat more fruits and vegetables? Probably yes, but they just don't make it easy enough when you have to work full time.
Speaker 1:Fruit is easier to eat than vegetables, cause it's more good fruit.
Speaker 2:Cause we like sugar, right, all right. So anyway, today on the podcast we have a special guest. It's Mary from MCRS, which stands for the Minnesota Companion Rebit Society. She's the educational lead for that organization. We're gonna be talking about all things bunnies. I am a bunny enthusiast. I have two bunnies and I get asked a lot of questions about my bunnies. If I talk about my bunnies, people are like really, I didn't know that they're like that. Wow, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1:So anyway, I thought I didn't know that.
Speaker 2:And it's been a lot of trial and error for us of learning about what works for bunnies and what doesn't work for bunnies and a lot of money lost, thinking this is gonna be a good fix or that's gonna be a good fix. But anyway, I thought Mary would be great to talk to you about this and hopefully get the word out there about bunny rabbits and get more people to foster and adopt them. So let's listen to what Mary has to say All right, all right, all right.
Speaker 1:Hey, all y'all about this behavior, all y'all about this behavior.
Speaker 2:You're listening to Honor Best Behavior and today we are gonna talk about bunny rabbits. So domestic rabbits are one of the most popular small mammals in the American households and, unfortunately, the third most common animal, after dogs and cats, surrendered to animal shelters. Mcrs is the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society and they are committed to sharing the truth about the joys and challenges of bringing a rabbit into your family. And so today I have Mary from MCRS and she is gonna answer all of our questions. So, mary, tell us a little bit about yourself and your role with MCRS.
Speaker 3:Hi, kelly, nice to hear from you and Mac. So anyway, so my role. Okay, mcrs was started in 2000, the year 2000, in response to a hoarding situation. So we had two women who got together and decided on a program. I had a rabbit and of course I knew nothing about the rabbit One didn't in those days and there were no resources. So I got a rabbit and then I stumbled across MCRS about 2003 and just slowly became a participant in their whole program and a believer in the whole program and I'm really proud of the fact that we've been in existence for this long. We have actually adopted out about 2000 rabbits now and we're a 501C3 nonprofit, all volunteer organization. So throughout the years I have done probably almost everything. And I met Kelly when she was a foster. Her and Mac were a foster family. And what I'm gonna say here now? I'm gonna get off track. I hope not. That's totally fine.
Speaker 3:Then hopefully I'll get back on, but Kelly and Mac did it the right way they became. It's a family operation, a family affair. It's a good way to interact with your kids and your pets and a lot of people think that rabbits are a good starter pet or one up from a guinea pig or hamster on their way to a real pet like a cat or a dog, and that really just isn't the case. The subtleties in the rabbits behavior has to be monitored by somebody who is mature enough to see the changes in the rabbits behavior so you can identify any problems with their health. And it's just too much responsibility for a kid to take on their own. I mean because one of the things we do is you watch poop.
Speaker 3:That's how we know how a rabbit is feeling and how what their tummy is doing. So it is something that you can't just you can't just abdicate the responsibility of the rabbits' care to a youngster. That's just not fair to them or the rabbit. Now, getting back to where I was is oh, that's it. I became. I was a foster lead for a while, so Kelly and her family were part of our group. We have typically about 80 foster homes at a time, with maybe a total of 100 volunteers doing various things and often about 80 rabbits in our care at one time. So I also was the adoption event lead, so I would organize the adoption events and go there and we'd help people get their rabbits adopted. And just right now, basically what I'm doing we need to get where some of us are aging out.
Speaker 3:The organization has been in existence long enough that it's time to turn it all over to a newer generation and keep the organization strong. So right now, what I'm doing is mostly education. I have a great team of people. It used to be that I taught bunny basics on my own. We would go together in a room and I would set up the table and we would have a rabbit as a spokesman. We would do it at the Humane Society, which was really great venue for that, but with COVID, now we're doing everything on Zoom, so I've got a great team of educators. We're also in addition to the bunny basics class that we teach. It's mandatory. Oh my gosh, I have so much to say.
Speaker 2:It's okay, that's good. That's what we have you here for to tell everyone all the things they don't know.
Speaker 3:So we do have a class that I am the manager of, the bunny basics class. Everybody has to take the class if you're a volunteer on any level, if you're a foster home, if you're going to adopt a rabbit. We consider ourselves every one of us is educators and we need we're spreading the word and we need to stay on the same page and we help people. One of the things is we help people decide if a rabbit is appropriate for them and their family. We also help people who have gotten themselves into a situation where they have a rabbit and are having issues and don't know what to do with it. So we prevent rabbits being surrendered. Or sometimes people think that they can just let the rabbit go outside and it becomes what we call a stray. It's abandoned and they can't live outside like the wild rabbits do. So we're trying to prevent that from happening. So, in addition to education it's part of our mission statement we do adopt, like Kelly, through people like Kelly she was a great foster home and then the rabbits that she has, she helps get them adopted and maybe will rehabilitate them if they have any minor behavioral issues, so that they're good bunny citizens and make good members of your family. So we teach a bunny basics class and that is about that's an hour and a half and it's every other Monday and it's on Zoom. It's free and just look us up and we'll send you a link and all the materials and you can join us and ask any questions that you may have.
Speaker 3:The other thing that we just did start was a class that's held once a month. It's called Bunny Bonding, because a lot of people want to have a companion for their rabbit other than just themselves. Some people, some rabbits, will bond to their caregiver, but other ones do like another bunny buddy, but they pick their very territorial and they pick their companion. You don't pick their companion for them. And then, once you have a good date, we do dates at our adoption events and help determine if the rabbit pairing will turn into a bond, which is a lifetime commitment for each rabbit. They become depressed if they're separated from each other, but will help determine if it's possible to make that bond and then help them through the process. There's lots of tips and techniques and things that we have to do that, so so right now I'm doing see, I did circle back to the question.
Speaker 2:I know you got this.
Speaker 3:What I'm doing. So that's that for now. Okay, that's what I'm doing. I was just going to.
Speaker 2:I was going to circle back, I just wanted to input a few things. When I was becoming a foster for MCRS, I had to take the bunny basics class and I thought, oh, I know so much already, like I'm not going to learn anything new. And I learned a ton new at that class. So I thought that class was super amazing and super helpful and I'm really glad that you make that mandatory.
Speaker 3:Well, it's funny because a lot of people say, well, I know about rabbits and I had rabbits. I had rabbits when I was a kid and we're like going, that's great. But after the class then we say, well, did you learn anything? And they're like, oh my gosh, I learned so much, I can't believe it. Yeah, so it's just very rewarding for everybody.
Speaker 2:I was also one of those people who, when I I always wanted to bunny my whole life, and so when I finally was able to, I did not realize how much I don't want to say work, but they're definitely not a starter pet. They require a lot of specific housing, diet. You can't just put two bunnies together. I learned that the hard way. So, yeah, there's a lot of things that I think people just are very unaware of, and your organization does a great job of educating and helping with that. Thank you, yeah, so speaking of like going into that, what kind of housing do bunnies need? Because I've met a lot of people in my life before I had bunnies that their bunny would just be in a little tiny cage or in a hutch, or I never had encountered somebody who had a free roam bunny until I had my own.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Well, their old perception is is that you can go to the pet store and get one of the pet kits which is maybe big enough for a hamster, and then let your rabbit sit in there forever.
Speaker 2:Can you imagine living that life Like if you that was you like, just sitting in a space big enough for you to turn around? In no way.
Speaker 3:Right? No, no way. And so they do become boring pets if all they do is sit there. They're very interactive, they're very social, but you need to give them the space to be able to do that. We will not adopt anybody who thinks that they can put the rabbit outside. Keep the rabbit outside, we will not. Part of the class is to show people what their housing really looks like, and we've moved from we've moved to the puppy exercise pens and we've got lots of images at the class of how the rabbits pen should be set up, and we also I don't know if anybody knows this or if everybody knows this, but rabbits are litter box trained Because they're spayed and neutered. They're easier to litter box train than a cat.
Speaker 1:And bond.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I had a lot of people are surprised when they find out that I have free roam bunnies and they're always like what they go to the bathroom in the litter box like poop. Np. I'm like yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean who gets?
Speaker 2:kicked out sometimes because they hop. But yeah, they go in there and they like to. That's what they prefer to do.
Speaker 3:And I have my rabbit Alice. She's out for a couple of hours every night. She never, ever misses. They can hold it for a lot. They a lot longer than people think A lot of. If you see a lot of pooping around, it's because they're maybe not spayed and neutered. They're not sure of what the space is, that it's their space and they don't want to mess their space. So they'll just poop around claiming territory. But they, yeah, they use the litter box consistently. So, yeah, you always want to have a nice. A lot of us put our rabbits back in the pan at night so we know where they are and if any emergencies did arise, we would know where the rabbit was and can fetch them quickly.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, and then bunny diet, like a lot of people. You know they have such a sensitive digestive tract, yes, so you can't just feed them anything and everything. I think a lot of people and they act like they want to eat anything and everything. So you really have to be careful about what you're giving them, so their diet should consist of like 90%, hay right?
Speaker 3:Hay all the time A grass, hay not?
Speaker 1:L-felfa Hay all day.
Speaker 3:Hay all day. I love it. I even go by and freshen it up, either putting a few strands on top or just fluffing it. So it's like my rabbit goes oh, oh. It must really be good now and it encourages them to eat. But no L-felfa, that's a legume, that's not a hay. So you can use like a Timothy, as a standard one. There's also orchard grass, which people who people who have allergies to cats and dogs often don't have allergies to rabbits. They might be sensitive to the hay. That might trigger some reactions. So if that happens, we always recommend trying the orchard grass because it's a little bit less dusty and people can tolerate that. But you have to have hay available all the time. The other thing is oh, and don't get it from the pet store, Get it from like achewycom, get it from somebody who has a horse and has horse hay Good quality. They need the long strands. A lot of the hay at the pet stores is chopped up, died, too way too expensive to give the rabbit in hay as much hay as they really need People.
Speaker 3:Traditionally we always thought that they needed those pellets, the man-made pellets. Those were made by breeders and lab people who weren't interested in the longevity of the rabbit. They just needed them. It needed to be easy and something they could give in large quantities, easy to deal with. So your rabbit will get an eighth to a quarter cup Per five pounds of rabbits. An eighth of a cup a day is not a lot of the pellets. Yeah, thank you, and that's a supplement.
Speaker 3:A lot of rabbits they can live without them. That, as long as they have hay and maybe some fresh greens. So you can give your rabbit fresh greens. Everybody gives their rabbit a salad and fruit has sugar, so fruit is a treat and they're given in very, very limited quantities. Don't go to the Pet store and don't buy the yogurt drops and the seed sticks and all that. It's a waste of time, it's not good for your rabbit and the pellets that you buy are the really boring ugly pellets that are all just brown. They, the pellets, are made to, they're marketed. They're made and marketed to us. We want to eat the rainbow, we want to eat all this colorful stuff and the rabbits will pick up those, the treats that are in there, and then not eat the stuff that really is good for them. So get, get the boring, the boring brown pellets.
Speaker 2:But I always joke at the grocery store that they, when I'm buying all the greens, they are probably like, oh, this girl is so healthy.
Speaker 3:That's for me Exactly you make a good impression in the store because you're buying all the cano and they're the the dark leafy greens. And oh no, I'll take the carrot tops. I don't need the carrots.
Speaker 2:No, right, yeah so what's awesome is a lot of my neighbors know that I have bunnies and so they will always give me, like their strawberry tops, their carrot tops, a lot of that stuff, and that is Awesome. So I feel like I have a whole community that wants to contribute yes, to the bunnies, so that's super helpful. Yes, I was like in this day, oh, and I was gonna say too, if you do decide to have a bunny, you need to just accept that hey is gonna be in your house, you're gonna find it here and there and yeah, I have tried every way to possibly alleviate that and it is impossible.
Speaker 2:So you just have to accept that you might have hey in your house.
Speaker 3:You know, and if you have, if you're living with any person or any other animal, they're always gonna have some kind of a mess. I might not be, hey, but I'm used to having hey in my house.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you have fur and and things. So yeah, when you're having your rabbit, that's free Rome at no Matt, even if it's just for a few hours a night. You need to make sure that the your place is bunny proofed, we call it. Oh yeah, sure that the rabbit can't get into mischief and they can be trained not to do certain things, but you need to figure out the bunny proofing thing because they some rabbits do like to eat some of the baseboards or carpet or Cored that they can reach, they will chew through it or or cords, and actually I've been very fortunate that none of my my rabbits have done that.
Speaker 3:But I know some foster rabbits would love to do that until they're they're trained Not not to do it. So you want to manage your own expectations by bunny proofing.
Speaker 2:One of my bunnies. Her name is Bella and she is the sassiest. She's got the biggest personality ever and she, she was. I had. I used to have four bunnies, but I only have two now and she was the only girl of all of them and so she kind of ruled the rules, the roost, and If I'm doing something or she wants attention and I'm not giving it to her, like she will. She knows she can't chew on the cords, but she'll look at me, pretend like she's gonna go bite the cord. I'm like, oh no, and she is a stomper. You know, I'm like I didn't even do anything to make. Like what are you upset about right now? But they're so cute I just let them free roam in my bedroom. So I just shut the door when I'm not at home, because we do have two dogs. But they love the bunnies. Mm-hmm, bunnies don't love them as much as the dogs love them. But, um, every morning when I wake up, they hear my alarm clock go off and they come out and they stand up on their hind legs.
Speaker 2:Ready for some kind of treat and water and hay and all the things, and they're just so excited. Mm-hmm. Yeah, you have really big personalities for mm-hmm. Little creatures.
Speaker 3:Yes, they do. Yeah, they're make very good companions. My rabbit they. They don't like to be picked up because they're animals, but they do love affection. They do love attention. I, my rabbit, sits next to me in a chair, or if she's out running around, she'll come flying across the room and she jumps up on the couch and tucks her head under my hand for pets and she is the nine pounder to so see her flying across the room, it just cracks me up every time how much air she can catch.
Speaker 2:And if you have never seen a bunny binky Like you, need to experience that in your life.
Speaker 3:Yep, you do joyful, joyful, yeah, joyful. And, as far as breeds go, one of the things I always used to say in classes that it's personalities aren't necessarily breed dependent. However, when we would get calls from the local rescues to come and get a rabbit because it had behavioral issues and they couldn't adopt it off the floor, it was because it was. It ended up that nine times out of ten it was one of the dwarf rabbits that are so stinking cute. You can't stand it, but you, you want to be careful, because they can have what I call Rabbitude, where the big white bunnies that you think are boring looking we call love sponges.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're more mellow. I feel like the bigger the bunny, the mellow where they are, don't you think yeah?
Speaker 3:absolutely, absolutely so, especially if you've got kids or a new to rabbits. Don't overlook the big, white, boring looking bunnies or the just the bigger bunnies in general. And don't some people think, oh, I've got a little kid, so I should get a little rabbit, and it's like, no, that's not the way that, that's not the best, the best idea.
Speaker 2:But and and all of this I had like. That's why we say like you should never give a bunny as a gift, because if you're gonna be a Bunny owner, you really need to do a ton of research. Take these bunny basic classes. Now you offer a bunny bonding class, which I think is awesome, because I really struggled with that and I wish that was something in that I could have learned from.
Speaker 3:Well, we try to give practical tips that work, but it's every bonding journey is different.
Speaker 2:So if somebody wants to adopt a bunny through MCRS, what is the process for that?
Speaker 3:Well, first off, we don't make it entirely really easy. You can't just walk in and get a rabbit, it's not the pet store.
Speaker 3:It's not the pet store, so there's a process. So all these rabbits have come from somewhere already. They're on their own journey, so we're just a stop off for them. They've all come from another kind of rescue so we're here to help those rescues keep their euthanasia numbers down. Like I said, we've adopted about 2,000 rabbits out since we've been in existence.
Speaker 3:So the first thing you do is you go online and you fill out an application. It says on there that you have to take the class. You take the class, then you have an interview. So you have the application, you have an interview, you have the class Then to adopt a rabbit. You can go on our website and find we have rabbits for adoption are listed on Pet Finder and Adopt a Pet. So they have the bios on there and those are written by the foster homes with some pictures and you can pick some rabbits that you think will fit in with your family and then you get to meet them. The foster homes bring the rabbit to the adoption event. The adoption events are twice a month, on Saturdays from about noon to two or three, and you get to meet and spend time with and talk to the foster homes. You get to meet those rabbits and we'll help you determine if this is an appropriate rabbit for you. But we give you a specific time, we give you a date so you don't just find our location and walk in and get a rabbit.
Speaker 3:None of the rabbits are housed at the location. It's an unmanned location and we don't publicize on the website the location because we don't want people thinking they can just dump a rabbit out on the doorstep. That has happened once and not that long ago the owner of the building, they luckily found the rabbit and were able to call us so we could get it. So it didn't sit outside in the winter. So, yeah, then you sign a contract and the contract says that if you cannot continue to care for the rabbit in the manner we've described, the rabbit comes back to us. So we want to make sure that the rabbit always has it's a home with us and we want to make sure that people aren't putting them on Craigslist. That people aren't. It was putting them outside as a stray, thinking that they can survive. And if you're having issues, even after you've taken the class and you've had the rabbit, we still want to try to work with you and make sure that any issues are resolved, but we take the rabbit back. No questions, no judgment, thank you.
Speaker 2:And I think the adoption events are super awesome because the buddies are not caged, they're just all free roam, like you said, in this area. That's not their territory, so it's neutral, and they all just kind of like hop around and it's so cute. Some of them are like, so like and I mean this in the nicest way but like crabby, like don't look at me, don't touch me, don't come by me. And then there's ones that are just like hopping around, happy as can be, but it's so fun to actually see them, not just cooped up somewhere and I know MCRS doesn't coop them up at all, but I'm saying, most people see bunnies at the Humane Society or the pet store and they're just in a small cage, right, they all look cute, but these ones, their personality just really shines.
Speaker 2:And you do really get a lot of time to interact with them and make a decision or think about it. I love that. I love that you guys do a really good job. I know on your Instagram I follow you and you're always showing the new bunnies that are available for adoption with their bios, and sometimes I'm like that one is so cute, I'm so bad, but I can't. I have to say no for a while. I know, and I also think, like, if you think you wanna own a bunny, I think fostering is a really awesome experience, to get to experience a lot of different types of breeds of rabbits and it's okay. Like, if you wanna foster but you really wanna have a bunny, like it's okay to foster fail in that situation, because then it's really like trial and error. You kinda get to see if you guys are a good pair before making a commitment to something you're not sure about.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I always recommend doing that. And then we know the rabbits got an even better chance of having a good home, so we love it when that happens. I do know on people who say to me oh, I can't do a foster because I could never let the rabbit go. It's like once you experience the joy that comes from getting a rabbit who maybe has some issues, getting the rabbit socialized and acclimated and happy and comfortable, that in itself is a win. But then when you see the rabbit paired with somebody who's going to adopt and they're so happy, you just can't help but feel grateful and happy for what you've done. And then you get to take another rabbit. We always have another rabbit for you to take so you can start the process all over again. So it's very rewarding and it's rewarding to see the rabbit get a good forever home.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's super. I feel like you're both successful, you and the bunny. Like, if you kind of like, build a bond, you enhance their personalities so that they can adjust with other people and then, when they do find their home, I feel like it feels successful for me, like when my bunny got adopted.
Speaker 2:I'm like, yes, I did it, I got this bunny like a forever home and yes, now let's do it again. Yes, exactly, yeah, yeah. So happy hour. I kind of have not been involved with MCRS since COVID, but happy hour is such an amazing thing. Do you guys still do that? Okay?
Speaker 3:we used to do. We had a really lovely partnership with the Animal and Human Society and every other Sunday they would give us their huge auditorium in Golden Valley that we set up with tarps in the middle of the room and 100 to 150 privately family rabbits would come and run and binky and we would all sit on the perimeter and I'd had people say, oh, it looks like a campfire, it's so soothing, oh, it's like watching the ocean, and you really never, ever understand how many different breeds and sizes there are, until you see 100 to 150 rabbits running around together. We have it is a neutral space. So we do have what we call bunny bouncers. So the bunny bouncers they're the only ones, only people who are allowed on the mats and would break up any altercations. Sometimes, when rabbits aren't used to it, they'll maybe pick a fight or try to do some mounting to show some dominance. But the more often they come, the more they know what the rules are and they have a great time.
Speaker 3:And once COVID hit, it got shut down with everything else and, like I was saying about, some of us are aging out the woman who is managing that. She's retired from that Now. We could possibly get it going again. Instead we are having a truncated, a smaller version at the our South St Paul location, which is, like I said, an unmanned location, but that is every other Sunday from one to two o'clock and it is a lot smaller and it works fine. So we just had last Sunday we had just the most delightful happy hour. It was the holiday happy hour and it was, and we do photo booths, like there's pictures with Santa and they have a beautiful Santa outfit and an elf and a fireplace backdrop and a tree and it's just. It was really nice and lots of other things. But then the happy hour for the rabbits was there as well.
Speaker 2:And they always had an opportunity for, like you could pay to get your bunny's nails trimmed because that can be a struggle for people.
Speaker 3:Yes, yep, absolutely Nail. Trim is 10 bucks.
Speaker 2:So happy hour, bunny spa, bunny with Santa, I mean, it truly doesn't get any hoppier than that.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:I mean, when I would go to those events I would bring all four of my bunnies, which was so it was a lot, but gosh, it was so fun. And you wouldn't see somebody not smiling in that place. Everyone was just delighted.
Speaker 3:People would walk by and they're like what?
Speaker 2:What am I looking at? And then you know you can't go. Like you said in the, it's like taped off or whatever. So you'd be like come here, come here, Like trying to get the bunnies to come Give them a little nose rub. It was so cute. Yep, Do you still do bunny agility?
Speaker 3:You know that went by the wayside as well. That was really a fun thing to do. It's a good activity for kids and adults to interact with the rabbits. We put the rabbits in the H harness and we build it. We have people who built a bunny size obstacle course with teeters and bridges and swings and water, whatever Hurdles, hurdles and stuff and the rabbits would run around the course and some of them just really took to it and would do it on their own even. It was the cutest thing. One time a few years ago we had a booth at the Renaissance Festival in the pet area and we had a miniature obstacle course or course set up, but they had a dog one which was next to ours and the dog people took a break and took a break with their dogs and we had our rabbits running the dog one.
Speaker 3:And then of course the dog people are. You know, rabbits aren't pets, I'm telling you A dog is a pet, or rabbits aren't pets or rabbits don't belong there. But our rabbits were running the course and they were like, whoa, wait a minute, this is wrong. No, my dog can barely do this.
Speaker 2:You can't have a rabbit doing this and they're super smart animals and they also like, with them, getting into mischief. Often they like to get into mischief if they're bored, so the more stimulated, you can keep them the less trouble they're gonna cause. Yes, exactly, that's awesome. So if somebody is, you know, you said people say I can't foster because I can't give them up, or I can't foster I don't have the space, or how else can you contribute to help the Minnesota companion rabbit society?
Speaker 3:Well, one thing is is that we have, like I said, we have a lot of volunteers that aren't foster homes and right now we're in need of a volunteer coordinator and we're in need of an event coordinator. So those are two means that we have right away. We do have staff that is doing the newsletter, the Instagram, the Facebook. We have a website.
Speaker 2:And I think whoever is doing that is doing a really good job. So, if you're listening, kudos, because I think it's, I think it's top notch- Good, good, that's nice.
Speaker 3:So you can. You can also donate. You have, you can be a reoccurring, a sustaining donor. We do have. On our website you can buy t-shirts that are really cute as heck and real quick.
Speaker 2:I know you can't see me right now, mary, but I'm actually wearing the Hoppy holidays hoodie. Oh, okay, super cute.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, and they still have that up in a variety of other ones. So, yeah, you can, you can do that. They do have, I believe, a wish list at the end of the newsletter. Oh yeah, on Amazon, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think they even have a link where you can just buy stuff that they need. I was also going to circle back on that. If you do become a foster, the organization is really good Like you never. You know, they help, they supply the hay, they supply the pen for your bunny, they supply all the things so that you don't have to pay anything out of pocket for that, except for the greens, greens and yes, and litter box. Yeah, okay, okay.
Speaker 3:I was gonna say I know you guys cover like the big stuff, and then also if there's any kind of medical emergency.
Speaker 2:You guys, help facilitate that as well.
Speaker 3:Yes, you have to go. We go through us and we have a. We have vets, authorized vets, that take, take the rabbits. Rabbits are considered exotics, and so it's not just any vet that can see a rabbit, it has to be specific ones that have exotic training.
Speaker 2:So yeah, but you have to. Do you guys, do you still do?
Speaker 3:online auctions no, oh, I love those. I think the first one or two wasn't very successful, and so they they quit doing it, and I think we needed a volunteer for that, and so they they quit doing that.
Speaker 2:There was a time where you guys had some artists that were drawing pictures of of bunny rabbits, and I still have. I got one at the auction and I still have it hanging on my wall.
Speaker 3:So I think of it.
Speaker 2:I think of that auction all the time because I just walk by and go to it. And I'm like I'm so glad I won this. Oh, oh, Because you can't just go buy it. Somebody actually drew it yeah. And framed it and yeah.
Speaker 3:I love it yeah.
Speaker 2:Is there anything else you want to share with us, Mary?
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, don't. I don't think so. I think I'm good. Yeah, I think I'm good. We have a link on our website too If you have questions. We have people who answer email questions or will direct your request to the appropriate people. We have some schools who sometimes ask us to come in and talk, talk to their students, and we do some of that, and we just did one for the university at River Falls and some high schools and do a couple couple things like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess that's pretty much it. Yeah, I mean, you guys do a lot, yeah, and your website is super informative. The classes that you offer are super informative. Like you said, they're free, right? So yes, absolutely. You just have to sign up, yeah, and then that's really, I guess, all that I had, other than what's next for you things that you're looking forward to any goals with the organization.
Speaker 3:Just you know what, just to keep it going as well as it's going. I really appreciate what our founders the process that they set it up set up. We don't do the high hysteria that some organizations do. We try to be pretty pragmatic and I always say when we decide what we're doing for the organization, it's like what is the best thing for the rabbit? Make our decisions based on what's best for the rabbit.
Speaker 3:I've heard that people say they volunteer with like rabbit or rabbit, but rescue organizations because they feel like their own lives are out of control In some area. They can control it and it really isn't true. You have to really work with people and you really have to know what's best for the animal and work to that end as a goal. So I'm really proud of the fact that the organization has been in existence and done as well as it has for so long and we're looking good right now. We've got a real good strong volunteer base. We've got a good strong board. So I'm just looking forward to getting the new generation up and going and that's just been very rewarding to do.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and telling us all about bunnies, and I get a lot of questions about bunnies, so I thought that you would be a great resource to talk to.
Speaker 3:Good, I appreciate the invitation. Yes, because we always like talking about bunnies.
Speaker 2:I know it just brings out the happiness. You can't be not happy talking about bunnies.
Speaker 3:Yep, and every time I walk by my rabbit I just you know I'm happy and she's happy to see me and I'm happy to see her. Yeah, they're cute.
Speaker 2:They're cute. Do you only have one bunny right now, Mary?
Speaker 3:One right now. I always say I'm not a crazy bunny lady. I'm always in awe of people who have more than two.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I know I had four, that was I bet off more than I can chew, for sure, but that's a lot. But now I only have two, so that's a lot easier. So, yeah, that is All right. Well, thank you, mary, so much. I'm going to let you continue on with your day and if you want to foster or adopt a rabbit, make sure you hit up MCRS, which is Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society, and they are a great resource for you to adopt a bunny in 2024.
Speaker 3:Thank you for listening. Everybody Appreciate it. Bye, Bye.
Speaker 2:It was so nice talking to Mary. I really miss her. I know her personally. We went through a phase where we fostered a handful of bunny rabbits and worked with her chunk on X he was so cute he was almost my.
Speaker 2:He was almost our foster fail, but he did get adopted really quick because he's so cute, he is cute. But she's a great. She's a great woman with a lot of great resources and she's just awesome to work with. So, anyway, a few highlights or takeaways that I wanted to really put out. There is owning a bunny is a big commitment and it's harder than you think, and a bunny rabbit should not just get put in a cage and live there.
Speaker 1:It's, yeah, there's a lot.
Speaker 2:It's more than a dog, trust me it is, and the MCRS, the Minnesota Companion Rebit Society. They offer so many programs and resources and most of them, if not all of them, are free. And if you're not sure if a bunny is for you, do all the education, the free education, foster the bunny. They give you all the supplies that you need and then if you really like it, then you know maybe a bunny is right for your family or you can. It's okay to be a foster fail and find a bunny that you like and and foster them. And all those bunnies are neutered and they're. They're way. It's way cheaper to buy a bunny through a adopt, a bunny through a rescue, because they're already going to be neutered or spayed. And if you go to the vet for a neuter or a spay for your bunny, I mean that costs hundreds of dollars.
Speaker 1:Yeah, doesn't it cost like almost 500?
Speaker 2:I mean some places.
Speaker 1:I mean I would say three to 500 bucks to get your bunny spayed or neutered.
Speaker 2:That's a lot because they're considered exotics and not everybody will take care of a bunny. So, anyway, do you have a? Would you rather for me? I do. You ready for it?
Speaker 1:I'm ready for it. All right, Would you rather eat a? Eat a pot of soil from your backyard or drink a glass of toilet water?
Speaker 2:Toilet water hasn't been peed in.
Speaker 1:No, no, I'll drink the toilet water.
Speaker 2:I feel, like I could get that down way faster than trying to eat dirt. Do you remember?
Speaker 1:I think that is tasty, do you? I'm kidding, do you?
Speaker 2:remember what was that challenge you guys did with, like the, I want to. It wasn't ginger cinnamon challenge.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah it's so hard to get down? No, because cinnamon it's like really dry. That's why it's so hard. It's because cinnamon is really dry, so are you going to make the dirt mud?
Speaker 2:Can you add water to make it slide down your? Because I feel like it's going to be the same.
Speaker 1:I feel like if you were to be driving, you choke on it and you choke on.
Speaker 2:How are you going to get how much? How much is it that you have to eat? A pot that's like a like so that could be a big pot or a little pot.
Speaker 1:You put in a pot that's like not that big of a pot.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm telling you.
Speaker 1:Like a small pot, like a big pot, like a normal sized pot.
Speaker 2:Like a weed pot.
Speaker 1:No, oh my God. No, you know what. You know what? To a pot I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:I do, I do Okay. So you're eating dirt and I'm drinking water.
Speaker 1:No, I'm drinking water. Oh, you are Okay, I know.
Speaker 2:I feel like it'd just be too hard to get down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2:I like the concept of dirt better than toilet water.
Speaker 1:Maybe I don't even know, but I just feel like as long as you flush the toilet before you drink it, it won't be that bad.
Speaker 2:The ease of getting it down quickly would be toilet water.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I have a funny joke for you ready, Speaking of toilet water, what is the best way to cook toilet paper?
Speaker 1:Toilet roll.
Speaker 2:Brown it on one side.
Speaker 1:That is nasty. That is nasty because you wipe on one side. That is nasty.
Speaker 2:I mean you wipe once and then you should like yeah you fold it again, but I know you use the entire roll.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do, yeah. No, it takes you much time to oh one fold.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's not resourceful, you're just killing trees.
Speaker 1:I'm not killing trees, you can just plant more your butt hole is killing the trees. But I can just always plant more, so it's not that bad. How?
Speaker 2:many trees have you planted in your life?
Speaker 1:Like 10.
Speaker 2:10? Yes, where.
Speaker 1:Where's my dad?
Speaker 2:At his house.
Speaker 1:No, at Dino's house you want to like trees for some reason, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Okay, Well, there you go. Good job See.
Speaker 1:I've probably killed about 10 trees now, anyways, time to plant some more? Yeah, I guess so Probably.
Speaker 2:Well, everyone thanks for stopping by and listening to another episode of Honor Best Behavior. We'll be back next week.
Speaker 1:Hey guys, welcome back to Honor Best Behavior. I'm McHenry Red Kelly. Good job. Oh, dude, I got that voice, kelly, that was crazy.
