| Nifty ideas at the Rabbit Show! By Teresa Wooden |
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Carrots and Green Kale -- drop a small carrot and a leaf of Kale into the carrier
with the bunns. These foods will provide moisture, fiber, and keep the digestive
tract moving in cases of stress.
Acid Pak 4-way -- this put into the drinking water will provide electrolytes and
minerals that will help the bunny resist stress and fight dehydration.
Rolled Oats -- mixed into the feed in the carrier will help guard against diarrhea
brought on by stress and might keep the appetite going.
Vanodine -- this "cure all" elixir, when added to the drinking water, seems to make
even the most stubborn bunny start drinking again. I can't explain it, but I've seen it
work. We carry it with us, especially to cooped shows. Get it from Barbi Brown's
Bunnies. This is also used to spray over coop cages to sanitize before you place
your rabbit into them. Someone told me they use it as fly spray and it works. Heck,
if the person next to you is being a grump, just give 'em a spritz... it might make a
new person out of them.
Willow twigs -- can give a nervous rabbit something to do while providing small
amounts of chemicals (aspirin, really) that may help guard against diarrhea.
Old Towels -- thrown over the carrying cages at the show when the weather is
windy and cold, or just to keep nervous rabbits calm. Also keeps the cheese from
your son's nachos from dripping into the cage and making a cheesy rabbit.
Equipment:
Nifty stacked cage units on a wagon base! These carriers open on the sides
instead of the tops so that you don't have to keep shuffling cages to get to the next
group of bunnies. Wish we had some! I drool over them.... a little like that creepy
little guy in Lord of the Rings. "I needs them, my Precious!"
Gotta' get a cart -- a hand cart makes hauling those carriers soooo much easier.
Just pray they fit through the door.... (of course, if I had one of those cool stacked
cagey thingies on a wagon, I wouldn't need a cart... my Precious!)
Dry-Erase carrier tags -- one on top of each compartment so you can tell at a
glance who's in there. Just wipe off and use show after show. Where to get 'em...
hmmmm..... oh yeah! We sell them here. $2 for a set of six, with fasteners. Great
to use on your cages at home, too.
Dry-Erase message boards or blackboards -- for posting for-sale animals,
discounted for-sale animals, and "Please just take them, they're free!" animals..
1 to 3 gallon weed sprayer on wheels with handle -- makes carrying water and
filling the coop cups so easy. Just don't EVER use it for anything except rabbit
water. (and water balloons..) We found ours at the farm store. Any garden center
will have them.
Tattoo touch up single needle, tattoo ink -- for when you discover you forgot to
tattoo that one and it shows in five minutes. Just pop a number "1" into it's ear and
you're good to go.
Small sturdy plastic cooler -- keep all your grooming stuff in there and it doubles
as a box for the little ones to stand on at the show table.
Blower -- not just for wool breeds! Anna tried it out on her Mini Rex and
whoooeee!....did it ever improve the density and quality of the fur.
Blows out dead hair and dirt on every breed.
Dries wet rabbits after you wash the nacho cheese sauce off in the restroom.
Blows your wool woozies and candy wrappers into the next person's area, leaving
yours clean as a whistle.
Blows up balloons so you can goof off.
Dries your hair after the water balloon fight.
And finally, when you are blowing out several molting Woolies, it makes everyone
else move over and give you lots of room.
For You:
Folding camp chairs, camp table... we even see people with small children bring
TV's with VCR's and video games. Bring an extension cord.
Walkie Talkies -- great if you need to keep track of kids, are showing between two
buildings, or your spouse keeps trying to escape. Just be prepared... everybody
else has the same idea and the channels are full. (Lots of spouses trying to
escape.)
Foam sponge that picks up lint and wool -- Those rubber roller thingies don't
work. But this foam thingy really does the job. Of course, you can do just about as
well if you wet your hands, rub down your shirt, then roll the wool together into a ball
and throw it away. Or switch breeds.
Is anybody actually reading this? It's late... I'm tired. I'm getting punchy.
Aprons with pockets. -- Great for brushes, tools, cell phones and chinchillas.
(Don't ask.)
Tupperware container with home-made candy.-- You will make friends. Lots
of friends.
Hand Sanitizer in a pump bottle. They poop. 'Nuff said.
One folding table and a small side-line business...-- we have seen people selling
everything from Beanie Babies to school fundraiser candy to (get this) dry-erase
cage tags. Can you imagine. They seem to be making a few bucks, though.
Anything to try and put a dent in the black hole of Bunny Expenses. Maybe you
could just erect a sign saying "I accept charity."
Odds and Ends:
Baggies -- take a box of Baggies with you to send feed home with sales bunnies.
Breathe into a Baggie if you're hyperventilating because your teen-ager can't get
her act together.
Tape, paper clips, clothes pins, small roll of craft wire (to fix cages, coops
temporarily), and the obligatory Boy Scout knife with 23 nifty gadgets. Because life
is unpredictable...
Super Glue.-- You may not believe this, but if a rabbit gets a cut, you can actually
super-glue it together. No I'm not kidding. Just ask my vet. Just do not super-glue
the bunny to your apron -- It's a disqualification.
Kaopectate -- You can give about 1/2 cc to a bunny with diarrhea brought on by
stress from the show. Keep it handy on the ride home if you ate one of the
Bratwurst Bombs at the cafeteria.
A really good road atlas -- for when you get lost in
Illinois/Indiana/Ohio/Minnesota/Wisconsin/Michigan/and the middle of Chicago. Of
course, I want a GPS system -- just add it to the black hole of Bunny Expenses.
And I'm sure some of you could add even more nifty ideas to the list.
Send me the good ones and I'll tack 'em up here.
Hope I've given you at least one idea you can put to use on your way to your next
show. My job is done here.... HiOh, Silver! (Oh geesh... I really am punchy.)