Lost and Found
First of all, a belated Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there!!
I'm back from a lovely vacation in Europe. Spent 10 days in Switzerland and three in France. Mike, Autumn, and I travelled with my in laws. We spent lots of time meeting Mike's extended family who still live in Switzerland. We also did some hiking in the Alps, visited old churches, and did a little "touristy" sight seeing in Paris. I will attempt to post pics and some details over the coming weeks/months.
We came home Saturday night to find that one of our pet bunnies was missing. We searched the house and couldn't find any sign of the missing pet. Finally got in touch with the pet sitter, who told us that very early in our trip (third day or so), he discovered the pen was empty, but still closed. This bunny, Tao, frequently escapes from her pen, so that wasn't too surprising. But he couldn't find her anywhere either. He opened the pen and put food out, hoping to entice her back into it. But over the following week+, there was no sign of her. He searched up and down for her. He tried to call us, but my cell phone service was erratic in Europe, so he never got through to us.
By the time we got home Saturday night, Tao had been missing for about 10 days. We gave up all hope of ever seeing her again. I figured if she were still in the house, she was dead and rotting-- but we couldn't smell anything like that. My guess was that she somehow sneaked outside while the petsitter was entering or leaving.
Late last night, Mike detected very faint scratching sounds from the kitchen. He walked around trying to locate the source, but it stopped when he moved. After staying stil and quiet for a while, he heard the sound again. He opened and looked through all the cabinets (again), but couldn't find the source of the sound.
Finally, he got on the floor to look into the cabinets. In the cabinet directly under the kitchen sink, one side panel has an opening at the top that's about three inches high. You can't see it unless you are very low and looking up at it. Still not certain that there wasn't just a mouse or something behind the wall, Mike put a leaf of lettuce through the hole. It was vigorously pulled out of his hand, and the sound of munching followed. He found Tao!
Obviously, the little mischief maker found her way into the hole, and could not get back out. She was stuck between two kitchen cabinets which meet at an angle, so there is a triangular space between them. Of course, we had no way of reaching into the small opening to get her out again, either. So... we pulled out the saw and cut apart the side of the cabinet in order to free the poor, frightened and very skinny bunny.
The little critter is doing surprisingly well. I cannot fathom how she managed to survive 11 days trapped with no food or water. The vet said she looks fine and to let her eat as much as she wants until she gains the weight back. Tao's behavior is rather perky, considering all she has been through. We are so relieved to have her again, healthy and happy!
Now to figure out how to fix the cabinet...
I'm back from a lovely vacation in Europe. Spent 10 days in Switzerland and three in France. Mike, Autumn, and I travelled with my in laws. We spent lots of time meeting Mike's extended family who still live in Switzerland. We also did some hiking in the Alps, visited old churches, and did a little "touristy" sight seeing in Paris. I will attempt to post pics and some details over the coming weeks/months.
We came home Saturday night to find that one of our pet bunnies was missing. We searched the house and couldn't find any sign of the missing pet. Finally got in touch with the pet sitter, who told us that very early in our trip (third day or so), he discovered the pen was empty, but still closed. This bunny, Tao, frequently escapes from her pen, so that wasn't too surprising. But he couldn't find her anywhere either. He opened the pen and put food out, hoping to entice her back into it. But over the following week+, there was no sign of her. He searched up and down for her. He tried to call us, but my cell phone service was erratic in Europe, so he never got through to us.
By the time we got home Saturday night, Tao had been missing for about 10 days. We gave up all hope of ever seeing her again. I figured if she were still in the house, she was dead and rotting-- but we couldn't smell anything like that. My guess was that she somehow sneaked outside while the petsitter was entering or leaving.
Late last night, Mike detected very faint scratching sounds from the kitchen. He walked around trying to locate the source, but it stopped when he moved. After staying stil and quiet for a while, he heard the sound again. He opened and looked through all the cabinets (again), but couldn't find the source of the sound.
Finally, he got on the floor to look into the cabinets. In the cabinet directly under the kitchen sink, one side panel has an opening at the top that's about three inches high. You can't see it unless you are very low and looking up at it. Still not certain that there wasn't just a mouse or something behind the wall, Mike put a leaf of lettuce through the hole. It was vigorously pulled out of his hand, and the sound of munching followed. He found Tao!
Obviously, the little mischief maker found her way into the hole, and could not get back out. She was stuck between two kitchen cabinets which meet at an angle, so there is a triangular space between them. Of course, we had no way of reaching into the small opening to get her out again, either. So... we pulled out the saw and cut apart the side of the cabinet in order to free the poor, frightened and very skinny bunny.
The little critter is doing surprisingly well. I cannot fathom how she managed to survive 11 days trapped with no food or water. The vet said she looks fine and to let her eat as much as she wants until she gains the weight back. Tao's behavior is rather perky, considering all she has been through. We are so relieved to have her again, healthy and happy!
Now to figure out how to fix the cabinet...