Midwest Bunfest

Well since we are snowed in I figured it was as good a time to post twice today.  This would have been one long extended post but I also figured that these are two WAY different subjects!

First, where I wish I was (rather than freezing in West Verginia):

Debby taking picturses of some horses in a pasture on the Hana side of Maui

Midwest Bunfest, Saturday October 27, 2012, Whitehall Community Park Activities Building, Columbus Ohio

OK now the Bunfest! This event was a blast, We met some wonderful rabbit people, the speakers were fantastic and the vendors had wonderful products to sell!  I had Bogie there and he (as usual) was the star of the show.

Mr. Bogart hanging in his litter box at the fest!

There were a couple other Flemmys there but since Bogie is very experienced, and a bit of a celebrity, he shined. Bogie is an extremely calm guy and because he has been a Humian Education and Spokes-Bunny he has been in the public eye almost his entire life, he handles crowds better than the average rabbit. Many of the buns were nervous but not Bogie, he took many guests and about a million pets!  He really was made for this kind of event and did his very best to be an excellent Rabbit Ambassador, he was right in his element! Bogie also left with quite a nice bag of parting gifts including a nice bag of goodies from the Daton Area Rabbit Network, a willow wreath from Worfie’s Willow Wreaths, some absolutly beautiful hay, called “Crazy Tasty Hay®”, from Bingaling Bunnybox and some really nice treats from Plaid Rabbit Designs, he fully endorses all of these folks and the many other vendors that supported the Bunfest!

Crazy Tasty Hay

Now about this hay, talk about incredible! it is some wonderful stuff, we bought a bag for all the buns and I wish we had more room cuz our buns went crazy over the stuff!  This is the description from their website:  “This is a softer, sweeter hay grown for the particular tastes and smaller mouths of house rabbits. This is a combination of sweet orchard grass and Eastern Timothy hay, blended at seeding to deliver the most flavorful taste to bunnies. Our hay smells, well, different. It smells “candied”. But it is not. We do not add sugar or flavors to our hay. Unlike most hays, this is an Eastern Timothy hay that is grown with the orchard grass to create an amazing blend of sweet flavor and scent!”  All I can say it is some great stuff and when we get the chance we will get more for the kids, order some for your buns but be ready for a feeding frenzey!

Doc making his guest appearance

Doc also made an appearance at the fest, being his usual cute self!  He came in with me after a break and when I needed both hands to carry my snacks from the snackbar I stuck him in my jacket.  He liked it and spent about an hour hanging with me and meeting the folks at the fest.  He also made an impact as he is a special needs bun and showed that he was just at ready to travel and hang out as Bogie was!

Folks browsing the vendor area of the festival!

The fest was well attended and it seemed that the vendors did well and sold lots of stuff.  It really helped that all of the products were rabbit friendly and of very high quality!

As for the speakers, there were great topics covered such as:

  1. Emergency First Aid and Home Care Tips to Use With Your Rabbit
  2. Feed ’em weeds: growing and foraging for edible wild foods for your house rabbit
  3. Therapy Rabbits
  4. Dental Issues in House Rabbits – and How They Can Be Treated
  5. Keeping Your Rabbit Healthy: Wellness Exams and Best Bunny Food
  6. Digestive Issues You Should Absolutely Know About – GI Stasis and Bloat
  7. Bunny Basics: Easy and Innovative Ways to Care for Your Pet Rabbit
    • Heather Dean, Rabbit parent and foster mom for rabbits with special needs
  8. Bladder Sludge and Related Issues
  9. Bunnies in Baskets – Therapy Rabbits
  10. Best Friends Forever: Bonding Rabbits
  11. Bunny Play and Language
    • Linda Baley, Too Many Bunnies Rescue, CA
    • (Bogie was the Visual aide for this seminar and helped keep things on track!)
  12. Using Acupuncture to Help Your Rabbit
  13. Elder Bunny Care

The Ohio House Rabbit Rescue is the official sponsor for the Midwest BunFest.  They have partnered with rabbit rescues across Ohio and the surrounding states to build a network of individuals, organizations, and corporate partners to improve bunny welfare in our community.  The event had a Bunny Spa where trained volunteers, many of whom are registered veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants provided such services as:Nail Trims, Light grooming, Gland Cleaning, Mat Removal and Bunny Massage.  There was also The Bunny lounge, a place for visitors and their bunnies to take a break, relax, kick back, and meet some new friends! This was a place to give bunnies an opportunity to get out of tieir carrier or stroller and stretch out a bit. They had tables and chairs for the people and x-pens with litter boxes, water, and hay for the bunnies. Finally there was a raffle and a silent auction to raise much needed funds for the  Ohio House Rabbit Rescue.

Debby and I had a blast, Bogie had a chance to star once agian and Doc even got a chance to join in the fun.  After the event was over Phyllis, Skye (her daughter) Debby and I went out for a bite and have a nice chat, Debby and I went back to our RV park and fell fast asleep, We got up the following morning and headed south to avoid Sandy and what happened next will be covered in my next post.

If you are a rabbit person and are in Ohio next fall I would invite you to join in the fun, the knowledge that was shared was invaluable and the event is just plain fun!  Take care and I’ll be chatting at you soon!

Victor

2 comments
  1. Uncle Lenny said:

    UL is glad you are all well, despite the continuing “adventures” that add to an otherwise boring trip. I expected Bogie would be the hit of the show, after all, look who is handling him. Be well, be happy and sing “fun songs”, Mr. Denver!

  2. Chris Boortz said:

    BunFest sounds fabulous! Wish I had been able to go to something like that when I had my buns!

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