May 7, 2010: Whisperer

We had the Horse Whisperer, Ghost Whisperer, and that really cool Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel.
There's also Pet, Wood, Lion, Book, Car, and Bear Whisperers.

Well, here is the Bunny Whisperer.

So if we make the assumption that the good doctor is well versed in tonic immobilization techniques,
where do you think he "massages" Peter Cottontail to get this response?

I'm sure poking his fingers down the rabbit's hole would do the trick.

lafs @ "hopnosis"

Awwwww....da bunny is in da state of bliss!

All ready for spit-roasting.

Hugh Heffner has been doing this for decades. How else could an 85 year old man get a 20 year old bunny in bed?

Money.

...

Lying a rabbit on its back makes it freeze and go into a trance. It can be quite dangerous to their health, and is done as a last resort by, for instance, vets and handlers to keep the rabbit still whilst examining them or whatever.

This is total bullshit.

re: Shaw: How many times do we have to tell you?

It's NOT lupus!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanaC Lying a rabbit on its back makes it freeze and go into a trance. It can be quite dangerous to their health, and is done as a last resort by, for instance, vets and handlers to keep the rabbit still whilst examining them or whatever. This is total bullshit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanaC Lying a rabbit on its back makes it freeze and go into a trance. It can be quite dangerous to their health, and is done as a last resort by, for instance, vets and handlers to keep the rabbit still whilst examining them or whatever. This is total bullshit.

The article says he is in demand amongst local vets. Maybe he is able to do it in such a way that it is less stressful than otherwise. It isn't hypnotism though.

Of course it isn't, it's hopnosis.

You can do much the same thing with chooks.

Most animals have this Tonic Immobilization (playing dead) response when they feel threatened.

There was even an observed case of this around 1998 where a killer whale induced tonic immobilization
in a great white shark by quickly inverting the shark where it was held still for 15 min.

I believe the shark died of asphyxiation.

I'm gonna put some cool patches on my shirt, like he has.

If only the Secret Service had known about this, they could have saved Jimmy Carter from a traumatic experience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum You can do much the same thing with cocks.

Pffft. I can do the same thing with our Yorkie when I rub her belly. Where's my white coat?

Shh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hopnotizing wabbits.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rditlkustoleit Most animals have this Tonic Immobilization (playing dead) response when they feel threatened. There was even an observed case of this around 1998 where a killer whale induced tonic immobilization in a great white shark by quickly inverting the shark where it was held still for 15 min. I believe the shark died of asphyxiation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brianna re: Shaw: How many times do we have to tell you? It's NOT lupus!

Contrast is bumped way up on that photo...

I believe that's called the marinating position.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx Contrast is bumped way up on that photo...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravdigr Shh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hopnotizing wabbits.

Ok, what you're all missing here is that this guy is in great demand. That means that in ONE town in England there are a lot of folks who will pay to have surgery performed on their rabbit!

We weren't missing it, we were hoping to pretend it wasn't happening.

lalalalalalalallalalalalalalalalal
I'mNotListeningI'mNotListeningI'mNotListeningI'mNotListeningI'mNotListeningI'mNotListening

But but but, a freaked out rabbit that size, can/will fuck you up. This guy has a hotline, and works for free, so why wouldn't a Vet use him to knock a bunny down, so they can get a needle in it?

Around here if you stepped back to take that picture of the petrified rabbit, a hawk would snatch it.

Link to Monty Python and the Holy Grail Rabbit scene on youtube

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce But but but, a freaked out rabbit that size, can/will fuck you up.

Y'know I had heard the word stoat before but never knew what animal referred to.

Those guys looked like weasels.

According to the dictionary, stoat = ermine = weasel.

Now maybe that's an oversimplification of the dictionary and ermine/stoat is a member of the weasel family.

Or it could be a British thing like lorry/truck and torch/flashlight.

Still I heave heard of ermine in terms of furs that royalty used to wear (maybe still do). I guess "Her majesty was resplendent in her weasel robe" probably sounds a lot better with 'ermine'.

tha'ss no ordinary stoat.


Look a' tha boooones!

I think Ermine is the winter coat of the stoat -white fur ...or something like that. Much rarer because the bastards hide more in the winter.

I actually witnessed a stoat chasing a rabbit in the Adirondacks once. The stoat and rabbit passed by me three times, they were several feet apart. They went back and forth each time the stoat was closer to the rabbit.

At the last pass, the stoat was about 25 feet from me and noticed me sitting there. He stopped and turned and came toward me! (Probably thinking he'd hit paydirt) When he was about 8 feet away I pointed my finger at him and in my most authoritative voice I shouted "Knock it off!" He stopped and resumed chasing the rabbit.

One of my most weird animal encounters.

A few years ago we took a friend of ours from this area, knee deep in deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc... up to the adirondaks. He described it as "a fucking petting zoo" because of the animal encounters. A chipmunk nibbled his toe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by squirell nutkin When he was about 8 feet away I pointed my finger at him and in my most authoritative voice I shouted "Knock it off!" He stopped and resumed chasing the rabbit. One of my most weird animal encounters.

Despite all it's prowess, my cat dragged a stoat home one day. That cat was an ass kicker.

P.S. Didn't eat it though.

Our cats in the UK once brought a live city pigeon -the big fat ones the size of a roast chicken- through the cat flap. It went under a bed and crapped everywhere. Also a live squirrel. And many that were dead and disected by the time we found them. they never ate the kidneys but always licked them clean.

Piece de resistance was a few days before our wedding we woke up to black shreds everywhere. My (black) wedding dress was hung on the back of the door. We're both short-sighted, couldn't see it well.... Never was a person so relieved to get out of bed and step in blackbird remains.

My friend and I saw two robins chasing a squirrel as we walked the other day. By the time I got my camera out, the tide had turned and the squirrel was after the robins....

(yes, I have discovered the "auto-enhance" since our discussions in the Treasure hunt threads! -what a weird function that is -I'm sure the grass wasn't that color...)

I guess I shoulda cropped too

Nah, you need the context. It's great the way it is.

We have chickens and fight endlessly against the rats that come for their spilled feed. We've taken to leaving the gate to the pen open at night after closing them in their coop. This provides access to the local cat to hunt the rats that spend the night trying to squeeze, climb, or chew their way into the coop.

Last night our son was laying out on the brick walkway looking at the stars when hideous animal screams started from the coop about 10 feet away. Simultaneously he got a whiff of skunk and saw a bright shooting star.

He was right on the path to the pen and feared he'd have a panicked skunk running into him so he got up briskly. Looking in the direction of the recent commotion he saw a skunk carrying a very large rat in its mouth farther into the heavily planted area of the pen.

We had no idea skunks were rat predators! We are quite happy about it too.

Skunks will also kill chickens. A farmer friend hates skunks, they'll get into the pen and start killing chickens, eating them alive. I'll spare you the gruesome details, but it's slow and unpleasant.

OTOH, their fur is exceptionally soft and luxurious (luxuriant?) and was called "American Sable" Until the sable industry lobbied to prevent confusing names. When American Sable had to be called skunk, it lost a lot of appeal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster (yes, I have discovered the "auto-enhance" since our discussions in the Treasure hunt threads! -what a weird function that is -I'm sure the grass wasn't that color...)

Quote:

Originally Posted by richlevy Y'know I had heard the word stoat before but never knew what animal referred to. Those guys looked like weasels. According to the dictionary, stoat = ermine = weasel. Now maybe that's an oversimplification of the dictionary and ermine/stoat is a member of the weasel family. Or it could be a British thing like lorry/truck and torch/flashlight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster My friend and I saw two robins chasing a squirrel as we walked the other day. By the time I got my camera out, the tide had turned and the squirrel was after the robins....

This is our chap (from the Wiki page European Robin)

I doubt he could carry an empty coconut...

Yes, SG, they're totally different birds, just both happen to have red breasts -American robins are HUGE -probably can't tell from the pic, though, 'cause Michigan Squirrels are also HUGE. -thet driveway behind them is two car width. Those paving slabs on the sidewalk are about 4 feet wide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPUCK Around here if you stepped back to take that picture of the petrified rabbit, a hawk would snatch it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravdigr Why, hell, boy!! Around these parts one of our squirrels would have that rabbit on the street and turning tricks within a fortnight.

Ta Monster. I did think it looked a bit beefier than our little bundles of fluff. Seriously, though - are American robins associated with Winter/ Christmas?

I'd also like to add that now our chooks are getting bigger, I carry them on their backs. I take them out to the outside run when it's sunny and their wings are now strong enough to cause themselves some damage if not held right. It stops the the distress call which works the remaining chick up, making it harder to handle when I come back.

Mrs G (a chicken owner as well as teacher) was impressed that I knew to do this. I thought I'd sound irresponsible if I said I'd learned it on t'internet.

American Robins are the emblem of Spring, although they often hang around in winter if there is enough food.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl Mrs G (a chicken owner as well as teacher) was impressed that I knew to do this. I thought I'd sound irresponsible if I said I'd learned it on t'internet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl Ta Monster. I did think it looked a bit beefier than our little bundles of fluff. Seriously, though - are American robins associated with Winter/ Christmas?

That is a really cool looking bird.

And very common. I always expect the brightly colored birds to be the less common ones. Lots of bluejays here too, this picture doesn't really do it justice.

this thread is off topic.

spank us!

Me first!

Ohio and 6 other states have the Cardinal as the state bird. Oh I hate to be mainstream. I'd rather have the Turkey Vulture. One flew in front of my car the other day, wing span about 6 feet. They're ugly yet amazing! Blue Jays aren't claimed by any state. They're beautiful, but kinda mean.

Here's a big old vulture. Their heads are like that so they can easily get them inside the dead rotting carcasses.

Looks sort of like a dysfunctional super-hero.
"My special power is that I can smell rotting things from several miles away."

State Bird = Crow
State Flower = Black Rose
State animal = Bat
State plant = Black mold.