18.3.09
Last night's grooming efforts were a little more promising than they've been. I finally felt as though I've made some progress on Cosset's matts. The huge muff under her neck is finally gone. She hates being on her back, but I see now that I can get to most of her from the top side. I also got a new, smaller slicker brush and small scissors the other day, and they are making my job much easier. I can't believe how different the grooming needs of each of these rabbits. Prissy's coat is not shiny at all, but incredibly dense. She has these bristle hairs all over her back that are almost 5 inches long. Underneath is tons of soft wool and she doesn't seem to tangle or matt at all. Cosset and her baby Junior have new matts every time I turn around, especially in the fine hair between their ears, and I'm afraid they are going to have to be groomed daily. Butch is kind of in the middle. His coat is super fine and soft, and will matt, but not at the same alarming rate. One of my problems with documenting all this better is that I have no macro lens! Yes, I continually find the need for more gear. It's a flaw, but doesn't everyone need to be able to take good closeups of their rabbits?
I did go ahead and order a blower, a Mini-Circuiteer, which had been recommended to me by a rabbit buddy. The nice folks at pwfh.com were super helpful in sorting out what I needed. I didn't realize that the Mini K-9 and the Mini-Circ are actually the same machine, made by the same company, but the Mini K-9 is marketed to dog groomers and so costs an additional $50 on average! I was able to get the Mini-Circ but with the more flexible (dog grooming) hose at the regular Mini-Circ price, and in a great retro color that will look fab in my house. Nothing like talking to a real person when you're buying something. A blower may be an extravagance, but I need all the help I can get.
Prissy is much more outgoing already than Cosset or Butch. She will come up and nose me like a dog, and hop at top speed around the kitchen (the rabbits can't come in the rest of the house, that is dog territory). I love her dark brown eyes against her white coat and the little bit of grey frost on her nose and ears. She is so huge and striking. Cosset and Butch are still wary, taking it all in. Junior is funny, friendly and active, which is a relief since he hadn't been handled hardly at all at four months. I wonder how much of this is rabbit personalities and how much is due to handling, imprinting, etc. Nature or nurture, isn't that always the question? I am looking forward to reading Stories Rabbits Tell, which promises to shed a lot of light on bunny behavior.
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I think you're doing great with the photos you've been taking. As for macro/close-up lens, doesn't your dig cam have one?
ReplyDeleteIs there a chance you might introduce the bunnies to the dogs one day or is that just no go territory?
The kit lens that came with my Rebel is supposed to focus at about a foot, but to me those photos always look like crap. I can't seem to get the lovely shots of yarn and such that I'm after with that lens. I will learn to make it cooperate one of these days! Do you have any tips? For now, I'm much more satisfied with the results from the iPhone and the Holga.
ReplyDeleteThe dogs and bunnies have been introduced, and they visit through the kitchen gate, but I'm not sure I'll ever feel comfortable letting bunnies run the house with dogs inside. Problems can happen so fast, and I don't want the bunnies stressed. My older dog barely tolerates the company she's had her whole life, and so dog interaction must always be carefully monitored. Hell, we barely let the Chi down on the floor!
Do the close-ups look out of focus or is it something else? On a lot of cameras, there's a macro setting usually indicated by a flower icon or something like that. Usually, once in that macro setting, the camera will try to focus for you up to a point but then you have to basically adjust the camera distance from the object to get it really in focus.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't know any dogs I would trust alone with a bunny either. Even if Stella, my Dane, didn't decide to try one out as a chew toy one day, she'd almost definitely end up sitting on it at some point.
I've found with my bunnies that the Germans have more guard hair and don't matt at all while the ones with French in their pedigree matt in certain places in the blink of an eye - between the ears, under the chin, one buck on each cheek. It's amazing how very different their coats can be when they all look so very alike.
ReplyDeleteI *like* your pictures! I thought you were going for artistic ;-)
Thanks, Cat. I am always going for artsy, but I'd like some more variety in terms of doing closeups.
ReplyDeleteFred, I think my problem is that I'm always trying to do low-light photos and this lens is too slow to do closeups indoors at night. I guess it's one of the challenges of being a night owl. Maybe this will help me get my ass out of bed at a decent hour. Thanks :)