The Rabbitat project has officially ended. It was a pleasure to share the lives of Othello, Amelia and Ionesco with the world via this project. So many of you connected with the bunnies, and we all learned so much from the snapshots.

Unfortunately, Othello and Amelia passed away in the summer of 2007. Ion survives and has a wonderful life, sharing the backyard and house with our Westie.

Rabbitat was created to share the nuances of the daily life of three rabbits. Our typical viewers: (a) curious investigators, (b) not allowed to own pets or (c) truly love house rabbits.

Send us your questions. (Last modified Jan 27, 2007.)

Q: Do rabbits make for good companions?

A: It depends on a number of variables. They are an enormous commitment, because they require a sizeable amount of time each day and constantly crave social interaction. If you are short on time or resources, please consider a less dependent creature for a roommate. If you are destined for rabbitdom, please consult the House Rabbit Society, a fabulous resource for caretakers and prospective adopters alike. For the basics, be sure to visit their House Rabbits 101 feature. Please feel free to mail us if you would like to discuss adoption in detail and prefer first-hand answers.

Q: How did these rabbits enter your life?

A: Angela, my life-long love, was getting ready to leave for a seven-month internship in early 2001 when she surprised me by adopting Othello. We were working in different cities at the time, and she brought him home with her one weekend. He was adopted for his welfare as well as mine, and he soon became my best friend.

We were living in Colorado Springs when our second rabbit friend entered our life, once again by way of Angela who was working for a zoo at the time. In fact, Amelia spent her first few weeks in the classiest children's zoo around. She fit in my palm when she came home with us, and now she weighs at least twenty pounds!

In 2005, the bunnies and I moved to a larger house in California while Angela finished graduate school in Illinois. Frequent visits to the local House Rabbit Society prompted a new adoption. After several hours, Oth and Melie selected Hamlet Ionesco as the new member of the Rabbitat family. He was rescued from just south of the border (Tijuana, Mexico) and embraced with love upon moving in.

Q: When is "lights out"?

A: For obvious reasons, the dedicated lighting turns on at with the sunrise and off with sunset. We are in California, the pacific time zone. Twilight lights provide visibility the rest of the time and are subtle enough to permit several dark hours.

Q: What does their daily diet consist of?

A: Following HRS guidelines, they have an unlimited supply of timothy hay. Additionally, they receive four cups of fresh vegetables a day and fresh water as needed. With cute faces like those it is too hard to resist a treat or two each day — their favorites include fresh fruit, crunchy veggie pellets and yogurt drops.

Q: Why the crock of water? How do rabbits drink from that?

A: The crock is their one and only source for water. It is changed daily or as needed. They had the option of the standard-issue water bottle but none preferred it as much as the crock. In regards to how they drink, they lap it up with their tongue like most other domsticated animals. Afterall, there are no water bottles in nature.

Q: Are they litter-trained?

A: Yes, they are all litter-trained. Othello and Ion arrived to us trained. When Amelia arrived, Othello passed on his knowledge, who latched on to the concept within the first day. The large unit in the corner is their litterbox, and it is changed every other day. This is also where their supply of timothy hay is stored.

Q: What are the cardboard boxes for? And the textbooks?

A: Enrichment. They are there to provide hours of digging, chewing and destroying fun. They all love to flip pages in books. Othello and Ionesco do have a tendency to commandeer smaller, shoebox-like containers to use as a bed. If Amelia starts to tear into it, they stop her ("Hey! That's my bed!").

Q: When do they sleep?

A: Whenever they want. They are crepuscular by nature, meaning that they are most active at twilight. This comes from their ancestry as prey animals; it is too bright for nocturnal predators and too dim for daytime hunters. However, they seem to have no regular schedule and that is just fine with us.

Q: Are they noisy housemates?

A: Not especially. The only real noise they make is when they are digging, tearing or chewing on boxes and books.

Q: Do they ever get to have free roam?

A: Often — they are in the backyard every weekend, at the very least. Amelia typically races in circles and jumps 2-3 feet off the ground, Ionesco performs similiar, yet more spastic jumps side-by-side, while Othello prefers to alternate between strolling and sprinting. When they are unsupervised, they hang out inside of a 10'x8' pen enclosure. With supervision though, they have the entire backyard at their disposal. They especially enjoy the flower beds and hiding in the larger bushes.

Q: Where is the Rabbitat located?

A: It is housed at our design firm/home. Once upon a time the Rabbitat was a freestanding structure, then an entire room and now another structure (larger than the first). It is housed at the back wall of our art studio, which is convenient because it has access to open air and a door that leads directly to the backyard.

Q: Do you coexist with any other species?

A: Not at the moment. However, our West Highland Terrier, Casper, lived with them for many years. If you are wondering, he had a very diplomatic relationship with his lagomorph counterparts. He used to try and chase Othello (who would chase him right back), but when Amelia moved in, he was been distracted by her beauty. Casper always seemed amazed by Ionesco's white coat, one might expect him to exclaim "There's only room for one of us in this house!".

Q: What is Hello Friend?

A: Hello Friend is a design and interactive firm located in California. We offer design, interactive, development and strategy solutions. For further information, please visit our website or talk to us.

Q: What is the origin of that fantastic wallpaper?

A: The print in question is "Marigold" by the Arts & Crafts Movement.

Q: Hardware and software details, please?

A: Rabbitat is streamed from a dedicated Linux server. It makes active use of flexTPS (flexible TelePresence System). The cameras are made by Axis. The gallery as well as news updates are brought to you by a modified version of MovableType.