Major underestimation!

Well, I slightly underestimated how many baby bunnies we have. We have about eight I think!! Exactly two weeks in the nest turned the little munchkins into real bunnies that I can now identify with. They are now proper little fluffballs with their ears sticking up and they are lovely and round and all bouncing around looking very curious. They still haven't ventured out of their nest yet but I can see most of them are all white with pink eyes but two are black & white (one with striking black eyes - kind of looks like an English Spot with the black line running down its back).

We're a little overwhelmed with how many baby buns there are but I'm just happy they are all healthy. They will be staying with their mum for another 10 weeks as Lucky will be very bonded to them and continues to feed them for around 2 months. At around 10-12 weeks she will lose interest in them and that's when we will probably move her away from them and separate the sexes.

We will be looking for good homes for all the baby bunnies so if you would be interested in adopting one (or preferably a bonded pair), please email us. We will be attempting to raise lots of money in the meantime to pay for desexing & vaccinations before the babies are adopted out. If you would like to donate any funds towards Lucky & her babies, please email us for details.

Baby bun update

I saw Lucky's babies for the first time on Wednesday. They still haven't emerged from the nest and the spot they are in is quite awkward to access so after they were one week old I had a bit of a look inside with a torch. I think it must have surprised and frightened them a bit as they started leaping around like little seals bouncing into each other. I think I saw three and the black & white one is particularly bouncy so he dominated the viewing. I didn't look for long as I was worried they would hurt each other. They had their eyes open and their little ears are very small and kind of pinned back at the moment. It will be very interesting to see the babies appear soon as they are getting bigger and should soon be able to walk.

Lucky is doing very well and is a great mum. I don't feel worried about the babies at all as she knows better how to look after them than I do. She is eating lots of food and I top up her pellets throughout the day so she always has something to eat. She loves her hay which is great and her poos are huge now thanks to the oaten hay. Her face is healing quite quickly and she's taking food from my hand now. She won't let me touch her yet but I think once the babies are out and about I'll be able to sit with them all and she will probably trust me a lot more.

Lucky bunny

It's been a week since Lucky arrived at our house. She's improved heaps and doesn't run away nearly as fast when we feed her. She loves dandelion leaves and everything else we are feeding her. I've been told that we need to have lots of food on hand for her so she knows she's safe and won't abandon the babies.

Apparently the reason why rabbit mothers leave their babies for most of the time is because the babies are born without a scent so predators cannot find them. The babies are most at risk when the mother enters the nest to feed them so she only feeds them once a day at around 4-5am. The babies are then recovered with the warm fur and she spends the rest of the time as far away as possible.

I did a search around the area this week to see if anyone had reported a bunny missing. I copped a bit of flack from another forum because I said I would not find the owners as Lucky was in such a bad state. So I called the RSPCA, vets in the area, looked through local papers for ads & went to the Keysborough Shelter. No one had reported her missing which didn't surprise me. She's here to stay now and we'll help her raise the little ones.

Congratulations, you're a mummy!

The bunny that we brought in from the cold last week has now had babies! I didn't even know she was pregnant until yesterday when I found the hay that I thought she'd eaten had been moved inside the box she sleeps in. I felt her tummy and it was moving. I could feel at least two babies and they were big! Today she started plucking out fur to make a nest so I left her alone so she wouldn't get frightened and when I felt her tummy this afternoon, there's no movement!! I think they were born today as I heard a bit of rustling coming from the box!

I've never had a bunny with babies before (except when I was very young and that didn't go too well!). My mother thought the rabbit wasn't paying enough attention to the babies and brought them all inside trying to feed them with an eye dropper until 2am. Needless to say, none of them made it. It turns out that rabbits usually give birth but then spend a bit of time away from the nest but return to feed etc. If we had left them alone with the mother, all the babies would have probably been fine. So, with this situation she is on her own and I will not interfere!

I am a bit worried about the mother though as I think she has probably had some kind of head injury. She seems to lose concentration when standing still and her head slides sideways every so often. It's not a tilt and she corrects herself but something has happened to her along the way to make me suspicious of her history. She is definitely white under all the dirt. I noticed today that she has a ring of white unmarked fur around her middle so she might have been caught somewhere for a period of time.

Pancake Tuesday

How about that! Pancake has her own day. She shall be celebrating with a fresh tray of hay, yummy greens and perhaps a run up and down the loungeroom at full speed!

Update on lost bunny - I probably got a bit hot headed about the new bunny but now she is looking better I'm keeping an eye out for any advertisements from anyone who might have lost this little bunny (found in the Oakleigh area). She is doing a lot better and is eating everything in front of her including a whole tray of hay right down to the newspaper lining. She was so tired that she looked like she was nearly falling asleep standing up! Her facial injuries are probably okay and now just need to heal. She is not running away as quickly now when I go near her and I still can't pat her just yet as she looks like she's still very scared of people.

Scared Wet Little Guy

Yesterday I found a little bunny on the side of the road huddled against a fence in heavy rain. It was cold, wet and injured, not to mention terrified. With the weather we've been having in Melbourne over the last 30 hours meant this little guy has probably been left to fend for him/herself throughout wild storms. I have no intention of finding whoever is responsible for leaving this rabbit outside in the cold and I don't believe they should be entitled to any information about its whereabouts now. I'm sure they probably don't care and expect it's been killed by a dog.

I stopped the car, picked it up and after it bit my arm through my fleecy top (BIG bruise!) and then defensely weed on me, I took it straight home, dried it off as best I could, gave it a quiet spot to relax with towels, cardboard box, food, water & a litter tray. After changing my clothes and having to return to work, a few hours passed and I returned home to check on the bunny. It was much better and more perky and surprisingly enough has used its litter tray straight away. It must have been very hungry as it's eaten everything but now hopefully the little guy is going to be fine.

I'm angry that people don't look after their bunnies as well as they should. Rabbits need far more attention and safe housing than running free in the backyard. Bring them inside people and be amazed at how clever a rabbit can be. You don't house your dog or cat in a tiny box outside and forget they're there do you? Everyone knows how clever dogs & cats are because people interact with them - why not rabbits???? Give them a chance & change the way people view these clever and highly intelligent animals.