BOING's bunny news

June diary

2010-06-25T22:16:00.003-11:00

This month I found myself speaking to a number of people about their bunnies which always reminds me how much I didn't know when Dingleberry first came to live with us back in late 2001.

Our expectations for a rabbit were very low. Both Nimal and I didn't know much about rabbits and all we knew was stereotypical information about lettuce, carrots & hutches. Thank goodness for the US House Rabbit Society's website!! (http://www.rabbit.org/)

I imagine most people who get their first bunny make loads of mistakes... just like us!! This month reminded me how poorly we started out with Dingy. She really is lucky she's still with us! Fortunately for her, she was 8 weeks old when we took her home so she had been weaned from mum. Her younger siblings from the accidental second litter probably didn't have as good a start as Dingy. Unfortunately, we didn't really know what to feed her though. She suffered a terribly icky bottom from all those carrots we gave her, ate her way through several rugs and suffered many phantom pregnancies until we realised we should have her spayed.

Many of our bunnies now have the benefit of all that we have learned from Dingy. After she suffered a life threatening stasis episode in 2004, we started taking our bunny care far mor seriously. We almost lost her and that was a wake up call to us that we needed to find out far mroe about rabbits.

This month we also had a few buns that didn't feel so well. Izzy wasn't so well as she was moulting and went off her food for one day. Fortunately, she bounced back reasonably quickly.

Lulu, on the other hand (pictured above), was quite unwell for a few days. We were very worried about her. She sometimes has trouble going to the toilet and strains. It's very painful for her and she gets very tired. The pain of straining then makes her not want to eat, so stasis sets in. She was on critical care, fluids and pain relief for a few days until finally she passed some faeces. She was so happy after that and we are hopeful that she'll be okay for the next week as she is booked in for surgery to help her with her condition.

The problem is a small lump that sits near her bladder. We're nto really sure what the lump is yet but surgery will help to either remove it or attempt to open it up. The lump seems to cause a blockage at times when Lulu needs to go to the toilet. Of course, we're worried about Lulu and surgery, but if we can fix the condition, it will help Lulu for the future.

May diary

2010-06-25T21:34:00.003-11:00

Bunny get together

We were so excited and happy to have so many lovely and friendly bunny lovers over to the Do Hop Inn last month.

Thanks to everyone who came along!! We will do it all again later in the year.

12 month anniversary for farm buns

May celebrates the 12 month anniversary of our farm bunnies being released from their prison and coming to live with us. Poppy, Lulu & Isabelle have been having the best time since coming to stay. One year on and three bunnies who would not be here today, if they had stayed at the factory farm where they were rescued, are now very loved members of our family and we could not imagine life without them now.

Fox reminder

Sadly, May also marks the 12 month anniversary when we lost our Charlotte & Billy to a fox/dog attack. Please use this reminder to check your outside enclosures if your bunnies stay outside overnight. If you can cut the wire with a pair of scissors, a dog/fox can chew through. If a bunny can dig out, a dog/fox can dig in. If there is no roof, a fox/dog or hawk can get in. Please ensure that Charlotte & Billy's memory lives on to help your bunny live a stress free & safe life outdoors.

Bonding disasters

This month we attempted to bond Ally & Molly. They had several dates in person after living next to each other with a barrier between for a few months. The dates went okay but both were never really bonding with each other. They could never be left unattended as they would quarrel and fight. We are not fond of forcing a friendship so if the buns don't like each other, we'll find them a friend that they do like.

April diary

2010-06-25T21:20:00.004-11:00

Easter time means quite a few boarding buns coming to stay for the holidays. Some old friends and some new friends coming to stay at the Do Hop Inn. It's always fabulous to see such loved house buns!!

As we were expecting holiday buns coming to stay, there was a need to move some of our own buns around a little to free up space. It turned out to be a good idea! Cleaning up & moving things around was a very therapeutic exercise!!

Molly moved into Ally's room into a new enclosure. Our attempts to introduce Ally & Tinkerbelle doesn't seem to be a great match so Molly's new addition to the room is already making a difference to Ally. I think they might get along in the future!! (fingers crossed xx)

Princess had a room makeover! Her room will never be photographed for a glossy magazine cover but it's looking pretty good (in our opinion) and is much more human & Princess friendly. Kitty's also moved into Princess's room (into a new enclosure) and she loves her new spot (fresh air & sunshine) - so she couldn't be happier!

I thought that Kitty & Princess would be so unhappy living next to each other (even with a heavy barrier between them) but they have been really great. Neither is angry or upset and both lie next to each other. There's been a bit of nibbling of the barrier but I was completely surprised. Both buns, known to be both angry girls, are really enjoying having a neighbour to chat with. I still wouldn't introduce them in person - we sadly know they would tear each other apart!!

Poppy's been on the rampage again chewing a hole in the couch and wreaking havoc on anything else she can find.

Dingleberry has a weepy eye we have been trying to fix for quite a while. It doesn't seem to be anything teeth related but it's her uppy eye (she has a head tilt) so we have to make sure that her good eye stays healthy.

Feb/March diary

2010-04-06T22:03:00.002-11:00

Tessie & Rex (our latest glamour couple) pictured above

Sadly, we lost our beloved Pancake last month. Her kidney failure caused huge weight loss and weakness. We were really sad to have to step in & make that horrible decision but it was only a matter of time before she was going to leave us and we didn’t want her to suffer any longer.

Ally, Pancake’s long term partner, couldn’t understand why his girlfriend of six and a half years couldn’t walk anymore without assistance or needed a silly rolled up towel to lean on. He would pick up the towel and throw it aside, which didn’t help Pancake, but made him fell like he was helping. On the day we made the decision for euthanasia, we told Ally to give her a kiss goodbye. He kissed & kissed her. When we brought her body home, he kissed & kissed her some more.

Ally now has a new roommate to keep him company. We have set up a double barrier between him and Tinkerbelle. Tinkerbelle was once bonded to Pumpkin but since their spat, she has been living a single life. She’s a bit feisty and can be aggressive but she’s already behaving much softer towards Ally as she can see how lovely and friendly he is. We hope they’ll become great friends in the future.

Our latest couple, Tessie & Rex, are doing fabulously well. Tessie has been showing her dominant side lately but they are just wonderful little buddies. It’s so wonderful to see Rex with a girlfriend as he had never had a bunny buddy before in the 6 years before coming to live at BOING and he’s besotted with Tessie. She loves to snuggle and rest her head on Rex’s back.

Poppy Popstar has again excelled herself with more naughty antics. She’s obviously aiming for the 2010 Fuzzly Awards already. This last month she bit my upper arm after pushing open a barrier to start a fight with Lulu (both were okay), then she hurt her foot and was limping (still don’t know what happened there but okay now) and then she ate all but two buttons off the remote control (real fun trying to figure out what the buttons do now!).

We were very fortunate to recently have the lovely Dr Narelle Walter over to visit all our bunnies and give them all their yearly calici vaccinations. It was quite a task vaccinating everyone but we’re so happy and relieved to know that they are all now safe from such a fatal virus.

The moulting season has definitely started on the BOING bunnies! There is fur exploding everywhere! Peanut looked like he was doubling in size as all this fluff was coming out in one go.

Our latest rescue bun, Ginger, is doing very well. His loose & matted fur started to come off by itself which was great. I just helped a little. Unfortunately, I don’t think Ginger was at all pleased or comfortable with all the new attention which did cause him a bit of stress. He looks great though & it must be much more comfortable for him.

The recent giant hailstones that plummeted down in Melbourne recently were something we hoped would not upset the bunnies. Luckily, they all took it in their stride without a care in the world.

Novelty factors this month included a visit to the White Rabbit Brewery in Healesville. If you like dark ale (naturally brewed and no additives), lots of bunny references and soft squishy couches, you’ll love this place

http://www.whiterabbitbeer.com.au/The-Brewery/

Just so happens, you can also get a wonderful Shiraz from Bunn Vineyard in Western Australia. This wine is really nice, all naturally fermented and contains no additives or preservatives! This wine can be found at selective bottle shops (or request it!).

January diary

2010-02-28T22:55:00.002-11:00

Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a busy month at the Do Hop Inn. Holiday buns have been coming and going, Pancake is still with us and Pumpkin has had his abscess removed.

Our most recent issue has been picking up a bunny that was rescued from the cooking pot. The little ginger bun (pictured above) was bought from a market with the intention that he was to become dinner at some stage.

Well, two years on and the family who bought him apparently changed their minds (though we can only guess there have been others in between). Maybe this little ginger bunny was too cute? Perhaps the little ginger bunny was too scrawny and never gained enough weight? Perhaps the family kept the bunny too long and became attached? Who knows????

Anyway, after juggling a few phone calls & arranging a rendezvous in the streets of Melbourne, the little bunny is now living with us. He’s a cutie but his fur is badly matted, his nails are very long and he has an irritation under his chin. His veterinary checkup revealed that he’s pretty good otherwise and his teeth aren’t too bad (even though he has a number of uneven teeth around the front, indicating a bad diet, the back teeth are not bad).

Funnily enough, I originally thought the bunny was a girl but it turns out that she’s a he as the stress of his previous life caused his testicles to go north. Hopefully with some love and a better diet, the little bun’s testicles will venture further south soon!

We’re planning on looking after the bunny in the meantime and will book him in for desexing when he’s ready.

We’re calling the little guy Ginger at the moment and he should be ready for adoption by the end of February. If anyone is interested in adopting this little bun and can give him a permanent and loving home where he can be appreciated and loved, please let me know. Preferably, we would only be looking for indoor accommodation where there are no small children or dogs.

Our Mr Pumpkin has had his neck abscess surgically removed (after an altercation with Izzy the “tank”). He’s much happier but it did take him a few days to get over the surgery. The lovely Dr Kay at the Melbourne Rabbit Clinic looked after our Pumpkin and she said that the abscess came out very neatly as it was localised.

Pancake has been struggling with her kidney failure for three months now. She’s very thin and her back legs have mostly given out. We really don’t know how long she’ll be with us and whether we’ll need to intervene but she’s still enjoying her treats and eats her greens and hay. She seems okay but her quality of life is fairly limited.

A bit of great news…..we have a new glamour couple!!!! Tessa & Rex (small little netherland boy that was surrendered to us last year) are now an item!!!

Rex is the cutest & friendliest little guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Tessa is a little more nervous and has rejected all other attempts at bonding her with other buns.

Rexie and Tessa have been living next to each other for months and the day came to introduce them in person. Rexie tried his best to hump Tessa but with his one disabled leg, he fortunately couldn’t keep up with her.

Tessa realised that Rexie really wasn’t too much of a threat & before long the two of them were living a contented life together. It’s really sweet seeing them bonded finally. One change has been in Tessa’s eating habits. Alone she was never interested in greens but as Rexie is a real foodie, she has been running to the greens & sharing the meal, otherwise he’ll eat it all!

December diary

2010-01-03T14:36:00.001-11:00

With Christmas fast approaching and holiday buns due to land on our doorstep in the next few days, the BOING household is expecting its usual Christmas chaos. Loads of barriers, leaping over doorways to find the bathroom or toilet, trolley loads of fresh veggies & emergency trips to the stockfeed store for more hay. Ah, yes Christmas! Ho Ho Ho!

As for the buns, everyone is doing okay so far (touch wood). Pumpkin unfortunately had the misfortune of meeting Isabelle face to face one day when she pushed through a flimsy barrier I had set up between them. I had the silly idea that they might like each other. I think they were both interested but Isabelle is quite pushy and days after erecting my see-through barrier, she barreled through to Pumpkin & fur was flying. Pumpkin never had a chance against the “tank”. He now has bites all over him, the chances of bonding them is over and a very nasty abscess formed on his neck.

The abscess became very large & I was worried about him. He’s been on chloramphenicol antibiotics for the last few weeks & the abscess has dropped dramatically in size. Hopefully it will go away on its own but knowing bunny abscesses, it can probably only be removed surgically. Pumpkin’s now happily on the other side of the house away from Izzy with his beloved friend “Butternut”.

Pancake is still plodding along with her kidney failure. Her back left leg is very weak so she sometimes falls to the left but she’s doing as well as can be expected. She gets her special bowls of critical care a few times a day which she eats without help and every second day she is given fluids under the skin to help her kidneys. Ally, her devoted partner, is doing everything he can to make her feel happy & loved. He grooms her constantly, lets her lean up against him and doesn’t eat her special food. He’s a lovely boy!!

All our buns need to be vaccinated against calici now. Still have to work out how that’s going to happen!!

Grooming the fluffies (Missy & Charlie the angoras) has been going very well with our new cordless clipper. I can only clip off little bits at a time but the difference from manual to electric has been dramatic. It’s amazing how beautiful their fur feels and how wonderful it is to get those horrid knots & tangles out with a quick clip. I have to be very careful about pulling the fur though as the skin is very delicate & can tear if pulled.

Poppy has now been given the new title of “Destructo Bun”. She’s a disaster area!!! Given the entire lounge room to roam at all times, she’s normally a very happy bun. However, when we’re out of the room she gets super bored! So far she’s chewed through a light cord (after she’d pulled it so hard that it unplugged on its own fortunately!!). The cord was already covered in irrigation pipe but not long enough for a bun who squeezed herself down a miniscule gap to grab the cord with her teeth.

Then there was the chocolate! I was out of the room for two seconds & had left some soy chocolate sitting on a table. Before I could run to stop her, Destructo Bun had grabbed the wrapper & chewed half a piece! We panicked that she’d eaten chocolate, but fortunately she was okay. Then only another half a day later she climbed high up on furniture and gained access to the top of our mantelpiece. Destructo Bun then grabbed a tiny bottle of visine eye drops & cracked the container!

Fortunately, Destructo Bun is still with us & hasn’t killed herself yet! All vaguely dangerous items have now been removed from the lounge room but she still manages to discover something else naughty to do!

So, from everyone at BOING at the Do Hop Inn, we wish you all a very happy festive season.

Keep your buns safe, don’t forget summer is upon us so flies, mozzies & fleas are at their peak numbers. Summer heat is deadly to buns so bring them inside on hot days.

May your buns stay safe & your holidays be cruelty free!!

November diary

2009-11-25T22:04:00.004-11:00

Last month we took a urine sample from Poppy (above) to find out why she & Lulu may have been having problems urinating. The sample came back clear without any infection found. Good news I guess but still no answer to why these two girls sometimes have problems going to the toilet.

Both buns are off antibiotics currently and seem to be okay. Poppy has had a few upsets but, mysteriously, bringing her out to the lounge room seems to cure her problem. Possibly the whole issue might be based on the previous lives of these bunnies. Since being locked up in small boxes at the factory farm, it appears that whenever Poppy is moved to the laundry (so we can let another bun out for a run in the lounge room) it triggers off her condition. Bring her back out to run free in the lounge room & she’s fine. Lulu has also had her home expanded to include the bathroom & the hallway. Both buns have been fine so far (cross paws!).

Pancake is still with us but becoming weaker & wobblier as time goes on due to her kidney failure. She’s still happy though & loves snuggling up with her partner Ally. She loves her food but her back legs are giving out which is really sad to see. She’s still licking up her critical care in a bowl but we found out that high potassium is not good for kidney problems so we’ve stopped mixing in banana & now use mashed pear.

As mentioned earlier in the article on heat & bunnies, the fluffies (Missy & Charlie – the angoras) have now had a radical haircut using our new professional pet clippers. Marvelous things!! (both fluffies & the clippers!)

Since our house is now being taken over by Lulu, Poppy & Izzy, we needed to move a few bunnies around to allow for maximum space for everyone. This meant that Charlie & Missy have now moved into our studio, which is also the major reason for our purchase of the new clippers. The studio is fabulous & large which suits the fluffies very well. The floor is cool concrete, they have a large rug to run on, a skylight for added light, a daybed for relaxing on special occasions and now a lovely new screen door to let in fresh air & sunshine.

They’re loving it but the main thing is knowing that they have lots of room to run & their fur is now under control!

October diary

2009-10-26T22:04:00.001-11:00

This month BOING celebrated World Animal Day at Edgar’s Mission in Willowmavin, Victoria – http://www.edgarsmission.org.au/

World Animal Day is celebrated every year on 4 October to acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives. Nimal & I had a wonderful day at Edgar’s Mission and enjoyed visiting our favourite friends Tony Blair (turkey), Edgar (pig), some very funny sheep and of course the rescue bunnies!! BOING had a small table to highlight the diverse range of interactions between bunnies and humans – from loving companions to products in the meat, fur & cosmetic testing industries.

This month at the Do Hop Inn we were reminded of the dangers of leaving items around the home where inquisitive bunnies can find them. After coming home with a plant cutting I intended on putting in the garden, I placed the plastic bag with the plant inside on the couch (silly I know!!!!). Coming back into the room a few minutes later, I discovered Poppy sitting on the couch next to the bag & a piece missing out of the plant. Panic set in, the bag was thrown out the door and all we could do was to wait & see if she would be okay. Fortunately, she was fine but it is a reminder to all bunny lovers to not leave items around for your fluffy friends to find!!

Sadly, we discovered this month that Pancake (pictured on the right sitting next to her buddy Ally) is suffering from renal (kidney) failure.

She has been quite weak & has been losing weight for the last few months. Pancake is around 8 or 9 (we guess) and has always been a very confident & happy bun.

Currently Pancake is on daily fluids and is being encouraged to eat more. Luckily, she is very keen on banana & critical care mixed in a bowl and she licks that up very happily. Ally (her long term partner) will be devastated if he loses her. He spends most of his time grooming her and is never very far away from her side. It’s a sad time at the Do Hop Inn as we know that her time with us may be coming to an end.

Poppy & Lulu (our ex-farm bunnies) are back on antibiotics after a urine sample revealed a medical condition that causes pain when urinating. A culture is currently being grown to see what the actual bacteria could be & the best way of treating it.

September diary

2009-09-25T13:00:00.002-11:00

The Do Hop Inn has been filling up with even more bunnies this month! Fortunately, most of these newbies are just “on holiday”, but we do have one more surrender bunny called Rex. He’s a little black undesexed bunny nearly 6 years of age. The short story is that he was surrendered because his health issues were distracting his human friend from her studies so her mother decided he must go (hmmm….. some people just amaze me!) Since Rex’s age, wonky front leg & dental problems would not have given him a chance at a shelter, he came to live with us.

Good news so far with our ex farm bunnies. Poppy has recovered really well after her abscess was removed. She was on pain relief & antibiotics for a long, long time but everything seems to be okay for now. She seemed to develop an addiction to pain relief but, for now, she’s off the stuff! I can’t imagine her spending time in Rehab with the likes of Amy Winehouse.

Just when I was going to say that Lulu hasn’t had any problems since her spell on antibiotics, she’s had another tummy upset. We’re really hoping that she’s on the mend though. Nicknamed “polar bear” (because of her size & her luminescent white coat), she’s just the most glorious bunny and so beautiful.

Izzy, the only farm bunny that hadn’t required any medical treatment so far, developed ear mites this month! They were seriously nasty and I was very annoyed with myself that I didn’t notice them earlier. By the time I saw her ear, the mites were thick, brown & crusty. Fortunately, one dab of Revolution for cats on the back of her neck (measured for her weight) fixed them right up. It was quite amazing to see how quickly the mites went away. In only a few days, her ear was looking much better and in one week, they were all gone.

BIG CELEBRATIONS THIS MONTH…..
We celebrated Dingleberry’s eighth birthday mid September!!! Woo hoo – Carrot cake, cranberry juice and celery muffins all round (and that’s just for the humans!!).

Dingleberry is our very first bunny. She now has a bit of a wacky head tilt from an inner ear infection she acquired four years ago but she’s still running around & enjoying life.

Pumpkin, after breaking up with his girlfriend Tinkerbelle, now has a new girlfriend. She’s gentle, won’t bite, she’s super soft and loves to be groomed. Her name’s Butternut… and she’s a sheep! A sheep pillow that is. Oh well, she might not be another real live bunny but Pumpkin thinks she’s pretty cute!

August diary

2009-08-16T12:42:00.002-11:00

As usual, life at The Do Hop Inn with all the BOING bunnies is keeping us on our toes.

The last month has seen the farm bunnies back & forth at The Melbourne Rabbit Clinic. In early July, Poppy went in for an attempt to remove an abdominal abscess, which had formed after a routine spay. Whilst under sedation, the vets discovered a heart murmur. We all decided it was too risky to perform surgery at the time so she came home for a continuation of antibiotics and pain relief with the hope that maybe the following month the surgery could happen.

The second attempt at surgery last week was successful. The abscess was removed and Poppy is now back home. We really hope that she’ll make a full recovery. So far, so good…but you can never tell when it comes to bunnies!!

Lulu is experiencing an odd problem. She would be fine during the day, running around like a mad thing. We’d say goodnight to her and the next morning she would be lying in her tray looking uncomfortable & straining to go to the toilet. We took her in for a checkup & an x-ray. The x-ray didn’t show up much but the vets could feel an unusual lump around where her spay surgery was performed. We are not really sure but it could also be an internal abscess from her surgery so she’s now on antibiotics to see if it will make a difference, then it’s back to the vet for another checkup & possible surgery to remove the lump.

*** note – Lulu & Poppy (and Isabelle) came from a factory farm. Due to unhygienic conditions at the farm, any surgery areas became easily infected. Now they are living in a stress free life with clean bedding, a regular routine and good quality food, hay & fresh water, they are totally different bunnies & looking forward to a long & happy life.

Big gossip news at The Do Hop Inn…..
Pumpkin & Tinkerbelle have broken up!!! Yes folks, the celebrity romance is over I’m afraid. Just like Jen & Brad, this seemingly blissful couple has gone their separate ways.

It all started when Pumpkin had a bit of an upset tummy.

As the two were shacked up in our Studio, Pumpkin was brought into the lounge room overnight where it was warmer and we could give him lots of attention & critical care. Pumpkin was a very happy bunny by the morning and looking forward to seeing his beautiful girlfriend Tinkerbelle.

Unfortunately, Tinkerbelle had other ideas & chose to let Pumpkin know that he was now unwelcome by attacking him! After that event, we did give the two several other attempts to reunite, but it was not to be! As Pumpkin has never really been lucky in love, we do hope that he will eventually find another girlfriend who will appreciate his voluptuous size & affectionate nature.

Pancake has been a bit wobbly for the last few months & has lost quite a bit of weight. She is now on a four weekly injection for arthritis. The injections are supposed to aid in joint pain so we hope that it will make a difference. She is looking quite frail, has lost weight but still eats like a horse! Since she came to us as an adult, we really don’t know how old she is but possibly around 8 years old so she’s doing pretty well…. but we’d like her to hang around a lot longer than that!! Ally would be lost without her. The two of them are always found snuggling together.

The “fluffies” (Charlie & Missy) are in-between their bi-yearly major haircut. Angora fur mats quite quickly & thickly if not kept under constant control and the only way we can really keep up their care is to carefully cut the fur to a short length. Of course it grows back just as fast as I can cut it off so it’s a constant battle!

For other people who have long coated bunnies, do be aware of seeds getting trapped in the fur. Whilst grooming Missy recently, I discovered a very fine end of a seed that had been caught in Missy’s skin (like a splinter). It would have really hurt so I’m sure she was relieved when that was found & removed with a pair of tweezers

July diary

2009-07-07T21:19:00.002-11:00

The four factory farm bunnies that we took in last month are keeping us on our toes. Sadly we lost Zoe to a deep infection after a routine spay. After talking to another person who also adopted a factory farm bunny from the same farm, it appears that there may well indeed be an unusual bacterium that these bunnies have on their skin. Any scratches or grazes that these buns incur could be life threatening. Fortunately Isabelle & Lulu avoided infection but Poppy is now battling the same problem and is on Choramphenicol and Metacam daily to fight the infection before her impending surgery to remove the abscess.

I feel quite heartbroken to not have enabled Zoe a long term, happy future. She tried so hard to stay with us and she really wanted that chance for a loving home. In the three weeks she was with us, she made a great snuggle buddy with Isabelle, explored & lapped up all the attention. She really was a special bunny! For Poppy – Failure is not an option. She will survive!

I’ve always wanted to see for myself what factory farm rabbits are like. In the last 6 weeks of them being at our house, running around the kitchen, I can honestly say that these bunnies are just delightful. They are affectionate, very intelligent and all very different in personality. It makes me just so sad to know that there are so many more of these intelligent & affectionate creatures still sitting in small wire boxes in a dark shed awaiting a violent death for some measly price per kilo.

Isabelle was very sad to lose her new friend so soon. She has now taken up hiding under an old laundry basket but has learned quickly that food comes from the fridge & “lollies” means something utterly delicious! Isabelle doesn’t always hide, she’s regularly found stretched out sleeping on our rug – I’ve never seen such a big stretched out bunny!

Lulu is a big white blondie! She has super strong back legs that she’s never had a chance to use. She likes to run but doesn’t know her own strength & speed just yet. We have to cushion the walls so she doesn’t run into anything & hurt herself. Lulu LOVES cardboard boxes!! She’s been going through one every week, picking it up, spinning it around, making new doors & windows. She’s having such fun!!

Poppy is Miss Smoochy!! She’s the only bunny I know that will lift her head right up for a kiss & keep it there for a long, long time. She adores affection… and following people into the toilet!

If you would like to read more updates about the farm bunnies, please visit our new blog – http://www.blognow.com.au/meetyourmeatrabbits

After the fox attack that killed Charlotte & Billy, our other outside bunnies – Lucky, Ruby, Hugo & Lily - moved indoors. This family was living in two separate pairs. We brought them inside and housed them next door to each other with a barrier between, which gave us a chance to see if the family might reunite.

There was absolutely no aggression, which was great, and all four seemed to be quite at ease, which was even better! Taking the opportunity, we gave them a week or so living next to each other and then bundled them all into a large carrier to a neutral area - our bathroom.

I gave them a new tray & rugs so nothing smelt like any of them. All four explored and looked around, sniffed each other and before we knew it, they were all grooming each other & snuggling. It was fantastic!!

Lily bridged the gap first between the pairs. He started grooming his sister & snuggling with his mum. Ruby adored the new attention, as her mum has never been affectionate. I thought that Hugo might become the dominant leader but he was just happy to play with his siblings whilst mum watched.

So, the family group has now been again relocated to the fox-proofed “Lavender Cottage”. They adore it! They hated being inside. Lavender Cottage has big warm blankets, a “safe house” to run into or sit on, big trays full of yummy hay and no bright lights or annoying people. The exterior has been totally fox proofed and new security measures have been installed so we can only hope they are now safe from predators. We’re still getting up in the middle of the night with a torch if we hear noises outside!

Kitty has botty problems!! (I bet you wanted to know that!) She’s laying these enormous smelly piles of cecals overnight. She doesn’t have a dirty, sticky bottom as many bunnies suffer but the problem is still bothering her. Rabbits producing excess cecals require very simple diets high in fibre. I’ve cut down Kitty’s greens to just one celery top in the evening. She doesn’t get any pellets and she has unlimited oaten hay all day (which all our bunnies have).

Princess’s weekly penicillin injections for her teeth abscesses are going well. The new Propercillin is so easy to inject, it’s keeping Princess still long enough to get it into her skin that requires skill. I’ve worked out that I need to inject her pre dinnertime so I can bring her out to the table and put food in front of her. She eats while I inject.

June diary

2009-06-19T12:16:00.002-11:00

This month has been more than eventful.

Mid May we woke to find that two of our outdoor bunnies (Charlotte & Billy – two of Lucky’s kids) had been viciously killed by what looked like a fox attack. We don’t want to go into it too much but I do want to warn other people in city suburbs that your bunnies could also be in danger.

All of our outdoor enclosures are heavy structures concreted into the ground, wired & insect screened all around & roofed. The thing that attacked our bunnies was vicious & dangerous. It was not looking for food but to kill. There was a lot of digging around all three outside enclosures, heavy pot-plants were knocked over & boards were ripped off walls. The thing eventually gained entry into Charlotte & Billy’s house by chewing right through the wire mesh wall, leaving a hole surrounded by its own fur. It was gone the following morning leaving two dead bunnies & four terrified survivors (in the other two enclosures).

All I can say to anyone who houses their rabbit permanently outside is to reassess the housing. If you can cut the wire with a pair of secateurs - it can be chewed through. If you can push it over - it’s too lightweight & dangerous. If there’s no floor or roof - then it can be dug under or jumped over. Be super-careful & do everything you can to ensure your bunny is safe. I honestly never thought we would have experienced this kind of vicious attack in our suburban backyard but these nasty animals are out there. There was also no previous warning and the buns had lived out there happily for over 4 years!

Since the attack, Lucky, Ruby, Hugo & Lily have moved inside the house with us.

One week after we lost Charlotte & Billy, we had to accommodate four rescued bunnies that had come to stay. With no room left indoors, we had little choice but to reinforce Hugo & Lily’s outside house for the new bunnies. Walls were boarded up with thick exterior ply, bricks & rocks were positioned to prevent access from underneath, heavy duty steel bars were installed and two metal “safe houses” were placed inside the enclosure so that the buns could seek refuge if something attacked. We now leave the outside light on & cover up the front of the enclosure each evening so that the bunnies are not visible from the outside.

We’re still nervous leaving bunnies outside but unfortunately there’s nothing else we can do at present except hope that our renovations have now made this one enclosure safe.

Princess went in for her dental xrays, checkup & had her back molars trimmed this month. Unfortunately, she has two small abscesses forming which are now inoperable. She was sent home with a bottle of Propercillin, needles & a bottle of Metacam (pain relief). My previous experience giving penicillin injections to Annabelle bunny (in 2007) was so horrible & stressful that I ended up handballing this task back to the clinic on a weekly basis. However, this time I succeeded on my first go! The new Propercillin appears to be thinner in consistency & much easier to inject which was such a relief. Princess seemed to not even notice my shaking hands as I injected the back of her neck.

On a positive note, a lovely & friendly tv crew visited us this month from the worldwide satellite and online television station Supreme Master TV. Our performance will be aired on Friday 5 & Saturday 6 June, will feature most of our bunnies and us chatting away about all things bunny.

To see our tv performance online, please visit “Animal World” – http://suprememastertelevision.com/aw/

Summer & your bunny

2009-02-06T13:38:00.003-11:00

As I write this, the temperature outside is now in the 40's. Way too hot for a rabbit. I dread to think how many little bunnies will die this summer in Melbourne (and Adelaide as it has been even hotter over there).

Like many other animals, rabbits dig underground to avoid predators & extreme weather conditions. A rabbit does not naturally stay above ground to be exposed to high heat or freezing cold. Being left in a small hutch in the sun is certain death on a day like today.

If you have a rabbit (or any pet), please bring it inside the house. Even if you don't have air conditioning, it is much cooler inside during the hottest part of the day than to leave the bunny outside to suffer.

Rabbit saves couple from burning house

2008-07-31T13:45:00.002-11:00

A pet rabbit saved the lives of a Melbourne couple after fire swept thought their home yesterday morning - six days before their renovations were due to be completed.

Macleod resident Michelle Finn and her partner Gerry Keogh were woken about 7am by their family pet, named Rabbit, who was causing a racket from his cage.

"Gerry only got home from work about 5.30 because he works night shift and about 7am we both woke to the sound of a thumping rabbit," Ms Finn said. "We heard windows breaking at the back of the house and got up to see what was wrong and the house was on fire."

The blaze had broken out in a back office and smoke was spreading quickly through the house.

Ms Finn said she was grateful to her six-month-old, black, floppy-eared companion for reacting the way he did in his loungeroom cage.

"He's in the cage during the night and just started thumping and running around and was trying to get out, I guess," she said. "If it wasn't for the rabbit we probably wouldn't have woken up quite as soon."

Firefighters said a smoke alarm had been removed from the ceiling while the back of the house was being renovated.

Firefighters donned breathing apparatus to get inside the house to retrieve the pet. His owners could not reach him because of the smoke.

Ms Finn said they had been renovating the house for two years and were due to finish next week.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Mick Swift said it was the first fire he had attended where the life-saver was a rabbit. "It could have been a lot worse and without the rabbit it could have been a tragedy where lives were lost," he said.

Four fire appliances and 15 firefighters brought the blaze - which was caused by a faulty electric heater - under control in 10 minutes. Damage is estimated at $80,000.

Mr Keogh, a nightclub employee, said while he and his partner faced the difficult task of rebuilding, Rabbit had also been left homeless by the fire, with his cage ruined.

Rabbits are fabulous indoor security alarms!! This story is not unheard of in the UK & US where numerous people have been alerted to danger by their pet indoor rabbit. Just another reason to have in indoor bunny!!

Bunny bites back

2008-06-30T13:26:00.003-11:00

Published 26 June 2008 - Herald Sun

A treat turned into a trauma for 22-month-old Charlii when she was bitten by a bunny at a northern suburbs petting zoo.

Her mum, Laura Perry, feels insult has been added to injury after being refused compensation for medical bills by Darebin Council, which runs popular Cooper's Settlement at Bundoora Park.

Ms Perry took Laura to the theme park in late April and they went straight to the rabbit and guinea pig enclosure.

"My mum was in there with her. I was outside because I was looking at buying her a bunny - can you believe it?"

Ms Perry said her daughter was too scared to pick up the animals, content just to look.

"She bent down and pointed at the rabbit... and then there was an almighty scream and blood pouring out of one of her fingers, Ms Perry said.

A staff member immediately removed the rabbit and Charlii was rushed to a docter, then the Northern Hospital.

X-rays were taken and Ms Perry and her husband - who had rushed home from work to help care for their five-month-old baby - were told they would have to wait for a plastic surgeon to stitch the wound.

Distraught Charlii had to wait until 9pm - without eating - to have the surgery under general anesthetic. They stayed at the hospital overnight.

"I spent two days crying, looking at her lying in the hospital bed with her arms bandaged. I felt so guilty because I had taken her there for a treat," said Ms Perry.

She said she was shocked by the extent of her daughter's injury, and stressed she had only requested compensation for $30 spent on antibiotics and $15 entry to the park.

"It's not about the money. It's about warning other parents," Ms Perry said.

A statement from Darebin Council manager of risk services Liam McCarthy said he could not comment on individual compensation claims.

He said: "Rabbits represent an extremely low risk compared to the benefits to children to view and handle them."

He said it was rare for rabbits to scratch or bite children unless handled roughly. However, there were clear signs stating the risks.

All rabbits undergo a personality evaluation before being made available for handling in a staff-supervised areas, he said.

"Signs require that parents supervise their children at all times when handling the rabbits," he said.

This is why petting zoos are bad news for any animal. One bunny defends itself and this woman screams "compensation". What about compensation to all the bunnies tortured, poked & prodded by small children to be left permanently scared physically & emotionally? What about compensation to all the bunnies that end up at shelters & euthanased after families lose interest after a few weeks?

STOP ANIMAL TESTING!!!

2008-02-17T15:54:00.005-11:00

Monash University conducts completely unecessary live experiments on rabbits as part of it’s undergrad science class, but you can make them stop.

Animal Liberation Victoria was contacted in early 2007 by distressed students from Monash University's third year undergraduate science course.

Students were being instructed to perform experiments on live unconscious rabbits which included:

Restraining the rabbits on a work table, with their paws and teeth tied to anchor points
Cutting open the rabbits' throats with unsterilised instruments and inserting a tube into their wind pipe
Administering various chemicals into their blood stream to observe the effect on the rabbits' heart rate

At the end of the class, the rabbits were given a lethal overdose and discarded in a rubbish bin.

The students were given the option of watching a video about the procedure instead of taking part, and therefore an alternative to this senseless killing is plainly available. In fact, we believe these experiments are illegal, as the code of practice governing animal experiments in educaction states that alternatives must be used wherever possible.

Monash has refused to stop the experiments, and in a self-contradictory letter to ALV, Professor Richard Larkins, Vice Chancellor and President of Monash, admitted that students could choose to watch a video instead of taking part and that they would not be penalised or disadvantaged by doing so, and yet also claimed that there were no viable alternatives to the use of the rabbits and that the experiments were necessary!

It's important that you voice your opposition to these experiments to Monash University.

Please visit ALV's website -

http://www.m2news.com.au/handshake/link.php?n=695&t=5064113

& use the links to the right - "Tell them to stop!" - and send an email demanding that this terrible waste of life ends.

If you have trouble opening the email link, please email us at askboing@bigpond.com & we will send you all the contact info & the draft message.

Website problems

2008-02-10T16:18:00.000-11:00

Computer difficulties can be annoying at the best of times but when a website stops opening, it's positively upsetting!!

Unfortunately, we cannot currently open the BOING website to apply updates as the system constantly crashes. We will rectify the problem when we can figure out what the problem actually is so we can update our adoption page & news stories for you to enjoy.

However, our free monthly rabbit newsletter (The Bunologist) is always available to provide up to date information & news from around the world. If you would like to join The Bunologist newsletter group, please visit this link & enter your email address - http://forms5.createforms.com/28080/form_1_1.html

Bunny Lover's Picnic (update)

2007-11-02T11:45:00.000-11:00

As the weather is looking pretty bad for Sunday, we have plans A, B & C (just in case!).

The picnic & meetup is still on!!!

Sunday 4 November

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

from 12pm onwards

There will be a sign left at Gate B to let people know where we will be.

Plan A - If all is well, we'll be on the Tennyson Lawn

Plan B - If a little bit drizzly or still around lunch time, we'll be eating our picnic in the Tecoma Pavillion (between gate B & C)

Plan C - If pouring with rain or freezing cold, we'll be at the Terrace Cafe

You can download a great map of all these locations from the Royal Botanic Gardens website page - http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/rbg_melbourne/visitorinfo/getting_here

We hope to see you there!!

Bunny Lover's Picnic

2007-10-27T23:11:00.000-11:00

Come one, come all to the first ever......

Bunny Lover's Picnic

Sunday 4 November

12pm onwards

Where:
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Tennyson Lawn (near gate B) - see map link for details
http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/rbg_melbourne/visitorinfo/getting_here

Bring your own:
Food & drink
Chairs/rugs (whatever makes you comfortable)
Photos of your bunnies (best to leave the real ones at home to snooze away the day)
Sense of humour & lots of stories to tell

How to find us:

Look for a sign & a couple of strange people wearing bunny t-shirts & bunny ears!

See you there if you can make it!!

Tinkerbelle

2007-10-27T22:40:00.000-11:00

An update on our new bunny, Tinkerbelle! She was not pregnant fortunately but scared me with two days of nesting before she was off to the bunny doctor for her operation.

It did turn out that Tinkerbelle's uterus was starting to change. Our vet says she was suffering from a type of endometriosis which could explain why she was carrying on a little bit & also biting.

Personally I think the biting is probably because she resents being picked up and possibly had bitten the children she previously belonged to and that's why they decided to give her away.

A few weeks later & Tinkerbelle is adorable. She's figured out what to do with her litter tray fortunately but still toilets at the other end of her enclosure as well which is a bit of a pain. She hates being picked up & will bite if she gets the chance. However, she loves being out & about running around the loungeroom and is the perfect little indoor bunny. Her poos are enormous for such a little bun and she eats & drinks everything without a worry.

Whoever had her before us obviously didn't know how to interact with rabbits. She is a lovely bunny and we can only hope that her previous family will not decide on purchasing another bun next Easter for their short lived entertainment (they know where we live!!!!).

Rabbit dumped on step

2007-10-11T12:41:00.000-11:00

Can you believe some people???!!!!

Tuesday morning I saw a cardboard box outside my front gate. Thinking someone had kindly donated some newspapers for the bunny litter trays I walked over to investigate. Imagine my shock when I saw the note attached to the top of a flimsy cardboard box.

I opened up the box to find a scared little bunny inside. I brought her inside the house & swore quite a bit, directed at the morons who dumped her there.

I'm not angry at the kids (well I am a little bit) but I'm furious at the parents!

* They are the ones who bought the rabbit for the kids.
* They are the ones who would have made the decision to "relocate" the rabbit when the kids got bored with her.
* They are the ones who put her inside the box & taped it up.
* They are the ones who gave the kids the pen & paper to write the note.
* They are the ones who tracked me down & drove to my house (even though I don't know who THEY are).

But worst of all...

They are the ones who told the kids it's okay to leave a rabbit in an unventilated cardboard box at someone's house they DON'T KNOW
They are the ones who left the bunny without any water
They are the ones who didn't check to make sure someone was home
They are the ones who were too cowardly to even enter my property so the bunny was out of reach of dogs & cats... just in case we saw them!!!

.... & then they went home without a care in the world!!!!

So, what's worse than leaving a rabbit in a cardboard box on someone's front step???

Leaving a pregnant rabbit in a cardboard box on someone's front step!!!! Yes, she may be pregnant. Thanks parents for teaching your kids that rabbits are throwaway pets, not bothering to desex your animals or finding out the sexes they were before putting them together & thanks for thinking that a total stranger is going to fix your mess.

If you do read this (irresponsible rabbit dumping parents) I hope you feel extremely guilty. You need to teach your children that this is NOT acceptable behaviour & to look after your own responsibilities without dumping them on someone else.

Tell your beloved kids that rabbits are for life, not just for Easter.

We're hopping mad for cottontail critters

2007-09-09T02:04:00.000-11:00

Herald Sun - 24 August 2007

From destructive pest to preferred pet.

House bunnies are breeding like rabbits in the hearts and homes of Australia's animal lovers.

The nation's first rabbits-only clinic staffed by bunny-loving vets has opened in Melbourne to meet demand.

It is one of only two in the world to treat rabbits only.

"Rabbits are increasingly being seen as clean, quiet, charismatic and low-maintenance pets that are being given the run of the house," vet Narelle Walter said.

"In the UK, the house rabbit has become the third most popular domestic pet and the trend is continuing here."

Dr Walter opened the Melbourne Rabbit clinic in Hallam late last year to provide high-quality, specific veterinary care.

Demand has been so high for the five-day clinic, she has recently hired a second vet to cope with her growing number of clients.

Dr Walter, who owns giant rabbit Starsky (in the hutch), said they were fascinating creatures from a veterinary perspective.

Owners delight in the way the animals adapt to indoors life, she said.

"Unlike cats, they don't miss the great outdoors, and unlike dogs, they don't need to be taken for a walk."

Active in the morning and evening and asleep during the day, they make perfect pets for working people, she said.

"Most people have vegetables in the fridge so it isn't a big change to their lives to get a rabbit. My husband says we have been eating much better since we got the rabbit."

Desexed, vaccinated and well cared for, rabbits can live up to 12 years.

Dr Walter agreed wild rabbits caused enormous destruction, but domestic rabbits differed greatly.

Karen V has 17 bunnies, mostly rescued rabbits that have taken over her home.

"They make excellent pets, especially if they are not picked up too often because they are ground animals and seem to get on well with working adult owners."

Rabbits prove to be perfect pet

2007-08-15T14:57:00.000-11:00

Monash Life (Waverley Leader - 7 August 2007)

MT WAVERLEY resident Karen V would like the public to know rascally rabbits actually make great indoor pets.

Her home is an indoor warren for rabbits rescued from pet shops & animal shelters.

"We got one ourselves, back in 2001, and we didn't know how to look after it. We did a lot of research and found out a lot of information and that you could keep them indoors," Ms V said. But most people cringed at the thought, thinking of the domestic animal's wild cousins, she said.

"They (rabbits) are misunderstood; people think they are good pets for small children because they are small, not like dogs and cats, (and) they think of them as throwaway pets," Ms V said.

"For a mature person they are a great indoor pet. You don't have to walk them, you don't have to register them, they are quite clever, they litter train themselves and are quite clean and cheap to feed."

Proper food and living conditions meant they could live for many years, but people quickly got sick of them, Ms V said.

"Their diet is often so poor they die early," she said.

"They are exposed to the weather if they are outside, they need a couple of metres to jump up and stand up; you wouldn't put a cat or a dog in a box in the backyard, so why would you do that to a rabbit?"

Ms V described the pets as very affectionate - "something in between a cat and a dog".

She and her partner, Nimal K, run a rabbit care advice website, www.boingonline.com and put out a free monthly rabbit newsletter.

Rabbit Factory Permit Denied!

2007-08-06T15:08:00.000-11:00

This is the Rabbit Campaign Victory of the Century!!! Thank you so much to ALV & all their members for objecting to the intensive battery cage rabbit farm that was intended for Leongatha, Victoria.

This victory is even more outstanding as the South Gippsland Council had originally approved the permit and fought tooth and nail for it to receive the go ahead, despite objections from locals and of course ALV.

In early July, ALV and two neighbors to the property appealed the local council's decision to approve the rabbit factory at a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). ALV President Patty Mark prepared and presented a submission on behalf of the rabbits, including in the appendix an excellent paper prepared especially for the tribunal by leading UK rabbit expert Colleen McDuling.

The application to battery cage rabbits was mainly knocked back due to concerns about how the enormous volumes of faeces deposited by thousands of rabbits each month would be dealt with in an area also prone to flooding. Photos taken by ALV's rescue team of battery cage rabbit factories featuring huge piles of built up manure would have definitely impacted on the decision.

Although the Tribunal were generally unwilling to deal with issues related to animal cruelty, at least some concern was raised that the current Codes of Practice governing rabbit farming are "out of touch" and "carry little weight".

(Note: the applicant was originally so confident their proposal would pass they already had two semi trailers loaded with a shed and cages on the property, ready to assemble).

Talk to the Animals

2007-07-31T14:50:00.000-11:00

Rabbits are very misunderstood animals, but thankfully in Melbourne, there is a hospital dedicated to their care and welfare called The Melbourne Rabbit Clinic.

Dr Narelle Walter is used to preparing long-eared patients for theatre. Rabbits have incredibly delicate bones, and can easily break limbs.

Long-haired breeds, such as the angora, are also prone to tangles that just won't brush out. Clipping isn't pretty - the rabbits must be sedated and it's a slow process because their skin can rip like paper.

After the shave, Karen & Nimal from BOING took the pair into their heart and home, where their rescued bunnies relax & live the quiet life indoors. Don't worry, they're all desexed!

So if you're thinking of a bunny as a pet, Dr Chris from Talk to the Animals, advises you do your homework and rabbit proof your house if you want to bring them inside. They love to chew wiring!

Contact:Dr Narelle Walter at The Melbourne Rabbit Clinic

Phone: 0418 372 435

For more information on rabbit care: http://www.boingonline.com/

BOING on tv!!!

2007-06-05T20:55:00.000-11:00

We made our television debut on the 4th of June when the ABC broadcast an episode of Creature Features starring our bunnies.

Karen and I were quite nervous about seeing ourselves on screen for the first time. I rushed back from work early in order to be home to watch the episode as it aired, mainly because I was afraid that Karen might have some kind of attack or cause herself an injury due to over-excitement.

Our segment ran for just over 5 minutes, featuring most of our bunnies and some mildly embarrassing antics from their human friends.

Without wishing to blow our own trumpet too loudly (perish the thought), we can inform anyone who missed seeing our brush with fame that it is not too late! The video from the episode can be viewed through the ABC website (just click on the giant Pancake – our bunny Pancake, that is!)

If viewing a week or so later, click “more videos” & there’s a list of previous stories. Ours is called “House Bunnies”.

http://www.abc.net.au/creaturefeatures/

Talk to the Animals

2007-05-15T20:21:00.000-11:00

Today was a very exciting day!! We filmed a story for Talk to the Animals on Channel 9. Dr Chris (vet) & the crew arrived at our house this morning to meet us & the bunnies.

I was up madly cleaning the house until after midnight last night & Nimal was up at 5.30am this morning to go & get two newly surrendered angoras that were part of the story.

Yesterday our vet (Dr Narelle Walter) was filmed at the Melbourne Rabbit Clinic showing surgeries on rabbits & the shearing of the two angoras. We then filmed the other half of the story by introducing the angoras to their new home at our place.

The crew ended up filming loads of stuff on us as well & all our bunnies which was fabulous. So, not only did we do a story on rehoming rabbits and grooming but also on rabbit diet, desexing, housing & why rabbits aren't good pets for small children.

Thanks so much Channel 9 & everyone at Talk to the Animals!!

Buckley finds a home

2007-03-31T00:19:00.000-11:00

Good news for Buckley the bun! He found a new home in January 2007 in Launceston, Tasmania. He was flown from Melbourne to Launceston & met at the airport by his new family. Buckley is such a lucky bunny & now also has a friend called Coco & is very happy. I wish it was this easy to rehome all the other bunnies looking for a loving & caring home. We wish you well Buckley!!

Adopt Me!!!

2006-12-19T13:00:00.000-11:00

Name: Buckley
Sex: Male
Found: Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

Buckley is an adult male bunny roughly around 2 or 3 years of age.

He was rescued from the streets and has had some facial trauma. He had to have one lower tooth removed, however, does well without it. He doesn't require dental treatment at the moment as the bottom tooth is wearing down the top two. He has had some trauma to his nose - sometimes a bit wet (damage to membrane) but otherwise all good.

He is EXCEPTIONALLY affectionate and drenches anyone with kisses. He is very placid and quiet. He enjoys playing outside, enjoys digging and binkying to the point of banging into things!!

He would particularly love a more quiet home ie. not numerous children etc. He is playful and loving but can get a bit distressed with a lot of noise & change, given his history.

He would do very well with a female bunny friend rather than a male bunny. Preferably the female would be a quieter submissive girl as he is very placid and boisterous rabbits could be stressful for him.

He enjoys space and my preference would be that he is not always in a hutch and has a good amount of space both inside and outside. He also likes playing with toys. He loves his veggies and also is a good hay eater (his food does need to be cut into smaller pieces due to the loss of the tooth, however, he manages very well)

If anyone can give Buckley a loving home, please contact Rebecca at rebecca@casalc.com.au (preferably somewhere in Victoria so he doesn't have to travel too far)

Qld raid on rabbits

2006-10-19T12:53:00.000-11:00

Rabbit police do exist & were out hunting yesterday in the suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland. Search warrants were used by council representatives to search and destroy pet rabbits that had been dobbed in by one very disgruntled vet.

Over recent months, a male vet was asked to leave a practice in Brisbane (don't know why) but before he left the premises he stole private records of clients who were known to have long eared guinea pigs at their homes. This nasty piece of work then dobbed in the clients to the council who therefore issued search warrants to remove innocent rabbits from their homes & their loving families to be destroyed for no other reason than existing.

We only hope that this poor excuse for an animal doctor finds himself without any further ability to practice his career due to some very unfortunate accident. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest his armpits! (very soon)

If you would like to sign our petition asking the Queensland government to review their $30,000 fine for desexed, registered and vaccinated rabbits, please visit:
http://www.petitiononline.com/bunny/petition.html

Desexed rabbits are no threat to the environment. Laws such as this are only detrimental to public education and cause hatred, fear and misunderstanding.

Woman's Day article

2006-10-08T23:34:00.000-11:00

Out this week - 9 October 2006

Choose Cruelty Free Expo 2006

2006-09-23T15:00:00.000-11:00

Sunday 8 October 2006

The all-vegan expo
Prahran Town Hall
10am-5pm

Food, cosmetics, household products, toiletries, organic products, live music, free workshops, cooking demos, literature, massage, devonshire tea, wine, beer, delicious lunches, prizes and more.Admission $10 concession $7 (show card) children free. Be early for a free showbag! Stocks limited.

http://www.livecrueltyfree.org

We'll be there!! Come & say hello. Look for the bunny t-shirts & ears!!

Melbourne Rabbit Clinic

2006-08-18T13:27:00.000-11:00

We are pleased to announce that the new Melbourne Rabbit Clinic has now opened to the public. Dr Narelle Walter (pictured) is available for appointments at any time. Dr Walter is very experienced in rabbit care and health. She has worked extensively in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. Her knowledge of rabbit medicine is exceptional and she is very highly recommended.

Dr Narelle Walter

Melbourne Rabbit Clinic

Veterinary Referral Hospital (part of South Eastern Animal Emergency Centre)

18/151-159 Princes Highway, Hallam

Ph: 0418 372 435

Mites & Fleas

2006-07-14T02:33:00.000-11:00

If your rabbit has dandruff-like flaky skin, this could indicate mites

Rabbits can have a number of external parasites that can cause discomfort, hair loss and often disease. You should regularly check your rabbit’s coat to make sure there are no signs of mites or fleas and it is recommended that all outside rabbits are regularly treated for fleas as they can carry disease.

Hair loss, although often a sign of mites or flea infestation, can sometimes be due to over grooming caused by hormonal imbalances, especially in entire females. So if your doe is not responding to treatment for fleas or mites please have her checked out by a rabbit savvy veterinarian as it might be due to uterine cancer or ovarian cysts.

Fleas
There are two types of fleas seen in rabbits. The common flea (Ctenocephalides canis or C. felis) is often seen on rabbits and if your rabbit lives closely with a feline or canine companion then they are very likely to get fleas occasionally. Fleas can cause skin irritation and over grooming and can predispose the skin to bacterial infections once the skin’s protective barrier is damaged with scratching and biting.

Rabbits can also get the Spanish Flea (Xenopsylla cunicularis smit). This is a flea that is specific to rabbits. It was released into Australia in 1993 to try and aid the spread of Myxomatosis in the wild rabbit population. This is a very real threat to our outside rabbits and I would strongly recommend regular monthly flea treatments to help prevent infection.

Ear mites
Psoroptes cuniculli are a small microscopic mite that lives in the ears of rabbits. Because rabbits have very long narrow ear canals it can often be difficult to see these creatures even though they are visible to the naked eye. These mites cause severe irritation and large numbers of crusty painful scabs that can be seen in the ear. Your vet can find these mites by examining the wax and crusting from the ear under the microscope. The damage that is caused in the ear of rabbits with an infection of Psoroptes cuniculli can predispose them to ear infection that can extend into the inner ear. Ear mites are treated with ivomec injections by your vet. Alternatively, monthly Revolution, a spot-on active against fleas and mites, has also been used to control ear mite infections.

Lice
Rabbit lice (Haemodipsus ventricosus) are rarely found on domestic rabbits, but can be occasionally found in their wild counterparts. They are quite large and at 1.5 – 2 mm in length are easily seen with the naked eye.

Mites
Cheyleteilla parasitovorax is commonly called walking dandruff, as the mites themselves can be visible to the naked eye. They live on the surface of the skin around the hair shaft and cause damage to the shaft. Hair loss, especially on the tail base can be a sign that you rabbit has mites. Cheyleteilla is a common condition in rabbits and is often brought into the home on hay and straw. If you are concerned that your rabbit might have mites then see your veterinarian as they will be able to check the presence of these tiny insects under the microscope. Treatment is often straightforward with an application of Revolution.
Burrowing mites that live in the hair follicles rather than the hair shaft can occasionally be found on rabbits. They are not very common and their presence can be diagnosed with a deep skin scraping or more often with a skin biopsy.

Treatment
Unfortunately there are no treatments that are registered for use in rabbits, although there are a few products that have been used extensively and are known to be safe.

Revolution is a monthly flea treatment for cats and dogs and is helpful in treating fleas, mites and ear mites in rabbits. It should not be used in kits younger then 12 weeks. Please see your veterinarian for the correct dose.

Advantage is also safe for use in rabbits; again see your veterinarian for the correct dose. Be careful not to use in kits under 12 weeks of age. Advantage is only effective against fleas.

DO NOT use Frontline on rabbits, as it has been known to cause fatal seizures, even 5-7 days after application.

Other flea products such as washes, powders and collars should not be used in rabbits as some can cause severe illness and death. If in any doubt at all, do not use it until you have talked to a veterinarian.

Article written by Dr Narelle Walter, BVSc, MRCVS Hallam Veterinary Clinic, 55 Belgrave-Hallam Road, Hallam, Vic, 3803 Ph: (03) 9703 1776

Previous Bunologist issues

2006-07-12T14:32:00.000-11:00

All previous issues of The Bunologist can now be found on our Rescue Rabbit Australia Yahoo Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rescuerabbitaustralia/ under "files".

If you would like to be on our mailing list to receive your FREE monthly copy of The Bunologist, please visit - http://forms5.createforms.com/28080/form_1_1.html & add your email address.

Alex & Rose

2006-07-01T12:55:00.000-11:00

Alex is a teenager with a gorgeous lop eared bunny called Rose. Rose is a two year old house bunny and lives the life of luxury with Alex & his family in Moonee Ponds.

BOING: How did you choose a rabbit to be a member of your family?
Alex: My mum had always loved rabbits and my brother Luke had been asking for one for over a year so we decided to get one.

What kind of pets have you had before?
We had a pet dog called Tasha. She was a whippet and 14 when she died. Our family loved her very much.

How did Rose end up living inside your home?
It was Autumn and it was starting to get cold outside. Rose came down with a bug (the snuffles) from the pet shop and the vet said he would not survive outside. We trained him to use the litter tray. After winter, mum didn't see why Rose had to go outside because he had become fully litter-trained. Rose had also got used to living indoors and was well behaved. He also liked cuddling on the lounge at night!

Do any of your friends have rabbits? Do their bunnies live inside?
None of my friends have rabbits as pets but my sister, Louise, has a friend who has one. It lives outside in a fly-proof cubby house. For what I know the rabbit gets no attention and is just left outside. Having your rabbit live inside with you will develop a bond with him/her. But if you have it outside you will not develop any bond and the rabbit will most likely be forgotten.

Alex, you suffer from allergies & asthma at times. Does Rose's fur or dander cause you any problems?
Rose does cause me problems but I try to keep it under control with 'Claratyne' which is an antihistamine.

Do you have any advice for other people that might be allergic to their rabbit?
You have to remember to wash your hands regularly and not get your rabbit too close to your face. This is difficult for me as Rose is so cute and cuddly.

I take it that Rose was thought to be a girl when he was little. How & when did you find out he was a boy?
Strangely, Rose was following around the girls of the family and chewing on their pyjama and tracksuit pants! When we were cuddling him one day his 'bits and bobs' had appeared! It was a great surprise as we were guaranteed by three of the pet shop owners that he was a girl. He now has a very boyish face. It took a lot of getting used to calling Rose 'he and him' instead of 'her and she'.

Rose was recently neutered. What made your family decide on this?
Rose was starting to spray. He was continually biting the bottom of pants and he was also biting mum's and Louise's ankles. Basically, he just never seemed to be able to relax!

Has his personality changed at all since his operation?
Rose has changed so much. He is a lot more cuddly and less aggressive. He has stopped spraying and being as boisterous as he was. He seems a lot more relaxed and has stopped his biting of ankles.

I know Rosie very well & know he is one hilarious bunny! What's something that Rosie has done that's made you laugh out loud?
Rose is always making us laugh with his antics! He always likes to be in the middle of whatever is going on. In the morning rush hour when we are all getting ready for work and school he likes to be in the centre of the action, even if it means being in the middle of the kitchen during the morning rush hour!! We just step around him.

He will follow us up and down the stairs. He likes to know where everybody is!

Before he was desexed he would chase a plastic bag around the house for ages. Also before he was desexed, he would get angry with dad when he was put in the laundry at night. He didn’t care how much smaller he was, he would still lunge at dad! We couldn't stop laughing at this little fellow attacking dad.

When mum was digging holes for some plants, he got all excited and was in there digging as well.
Thank you for this interview Alex. As a teenager living at home with your family, do you have one last piece of advice for other families thinking of adding a rabbit as a pet?
If you are thinking of getting a rabbit, please do not just put it in a hutch in the backyard and forget about it. Make it a member of your family and keep it inside. They can be toilet trained! You will be surprised what great indoor pets they make.

Rabbit teeth

2006-06-29T00:19:00.000-11:00

Did you know that rabbit's teeth keep growing & growing throughout their lives. In the wild, rabbits chew on all kinds of things such as grass, roots and trees which keep their teeth naturally short. Our domestic bunny needs lots of things to chew as well so they can stay healthy & happy.

Give your bunny safe things to chew, such as:

* lots of hay
* unsprayed apple branches
* unsprayed & dethorned rose sticks
* cardboard boxes
* old telephone books

NEVER CUT YOUR RABBIT'S TEETH WITH CLIPPERS!!!!! Clipping teeth causes the teeth to split and become infected.

If your rabbit has teeth that are too long, please visit an experienced rabbit vet with dental equipment.

Peace & Harmony's happy ending

2006-06-04T20:39:00.000-11:00

If you are a regular reader of The Bunologist. You may remember the two drain bunnies that were found outside Keysborough Shelter in February 2006. Dumped on the street and found on a scorching 40 degree day, these two lucky white lop sisters were found & brought into the shelter to get a second chance at life.

Gale-Dawn Jensen recently adopted “Peace” & “Harmony” from the shelter to be friends with her other bunny Hazel.

We find out a little bit about Gale-Dawn & her bunnies - Hazel, Peace & Harmony:

BOING: How did you end up with your first ever bunny?
Gale-Dawn: In 1996 my daughter was given a tiny black bunny for Easter from her partner. About three weeks later she found the little bunny too challenging so she gave it to me.

BOING: You had cats before rabbits. Which has been more challenging?
G-D: Rabbits. After taking on my first bunny I knew zero about them. I contacted the Lort Smith but they didn’t seem know much about bunnies at the time. I contacted the SHOW bunny people and they told me that bunnies only live about 3 to 5 years. I discovered that my local vet did not know much about bunnies either. All the books I read seemed to conflict with each other. So, the last 10 years has not only been challenging but also very heart breaking.

BOING: Sadly, you recently lost your two female bunnies. Was your boy bunny Hazel lonely without his girlfriends?
G-D: It seemed to me that Hazel was very lonely as his behaviour changed. He is normally a happy, bouncy bunny but after the girls died he became sulky, hiding in the corner all day.

BOING: How did you hear about the drain bunnies?
G-D: When Hy and Nel passed away I decided to find out as much about bunnies as I could. While looking up information on the internet, I came across Keysbourough Shelter's web site.

BOING: Have you ever adopted rabbits from a shelter before?
G-D: No. My first two bunnies were Clover (my daughters black bunny) and Fiver. Fiver belonged to my sister who decided he was far too challenging for her.

BOING: Were you planning on adopting both Peace & Harmony?
G-D: No. I wanted one female bun for Hazel but after talking to Leigh at the shelter I decided that two females would be better as Hazel has grown up with two female buns.

BOING: Did Hazel take to Peace & Harmony easily?
G-D: Like he had known them forever! He was very lonely so he seemed very happy to welcome them. Hazel is a happy bouncy bunny again.

BOING: Did Peace & Harmony settle in quickly or has it taken some time?
G-D: No they took their time. I put them into the dining room first and it took about four weeks for them to start feeling OK about roaming around the house and outside back area.

BOING: What have you noticed about their behaviour?
G-D: I left them to find their own way around the house and back area but they like to take in a little bit at a time. Also they’ve been a bit shy near me, though they are OK if I’m near them. I have found that if I let them come to me, it’s better for them.

BOING: Your house is very devoted to the bunnies' freedom. Where do they most enjoy spending their time?
G-D: The dining room seems to be their area. It is the one room I do not need to go into very often. This surprised me as it has lino on the floor. They seem to get around the lino OK. The lounge is there second choice.

BOING: What's their favourite foods?
G-D: Carrot and apple which is only given to them for a treat.

BOING: Would you recommend adopting rabbits from a shelter?
G-D: Yes. Leigh seemed to know what Harmony and Peace needed which was a quiet home with no children, dogs or cats. My living environment seemed to suit Harmony and Peace. I don’t think my living environment suited my first bunny’s Clover and Fiver so I think matching bunnies and living environment is extremely important.

Channel 10's 9AM easter bunny segment

2006-04-14T13:58:00.000-11:00

Thursday 13 April 2006
We were delighted when Channel 10's 9AM show with David & Kim invited Leigh & myself to visit the show. We took along three of the calmest bunnies that were at the shelter including the enormous flemish giant.

9AM's resident vet, Dr Julie Summerfield hosted the segment highlighting why rabbits should not be bought on impulse as easter gifts. The segment was excellent and covered all our requested subjects such as desexing, litter training, diet and why rabbits are not good pets for small children.

The bunnies were fabulous! The two in the basket settled in really well and all three were not nervous in the slightest. The big flemish, who was seated next to Dr Summerfield, made quite an impact. She was chosen not just because of her docile & friendly nature, but to highlight that rabbits can become very large and that people need to consider how much space & time they have to take on a rabbit as a pet.

Thank you Channel 10 & Dr Julie Summerfield for taking such a responsible stance on rabbits over the easter break!

URGENT - Newsletter group

2006-04-04T17:07:00.000-11:00

BOING has suffered a slight setback with a computer malfunction.

Our free monthly rabbit newsletter, The Bunologist, is all ready to distribute to our mailing list for April, however, the mailing list has disappeared!! Hopefully this problem is temporary but we urge anyone who was on our list to rejoin either through our website - www.boingonline.com or directly visit - http://forms5.createforms.com/28080/form_1_1.html and add your email address.

You can also email us directly at askboing@bigpond.com and let us know you want to be back on the mailing list.

We apologise for any inconvenience & hope to be back on track in the next week or so.

Animal Aid event report

2006-03-26T13:28:00.000-11:00

Every now and again we get the chance to mingle with the public, meet other animal lovers, promote rabbit welfare and generally push our unconventional philosophy on anyone we can corner. One such occasion was "A Dog’s Breakfast", an event held on the 22nd of February by Animal Aid to draw attention to the problem of abandoned and mistreated pets.

The idea of the Dog’s Breakfast was for people to come along to the Lilydale Showgrounds (with their own dog if they chose to), have some breakfast and look at displays of dog training, dog competitions, stalls promoting dog grooming, dog health, dog adoption, doggy diet issues…and us.

We should have known that something called A Dog’s Breakfast would have a predominantly canine focus, and so it was. Oh, there were also some cat-lovers there, but they looked a bit nervous surrounded by so many dogs. Needless to say, we were the only bunny-huggers in attendance.

We did our best to talk up the wonders of bunny friendship to anyone who would listen. It is pretty hard to convince someone to adopt an abandoned rabbit when they are standing in front of you holding a leash, at the other end of which is an Irish Wolfhound the size of Phar Lap!
The highlight of the morning for us was meeting a woman who had won first prize in a competition for the person most resembling their dog. A quietly playful creature with neatly trimmed light brown hair, soulful brown eyes, delicate paws and a frisky wag in her tail – and the dog wasn’t bad either!

For more information about Animal Aid, please visit their website - http://www.vaat.org.au/

Animal Aid event (It's a dog's breakfast)

2006-02-22T16:25:00.001-11:00

Every year, there are approximately 200,000 animals euthanased nation-wide. This number is massive, and is a result of a number of reasons, including:
* Irresponsible pet ownership
* Unwanted pregnancies from cats and dogs (and rabbits)
* A lack of training for people's canine companions
* Dumped animals due to impulse purchases or animals given as pets.

BOING will be participating to highlight the plight of rabbits in this scenario. We will be holding a stall and to earn a little bit of money towards our rescued bunnies we will be selling original bunny t-shirts, animal jewellery & sample oaten hay & pasture replacement pellet bags. Come on down & meet us!

Date - Sunday 26th Feb 2006
Time - 8 - 11 am
Place - Lilydale Showgrounds, Market Street, Lilydale
Map ref - MAP 38 E4

Prices are $10 for adults, $8 for pensioners and children, and $30 for a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children). Breakfast is included and to purchase your tickets and join us for brekky, please contact Karen Blizzard on 9739 0300, or email kblizzard@vaat.org.au

For more information - http://www.vaat.org.au/Whats_On.htm

Leigh talks shelter bunnies

2006-02-14T12:58:00.000-11:00

Keysborough’s Australian Animal Protection Society Shelter is located at Homeleigh Road, Keysborough, Victoria, Australia, Ph: 9798 8415. Open 7 days a week.

Leigh Munro is a carer at the shelter who cares for many animals but one of her passions is the shelter bunnies.

BOING: How long have you been caring for rabbits at the shelter?
Leigh: Around 7 years. I've been at the shelter for nearly 9 years, but I was too shy at first to stick my nose into their care!

How many bunnies are looking for homes right now?
Around 15. More coming in all the time.

Are many rabbits surrendered after Christmas?
Surprisingly few. Maybe a dozen or so. Though many of the "strays" I'm pretty sure were actually surrenders- they didn't want to pay the optional – though very much needed - donation towards their care.

What are some of the reasons people surrender rabbits?
Moving. Don't want anymore. Have children now. Daughter married now and doesn't want the rabbits. Children not looking after rabbits properly. Rabbit aggressive. Children lost interest. Going interstate. Going overseas. Allergic to rabbit.

Do most rabbits find a new home?
Many do, though unfortunately there's more rabbits than good homes. If people desexed their bunnies and prevented unwanted litters, it'd help us a lot.

What kind of person do you think suits rabbits?
Someone who doesn't mind living on the ground when they're around bunnies. Most bunny people I know are a tad eccentric (in a good way) and love their bunnies to pieces.

Have you declined people wanting to adopt rabbits?
Yes! For various reasons. They weren't willing to get more than one rabbit (we don't allow just one to go home on its own. We promote rabbits as social animals that need the company of their own species to be happy), area too small (a hutch, with no exercise outside of the hutch). There have been people who want the rabbits as pets for young children and the children were very rough with the buns. They don't get any bunnies from us. If I get a bad vibe from someone, they don't get any rabbits.

Do you have your own bunnies at home?
Yes. 6. Plus 2 foster rexes.

What’s their names?
Darsey, Charlotte, Crystal, Dudley, Pearl, Lily and the two rexes are Penelope and Jefferson.

Were they all shelter bunnies?
Yes. They all have their own little stories to tell.

If someone wanted to adopt a shelter bunny, what should they do?
Well, they can either email me at veganbunnygirl@yahoo.com.au or ring me at the shelter. Or they can come in and have a chat and meet the bunnies.

Can people donate money or food for the shelter bunnies?
Yes! It's much appreciated. We accept over the counter donations of fresh veggies. Also, over the counter money donations we accept. Also, people can send cheques/ money orders made out to Australian Animal Protection Society sent to us c/o Leigh. There's also the option of going to http://www.greengrocer.com.au/ and getting it delivered to us fresh. A couple of people have done that, and the quality is really good. I only feed bunnies fresh veggies so they don't get sick

This interview is an excerpt from our free monthly rabbit newsletter - The Bunologist. If you would like to be on our email list to receive newsletters each month, please visit http://forms5.createforms.com/28080/form_1_1.html and add your email address.

Insects can kill!

2006-01-02T18:52:00.000-11:00

For anyone that houses their rabbit outside and you haven't already insect-proofed their housing, here are some reasons why you might want to rush on down to your local hardware store for some insect mesh & a staple gun.

1. Myxo - it's still around & killing off rabbits daily. Forget that you live in the city & it's not going to get your bunny as it's running rampant now in the suburbs. There's no cure or vaccination and your bunny will die a painful death within days. It's spread by mozzies, fleas (common & spanish flea) and your bunny will be even more at risk if you live near wild rabbits populations.

2. Calici - another one that's passed on from biting insects (fleas & mozzies). There is a yearly vaccination but it kicks in after 4 weeks so hurry up & get your bunny to the vet now.

3. Flystrike - ordinary old flies can kill your bunny by laying their eggs on their host. It's a hideous & disgusting way to die.

Please insect proof your bunny's outdoor housing or bring your bunny indoors to live with you. After all, you avoid biting insects so why shouldn't they.

Keeping your bunny cool

2006-01-02T18:49:00.000-11:00

To keep your bunny cool on very hot days:

1. move outside hutch into full shade for the whole day

2. provide a frozen water bottle wrapped in a towel for your bunny to sit next to

3. place a wet towel over outside enclosure and let the evaporation cool your bunny

4. bring bunny inside on hot days - your house will always be cooler during the heat of the day

5. mist spray carefully on your bunny's ears & dampen their fur

6. when inside, place a pedestal fan at a safe distance from your bunny to allow breezes to circulate (covering up cord so bunny will not be in danger)

***Please note that metal hutches are not appropriate housing for rabbits. They heat up to intense temperatures in summer, freeze your bunny in winter and are too small. This summer, chuck out the metal cage & try a new approach.

Join for monthly newsletter

2005-12-13T20:12:00.000-11:00

We have just started up our monthly newsletter named "The Bunologist". Together with our resident bunny vet, Dr Narelle Walter, we aim to bring you news & reviews from all around the world and locally Australia wide.

If you would like to receive our informative newsletter, please go to:

http://forms5.createforms.com/28080/form_1_1.html

add your email address, submit & we will send you all the bunny news you'll need for a whole month!!... until the next month!!

Pumpkin

2005-12-01T13:40:00.000-11:00

We have renamed the little bun we retrieved from a construction site a few weeks ago and have now called him Pumpkin (he's kind of round & orange).

He's the cutest little guy and very very affectionate. He loves to sit with you for hours & get loads of pats. In return he loves to give bunny kisses.

Pumpkin has already visited the vet & has been desexed & vaccinated. He may be up for adoption in the new year so keep an eye on our adoption page at www.boingonline.com

We have another bun!

2005-11-13T23:20:00.000-11:00

Friday night was a call out to catch a stray bunny wandering around in a construction site. It was dark, raining & I wasn't feeling very optimistic about the whole situation. However, under the cover of darkness we rendezvoused at the local service station to meet up with our other counterparts, gathered our towels, carry case & a bunch of carrots and meadered our way around the construction fence.

It was pretty soon that we saw our little target - brown, small, long ears. He was dangerously close to a busy road so Nimal went around to the back to encourage him towards us. Everyone grabbed a towel and we attempted to get near him. He ran off a couple of times but not in fear. It certainly didn't take long before he came over to check me out & just by throwing over the bunch of carrots in his direction, he bounced right over for a look. With lightning quick reflexes, he was caught & was safely in our carry case.

He is the cutest little guy who loves to lick (very unsual for a boy). We've called him Barney and he's very friendly. He'll be booked in very soon to have his dangly bits removed as he has sprayed me already & tried to hump my arm but I took that as a compliment (not that I want it repeated!).

October update

2005-10-29T00:44:00.000-11:00

ChooseCrueltyFree Expo - Last Sunday's expo was fabulous & we met loads of new & fascinating people (some of whom already had indoor buns). We were armed with our new brochure & printouts as well as our handmade animal themed necklaces which did really well. The atmosphere was very positive & as always there were heaps of amazing things to look at, try & buy without hurting one single animal. I was particularly impressed with Pronto Bronto's schnitzel burger (not being a burger person, I thought it was quite yummy!).

Emily's phantom pregnancy - One of Lucky's daughters, Emily, decided to have a phantom pregnancy last week. Not only was she pulling out her own fur, she started pulling fur out of her own mother & sisters to line her nest & stole all the hay out of the tray. Fortunately this didn't last long (probably difficult keeping her nest in place with three others galavanting about) but it does mean that we will probably be getting her "done" shortly. Of course, the idea was to have everyone desexed so I suppose that's on the cards over the next few months!

Dingy - Dingleberry is still tilted unfortunately and doesn't look like she'll be righted at all in the foreseeable future. She is coping with her directional dilemma and can run & stand & lie down just fine. We are trialling her on Valerian (just a little pinch of a capsule on her evening meal) to see if that helps her relax a little more & stop rolling (trial by our vet). She does seem to have stopped rolling as uncontrollably as she was at the beginning but there are still moments she falls. All in all though, she's in high spirits but a little bored. We're trying to figure out how to reintroduce a cardboard box for her to chew without it getting in her way & upsetting her (this was her favourite pastime as she was a "project" bunny from way back!).

Cruelty Free Lifestyle Expo

2005-10-15T22:06:00.000-11:00

Make your own decisions how you can live cruelty free!

Check out the food, cosmetics, toiletries, lifestyle issues, massage, cooking demos, live music, raffles, wine, beer, devonshire tea, household products, organic fruit/vegies, free workshops/talks & prizes

Sunday 23 October
10am - 5pm

Prahran Town Hall
(Cnr Greville & Chapel Streets - Mel ref: 2L H11)
Prahran, Victoria

Admission $10 Children free
Free showbags while stocks last

EC turns out to be ear infection

2005-10-15T21:50:00.000-11:00

Dingle recently visited another vet for a toe amputation (she damaged her toe while rolling). While at the vet she had an xray on her head to see what caused the head tilt. It turns out that it was caused originally by an inner ear infection. Unfortunately, the treatment that we provided in the early days for a suspected EC did absolutely nothing to fix this infection. If Dingle had received penicillin injections from day 1, she may have made an improvement. So the moral of the story is that if your bunny gets a head tilt, ask for all possible treatments - pain killers, penicillin injections, panacur (for EC), Baytril (antibiotic) and ask the vet to look into further research and updates on these conditions.

Recent research results in the US have suggested that dwarf rabbits are more susceptible to EC with 80% of head tilt rabbits returning positive results. In comparison, larger rabbits with head tilt returned 0% positive results for EC, suggesting they had contracted a head tilt in another way.

We have a shop!!!

2005-09-08T00:00:00.000-11:00

The newest thing that's happened lately is that we've opened an online shop selling t-shirts, mugs, bags, cards, baby bibs, cushions, etc.

www.cafepress.com/rescuerabbit

The designs featured in our shop have been designed by the very talented Australian artist, Joelle Mayberry, and they are exclusive only the Rescue Rabbit online shop. Her designs promote rabbits as house bunnies & also promote an anti-fur message, all with a humourous touch.

Please visit our shop & help us raise some money for our rescue rabbits!

Dennis Lily

2005-09-07T23:55:00.000-11:00

Our little Lily (or should we call him Dennis now?!), went in for the chop last week. All went well & within 24 hours, he'd already pulled all his stitches out. Fortunately everything is okay & he's mending well.

Lily is one remarkable little bunny. Nothing fazes this little guy. When I bought Lily & Hugo home (Hugo went along for support... however, they both ended up getting a vaccination!), Lily leapt out of the carrier and promptly went for a run & a box climb. Normally when I bring somebun home from the vet they are a little quieter than usual but Lily had no qualms about getting back into the swing of things.

Dingy's EC update

2005-09-07T23:44:00.000-11:00

It's been five weeks today since Dingle contracted EC & a head tilt. She's been on medication daily & has one more week to go (Panacur & Metacam).

I can't say that Dingy is better but she certainly has improved over time. She still has a head tilt & still rolls over when she loses her balance. Sometimes she's really good, standing up & head forward, then she loses it & her head slips around and she falls. She seems to be better in the mornings but by the end of the evening she gets really tired.

We rigged up a padded area for her to live in when she first became sick. It's quite a large area with lots of towels on the floor. The walls are all sorts of things from cardboard boxes to wire enclosures & walls or doors. We've padded up all her "walls" with pillows & cushions so she can lean up against them. I've also added a pillow to the centre so if she falls, she'll land on the pillow in the middle & take the time to right herself again.

We're finding the whole experience very draining but seeing her improving makes it all worth it.

She's a he!!!

2005-08-14T21:56:00.000-11:00

I got one big shock tonight when I noticed that Lily was starting to hump Hugo. I pulled her off him and when I checked her undercarriage (just for curiosity!), it turns out that Lily is a boy (a very excited boy).

I had been meaning to get "her" spayed soon as "she" had been spraying Hugo & their run for quite a while (explains a bit actually - though females can still spray) & Hugo has been getting quite annoyed with this behaviour (not to mention turning a strange shade of yellow). So, thinking that the operation for Lily will now mean a different arrangement, it does churn up some problems (such as lack of visible testicles). His little dangly bits have never popped out for the world to see which means the operation will be a bit more difficult than usual.

Dingle Update

2005-08-12T14:13:00.000-11:00

It's been a week & a half and Dingle is still a pretzel. She went a bit backwards over the week and was rolling over constantly. However, her eyes have stopped shaking & her tummy is moving better now so she's going to the toilet a bit more regularly. She's a very difficult patient and does not take her medicine very easily (in fact it is a battle). I gave up giving her the Baytril after a few days as she absolutely hated it but now I'm back to giving it a go for a week no matter how much she fights me as I really want to try all the drugs (just in case!).

Getting water into her is also a bit difficult but we've figured out a sneaky solution. When I rub her tummy she licks her left foot. So, we've got a routine worked out where we squirt water into Nimal's cupped hand under her mouth, I rub her tummy & she licks the water. I works for us!!

Dingy went off for another acupuncture session yesterday and Dr Nicole made her into a pincushion to try a few more points. She really hadn't improved from the last session so Dr Nicole tried pressure on her bladder & a few more points around her neck. The last experiment was to inject a small amount of water into the pressure points near her ears to try and prolong the acupressure point for a few days. Ding didn't like that at all & nearly took off like Superbunny.

Dingle's Acupuncture

2005-08-05T13:57:00.000-11:00

Two days after Dingle came down with her head tilt, we took her to the acupuncturist for her first session. I was a bit unsure about how quick we should start doing this but the vet told us that the quicker you get started with this procedure, the better the chance of a quick recovery.

As you can see, the needles are placed in pressure points around the head, neck & back. The procedure took around 30 minutes and Dingle seemed to really enjoy it (though I think the needles in her back were a bit annoying). She relaxed and almost fell asleep as the whole experience is supposed to make them feel a bit fuzzy inside.

We visited the Prahran Veterinary Clinic & saw Dr Nicole Hoskin. She was very gentle & has had lots of experience with bunny acupuncture. I would totally recommend this procedure for rabbit head tilt.

Other other thing that Nicole did for Dingle was to attempt to stimulate her stomach with a laser to encourage her to eat more & get her tummy moving (she's having a bit of a problem going to the toilet). She has been getting a bit better and I'm guessing that she's very stressed with this disability at the moment and her insides are a bit clogged up (we're having to administer Prepulsid for gut motility but ideally we'd like her to get a bit more fibre & get things moving on her own).

After the acupuncture, Dingle went a little bit backwards (this is supposed to happen which means the pressure points were stimulated). We had to move her back into a smaller padded area so she wouldn't fall over. After a few hours though she was able to stand up again & was eating.

Dingle's Head Tilt

2005-08-02T19:12:00.000-11:00

We woke up this morning to find our beloved Dingle with a severe head tilt. She was perfectly fine the night before and was running & playing as usual, eating her dinner, & going to the toilet. This morning she's unable to stand, rolls over, eyes are darting, head twisted to the ground and she's obviously scared and confused.

Finding one of our regular vets on duty was a bit of a chore, however we received medication advice over the phone and were able to administer correct dosages before we reached the clinic. Her examination was fine and it does look like E Cuniculi, however we are administering Baytril (antibiotic) for one week just in case it could be an ear infection.

Ding has been eating a little bit if we put it near her mouth and we've been syringing water into her mouth but she so far hasn't been to the toilet yet. She tries to move around but just can't stand so we have put her in between two pillows for support on her favourite soft blanket.

There's so many things we will need to do for her now until she gets better - make sure her eyes are okay, feed her ceacals for her stomach, hydrate her with liquids and encourage her to eat & go to the toilet.

Masters of Fashion use of real fur - comment

2005-07-30T15:39:00.000-11:00

Below is an email that I have sent the director of the Masters of Fashion in regard to the use of real fur by one of their finalists. If anyone else attended this show at any one of the other locations and was equally upset with his flippant comment about fur, please send your objections to Mr Barton c/- Masters of Fashion, Rembrandts Restaurant, Burwood Hwy, Wantirna.

Dear Mr Barton,

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at Rembrandts last Thursday night and your commentary was, as always, the highlight of the evening (I have been every year for around 6 years and always enjoy the show).

However, I was very disappointed this year to see that real fur has made an appearance at such an enjoyable event. I was quite sickened to think that this "fashion trend" is coming back into vogue and is being accepted by the Australian fashion industry and promoted to the Australian public. An innocent animal killed purely for its fur is not a fashion accessory and should not be publicly promoted as acceptable. I was also very disappointed with your comment that anyone who does not like real fur should "get over it". I would like to ask you Guy, what should I be getting over? Inhumane treatment? Violent & painful deaths? Innocent and unneccesary lives lost for a fleeting trend in fashion?

I understand that you have many years experience in the fashion industry and I do hope that the Masters of Fashion continues for many years to come promoting new designers. I do, however, ask that you encourage new designers to use their talents in design rather than attempting to attract attention through inappropriate methods. When real fur is no longer part of fashion, I'll be happy to then "get over it".

Karen
www.boingonline.com

poisonous plants

2005-07-22T13:37:00.000-11:00

This is just a reminder to anyone who has companion rabbits to watch out when bringing plants or flowers into the house. Yesterday afternoon one of our bunnies jumped on the couch and climbed her way to a vase that was holding a hyacinth flower. She managed to eat a few of the florettes and when I did a search on the flower, found out it was poisonous.

Since rabbits cannot vomit, the poisonous plant was ingested. We fed her lots of juicy celery & pear afterwards to try & water it down. Fortunately, she is fine & there wasn't any ill effects (so far anyway).

Apparently it turns out that the bulb is the most poisonous of the hyacinth flower but the rest of the plant is also toxic but in larger quantities.

All I would like to suggest to anyone is not to tempt fate & keep all garden plants & flowers way out of reach of your bunnies!!!

Lily & Hugo

2005-07-17T19:23:00.000-11:00

Lily & Hugo are now happily back together as a couple. They are the cutest & love each other very much, though it is fairly clear they are quite the destructive pair. They currently live in our brick studio & an area has been partitioned off with an old bed base. Separately, they didn't touch the bed, but together in one night they ate the entire end off the base & Hugo (who could double for Houdini) managed to squeeze himself inside, turn around & get himself out again (fortunately!). The whole thing is covered in protective wire now so they can't eat any of the contents!

A near miss! (twice)

2005-07-17T19:08:00.000-11:00

Yesterday's cleaning frenzy almost caused two of my bunnies serious harm!!!

Princess was out and about running around & I had just moved a rather large folding table into our hallway & it was leaning against the wall. I left the room for a second & heard a huge bang. I came running back into the hallway to see the table flat on the floor & Princess right next to it. Princess must have missed being hit by the table by a millimetre!! That table is really heavy so I don't dare think of what would have happened to her if she was under it when it fell!!! She got lots of hugs & kisses last night I can tell you!!!!!

After Princess was safely back in her enclosure, I let Munchkin out for a run so I could clean her house. She was out for hours without any problem until I heard a scuffle. I ran to the loungeroom & found Dingle (who had jumped her barrier) & had attacked Munchkin (little Munchkin is tiny compared to Dingle aka Killer!). There was quite a bit of fur (black & white - Munchkin's white & Dingle's black) so Munchkin certainly got to fight back (good on ya Munchy!!). Fortunately, neither were hurt but Munchkin now has a rather large bald spot near her neck & possibly a bite (though no blood) so I will be keeping a very good eye on that in case of an abscess. Munchkin also received lots & lots of hugs & kisses but she was okay afterwards & leaping/prancing about without a care in the world.

Anyway, I did learn a couple of HUGE lessons from yesterday's cleaning frenzy! (1) always expect the unexpected (2) always shut everyone's doors when the other bunnies are out for a run (3) always be on the ball & (4) there are so many more fun things to do than clean!

Princess's spay

2005-07-17T19:01:00.000-11:00

Princess was recently spayed two weeks ago & recovered amazingly well. It's always a worry when a female bunny is desexed as the operation is quite serious. However, even though she was a bit dopey in the evening she was happy eating & pooping as normal. She is, however, 7 months old and a large bunny so this makes a huge difference is how quickly they recover.

When our first girl bunny (Dingle) was desexed, it took 1 and a half years before we finally took the plunge. In that time, her girlie bits grew in size & the vet said it was quite an intricate operation to detach all the blood vessels etc. Dingle took much longer to recover as well.

Hugo & Billy's op

2005-06-25T16:15:00.000-11:00

Hugo & Billy were recently desexed & have recovered very well. They are still away from the girls for a few more weeks as they can still do some damage but will be thrilled to get back to snuggling up with their girlfriends very soon.

Hugo & Lily will be paired. Billy will probably be paired with Lucky.

Stitches were used after their operation and usually boys will bite the stitches off by themselves which is fine but Hugo had left one in. We spent quite a bit of time yesterday poking around downstairs getting the last stitch out. The stitch was quite a toughy to get out but with very delicate hands, it was removed successfully & without too much stress involved - us, not Hugo (he was fine!!).

Princess has arrived

2005-06-04T00:40:00.000-11:00

On the same day that Sammy passed away, Princess came to stay.

Princess is a very loved bunny from a family that have moved to Tasmania to live. She is a big white lop who is the most gorgeous and friendly bunnies I have ever met. She loves to cuddle & sit on your lap for hours being patted. Princess is one of those dream bunnies that everyone would want as a companion and we are very pleased that she has come to live with us.

Her family are missing her and called to see how she was doing. Princess is living in our bedroom but in an enclosure as Peanut & Lavender live in the same room. Peanut showed quite a bit of interest and had been going over regularly to visit. Lavender has been showing extra special attention to Peanut giving him loads of kisses (I think she's jealous!!). Unfortunately for Peanut, he poked his nose into Princess's living quarters a bit too enthusiastically this morning & copped the wrath of the new bunny. He's okay but sulked off to his box to get over the shock. Princess's enclosure has now been hoisted up a little higher off the ground so no-one gets into trouble again! (she's now perched high in her castle to watch over her subjects).

However, saying that, I have upgraded the status to King Peanut & Queen Lavender (so they don't feel like they're of any less importance).

Sammy didn't make it

2005-06-04T00:34:00.000-11:00

Unfortunately, our little Sammy passed away on Thursday night. He was perfectly happy on Wednesday morning but went downhill again by the evening. He was given medication & fluids but didn't get any better and by Thursday evening he went into fits. It was horrible & I took him inside not expecting him to survive very long so I wanted to just comfort him but he was in immense pain so was rushed off to the vet. He had a seizure at the vets & unfortunately nothing could be done but to relieve him from his pain. It was very sad as he was the first bunny we have lost. He was a gorgeous little guy who loved to be picked up and cuddled.

We miss him terribly.

Sammy's blockage scare

2005-05-28T01:15:00.000-11:00

Little Sammy was recently rushed off to the vet a week or so ago as he wasn't at all well (not eating, etc but also not responding to the usual techniques for stasis - also, I was a little unsure of what his problem was).

It did turn out to be a stomach blockage. He had an xray to reveal food which had massed but at such an early age (11 weeks) it was very unusual to think he could have such a serious problem. He was given sub cut fluids while at the clinic and I was sent home with more bags of fluid to give him along with needles & some experimental paste of prepulsid. It turns out that Prepulsid (Australia's answer to rabbit stasis medication) is no longer going to be available in this country (for the time being anyway?!). Apparently it's a human motility drug & people have been using it either incorrectly or there have been some problems with the outcomes (who knows??). I have only thought of it as a medication for rabbits so that was a bit of a shock for me. I have heard, however, that chemists still do have bottles of the stuff so will be tracking some down for our bunny medicine cabinet.

The day after Sammy's visit to the vet, it was my turn to administer fluids. I'm afraid that I only did it the once. I was advised to warm up the liquid as it was very cold in the morning (I placed it on our heating vents when the house was warming up & it worked a treat). Working out how to get the fluids to flow & getting a needle into a little bunny was another story early in the morning before I'd really woken up! Fortunately it did all work out (apart from missing the first time & poor little Sammy ended up quite damp!). If anyone has administered fluids via sub cut before, you'll know just how iccky the whole thing is (as well as watching the liquid bulge under the skin - yuck!). However, it is totally necessary to assist with speeding up the process of rehydrating the body to remove a mass when in a life & death situation (I'm sure I'll get over it if I have to do it again).

Good news anyway - Sammy is indeed very well & back to bouncing around happily. He is very good friends with Hugo & the two of them snuggle together on top of Lily's enclosure roof.

Separation anxiety

2005-05-28T01:03:00.000-11:00

Today we officially separated the last male bunny from the girls. Since Hugo, Lily & Sammy (aka Susie - turns out she was a he!) were separated weeks ago, Lily is now is another separate enclosure but in the same space as Hugo & Sammy so they can still be together. Today we separated the last boy bunny from the rest of the clan. Unfortunately he was mummy's favourite & it was very sad to have to separate them for the time being.

What's worse is I was advised to give it a shot and put the boy bunny (he hasn't got a name yet) in with Hugo & Sammy to see how they would go. Well it went really well for about 10 minutes & I watched them all have a wonderful time running about. The little guy even had a few binkies as he was having such fun, but then Hugo started sniffing around and next thing they were at it. I stepped in straight away to separate them (as my better sense told me it was not going to work - but hey, you've got to give something a try right?!) and unfortunately got my hand in between the two of them, gaining a really nasty bite. I've never had such a piece torn out of me before & needless to say it really hurts!!! Bunnies can be very vicious if they want to be so in a way I'm glad it was me & not the other bunny who was bitten.

So, since I couldn't put the poor little guy back in with mum & his sisters & it didn't work with Hugo & Sammy, he's in our bedroom now in a rather small enclosure by himself. He's a bit scared but he's eating his hay & his dinner & will be okay. I'll have to come up with a name for him as I'll see him everytime I wake up & before I go to sleep so I'll have to say hello or goodnight to someone!

EC update

2005-05-13T13:43:00.000-11:00

Our little Lily is doing very well & her head tilt is almost fixed. Her head is still very slightly tilted but so minor you really wouldn't be able to tell anymore. Lily is now able to jump up on boxes twice her size, her weight is nearly normal and she is a nice & round little bunny, just like her siblings now. She is still having daily medications but I have stopped medicating Hugo & Susie since Susie had a mild case of stasis recently.

One of Lily's pupils is still smaller than her other eye and I do have suspicions that she may have been left with some permanent brain damage as her behaviour is just a little different from the others. I don't see this as a problem as she is just the most gorgeous little girl that nearly falls asleep in my arms when I pat her.

Bunny acupuncture

2005-04-29T12:24:00.000-11:00

LILY
Our little brave Lily is doing very well since her encounter with EC two weeks ago. She has improved dramatically and now has only a minor head tilt. She had acupuncture yesterday at the Prahran Veterinary Clinic and we are hopeful that she will improve even more.

I think the key to increasing the chances of recovery for EC is to be aware of any symptoms and know when to react. Obviously, if a bunny is looking unwell or is not eating, then a trip to the vet is recommended as soon as possible.

With EC, the symptoms were: loss of balance, head tilt, back legs very unsteady and eye movement. We had her on Panacur and Metacam within one day and I think this made for a quicker recovery, though her age probably helps as older bunnies may react differently and take a little longer to recover.

EC is not a death sentence!

2005-04-25T21:34:00.000-11:00

LILY
A little over a week ago, our littlest baby bun Lily developed E. Cuniculi. I noticed that she wasn't looking quite right and was wobbling around a bit. She didn't have any balance and fell backwards if she stood up on her hind legs. I removed Lily, Hugo & Smudge2 from the group (as they are good friends) and within one day was medicating her & the other siblings with Panacur (they are living in our quarantine area so they don't infect anyone else). It's been a bit over one week now and I can already see an improvement with Lily. She's a cheeky little thing and is quite at home stealing Hugo or Smudge's apple treats after they've had their medicine! Her head is tilted but not severely and she can even correct it if she really wants to. She did have darting eyes on the third day but this has already ceased since medication.

When I medicate her & the others, I wear a particular top that I can pop them into and squirt the Panacur into their mouths. When I put Lily in there, she still rolls around like a prezel - legs & arms everywhere! But she can climb if she wants to!! She hates the Panacur (so do the others) but she loves the Metacam (used as a painkiller). They all particularly love their piece of apple though that they get after their medicine!

I have to say that, apart from Myxo & Calici, E. Cuniculi was the most feared illness for me. I was really concerned about it and didn't know how I would cope but Lily has been an inspiration! I have been told that acupuncture works on EC cases in the early stages so do plan on making a visit to a recommended specialist in Prahran soon. Stay tuned! We'll let you know how it goes.

Update on all things bunny

2005-04-09T14:03:00.000-11:00

BABY BUNSTERS
All our little guys are doing very well and are starting to show their personalities. I can now identify them all, even though they look very similar. We have a runt of the litter and I've called her Lilly (as she's the li'llest one). I have no idea what their sexes are yet so naming is a bit of a problem. Two of the babies have taken up residence with Lucky up on the top floors, especially one I call Smudge (to the right - there's a Smudge to the left as well!). SmudgeTTR sleeps and curls up with mum and it's so cute. I think he/she will stay on as Lucky's buddy as they have really bonded. Another very white one I've called Snowy (boring I know!) also loves to live up top and lies with SmudgeTTR & Lucky but tends to hang out by himself. The little black & white one is a real character and also wants to be watched. He has a favourite spot to lie which is in the doorway of their play house.

HOLIDAY BUN
Gorgeous Rosie came to stay with us again last weekend. He is the most charismatic and adorable bun you could come across and we love looking after him when his family go on holidays. He stays in our bedroom as he loves lots of attention but does tend to keep us awake with his bouncy behaviour. When he arrived at our place, he knew just where he was and made himself at home straight away. His girlfriend Annabelle wasn't quite as excited as he was to see her and she pretty much ignored his attentions - but that's a good sign as she does quite like him.

Easter campaign

2005-03-21T20:43:00.000-11:00

"EASTER'S NO FUN FOR BUNS" CAMPAIGN
It's been a while since I posted but this week I'm full of enthusiasm as I've been tackling the world of media. As Easter is soon upon us, it's a reminder for me to get the word out there to lots of people who are unaware about how wonderful our bunny friends are. Around this time many people consider buying baby bunnies for children as an Easter gift. With this kind of impulse purchase, we see a vast majority of these little innocent fluffballs either forgotten after a few months to be left alone and ignored for the rest of their short lives outside or dumped at the shelters when the family has had enough of feeding the little bunny.

So far this week we've had information read out on the PAWS radio show (3CR 855 AM, Mondays 10-11am) and Tuesday was a letter & website address printed in the city's mX newspaper encouraging people not to purchase bunnies for Easter gifts.

Hopefully with other media contacts we might get more publicity over the next few days before Easter!

FESTIVAL/MARKET INFO
We were really disappointed to not be participating in the Oakleigh Festival on Sunday. I was all geared up for it but when the letter arrived from Monash Council advising that we were required to send through our public liability insurance number, the bubble burst. By the sounds of things, all councils now require anyone participating in a public event to have their own insurance and there's no way around it. Good on one hand as everyone's covered, but lots of small community groups miss out on participating so it's a bit of a disappointment to us that it's come to people suing councils over a dodgy hotdog.

We checked out CERES market on the weekend but driving in and out of the city from the eastern suburbs on a Saturday nearly drove us mad so unfortunately that's not the right location for us either (good market though and a fabulous place to check out all sorts of environmental information - Ceres Environmental Park, Brunswick, Saturdays 9am-1pm).

LUCKY & THE KIDS
They are all doing fabulously well and are very very cute. In the mornings I sing a little song so they know it's me and they all come running. When they sleep together, they all lie on each other stretching out, legs everywhere! I wish I could keep them all here but it's all coming to a realisation that they are all going to grow up to be Lucky's size and we just don't have any more bedrooms!! As they are getting older, we need to start building another big house for either the girls or the boys to move into before we end up with a disaster on our hands!! Gussy's old house has worked out perfectly for them all as the levels are still a bit too high for the kids to jump to (fortunately for Lucky!!). She loves to watch from the first level just to keep an eye on her babies.

To Lucky's donators, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! Lucky & the kids truly appreciate your very generous and kind contribution.

Bunnies, Bunnies, Everywhere!

2005-03-06T18:41:00.000-11:00

The baby bunnies are out of the nest and are running about like little mad things. It turns out we have seven (five mostly white, although a few will have himalayan markings, one black & white spotted with black eyes and the most gorgeous eye makeup and another that also has gorgeous eye makeup like hotots but lovely cinnamon markings on white). They are all very pretty of course and are very very friendly!! They are now eating greens, hay & pellets & drinking water from the bowl.

Lucky now lives mostly on the top floor with her own litter tray, food, water & cardboard box & towel. I think she's already a bit put off to visit the babies as they have very sharp teeth and still want to feed from her. Once she's on the ground floor, the babies run for her and try to latch on so she then runs away again. (Imagine how a mother bunny must feel raising babies in a small hutch!! It must a nightmare as a mother bunny's natural instinct is to stay away from them as much as possible and in a hutch she'd never have a moment's peace.)

Since taking on Lucky & her babies, it's got me thinking about some people who take on baby bunnies thinking that the mother is not looking after them properly. My advice to anyone who has a pregnant bunny is to leave the mother to instinctly look after her bubs and to not interfere. A mother rabbit's milk passes on all sorts of necessary antibodies to the bubs ensuring they have a long and healthy life free of illness. When people interfere and raise baby bunnies with milk substitutes, the babies really do not have a healthy gut flora to start their lives and can therefore become ill later on in life.

When baby bunnies are born, the mother has already prepared a nest in advance to ensure the bunnies are kept warm and safe. The mother bunny will not stay with the babies as cats or dogs do and only visit standing up for 5 minutes during the early morning to feed and then leave again. The milk that she provides to the babies is enough to fill them up with all sorts of goodies for 24 hours which means that what she provides must be very filling and nutritious.

Major underestimation!

2005-02-24T11:55:00.000-11:00

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

2005-02-18T12:24:00.000-11:00

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

2005-02-11T11:33:00.000-11:00

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!

2005-02-08T20:21:00.000-11:00

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

2005-02-07T19:05:00.000-11:00

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

2005-02-03T12:26:00.000-11:00

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.

Bunny overload

2005-01-23T19:47:00.000-11:00

Baby buns - There are a number of baby buns appearing recently looking for new homes. If anyone is interested, please check out our adoption page. If you would like to adopt a bunny, please contact the bunny carer on the advertisement. BOING recommends indoor housing for bunnies as it's the safest and happiest environment for humans to bond with their bunny.

Rosie - Our funny and gorgeous holiday bun, Rosie, went home today with his adoring family. Rosie is the most charismatic bunny I've come across since Pancake. Very funny and oozing personality and he will be missed at our house, even though he was only with us for two weeks. Hi Rosie if you're on the computer!! (he's very bright and can probably log on by himself!).

Gus & Angelina - I moved Angelina over next to Gus for a week to see how they would get along but I'm not sure if it's a match made in heaven. I ended up moving them all back to their original spots since Annabelle looked very depressed in her new spot. Angelina also looked unhappy at being in such an open spot. In the end I moved them back and they were instantly happy again.

Holiday buns

2005-01-11T12:14:00.000-11:00

Stuey - Our cutie little holiday boy went home with his family on Sunday. He is an adorable little guy who was the perfect holiday guest and we'll miss him. However, it's fabulous to know he is so loved by his family.

Rosie - We have a new holiday bunny staying with us for two weeks called Rosie. Rosie is a boy and he is quite feisty (a bit of a swap from Stuey). Having Rosie stay reminds me of how out of control our Peanut was when he came here. Rosie is not desexed and he's very "enthusiastic" when he's out having a run. It is very interesting to see the differences between an undesexed male and an undesexed female. When Angelina is out having a run (separately of course from any other bunnies) she doesn't have that instinct to mate. With Rosie, I feel terrible for the poor little guy that he just can't relax. His breathing is always fast and he can't lie down for more than a couple of seconds before he's off and racing around again at full speed. He nips, grunts, circles, pulls pant legs and is a bit scary when he runs at you full speed and leaps into your lap before jumping off again and racing off up the hallway.

HAPPY 2005!!

2005-01-04T13:31:00.000-11:00

Christmas & New Year - I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas & New Year! We had a lovely time with lots of pressies for all the bunnies. Each one had a stocking and they received fun things to play with - seagrass mats, throw balls & treat balls.

Missing survey results - Unfortunately I missed retrieving a bunny story from the survey (I have a limited time to retrieve them before they are locked). Whoever posted their story, please post again!!! I love receiving stories and publishing them. Sorry about that!!

Shelters - After Christmas there are always a number of animals that are dumped at shelters for so many reasons. As a New Year's resolution, take some time to donate, adopt, help out or just take a moment to think of the animals that end up at shelters and how you may help in the future.

Boarding bunny - Our little guest, Stuart, has been having a lovely time bouncing around and running madly in our loungeroom. He's such a cutie and very gentle. I thought our two bunnies, Peanut & Lavender, who are sharing the same room, would be very interested in him but so far the closest they've come to saying hello has been from the end of the mat. Stuart has been fascinated by the other two and they all keep an eye on each other but are happily just admiring each other from a distance.

2005 - Looking forward to the next year, we hope that 2005 will be the best year ever. I don't know what the future holds but I plan to get more information out about companion rabbits and see where the ideas take me.

I'm melting!!

2004-12-23T11:25:00.000-11:00

Hot Hot Hot - Another hot one yesterday and the house got up to 30 degrees on the inside before the cool change hit at 4.30 am this morning. Fortunately I bought a new mister spray for the bunnies a few days ago so we were busily misting all the fluffies as well as ourselves all yesterday while melting into the beanbag in front of the tv. My we lead exciting lives!

Angelina Ballerina - Minnie has changed her name yet again! This time it's the last name change, although I lovingly call her Snottie most of the time. I don't think she's getting over the Snuffles as fast as she should be so I've upped the medication to 0.4 mls in the morning & the same for the evening. This is similar to what Peanut got when he came to us with his sneezing and he got over it in one month. Putting the medication in her pellets is working well although it takes a few hours before they're gone.

Bunny Boarding - We have a new little bunny staying with us for 3 weeks called Stuey while his parents are away for Christmas. He's the most adorable little guy and looks like the love child between our Peanut & Dingle as he looks a little like each one. He came out for his first run yesterday and after being a little bit apprehensive, took to the loungeroom like he'd been here all his life. It was a bit hot but he was a clever little guy and found a cool spot on the tiles where he spread himself out and proceeded to watch tv for the afternoon.

Woo hoo - made it on radio

2004-12-15T18:04:00.000-11:00

3CR - well I finally got my query on the radio, dropping a bit of bunny info on 3CR. Had the name mentioned and I was quite excited! The query was about our Pancake and a reddish tinge to her urine. It was suggested that Pancake may be producing a normal stain as she is desexed, healthy & happy. There was also a suggestion that rabbits can get bladder stones and to take a sample if concerned. Thanks 3CR!

Minnie - trying to get medication into a rabbit that just hates any method is tending to be quite a difficult process. I've tried direct syringing but that's too stressful for her & me and I've tried syringing it into some apple but I can't guarantee she'll eat it. Now I'm squirting it into her pellets in the morning and mixing it around. She does seem to love her pellets and eats them reasonably quickly so the plan is working well so far!

Gus - Gus's indoor life has blossomed. He is having the best time since coming back indoors and I don't think he'd give it up again if he had to. He loves running around, other bunny contact, snacks & treats after dinner - what more could a bunny want!! Perhaps a permanent friend, so we're going to be getting him a bit more chummy with Minnie soon. Things have been delayed because of Minnie's sneezing but she's heaps better now.

Funny Buns & Funky do

2004-12-02T14:21:00.000-11:00

Minnie - Our little bunny finished her trial 10 days of Baytril and was on the improve until she finished her medication and now she's back to sneezing herself silly again. I pick up more Baytril today that will last through a few months so hopefully we'll get on top of this and get rid of it for good.

Funny Buns blog - Stories coming in have slowed down now so that's a bit sad. I'm still hoping to get heaps more but the free online survey runs out every 10 days and I have to duplicate the survey to keep it up to date. One more complication this week is that our host site is changing locations over the weekend and I can't upload my site until next week. This means that the survey runs out of time and I can't renew it until I reload so if anyone adds a story in this time, I can't retrieve it. If you're going to add your story to our site, please wait until next week. Thanks!

3CR - Unfortunately last week's show was cancelled so hopefully this Monday will be a bunny day.

Funky do - Annabelle's new haircut, though slightly radical, will be much easier to look after over summer. I purchased a new grooming brush for her yesterday which cleans itself and works really well to get out all the thick loose fur underneath. It's called Snap-N-Clean and it's great for very fuzzy bunnies as the bristles are plastic so they're nice & soft on the skin but grab the loose fur just enough to get it out (you've got to part the hair and focus on small bits at a time but it works really well).

What a hot one!

2004-11-26T00:12:00.000-11:00

Today was 36 degrees and too hot for the fluffies. Our house does get a bit warm by the afternoons but with all the fans, the buns seemed not too fussed. Annabelle had a major haircut today as her fur is too long and thick for hot weather. She looks quite funky with her new "do" and even though she's quite proud of her long mane, I think she quite welcomed the new look for the summer.

3CR - Today I emailed 3CR radio with another bunny query for the vet on Monday. It would be great if they could mention the website but I'm not sure if they do that. I just hope they answer my query.

Welcome to our new diary

2004-11-22T17:03:00.000-11:00

We've updated to a new blog diary to keep things up to date so we hope you like it. In case you are not a regular, I'll update with a few issues that we've been dealing with lately.

Vets - our local vet in Mt Waverley (Dr Neil Harding) prescribed some Baytril for our littlest bunny, Minnie who has had a problem with snuffles. She was on Bactrim for 5 days but there were problems. Since being on Baytril she is making a very quick recovery so we are thrilled about that. Thanks Dr Harding!

3CR PAWS program - since I was worried about Minnie, I called the 3CR PAWS (Pets & Animal Welfare Show) Monday week ago to talk to the vet (PAWS is on weekly, Mondays 10-11am, 855AM). The program is good but not many people know about it so the vet doesn't get many phone calls. I figured I'd add a bit of a bunny flavour and call in which ended up being good (although I got a bit nervous about being on air). The vet advised that Bactrim causes nausea and that's probably why Minnie wasn't happy for the 5 days she was on the stuff.

Rescue Rabbit Australia - Our "Rescue Rabbit Australia" forum is gaining more members which is fantastic. There is a little bit of banter going on and some plans in the near future for getting in touch with more shelters.

Funny Buns - The "Funny Bunny" survey has been sensational and the stories coming in are really lovely. There is now a separate blog for the stories which are now going to be a regular thing if we can keep it going and encourage more people to participate.

I have included all the previous diary posts from our website on this blog if anyone wants to read what we have been doing in the recent past. This blog should now be updated very regularly so please keep on tuning in and we hope you like reading what we're up to.

16 November 2004

2004-11-19T13:08:00.000-11:00

Just a short note with an update on Monty (now called Minnie). Her breathing has become very strange since she went onto the Bactrim so she's off the medication for the time being to see if things change. She was on the stuff for 5 days and she sounds terrible. She's still sneezing a little but is sounding very chesty now. Fortunately she's still very happy, eating, going to the toilet and generally running around so she'll be back to the vet soon to see what else we can do for her. We've moved her enclosure into the bathroom so she gets regular doses of steam. Hope that helps!

12 November 2004

2004-11-19T13:06:00.001-11:00

About a week ago I thought that Gus (who is our only bunny outside), was sick. He wasn't eating his dinner and so thought he may have been having a bit of a stasis episode, even though he was still looking lively. After a few days, I came to the conclusion that he wasn't sick, but just bored and lonely! After all, he'd been outside by himself for nearly one year (how time flies - he wasn't supposed to be out there that long!). So I bought him inside to the laundry and he perked up right away. He was a bit scared and shy at first but I could tell he was happier and started eating his dinner again. It turned out to be an interesting research project as when he was outside, even though he was safe and had lots of room to run, he wasn't getting any attention or affection like the other bunnies who are indoors. I think I'd spend about 5 minutes a day with him if he was lucky whereas the rest get our attention constantly. I introduced Gus to Monty a couple of times while Gus was in an enclosure and Monty was running free and it was hysterical!! They look like they'll be a pretty good match but I have to wait until Monty is a bit healthier before she gets to meet Gus in the flesh.

Little Monty, who is our latest arrival, has developed "snuffles". This is an infection also known as Pasteurella which makes the poor little thing sneeze and her breathing has also been affected. As bunnies breathe through their noses, it makes life very difficult for them if they develop this virus. I took her to the vet last Wednesday and had her checked over and it turns out she has also been affected by mites, probably due to the stress of snuffles. You can tell if they have mites by a patch of skin where the fur has fallen out and there are little tiny scabs on the skin (usually on the neck behind the ears). Mites are usually present on rabbits anyway but under stressful conditions, they can cause hair loss and itchy skin. If the condition is serious, injections from your vet can help. In Monty's case, the hair is already growing back and it hasn't been itchy so I guess she's on the mend with them. The snuffles problem is fairly serious though and she's been put on a course of Bactrim for 10 days (she can't go on Baytril as she's too young and it can affect the growing plates apparently). So I'm trying to administer this horrible sticky stuff by syringe twice a day at the moment which is both stressful to me & to Monty!! Peanut had the same problem when he came to live with us earlier in the year but he loves fruit and I used to syringe his Baytril into a piece of apple or strawberry and he'd eat it in seconds. Monty is a bit picky with food and doesn't rush to eat anything so I have to do the "bunny burrito" thing and squirt her medicine into her mouth while she's all wrapped up with nowhere to go!

27 October 2004

2004-11-19T13:06:00.000-11:00

Well it's been quite a month for us with so many disruptions and computer problems that I'm glad it's nearly November! We're back online now and I'm so excited I can't begin to describe it!!!

On the bunny front, we have another new addition called Monty. S/he (we don't know the sex yet as it's only very young) came to us from a vet in Fawkner who had our number as a rabbit rescue contact. I'm still not sure how they got the number but after a week of them trying to find it a home (it was found loose in someone's backyard) I ended up picking it up and bringing it home with me. What a cutie!!! It's a little himalayan (white with dark markings on the nose, ears & feet). All our other bunnies are enormous compared to this one but it has just the most gorgeous personality and so very delicate. I have built a three storey NIC condo in our bedroom and that now makes 4 in our bedroom!!! I was going to try and bond Monty with one of the others but they are a little aggressive at the moment towards the new arrival so we'll have to wait and see.

Peanut had a mild case of stasis a few weeks ago. He just wasn't himself and wasn't interested in dinner (which is very much unlike him!). His tummy wasn't making any sounds which is a good indication that things have come to a standstill. I spent a few hours gently massaging his tummy and listening for any noise and when nothing was happening, I gave him a tiny bit of Metacam for pain and a little bit of Prepulsid to get his tummy moving. I also took him out to the loungeroom for a run as exercise really helps get things going. Everything worked fortunately and it wasn't long before there were a few gurgles and he was instantly happier. The difference was amazing. He was running, jumping and his little face looked brighter and relieved that he was back to normal. After he ate something, I took him back to our room to be with Lavender who was very happy to see him again (she doesn't come out of the bedroom as she's scared but normally I'd recommend that a couple should not be separated).

4 October 2004

2004-11-19T13:04:00.001-11:00

Peanut's now waking us up at around 5.30am or earlier. He quickly figured out that if he keeps annoying you, he'll get some food. I now put Peanut & Lavender's breakfast in a container for Nimal to give them as he gets up way earlier than me. Peanut's also now figured this out and leaves me alone to sleep. Nimal gets all the attention now!

I accidentally left our bedroom door open the other morning to find Annabelle running back & forth in the doorway wanting to go and meet Peanut & Lavender in person. She looked so excited but we were worried that a fight could have started so we cut her visit short. Thinking that there could be a possibility of a friendly bonding, we've moved Annabelle's enclosure to the end of our bed so she's closer to the pair. Things were going fairly well and it looked like the three of them could be friends but while changing Annabelle's tray the other day I left the top of her enclosure opened for two seconds to find Lavender had jumped in and the two of them were fighting. Little Annabelle was very frightened and distressed and we've been very careful since then not to let them get near each other again. I've had to put towels on top of her enclosure as well since Lavender (who we thought was just the most docile of bunnies has turned into a big thug - we've nicknamed her "Big Gladys" from a character on the Basil Brush Show), as she's taken to jumping on top of the enclosure (another thing that came as a surprise as we've never seen her jump on anything!) and wees on top of it! Probably doesn't look good for bonding. I think Peanut would be fine but two girls looks like a bit of a disaster! Never underestimate your bunny!

22 September 2004

2004-11-19T13:04:00.000-11:00

What do you think our our new-look website? After lots of work, it's hopefully easier to use and has better navigation. The new Rescue Rabbit forum is up and running too and I'm hoping that people will want to join the group to discuss ways of helping bunnies in need.

On the bunny front, Dingle has decided she prefers the contents of her litter tray to be on the floor. She's being very messy but I think it's because she's a bit distressed that Annabelle is getting so much attention. Whenever Ding comes out to the loungeroom, she smells Annabelle and she spends quite a bit of time searching for her.

Annabelle is doing really well and spends all day out and about around the house. She shares the house with our cat, Puddy, who officially turned 18 this week. Puddy doesn't go out much now as there's a nasty cat in our neighbourhood that's threatening her. Annabelle and Puddy get along quite well. Better than any of the other buns, especially Dingle who chases her up the hallway and across the loungeroom. You'd think that an 18 year old cat would be enjoying her golden years without being chased by fluffy things bigger than her.

Gus has decided not to use his tray either and since he's outside, he's been eating the hay in his tray but going to the toilet next to it. He managed yesterday to push his tray down two levels of his home. Quite a mean feat really since the levels are staggered!

Everybun else is fine. Peanut has been waking me up around 6.30am daily by running up and down my back. The other day he was jumping up to the bed from the floor and trying to clear the doona which had been bunched up. He jumped so high, he landed on my face which promptly woke me up! I think we gave each other quite a fright.

20 August 2004

2004-11-19T12:58:00.000-11:00

All our bunnies are fit and well and now are up to date with their calici vaccinations. It's been a few weeks trying to organise 7 rabbits to be vaccinated but it's worth the peace of mind that they are now safe from the virus.

I ended up looking around to find another vet for the vaccinations and was originally getting quotes for a house visit. I then decided that I should really visit various vets personally to make a decision on which vet I would choose as a regular vet. I started with Ally & Pancake and booked them in for their shots. The only thing is that it's very stressful driving around with rabbits as they are not at all comfortable in the car. I knew this before but had decided to ignore my better judgement. The whole experience at this new vet was not a pleasant experience as the vet I had booked in with was not there, I was left waiting for quite a while and during the consultation it was obvious the vet I met was not at all comfortable with rabbits so both did not get their teeth, ears or heart monitored. Both Ally & Pancake were extremely upset which made me upset and I just wanted to leave quickly and get them home.

So, after that experience I rang up my local vet who had seen my bunnies before and booked in a home visit. He was fantastic!! I highly recommend a home visit if you have lots of bunnies (or other animals) that need vaccinations in one go. The cost was minimal compared to the stress and anxiety of travelling and you can get everyone done at the same time. Now I have a date to remember for next year!

The only thing I would do differently next year would be to put the nervous bunnies in carry cases before the vet arrived so I wouldn't be running around trying to catch them. This caused a little bit of embarassment on my behalf and upset the ones I was chasing.

Annabelle, our latest addition, is settling in very well. She's completely litter trained and very trustworthy so we leave her out to roam the house during the day while the others are sleeping in their rooms. When the vet examined her teeth he said that they weren't too bad but slightly misaligned to the side. I can't get her to let me see them but I do have to monitor them in case they grow too long. We had her vaccinated as well even though we were unsure whether she may have already had her injection. The vet said the serum does not harm if injected previously so she was done at the same time. Everything was fine so if you're not sure about a bun you have found and would like to have it vaccinated, go ahead there's no risk.
Annabelle has caused a bit of jealousy with Pancake. Whenever she's running past Ally & Pancake's door, Ally runs to stick his nose under. Pancake's become very jealous of his behaviour and has been grunting and running at him. She's not aggressive but it's obvious she's worried that Annabelle's moving into her territory.

Peanut's doing well now that he's out and about with Lavender. She's thrilled to have her boyfriend out all the time but is quite jealous if we pat him too much. After we've patted him, she'll lick his head and then grab hold and hump the poor little guy. She's stopped doing it as much now that we're giving them some space but I miss my little Peanut cuddles. He's a different bunny now that he has a girlfriend. He's turned into a real bunny's bunny and seems to prefer her company to us but that could be because he knows that if he shows interest in us, he'll get another humping!