Tuesday 30 September 2014

Immediate Mass

Did you know that we at the Rabbit Residence Rescue are also on Instagram? You don't need to have an account to see our page, so why not pop over to see more of our adorable bunnies?! And if Instagram isn't your social network of choice, don't forget you can also find us on Facebook and Twitter!

Our social network pages are mostly run by our hard-working Events Coordinator and have contributions from different volunteers. This means you will find different perspectives and info about the Rescue to what appears on this blog, including bunny-related hints and tips along with the occasional update from manager Caroline. It's well worth a look!

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Tuesday Tail #30

Sunday 28 September 2014

K

Today I thought I'd give you a peek at what a day volunteering at the Rescue is like for me.

On arrival the first thing we do is sign in.

Our planning permission to run the Rescue in a residential area requires us to record all visitors in and out. Once signed in, the first proper task is a quick walk around the Rescue to open shed doors and carry out a visual safety check. Since the last job of the day is always the "idiot check", a walk around looking out for the run roof you left open or the bolt you forget to put across, all the bunnies should be securely locked in.

But that doesn't mean one of them hasn't found an ingenious way to chew out of a shed, or maybe there will be a fence or tree that has fallen down in the night. Since we will have bunnies running round the Rescue during the day, usually Mr and Mrs Chunky Butt, we need to make sure everything is secure first. It is also the first chance to spot any obviously sick bunnies you might need to rush to the vets.

The next job is to empty the mornings veg into the wheel barrow.

It is important to make sure any left from the previous day is put to one side to be used first.

We don't give the bunnies whole carrots or heads of broccoli of course, so the next step is to chop the veg into individual portions and place in the snack bucket.

By the time you've finished chopping, the anticipation in the little hungry faces all around you is all you need to motivate you for the two and a half hour task to come - breakfast time!

And let's not forget, the rabbits aren't the only ones on site needing sustenance!

At weekends especially, when we have a larger team many of whom are our younger volunteers, some of the adults will bring a selection of drinks and snacks to keep everyone going.

Speaking of drinks, time to do the water!

In the aviaries and sheds our bunnies have bowls, but they also have a bottle in case they knock over the bowl or manage to finish it before the next fill-up.

On to the cleaning! To help us keep track of which bunnies have been cleaned out already this week we use a peg system.

The weeks alternate - one week it's "pegs on" the next it's "pegs off" as you clean.

No matter how tiring the work is, a day at the Rescue is always enjoyable because you get to hang out with all the bunnies!

Soufflé is a particular favourite of the volunteers because she is so friendly! I however favour the wild and wild cross rabbits for hang time because they have such fascinating personalities. It is always really interesting and challenging trying to communicate with them and trying to understand what they are trying to communicate back to you.

And of course at the end of the day, there's nothing more pleasurable than coming back home to my own little fluffy boy!

Thanks for reading todays post and for following us over all our 1000 posts! (Did you spot all the number 1000s in the pics above? Well done if you did!)

See you back here tomorrow for more Big Ears and Tiny Tales!

Saturday 27 September 2014

OMG EARS!

Yes Gavin, yes I am. :-)

Thursday 25 September 2014

Not Remotely Amused

"That's it, I give up, I can't see the remote anywhere. But frankly Blinky, since YOU are the one who lost it, I suggest YOU carry on 'til you find it and then YOU can put the bed back inside."

Wednesday 24 September 2014

Moving On Up

"Yes, I got up and I moved. Your turn - get off your fat butt and go get me some snacks!"

Sunday 21 September 2014

Another Wee Tale

Today on the blog was going to be a happy tale all about how sweet Whisky has been recently, regularly joining me on the sofa to watch TV or take naps. But it is not. Why?

Did you ever suddenly and unexpectedly find yourself sat in a warm puddle of wee (that wasn't your own)? I did. On the sofa this morning.

So let's take a vote shall we? Who thinks naughty bunnies who empty their bladder while sitting right next to someone on the sofa should even get their own Sunday blog post?

"Nope."

"I vote no too."

"How many votes do I get?"

Well I tell you what Whisky, I'll think about that while I wait for the machine to finish washing all of my clothes.

Saturday 20 September 2014

Appreciation Depreciated

"Thanks for that. Now, do you have any more cutesy noises to expel from those silly human lips or can I get back to my regularly scheduled nap?"

Friday 19 September 2014

Thursday 18 September 2014

A Breath of Fresh Air

"Look, you'll never get my ears in at that distance, move back!"

"That's better! Not the picture, I don't care about that, I just didn't want to smell you anymore."

Wednesday 17 September 2014

The Wild Munch

"He's coming over - if he asks for a bite, just say no. I mean, he just sat there and ate a whole bag of crisps without offering us a single one, I don't see why we should share."

Saturday 13 September 2014

Trouser Stress

If I've learned one valuable lesson this summer it's that, however convenient it seems, one should never carry treats in trouser pockets around tall bunnies.

[chomp]

Thursday 11 September 2014

Flirt Watch

"I just had a lovely chat with the girl next door! She was bunderful, I wonder if I should invite her over tonight for carrotinis with me and the wife..."

"Uh-oh. Maybe not. New plan...boys night at your place?"

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Still There

I tell you, that Burrito is one of the most stubborn bunnies I've met.

"What? You didn't think I'd give in to you silly humans THAT easily did you??!!"

Sunday 7 September 2014

The Good, The Bad and The Wee-Wee

A couple of weekends ago when we had particularly rainy weather, I found Whisky taking a nap on the arm of the bunny sofa. I presume this is because though he didn't want to go outside and get wet he still wanted the best vantage point he could to see any shenanigans going on with the foster buns in the garden run. For a bunny that doesn't have the greatest balance, especially since his ear surgery in January, sleeping next to a drop to the hard floor struck me as not the best of his ideas, but I left him to it - it's not like he welcomes me expressing my opinion on these things.

Later that day I heard the sound of claws on cloth - he had jumped down to the cushion and was merrily trying to shred it into a more comfortable place to snooze. So I took one of his nap-blankets and put it on the sofa. Problem solved, happy bunny.

Later that afternoon I noticed he had moved back onto the arm. I just knew something odd was afoot and on investigating, lo and behold, he had emptied his bladder into the blanket. No harm done, so I let it slide, but slightly frustrating when he was only half a dozen hops from a litter tray.

A week or so later however, he decided to repeat the trick on the human sofa, with no blanket, while I was upstairs sorting out photos for the Rescue. I knew what he'd done before I saw it, there was just something in the way he suddenly re-appeared as though wherever he'd just been was no longer a comfortable place to be. When you've lived with somebun long enough you can read them like a big neon sign.

So anyway, as is the rule in our house, unsupervised roaming privileges for Whisky have been revoked. Don't feel too sad for him though, mostly it just means I have to follow him everywhere...

"Look at this face - isn't it a face you can trust? Now shift - I polished off half a bowl of water with breakfast and if you don't move soon you'll be wearing it."

Saturday 6 September 2014

The Party Bun

"No, I'm not drinking it."

"What? But it's the weekend!"

"See what I have to deal with? I mean, it's not like I poured a WHOLE bottle of tequila in it..."

Thursday 4 September 2014

Rush?

[...chomp.chomp.chomp...]

"Time to go in? Well I guess I could do that..."

"...or I could just lay down here for a nap and ignore you. Why don't you go fetch me a bedtime snack while you think about which of those options is more likely?"

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Gabriel and the Carrot

Those of you who follow our Facebook page will remember Gabriel from when he arrived as a terribly scared and frail little thing who wouldn't eat. I remember the days having to stop what I was doing every few hours to spend time trying to get him to take in a tiny bit more syringe-fed near-liquid snacks, the stress and worry of whether we could get things going through before his little digestive system shut down. It seemed like we'd never get him to take food on his own.

And now? Well for a start he is a lot happier now he is bonded with our special little Tibby. And the food? Not so much of a problem...

"If you think you can take my carrot, you might want to count your fingers first so you can figure out after how much your mistake cost you..."

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Tuesday Tail #26

Sure, Mr and Mrs Chunky-Butt get their tails featured disproportionately on Tuesday blog posts, but then no other bunnies leave their tails lying around the Rescue with quite such regularity as our hefty friends.