Unfriendly Aroma

A big thanks to Vicki for taking over the blog this week! I really enjoyed reading about her bunnies and seeing those snuggly pictures of little Cora, one of my favourites of all the long term bunnies on our books.

While Vicki has been blogging, I've had a very tiring week. I hope to tell you about it in the next few days, but today I wanted to share something I was reminded of this afternoon. For having used a different deodorant on myself just before heading out into the garden, Jemima and Elvis decided to demonstrate how much bunnies rely on smell to identify others by tearing off in the other direction. Oops.

It is me really guys! Guys?

"Oh. It is you. Where did you find that fragrance? The bargain bin? Or just the bin..."

Windy day

Boo’s words of wisdom: “The problem with being a lionhead is that one’s fluff does sometimes tend to get in one’s eyes.”

"fascinating" (yawn)

Heads or tails?

It’s a toss up - which do I love more?

Cutie bunny faces and their disapproving little mouths…

…or their fuzzy feet and tails?!

I’ll just have to stare at some for a while longer while I figure it out.

Bunnies are a-jumpin’

As some of you might have heard at the time, Caroline and I went off to the London Pet Show on 12^th May. We didn’t have a stand at the show but we made ourselves visible by wearing T-shirts with the Rescue logo. We chatted to various people selling various products and a few of the other visitors. We saw guinea pig story time, dancing dogs, and ducks being herded by a sheep dog. But what were we most intrigued to see? Bunny show jumping!

I took a lot of photos, but there isn’t one of them with a mid air bunny in focus. So here’s a few blurry ones of this cutie bun navigating one of the jumps.

"boing"

Apparently bunny show jumping has been a big thing Scandinavia since the 70s and most of the bunnies had been flown over for the event. This worried us a bit in terms of the stress involved though it sounded like the bunnies only travel abroad once or twice a year and there are vet checks before and after the flight. The other slightly uncomfortable thing for us as a rescue is that these bunnies are bred to be ‘jumpers’, they are not neutered/spayed (so probably live alone rather than with a bunny friend), and what happens to any bunnies that are born but turn out not to be any good at jumping? On the other hand, the bunnies that we saw were in good condition, and mostly seemed to enjoy running around the arena and springing over the fences (apart from a very beautiful Belgium Hare who decided that he did not want to participate at the session we watched). Perhaps show jumping is simply a more organised version of binkying for very springy bunnies? Though I think my two will always prefer ‘free style’.

Fuzzy face (snotty nose)

Well, I’ve decided you ought to see Clarence’s nose after all and his very fuzzy face. Might as well be made of cotton wool or candy floss instead of flooff.  Fortunately I caught him on a not so snotty day in this photo. (He has chronic snuffles and is on antibiotics.)

"nom nom nom...dandelion..."

And let’s not forget little tiny sweetheart, Cora. Big mouth for a tiny bunny!

Lounging Lodgers

Hi all, Vicki here, and this is my first blog post ever! Due to Gary’s intermittent internet problems he’s (foolishly) asked me to take over this week and I (foolishly) agreed.

So, for my first post how would you like to meet my current ‘lodgers’ (aka foster buns from the rescue)? This is Clarence (the fuzzy one) and Cora (the little dutch bun). They are quite famous down the rescue for their tendency for lots of cute snuggly lounging around. These are my best photographic attempts at capturing said lounging so far.

Clarence is also quite famous for his snotty nose (poor boy) and his tendency to wipe this on anyone who might (or might not) have food – but perhaps I’ll spare you the photos of that.

Windy Return

Had this one kicking around from last week but only just had a chance to dig it out. With what turned out to be a bit of bad timing, had to take the newly arrived golf course babes out the shelter of the overflow shed cages to take some photo's. Only this happened to be that very, very windy day we had. Oh dear. They weren't exactly impressed, but thankfully they didn't blow away!

Fatterday

"I don't get it. There's a whole new sack of snacky pellets there. Eventually I am going to eat them all anyway. So why not give them all to me now? Don't you trust me to make them last or something??!!"

Whisky in Pieces

Yesterday when I took that picture for this mornings blog I didn't get it right first time. Holding the camera down near the ground, away from my face, I had to guess at pointing it in the right direction. All would have been fine though had I remembered what the distance between camera and bunny needs to be to get him in frame. Here were my first three attempts.

Well, at least you can tell it's him. Could have been worse. The fourth and fifth attempts were just pictures of grass.

Put Your Paws Together

During the open day talks, I often hear Caroline telling visitors that to understand bunny behaviour, you have to appreciate that they are "prey animals". At least, I think that's what she says.

Poo Wars : The Bunpoo Strikes Back

• Monday 11.00pm - cleaned up the fallout from Poo Wars
• Tuesday 6.30am - posted about it on the blog
• Tuesday 7.01am - discovered that all the poo was back
• Tuesday 7.05am - all bunnies banned from the lounge until further notice
• Wednesday 9.35pm - Jemima sneaks into the house unnoticed to claim the lounge rug for the second time this year.
• Wednesday 9.37pm - Jemima banned from the house, Whisky confined to his room.

That is the week so far. I feel the appropriate picture for today would have been the poo-covered lounge, but who wants to look at that??!! So here's Whisky passing the time in his room with a little light grazing.

[...munch-munch-munch...]

Par 10

Last weeks emergency intake was 10 bunnies found dumped on a golf course, including what looks like two litters of different ages. They are a really sweet and very cute bunch, especially this little guy who seems surprisingly confident already!

"Ah, you must be the new caddy. Well get a move on man, we have 18 holes to fit in before my afternoon nap."

Oh Poo!

Here's a little tip for anyone thinking of having multiple sets of bunnies using the same room in their house but at different times of the day.

DON'T DO IT!!!!

For yesterday I discovered that a far-from-insignificant territorial poo battle had been going on behind the sofas for several days without my knowledge.

A bunny parents job of cleaning up after their little ones is never done. You think you've got to the end, but when you turn around you realise some bun's been following behind you making it all messy again. So thanks guys, it's not like I wanted an early night or anything![huge-sigh]

Earth, Wind and Fur

The sun came out at the Rescue and so did my camera. I thought we were in for a good productive day of photographs in the great light, but the sun brought with it strong winds and a whole load of new problems.

It turns out that windy bunny are hard to get good pictures of. For a start, their fur is in constant motion which puts them immediately into a strange blurry haze and then because they don't like it they lie down flat with their eyes closed. Here's one of the better pictures I got of Russell.

Notice the whiskers! If you do manage to persuade them to stand up and face the wind, you end up with some of the craziest expressions you have ever seen on a bunny. I mean, I could put this picture of Delta on our website for people who might want to adopt her and husbun Scamper, but who's going to want a bunny that looks like a deranged, and probably possessed, seal?

Really, Interwebs...

In case Whisky's last message was a little cryptic, here's what we've been faced with most of the afternoon and evening:

Internet connection is either slow or no. (See? No interwebs at my house. Perfect sense.) Uploading pics was painful. Fortunately it stayed up long enough for me to answer some Rescue emails this afternoon, but I wanted to put some YouTube links in some of them to demonstrate happy bunnies leaping about. It took so long for them to even start playing that I gave up and just hoped for the best that I'd gotten the right ones. So, if you are one of the people I emailed today and you received a link to a bunny video that didn't seem to be about happy rabbits you will now know why!!!

Dear Interwebs

"Dear Interwebs,

I am disappointed to say the least that you did not appear to want to come to my house today. Have I said something to offend you? Daddy particularly got a bit cross several times and said things that are probably not really for bunnies' ears. I am now trying to un-hear them by thinking very hard about carrots.

Well anyway, I hope you can see your way to coming round again soon so Daddy can put more of the things I do on my blog. In the meantime I am going to relax here in this nice sunny spot that has appeared by the window now the horrid clouds have gone.

Your friend,

Whisky Bunny"

Concentrated Snacking

Did he just finish a delicious snack? Is he displeased? Or does the protruding of his tongue signify that he is concentrating very hard on what poses he'd like to strike for the blog over the next few rainy days?

It's not always easy to understand bunnies. Perhaps only time, or some delicate munching sounds, will tell.

Zen and the Art of Not Being Chomped

I very nearly forgot to tell you about my moment of zen this week, so I'll do that now before I forget. Don't worry though, Whisky is all primed and will be taking over from from tomorrow.

A few days ago I was reflecting on how my bunny-handling skills at the Rescue really need some attention. None of the techniques one needs to employ to safely pick up a rabbit sit in the conscious part of my brain anymore, it has all become second nature. The bottom support, covering the head, the light but firm hold. I scoop them up, I clean and groom them, I return them to the floor, I don't even think about it. Sounds positive, but the trouble is that I've been handling the bunnies at home so much recently I've gotten a bit complacent and my natural technique has become more of a cuddle than a secure way of holding them!

Well if anything is going to reinforce the message that I need to take more care at the Rescue, it's suddenly realising that the bunny Caroline has just handed me to return to his warren, the bunny who I have taken and without thinking lifted up to my face and cuddled as if he's my own innocent, trusting little fluff ball, is in fact none other than the notorious flesh-chomping nervous-aggressive Rocket Bunny.

To be honest, I think I only got away with it because he was as surprised to be on the receiving end of a good cuddle as I was to realise what I was doing. Then after a few brief moments of calm where the whole world seemed to melt away, the last few steps back into his warren were a little tense. But hey - I cuddled Rocket! I'll take that adrenaline-filled thrill over skydiving or bungee-jumping any day!

Rocket back in his default mode - scowl and growl!

Marty Bunny

We had some very sad news on Tuesday. Marty, one of the floofy Cashmere boys, died at the vets whilst under anaesthetic. Although he and his siblings haven't been with us long, we are already quite attached to them all and it was heart wrenching to lose him so quickly and at such a young age.

To help us remember him, here are a couple of the pictures from Saturday 9th June 2012 of him sharing snacks with his brothers.

Windshield

"OK, here's the deal. I DO find a pile of tasty vegetables waiting for me when I get back to my hutch and in return you DON'T find this brick on the front seat of your car along with lots of tiny pieces of your windshield. Capiche?"

Weather You Like It Or Not

On the radio this morning the announcer said that this sudden spell of colder, wetter weather is due to last for about a month. Knowing how much the weather affects getting things done at the Rescue, being as it is largely outdoors, I really hope they were joking. Cleaning just has to be done whatever, but first you get drenched, then the wind blows half a bale of wood shavings over you and they stick to your wet clothes. Sure, it sounds funny...

But there's another reason I'm less than thrilled about it. I finally motivate myself to start blogging daily and now the miserable weather is going to mean no new pictures of happy Rescue bunnies for a while. I am afraid that means you are likely to be subjected to day after day of pictures of the one indoor bunny I see all the time, probably looking ever so slightly sad because he can't go out and play in the garden. Which incidentally, looks like this.

OK sure, he looks pretty much the same as when he can play in the garden, but that's bunnies for you. They pretty much disapprove of everything regardless.

Well at least I took enough pictures of Zodiac and the floofy Cashmere boys to get us through the next few days. After that, it's all on Whisky. I'd better warn him now - he'll no doubt want to start working on some new material...

Cashmere Boys

"So, that's one two three, then we all turn together and do 'jazz paws', got it? OK, one, two, thr...WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!! Three THEN turn! What am I working with here?"

"Sorry bro', I'll get it next time I promise!"

A Touch of Dutch

We have a new resident called Zodiac, who is a beautiful Dutch-Rex cross.

Or at least I think she's beautiful - Whisky disagreed with me when they met earlier in the week, punching her in the head and rejecting her, otherwise she might have been my first choice of new partner for him.

Whisky's opinion isn't everything though. With such striking looks and terribly sweet nature, I'm sure we'll find the perfect home for her very, very quickly.

"If all the boys here are like that, I think I might sign up for Karate."

Spangle & Sprat

And It's Raining...

Well, the weather in the UK has gone a bit stormy. Rain, high winds, bits of trees falling out of the sky. Been a bit rubbish all week, so no new photo's to show you, unless you want to see pictures of Whisky looking bored of being stuck inside.

So I thought "Time to hit the rainy day file!". Then I thought "I should really have a rainy day file!". I started looking back through old photo's for inspiration, which is always joyful and sad in equal measures, seeing all the bunnies who have passed through the Rescue over the last 4 years or so. But I was glad I did because I found the photo below. In a week when I have been considering how far to push Whisky into finding a new friend it's good to be reminded how happy he was when he had one, even if it does remind me how much I miss my little angel.

Megan and Whisky, 22nd November 2008

Admit Nothing

"Hmfr??"

"Fnrthmmmph?"

"Sorry, had a little something stuck in my teeth there for a minute. In answer to your question no, no I haven't seen the pile of wild plants you picked for tomorrow's breakfast. Have you looked in the overturned wheelbarrow over there that I had absolutely nothing to do with?"

The Rancor of Love

Our intrepid hero glared across the vile cage in which he found himself trapped. He was pretty sure he wasn't winning that last battle and yet his opponent, a beautiful young assassin with fur like satin, had disappeared from the arena as quickly as she had appeared. Something wasn't right. And he had a nasty suspicion he was about to find out what.

Above him began a loud rumbling as slowly an enormous container was lowered in. It touched down just a few feet in front of him, all bright, plasticky and ominous. From inside the container, behind a strong metal caged door, two dark eyes peered out. What worried Whisky was not the indifferent look held within them, as if his presence barely registered with the creature at all, but the towering height from which they peered down at him.

The door swung open without warning and out stepped the beast. If anything, it suddenly looked even bigger. Whisky froze unable to move - this was clearly going to be over rather more quickly than he had hoped and there was nothing he could do about it. His life rushed before his eyes - a thousand grated carrot breakfasts, err...there was probably more but that was all he really noticed. The beast moved closer, closer and then...walked straight by as if he wasn't even there.

Quickly recovering his composure, Whisky seized this fleeting opportunity and lunged at the creature throwing everything he had into his most aggressive attack. He landed four feet to the ground, filled with the euphoria of triumph, raising his head up only to be greeted in return with a look of utter boredom from his opponent.

His usual tactics were not going to be any good here. For one, it's hard to deal a pummelling to the face when you can't in fact reach said face, even perched high on your rear tippy toes. He needed to try something else and fast. Moving carefully to within an inch of the creature, it was time to find out more about this Herculean warrior. Whisky stuck his face into its bottom as far as he could and inhaled deeply. He liked what he smelled. Time for a new approach...

We had another try at finding a suitable friend for Whisky Tuesday. If anything he seemed grumpier than before and when we did find girls interested in him he'd bop them on the head until they changed their minds. Out of desperation we started trying some of the other girls who were reserved or in bondings that may not be working out, if anything just to try and figure out what was going on in his head. And of ALL the bunnies we tried, guess who the only bunny in the whole Rescue he got on (and got it on) with was?

"She didn't eat my grated carrot. I like her."

And yes, he really DID ride her around the place, though not in the way I had envisioned. To me, it seemed like it worked because she is too big to be threatened by his weird behaviour and her total lack of aggressive response gave him the confidence to let his guard down and start flirting. But trying him with her was largely just an experiment to figure him out and unfortunately, even if her other potential owner is willing to let her go, she isn't quite ready to be bonded and re-homed yet. So he is back home alone and will now have another few weeks to wait before we can move forward again.

Since he is still single and the only other part of the experience he seemed to enjoy was the "distraction snacks", it almost feels like all I've really achieved this last few days is that I have effectively taken him out for dinner twice. Still, bank holiday family outings, that's something I guess.

The carrier-taxi pulled up outside, the door opened and Whisky exited without even looking back at the driver. It had been another long day, but at least this one had a little romance. Whisky trotted across to the other side of his apartment. He just had time to notice the butler arriving with dinner as his eyes closed and his tired little legs gave way to a very, very big nap.

In Need of a Drink

There are a number of different ways to carry out rabbit "bondings" and though the Rescue favours one particular method we do at times, as required, use them all to some degree. At the end of the day, they all pretty much come down to sticking two rabbits who don't know each other in close proximity, in a place neither is familiar with, and seeing if they like each other. Sound simple? Enter one Mr Whisky T. Bunny, esquire.

Whisky has issues. A whole lot of issues. What these issues leave us with is a very limited number of ways we can introduce him to other rabbits without putting him at risk of serious injury, illness or death.

So Monday at the Rescue, after Caroline had diligently cleaned out and disinfected one of the paved runs, as far from as many of the rest of the residents as possible, we got him speed dating. We took all of the available females and tried them with Whisky one after the other, then in groups, and even all together, in a small space. The reactions were many and varied, including mild aggression, indifference and rejection. The aim was to identify somebun he had a connection with that might offer us a controlled low-risk bond, but let's just say I ended up bringing him home unloved by all.

The whole experience was a bundle of anxiety for both of us. I know he will be happier once we find him another bunny friend he loves, but the journey to that point is a far from simple one. By the time we got home, we both needed a very big drink. Mine wasn't water.

[[[[[SLURP!!!]]]]]

Suspicious Minds

Elvis doesn't make it onto the blog nearly as much as he deserves to. He's more of a rabbit's rabbit than a bunnying-about-in-the-human-world rabbit and is slightly suspicious of cameras, so rarely gets photographed doing something blog-worthy. He digs, he eats as much of the lawn as he can, he races about at high speed, he circles Jemima amorously until she gets fed up with him and wanders off to eat somewhere else. Definitely more at home in the dirt than on a sofa and a firm believer that the only thing that should stroke his head is another bunnys tongue.

So for all the other bunnies like Elvis out there, today I'd like celebrate those we've brought into our families whose main gift to us in return is simply to show us we've given them a life they enjoy. Keep binkying to your own rhythms little ones and know that, even if you don't always obviously show it back, we love you all the same.

Left Behind

"And here's another spot you missed..."

Sushi and Serena went back to the Rescue earlier in the week, but it's taken me a few days to clear out their area and turn it back over to Whisky. Lots of cleaning and carpet scrubbing. Whisky deemed my efforts less than satisfactory of course - spent the first evening in his extra space licking Sushi and Serena's scent off of everything and rubbing it with his own.

From the Ice Age to the Dole Age...

New girl at the Rescue - so new she hasn't got a name yet. Seems perfectly adorable, but so far a bit too shy to venture out of her shed for a proper photo. If she wasn't already reserved, I think I'd be tempted to try her with Whisky because being at least 3 times his size, she'd either put in him in his place or, if he managed to dominate her, he could literally ride her around the house like a little horse! How cute would that be??!!! :-)

Binky Day 2012

Hooray, hooray, it's officially Binky Day! Download the RWAF poster and spread the word! A hutch is not enough!!!!!

[OK Whisky, OK, stop nudging me! Our readers are quite astute and I'm sure they don't need me to point out that's you on the right! Geez, a little bit of fame and it goes straight to your little fluffy head...]