OK, Anouska, OK! I don't have any new pictures from the Rescue, but I'm sure Whisky has some great ideas for...
...napping. Oh. Oh well. Try again tomorrow?
A very happy Xmas from Whisky, from me, from Caroline, from the volunteer team and all the little fluffsters in our care. Wishing you and your fluffed ones love, peace and snuggly happiness for the holiday season and through the New Year! Merry Xmas everyone! xxx
On 24th December 2010 my own fluffy family went from two to four. Where previously the only bunnies indoors had been fosters, now I had my very own house rabbits - a beautiful, sweet Dutch named Megan and her crazy, adorable loppy husbun Whisky.
Four years on, he's still here causing chaos. And I love him for it. Happy Adoption Day my little boy!
I was at a conference a few years ago where we were discussing how it isn't always easy to spot when rabbits are suffering because, as a prey animal, they naturally hide their symptoms. One of the vets suggested that a way to tell if a rabbit is actually in pain is to give them pain relief and see if they suddenly perk up, start acting more normal. I found this idea of discovering problems based on reactions to medicines fascinating, it sounded like something out of the TV series "House".
With Whisky getting older, with the weather being colder and wetter, it seemed perfectly normal to me that Whisky should shun the offer of garden play time. I would open the door, he'd peer out but wouldn't go outside.
"No thanks. I think I'll go and search behind the sofa for dropped treats instead."
However, after a course of antibiotics for his snotty nose, not only did the nose clear up, taking with it the need for daily face washes to clear the backwash from his blocked tear duct, but so did his reluctance to leave the house. Late Friday night he followed me out into the garden when I was emptying rubbish into the bins and started having a wonderful time running around, sniffing everything and reclaiming the outdoors. So I made sure to be home at dusk yesterday to let him out again and lo and behold, he had a full-on binky-fest, the likes of which I haven't seen for months. He ran around, leapt about, raced in and out the house repeatedly, he was very clearly enjoying himself.
Who knows what bugs the medicines cleared from his system leaving him feeling so lively again. He has also been on ivermectin for his fur mites, so it could even have been something parasitic. I may never know, but I am very grateful to see my little boy loving life so much.
It is not unusual for the dominant bunny in a pair, however loved up they seem to be at other times, to be a bit of a meanie when food arrives. A second before you hand over their breakfast they may chase off their partner, growl and nip at them to remind them the dominant bunny gets first dibs on the snacks.
I can cope with this, and mitigate it somewhat with how I put the food down in their run/shed/aviary (have the veg sorted out in advance, quickly give the first bit to the dominant bunny then spread the rest of the food out etc), but one thing that always tugs at my heartstrings is seeing our dear three-legged bunny Velveteen (on the right, below) being chased off by her bigger partner Hercules. He can get quite brutal with her, possibly aggravated by her reduced mobility not allowing her to back off as fast as he feels she should.So when, while trying to photograph them, I see them go for the same clump of parsley, I feel very anxious...
...but then that does mean I feel all the more gratified when I see them sort it out and share!
Today, our sweet fluffy resident Honour is here to tell you that even quite severe head-tilt does not stop a bunny enjoying life - especially one with tasty pieces of broccoli in!
It feels like Whisky has had a nice long break from vet visits recently, especially when you consider he was going weekly back in the spring. But this week he had a snotty nose and some pesky fur-mites to deal with, so we had to go get him another course of antibiotics and ivomectin. He wasn't impressed about being dragged from the house for this outing, messing up his carefully planned nap routines for the day, but he seemed relieved when we got back in the car after the appointment. "I hated that, but at least we are going straight home this time" he seemed to say.
He did act a little confused when we stopped halfway home to pick up some things at the bunny supplies shop, but I think he found the smell of tasty snacky-grass filling the car reassuring for the remainder of the journey.
Back at home, Whisky has calmly accepted that medicines have returned to the daily routine before his evening face-bath, so levels of resentment have not been significantly increased from their usual level. If they had, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be so keen to break out the Whisky-Happy-Dance after at the first sign of the treat tub being opened...
These bunnies are always trying to take me for a fool...
Nice try Flanders, nice try.
It has not been a good week for photo's. My one day at the Rescue was such a short one that my camera didn't even come out of its case.
Meanwhile, foster bunny Bobbit was unwell so spent several days at the vets being poked and scanned, with Anouska along for company. Since being back at home he is getting forced to swallow medicine three times a day - consequently, if I go near them with anything except food (and sometimes even then) they both run in the opposite direction.
I don't know if it is the suddenly colder weather, but today Whisky is sleeping out of sight in his kennel, preventing any opportunity for nap pics. (Or maybe that's WHY he was sleeping in his kennel...) And then after giving him a vigorous tail/bottom/tummy clean earlier (I think he'd accidentally napped on an uneaten caecal blob - it was not pretty), he's avoiding me now anyway so there's no chance of a waking pic of him either.
Well there are my excuses. And here's a random pic of Whisky from this time last year.
Our dear little Cabbage is poorly at the moment. He has had breathing problems for some time, but recently he has dropped a lot of weight and needs a dental. We were quite surprised when the vet told us this, he has been a keen gobbler of snacks of late, but there were no other problems found in his checkup so we are hoping it's just tooth spurs making him eat less. The big anxiety is the thought of an underweight rabbit with breathing problems going under anaesthetic, so please send him lots of positive vibes for his appointment on Monday!
Usually a bunny who does his own thing, I think all the unusual attention he has been getting over this might already be a bit much for him - as you can see, he doesn't look too impressed with us right now!
I've been trying to catch up on taking photographs for bunnies' signs, both for new bunnies and those where the pictures are out of date. The winter weather is not making the task easy.
Mutley's last appearance here was a little blurry, so here from the same set is "Mutley WITHOUT Motion". It was taken a second before the other one - notice the directional earses that are both pointed backwards listening out for Mr Clicky Camera.
And since I've just realised he's only ever been on the blog the one way round, here's the other end!
I had one of those Sundays where you crawl out of bed 2 hours later than you would normally, feed the bunnies and then go back to bed. It's a rare thing, which makes it all the more surprising that I wasn't woken up before then by the thundering din of stereophonic stair-gate rattling.
Did Whisky and Anouska (Bobbit's not much of a rattler) decide they were going to let me lie in, or did I sleep through the cacophony? They were also surprisingly calm over breakfast...
Today I will be remembering my dear Elvis, who died two years ago on this date, his life taken by a tumour hidden deep in his tummy and not diagnosed until it was too late.
Elvis, you were a wonderful, handsome boy and good companion to my beloved Jemima. It brought me so much joy to see you enjoying your life, running, digging and watching the world go by from your favourite spot. Oh how you loved that spot! No matter how good or bad my day was, looking out the window and seeing you sat there sunning yourself always made me feel happier.
I wonder how much of your personality was shaped by your previous life and your days surviving as a stray. You were always so happy doing your own thing, playing and chomping grass in the garden, but never a great fan of humans.
I miss you, my big orange boy. Like so many of my rabbit friends, you died far too young, I wish your life could have been a longer, happier and less painful one than it was. I hope you have found peace. You will always have a place in my heart.
