The Holiday Mood

As well as all the rescuing, the RRR also takes in holiday boarders when their families are away. For the most part this is former residents, which gives us a great opportunity to catch up with our little fluffy friends.

Donations from this activity are part of what helps keep everything else going and lets us help more bunnies. So we suffer the necessary evil of moving some of our current residents into smaller areas during peak periods to make room for the boarders.

Bunnies like Fonzie and Rosetta, who would normally have a spacious aviary all to themselves, have to cope with living in just a shed for several weeks. If I'm honest, this does upset me to see them in smaller spaces, but I understand why it has to be that way. However, I found it particularly stressful this time as they started to revert back to their old grumpy growly ways somewhat.

"Go away, I don't like you anymore. Also: Growl. That is all."

It's hard to make bunnies understand that it is actually these boarders that are paying for them to live in such nice accommodation for most of the year. Fortunately, we do listen to and understand their concerns, so bunnies who struggle to cope are the first back when a space frees up. I am happy to say that in Fonzie and Rosetta's case, normal levels of contentment returned very quickly after moving back into their regular house.

"Rosetta, stop snacking and join me on the sun terrace. I'm about to guilt-trip this human into being my personal fan for the afternoon!"

The Snack Order

"Sorry darling, but if you want mummy-meelks for dessert I'm afraid I'm gonna need first go at the breakfast snacks!"

Tuesday Tail #22

"Don't mind me guys, the Boadicea Construction Company is just building you a basement flat."

It's Monday Again, Huh?

Whisky C.O.P.

"Blanket thrown on floor: check. Curtains drawn: check. Frozen water-pillow: check. OK human, this nap will be approximately 3 hours, I expect to be woken with a fresh bunch of carrot tops. Now, be gone."

Bunfire?

"Miss me, punk?"

Cooling Off Period

Our freezer packed up some time ago so we were very excited to get a new one this week. There's no food in it yet though:- along with many other bunny households across the country right now, ours is filled with ice pods and old plastic bottles of frozen water, waiting to be deployed.

"...zzzzzzzzz..."

What's Up With That?

"See? I stand up on two legs, humans give me treats, all fours and they give me hay! What's with that?!"

Failed Final-Second Snack Interception

"...fair enough, but if you HADN'T swallowed it already then it WOULD still be in play!"

Tuesday Tail #21

"You know what I think of this horribly hot weather?"

"It can bite my fluffy white tail."

The Big Take

Fan Boy

Meet Miley

Nelson's partner Miley has issues with her jaw which has led to the loss of a number of her teeth. We need to be careful what snacks we give her, which practically means we grate their morning veg and soak their evening pellets in water.

Now, pellet mush may look pretty unappetizing to us humans, but I can tell you now that it is VERY popular with our dentally-challenged buns...

"OMG, did someone mention snacky mush?! Gimme!!!"

The Friday Foot-Chomp

Earlier this week I was sorting out some photo's for an event and I came across this great foot-chompin' pic from a few weeks back! These babies are so sweet!

Country Girl

"Join me for an adventure? You walk I'll hop?"

Where's Minty?

Tuesday Tail #20

High Maintenance

Bunnies are big on property development, especially when it comes to creating new doorways for themselves. So part of our jobs as volunteers is to spot and report to our maintenance team (Ian and Stuart) any new exits/holes they've created or other things that need fixing.

The bunnies at the Rescue had quite a few little home improvements going on last week, so I had quite a number to find and report. Luckily I had some help pointing out where repairs were needed...

"...and I think maybe the roof needs some work too? Can you see?"

Sorry little bunster, I haven't even looked up yet cos I can't stop looking at your squee little face!

Sunday Laps

Whisky seems to be getting back to his old self a bit more this weekend after far too much moping/lazing about in his room during the week. I wish I knew what had caused it but he is suddenly rammed full of energy and tearing around the house and garden like a much younger bunny.

"Need more racing fuel!! Snacks please!!!"

"Did you time that last lap? Gotta be a new record!"

I mean, you know, until he'd used up all his beans...

"Just gonna rest my head and feets for a coupla secs...then...back to...zzzzzzzzz..."

Feedback Questionnaire

"How did you enjoy your week of me? Please write all comments on a sheet of paper, place positive ones in the ballot box provided and negative ones in my litter box, where later on I shall add my own feedback to your feedback..."

The Friday Whisky

"It's Friday already? Then where's my carrotini?"

The One-Paw Stretch

Week of Whisky?

Quite by accident, because we happened to get good mouf and tail shots at the right time, we've had three days of Whisky, so why not go for a week?!

We had another visit to the vets yesterday, just for a check-up. Whisky wasn't impressed, refused to go in the carrier when we went to leave the house, probably thought I was planning on leaving him there again. When we got to the vets we were 30 minutes early due to unusually good traffic but there was a tortoise emergency in progress, so we had to wait a long time. The appointment went well though. Although Whisky had a bad week, he had woken up yesterday feeling a bit better and bounced straight back into his normal morning routine of adventuring about the house. Some of the snotty breathing noise had gone, the vet said his lungs sounded OK and his weight loss seems to have levelled out. We are keeping him on the antibiotics for the next week to see how he goes and then take things from there. So that's where we are at now.

Actually, this 'Week of Whisky' works out well, timing-wise, since heavy rain has stopped me taking new Rescue photo's the last few days I was on site. Of course, all this rain means the Whisky pics are likely to be indoors this week:- we've had yawns and naps, which leaves us with...snacks?

"Call this food? Sure it's tasty, but where's the garnish and side salad? They're the best bits!"

Tuesday Tail #19

The Snack Entrance

Grumpy Sunday Whisky

As you will know from reading this blog, three years ago Whisky had a difficult surgery to remove a cork-screw shaped tooth root that was growing through his head. The growth had left a lot of damage in its wake leaving him prone to infections in his tear duct and nose, so periodically he has had courses of antibiotics to clear them up. With so many doses, the vet always said that there may come a day when he stops responding to the antibiotics and there will be nothing more we can do for him. I would have been very sad if that had happened soon after putting him through such a traumatic surgery, but happily he has done pretty well since considering. Although he has had a catalogue of other issues (bonding injuries, fur mites, ear abscesses, snapped tendon, thorn stuck up his nose...) he has always been a little fighter and pushed through with a bounce in his step. I have been blessed to have such a special little boy who despite having more challenges thrown at him than most bunnies get has somehow out-lived all my other rabbits.

So here we are, three years on, and poor Whisky has had a bit of a miserable week. On Wednesday he went in for x-rays to see if there were any new tooth-root-related issues causing his latest eye and nose emissions. This involved staying at the vets for the day and being put under anaesthetic, neither of which Whisky was very happy about. He came home still slightly groggy and didn't really recover for several days, choosing to spend all his time upstairs looking miserable. How much is the after-effects of the anaesthetic, how much is the daily antibiotics, how much is the grumpiness at me for inflicting it all on him and trying to avoid me I am not sure. Towards the end of the week I carried him downstairs to the garden and he seemed to have fun outside, yesterday he came down and demanded to be let out in the morning, but all of his daily routines of adventuring around the house have stopped.

The results of the x-rays showed that there are no serious issues with his tooth roots. This is not the good news it might appear since all that leaves us to treat him is his current antibiotics, the last antibiotic to be shown in his cultures to have any effect on the bacteria in his nose and tear duct. But despite several weeks of it, this time it is not clearing the infections.

Since he moved in to my house, I don't think there has been a single one of his birthdays when I have thought he would live to see the next. But then he is constantly surprising me with how resilient he is, so who knows what the coming weeks and months will bring. As always, I will just try to enjoy and treasure every single day I get to share with him, even the grumpy ones.

"You wonder why I'm still grumpy? You know most of the water from that last face bath went up my nose, right?!"

Bobbit The Explorer

Foster bunny Bobbit is becoming way more trusting these days, when he moved in I wouldn't have dreamed that I'd ever be able to just walk up to him and pick him up when I need to (like health check day), but that appears to be where we are now at. Well, I say 'trusting' - I think he trusts that (a) there's really no point trying to run away and (b) there's probably treats on the way after being poked about, clipped and cleaned. His view now that, far from being dangerous, I am merely annoying also gives him the confidence to sneak out of their room for a wander about, given the chance.

You can tell he thinks he's being a bit naughty though - not something I've said or done, I think it might be something he decided from the occasional glares he gets through the mesh of Whisky's bunny-gate.

"If I move really slowly, I wonder if I can chin and claim this chair without that grumpy lop noticing..."

Blue Bun Day

OK, fine, ONE MORE shoe-chomper day, but only because I'm lazy, not because they are completely and squeefully adorables and you lot are so demanding or anything...

Bonus Baby

Yesterday Whisky spent the day at the vets getting x-rayed, which of course involved two things:

• Anesthetic
• Me stressed and anxious all day until the vet phoned to say he was OK

Consequently I didn't have the energy to sort out something interesting for the blog this morning, so I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with another day of Tatiana's shoe-chompers. I hope you don't mind...!

"What? I'm just filler? What an insult! Well then I hope you have prepared yourself for walking home barefoot..."

Filler Up

"I have tasted this sample and it is to my liking. Now, to the top if you please!"

Tuesday Tail #18

As it's Tuesday Tail day I thought I'd show you Phea's poor chomped tiny tail.

"You want to see my tail? OK, first things first, head strokes please!"

"That Gavin was right, you humans are good for something other than snacks!"

"There you go, but no making jokes or I'll be telling Boadicea that your fingers are made of carrots!"