Sentries On Duty

Mr Floof

"Stop laughing and send for my hare-dresser!"

"Thanks, that's much better! Now I'll be able to see you coming (as well as smell you coming)."

Blogging Off

Today is my last day (for a while at least) of filling in for BHV. It's been fun and thanks for your support and comments. Apologies for the rather disproportionate number of posts about my own little furry family - I just have more photos of them than the bunnies at the Rescue as I usually forget to take my camera, or forget I brought my camera until it's starting to get dark and the bunnies are all looking far too hungry to sit still enough for long exposure shots. So here's me and my two pairs of fluffsters signing off*.

Normal service will resume shortly!

(*Clarence and Beatrice photo courtesy of BHV.)

Funny Stretchy Boy

"Ahhh and just stretch out this last leg... and it'll be time for another nap."

Floofy Chops

Snoozy Boo nap time

Fort BooMo

I wouldn't normally spend £15 on what is basically a cardboard box but I couldn't help myself.

"You spent how much of our allowance on cardboard instead of snacks?!??!"

"Actually, this looks kind of fun! Ooo what's in here?"

I was slightly concerned when we constructed it about whether Boo would fit through the doors.

"Hm, this is a little smaller than I'm used to..."

"But no need to worry, Mrs Two-Legs, us bunnies can always get through a smaller space than you expect."

A few weeks later....

Snow Queen

"Just in case you were wondering, yes, I do look just as beautiful as usual in the cold white stuff. Now, if you'll excuse me my loyal subjects I'm going to go have a dig around in it and maybe chomp on some too."

Queen Boo of Tube City

Queen Boo would like to show you some of the fun of tubes.

"You can run through it like this."

"And you can peek out like this!" 

A brief moment of sunshine

With such wet dreary weather this Christmas, any moment of sunshine is precious. The other morning a small patch of sun appeared on the lawn for about half an hour. My husband was soon out there with his camera attempting to get Boo and Milo to sit in the right spot for long enough to get a photo.

"I'm sure it's not normal for us to get a picnic on the lawn at 10 am." 

The Boo Snackleys

The most exciting new happening is Caroline being on the radio yesterday, but since neither Caroline nor radio's have cute fluffy ears, here's a couple of random pictures of Vicki's buns eating snacks while bonding at the Rescue last month.

"[munch]"

"Ditto"

Two buns in a tub

We all know that every bunny needs a friend - but sometimes I wonder whether they know this given some of the challenges of bunny bonding! I recently made my second attempt ever to bond bunnies at home. The first time I was successful. This time I was not.

As I might have mentioned in one of my earlier posts, our beloved Buddy passed away in August from kidney failure, leaving bossy queen Boo on her own. Not long after, by coincidence, we came into custody of a cute little bunny named Milo (see Little Devil) who at the time we did not know whether we would end up keeping or just fostering for a bit on his way into the rescue. Well we fell for him and thought we’d give bonding a go.

So, I set up the our foster bun accommodation as a bonding area (neutral territory I hoped) with the playhouse split into two with metal panels so they’d be able to see and smell each other but not touch. After 3 days spent next to each other (switching them between the sides now and then to get them used to each other’s smell) I let them out for a bonding session in a large pen area. After an initial couple of minutes of not noticing each other there was chasing and attacking (and a bite to my arm). I gave up for the day. Two days later I tried again with the same reaction.

Deciding a change in tactic was needed I started trying short sessions in an even more alien environment – the bath.

These sessions went somewhat better with not as much outright aggression, and on a couple of occasions Milo attempted to groom Boo. Strangely he seemed intent on grooming her eye-balls quite vigorously which was not always appreciated. After nearly a week of these sessions she would still lunge at him sometimes and I was nowhere close to trusting them together.

We were then due to go on holiday, with the bunnies taking their break at the rescue. So I asked Caroline to see if she could persuade them to be friends, and if not to bond Queen Boo with a boybun who she would accept.

Five days later I had an email from Caroline to say that they were bonded! She clearly has the magic touch. They have been home with us again for a fortnight now and are very happy in each other’s company with lots of following each other around. We haven’t seen all that much grooming each other yet, but there has been no sign of upset on their return to Boo’s domain. And to be honest they are both such busy, active bunnies that there isn’t a lot of time for sitting about washing.

Instinctive lack of lawn

As you all know, domestic rabbits still have quite strong wild instincts. Digging is a key instinctive behaviour leading to tidy lawns being a thing of the past.

“You didn’t need this patch of grass, did you? Thought I’d turn it into a new veg patch.”

“Carrots, cabbages and dandelion planted. Time to wash my paws ready for tea.”

Queen Bee / Queen Boo

“Yes my subjects, I am your queen, and you will worship me!”

Happy Pet

As you will all know, bunnies need environmental enrichment and places to hide. A very useful (and cheap) item for this purpose is, of course, a cardboard box. However, finding such a box that is truly approved of by one’s buns can be tricky. Our two had a nice big box earlier in the year which they were very attached to but had eventually chewed so much of it away that we kept attempting to replace it. We’d find a new box at a garden centre, bring it home and install it in their run taking out the old one, only for the new box to be rejected and them to sit looking fed up in spots they don’t usually sit. After several attempts we eventually found another one big enough to be deemed appropriate. They soon began ‘renovations’ again so who knows how long it will last.

“This is more like it. About time too, Mrs Two-Legs!”

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.