Tansley

Tansley was a wild-cross rabbit who lived at the Rescue for more than 6 years. His mother was a pet who escaped into the wild, only to return pregnant and her owners did not want the unplanned offspring. The wild rabbit part of Tansley made him practically un-homeable as it made him naturally cautious of people, which tends to put people off. So despite his handsome looks and trendy white nose stripe we knew from the moment he came in that he would most likely stay with us his whole life.

Despite the cautiousness, Tansley was more curious about people than his brother Thistle and would run to the front of his new-arrivals hutch to see what you were doing through the mesh. We couldn't keep them in those hutches too long though - apart from anything else, they channelled their wild energies into destroying the hutches in record time. We arrived at the Rescue one morning to discover one of them had chewed a semicircular hole around the catch that was holding the door closed. Not just mischievous but clever too!

So Tansley and his brother were kept together and moved to a much bigger space where they could burn off their energy. Over time they became more confident, certainly around the volunteers, and you would always see them come racing over for breakfast, though sometimes the racing would be followed by a quick chase and squabble!

All was good with the boys until poor Thistle became sick and suffered recurring head-tilt and other issues. Seeing the constant handling of his brother for medicines made Tansley more wary of people again, though you could generally just about bribe him out with a little parsley!

After Thistle passed away earlier this year it became more difficult to tempt Tansley out, but he did love playing on and eating the grass in their area and it was always a pleasure when you did see him out. Sadly though, very recently his health began to deteriorate and on Thursday we had to say goodbye to him as he left to join his brother at Rainbow Bridge.

You were a very special and individual boy, Tansley, and we loved you for it. Binky free.

Thistle

It is amazing to think in 2011 Tansley and Thistle were nearly indistinguishable from each other. One thing is for sure, even if the resemblance has melted away a little over the years that Thistle has been unwell, the brotherly love endured.

We knew that Thistle did not have long left- having suffered from E Cuniculi for many years, his body was beginning to fail and his weight dropped drastically. The only thing stopping us from letting him go earlier was his continued zest for life. Even in the last week I saw him in his grass enclosure more than his brother, dining al-fresco and sunbathing. We knew an ethical decision was looming, but on Wednesday little Thistle took it away from us and passed away naturally during the night.

Goodbye little man.

Thistle In The Sun

Thistle is very sick. Quite apart from his recurring head-tilt and respiratory infections, he has recently become just a bag of bones, a fraction of his healthy weight. Although I didn't get all the details off Caroline before she went on holiday, I believe the vet found something serious and sadly Thistle probably doesn't have much time left with us.

So, he is very sick, as anyone who sees him up close can easily tell. The only one who doesn't seem to know he's sick is Thistle himself...

"Dude! I totally beat Tansley to the grated carrot again! I'm gonna scoff the lot!"

Knowing he probably doesn't have long, it's really great to see him happily enjoying life and racing about making the most of it. Which he does right up until nap time which, just to scare us, he takes wherever he happens to be at that moment...

"Dude! I'm catching some rays here! Can't a bunny take some z's in the sun without being stared at?"

Brotherly Snuggly

The Brothers Nom

Do The Tansley

Having found out we now have a YouTube channel, Tansley is preparing to take the world by storm in 2013. Here we catch him putting the finishing touches on his new routine.

"..then you finish with a turn, making an 'X' with your ears and front legs, like this. It's gonna make Gangnam Style look like the Birdie Song!!"

Cup of Sugar?

"Yes, well, unless you've come round to return the sock you borrowed I'm not interested."

Brothers

"Quit it Thistle, these are my breakfast noms!"

"OK Tansley let's share the noms."

Long time residents Thistle (left) and Tansley (right) enjoying some tasty veg snacks together. An all too common story, they are the result of an un-spayed doe who escaped from her garden and "got it on" with the locals before returning with a surprise for her parents. Sadly not many people want rabbits with wild genes in their mix as they tend to be more cautious of humans. But after so long with us these guys are pretty bold, especially when you're holding the snack bucket!