'S No Fun

Well, not much activity on this blog for a few weeks. I mostly blame the weather. We have just lived through a month of rain, which has meant miserable bunnies staring out from underneath hutches and inside sheds not wanting to come out and play (well, the sensible ones anyway). But the rain has now passed, replaced with frost and snow. Oh joy.

And not just a little bit of snow. It kicked off with about 10cm in 6 hours. So this weekend I am, basically, snowed in. I cannot get to the Rescue (in fact Royston has been on the news as one of the worst hit towns in the region) so I have taken up residence on the sofa for a few days with the TV, my laptop and occasionally some very grumpy bunnies.

The snow appears to have brought great joy to many of my colleagues, neighbours and friends, who are spending their days away from work/school frolicking in cold wet sludge. Caroline tells me the bunnies at the Rescue are also enjoying themselves, running madly about and playing in the curious white blanket that covers the ground, the like of which many of them have never seen before.

My own opinion of snow is more like that of Alex P. Keaton. And, once again proving that Caroline does an excellent job matching bunnies to people, S+J are totally with me on this.

Santa has been grumpy for weeks as the temperature has been gradually dropping. One morning he failed to notice me come in with his breakfast as he was so busy re-arranging the hay in his bedroom to try and make himself warmer (also partly my fault – I may have over-compensated with the straw earlier in the week and they pretty much had to burrow their way back in to go to bed). He doesn’t like the cold. When he woke up to thick snow Friday morning, he peered at it suspiciously from the doorway before seeming to decide that he was “cold enough thank you very much” and disappeared back inside refusing to come out of the shed for the rest of the day.

Jemima also hates snow. With her short Rex fur already giving her little protection and consequently regular problems with sore feet, she can’t bear to walk on anything cold or wet. She came bounding out, but as soon as her feet hit the snow she panicked, flew across the garden at great speed and disappeared into the house. When it came time to put bunnies back in their house, I couldn’t persuade her to come out of mine.

We all became a little more accustomed to the weather over the course of the weekend. By Sunday, all three of us were willing to spend up to several minutes in the garden, though it was inevitably followed with some quality time indoors in front of the radiator. Once her nose was dry, Jemima went on to her daily task of making all the hay disappear, while Santa decided to work on his on-going project to find the highest lagomorphically-accessible point in the lounge. Via a pile of cushions, the back of the sofa and a bookshelf he managed to surpass his previous record by about a foot and seemed very proud of himself.

It doesn’t look like the weather is going to clear this side of Xmas, which probably means more days of disapproval from the little ones, but at least I am having more time to spend with them. Still, I can’t wait til the roads clear and I can get back to the Rescue – or maybe Santa (the other one) will bring me a new 4x4 car for Xmas? Here’s hoping.

Copper Bunny : Saved

Thankfully, it looks like the Tacoma and Pierce County Humane Society have had second thoughts about ending the life of poor little Copper Bunny - they have now released Copper to a local rabbit sanctuary in Gig Harbor.

The Rabbit Haven Sanctuary is a larger operation than ours, having around twice the number of rabbits in their care (and I thought breakfast-time at our rescue was crazy!). So it looks like he is in good hands with expert bunny people who can give him the proper love and attention he needs.

For the latest updates on Copper's progress, check out the Rabbit Haven website, where you can also help Copper and other bunnies like him by making a donation to the sanctuary.

Many thanks to the Rabbit Haven Sanctuary for kindly giving us permission to use their photo of Copper on our blog!

Chomp!!!

Yesterday I had the bitter-sweet pleasure of "Claw Day" with S+J, which to the casual observer is a cross between amateur manicure and professional wrestling. The plus for me is that during the procedure I get to cuddle my bunnies as if they were teddy bears. The down side is they hate it, hate it, hate it and are quite prepared to convey this point using all available forms of communication. Depending on their mood, this could include grunting, scratching, stamping or even biting. This month I got off fairly lightly. Beforehand, there was a moment where both bunnies simultaneously realised that the preparation of grooming tools and coiled body language could only mean one thing. A brief cartoon-style chase followed, involving some clambering behind the sofa by all parties. After the event, Jemima decided to explain to me that the post-clipping-reward-snack was of insufficient proportions, chomping down hard on my coat and trying to drag me across the room. It may have been a coincidence that this was in the direction of the tub of pellets from which she felt she should be further rewarded.

On Claw Day last month, Jemima decided much earlier in the proceedings that she was unimpressed with my efforts. Before I could even start on the first paw she came to the conclusion that her grunts of disapproval were being unfairly ignored and felt she needed to explain in terms I could not ignore. She promptly chomped my hand.

As a part-time bunny-wrangler for the Rescue, being gently (and not so gently) chomped by bunnies comes with the territory. I doubt there's a single long-serving volunteer here who hasn't been caught out by a nervous newly arrived individual, a bunny who has seen a hand coming into its home and mistaken breakfast delivery for an attack or territorial invasion. Even Caroline, after years of being able to predict when a bunny is grumpy and about to pounce, has been caught out a couple of times checking-in new arrivals. Then there are also the bunnies who, like Jemima and countless others, are not at all aggressive but use light chomping just to tell you something, usually that you are in their way or to stop ignoring them!

Flora, Jemima, Bigwig and Bruce. Friendly,
adorable, but very, very chompy.

My point is, as bunny people, being chomped is a common occurrence that is driven either by utter, desperate fear or to convey something to you that you just don't seem to be getting. Not surprising then that this story of a bunny at an American Humane Society centre that has been scheduled to be put down for biting one of the staff has been enraging the rabbit-loving community across the globe:

Link: Doomed Local Rabbit at Komo News

See also the update here.

Komo News' explanation of the incident seems to be that the severity of the bite, requiring the recipient to seek proper medical attention, is the centre's justification for terminating the rabbits life. However, the American Humane Society have subsequently released their own statement suggesting that the bite was not the reason for ordering the termination, only one of the symptoms of the rabbits dire physical and mental condition:

Link: Response by the Humane Society

Since I find it hard to believe that an organisation so dedicated to animal welfare would take the decision on a bunny's life lightly, I want to believe the Humane Society's version and suspect the original story is yet another case of sensationalist journalism. On the other hand, why when approached by local rabbit rescues with offers to take Copper did they not communicate the facts of the case sufficiently to prevent further protests, or provide them the opportunity to have the rescues own rabbit experts offer a second opinion and thus avoid becoming the villains of this story? According to their official response:

"Every year, the Humane Society receives about 90 rabbits, finds homes for about 70 of them, and has to euthanize about 20 for medical or behavioral issues."

This sounds to me like they are digging themselves a bigger hole. Surely:

• 22 percent is quite a big proportion to consider a lost cause (I will check our figures and respond later with a comparison)
• Medical or behavioural issues? So does this mean they DO terminate bunnies who are just grumpy from mistreatment, rather than provide the costly long term rehabilitation needed to rehome them?

Whatever the real situation here, I am pretty sure that the Pierce County Humane Society will be finding their working practises coming under very close scrutiny over the coming weeks.

NOTE: Since writing this entry I have discovered that the page I linked to on the Tacoma and Pierce County Humane Society website has become unavailable. Read into that what you will. I will leave the link as-is for now in the hope that it returns...

Mystery Bunny

Mystery Bunny Gets Snuggly

It makes me very sad to have to report this, but we have heard that our beloved Mystery Bunny has died. Mystery Bunny went out to adoption with her husband Majestic and it seems that she was tragically killed by a fox.

For the whole time that Majestic (who Helen has taken to calling Moo because of his cow-like markings) and Mystery were at the rescue, Mystery was particularly friendly towards me and would always come and say hello as I walked past. If I went in to their run and sat down on the grass she would clamber over my legs, snuggle into me and demand to be stroked. The two of them were absolutely adorable and the news of Mystery's passing was particularly painful for me to hear.

To help everyone remember her as I do, as the very special bunny that she was, I am posting this my favourite picture of her(above). Mystery, you were a very special bunny and you will be sadly missed.

FYI, Ears : Found

"Erm,thanks for finding my ears, but are

you sure you put them back on straight??!!"

Older, Wiser, Cuddlier

Amigo Bunny (age 8)

Choosing a pair of bunnies to take into your home might be one of the hardest decisions you ever make. It is almost certainly the hardest decision you will make when you visit the rescue. You are essentially trying to pick new family members and they need to fit in with the ones you already have (or at least fit in with you and your own peculiar ways!).

Everyone who comes to us has their favourites - giants or dwarves, rexes or lion-heads, lops or "uppy eared" rabbits. Some people like rabbits that demonstrate a strong sense of fearless independence. Most are even more taken by the bunnies who already show a friendliness towards humans. And just as there are thousands of different rabbit types, so are there thousands of different people types to want them and love them.

Having narrowed it down to just a few pairs, it is often the case that people will pick the younger, cuter ones. So today I am going to offer some advice on why you should perhaps look closer and not rule out our more mature residents as your perfect match!

So, why might you pick a pair of older bunnies? Here are some things to consider:

• An older bunny will tend to be more laid back. They are more likely to chill out on the rug with you for the evening than spend it trying to run up the curtains. Of course, they might also be less likely to eat the curtains.
• They tend to be more appreciative of (or at least willing to tolerate) human attention.
• Remember you are not just adopting a rabbit for your benefit, you are giving a good life to a creature who has been mistreated or abandoned. For an older rabbit this probably means either more years of mistreatment, or perhaps abandoned after years of loyalty. Doesn't this make them MORE deserving of your love?
• Unlike a baby or adolescent bunny, the older ones have been through their experimental stage and have already truly found themselves. It is much easier to gage their personality from meeting them.
• Because of their more sedentary nature, older bunnies will often make great house rabbits.

In the case of Amigo and his new partner Lucy-Liu there is an even better reason to want to take them home. They are just so very, very cuddly!

"Darling, stop eating the curtains - the

neighbours are staring at us again!"

Thieving Rascals

"Honestly, when they asked me if I wanted to move to the Rabbit Residence Rescue I took one look at the brochure and said 'Sure, looks like a nice place to live - good location, lots of tasty grass to eat, space to run around.' But I guess I should have at least dropped by to check out the neighbours before putting my paw on the dotted line. It's not that they're not friendly, it's just that, well...let's just say you wouldn't want to leave your favourite carrot lying around unattended. Of course I learned this lesson the hard way. I took one little nap and when I woke up some mischievous little scamp had made off with both my ears! I tell ya, I am so mad I could...[yawn]...I could...zzzzzzzzz"

Don't worry new babeh bunneh, we'll find your ears for you while you take a gentle sunny snooze...