Nestlé

Nestlé was always the quiet one of the group. While Hoppy would, well, Hop around frantically and Perdy would demand food in a (sort of) bossy way, Nestlé was somehow much more serene. He’d look at you expectantly, with his big brown eyes, whether it was for a carrot or some kale, or for a tickle of his ears. Oh how he loved his ears to be tickled. If ever a rabbit went into a trance when he was stroked it was my little Nestlé and I adored him for it.

Sadly, after a difficult start to his life when he was mistreated and abandoned, along with Perdy, Hoppy and Spirit, he never found a new home, despite thoroughly deserving one. But he (and they) never held their treatment against people - it never ceases to amaze me how wonderful bunnies can be with people when all they’ve known from us previously is torment and neglect.

Nestlé, like Perdy and Hoppy, also had his moment of fame on (almost) prime time TV. OK it was only the Peter Andre show, but Nestlé was the star. Calmly surveying his surroundings, he outshone all his human hosts. What a performer!

This isn’t just about Nestlé though. It’s about him, Perdy and Hoppy as a family and how wonderful they were. I know I wasn’t the only one who regularly found ‘excuses’ to go and sit with them, play with them and have my lunch with them; even the more hardened bunny minders found excuses to do so. Caroline herself said she would have found it very hard to let them go, they were such a wonderful group.

I was lucky enough to see Nestlé one last time on the Sunday before he died. It was all too brief and we still didn't know how ill he was, but he still adopted his happy little ‘stroke me’ pose at the back of the bunch. And stroked he was.

He died on 3 September of a suspected brain tumour, but we will never really know why. I’ll miss him loads and miss the three of them being together. I hope he soft chewed his way into whatever counts as bunny heaven as that’s where he deserves to be.

Mindy's Babies

Mindy's little babies are getting ready to face the world. Not brave enough to venture out of their shed to have their photo's taken, but it won't be long...

"Hey guys, check this out!"

"Hmmm...doesn't look like something we can eat..."

"Feel free to come back when you have some tasty snacks for us!"

Upside Down

Caroline sent me this fantastic picture of the new babies feeding from mummy Mindy last night.

Check out those teeny tiny tummies! And the feets! :-)

My Kind of Office

In need of a little light relief recently, I went looking for one of my favourite bunny-filled web videos only to discover that the company that commissioned it have taken it down. Fortunately it appears the director of this glorious piece has reposted it to YouTube so to anyone else out there that needs cheering up I urge you to revisit this little gem:

Puts a massive smile on my face every time.

Santa

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will probably already know who Santa Bunny is. A sweet, loveable bunny like no other, my own little baby and companion. He came with Jemima to live with me in May 2008 and quickly became the very best thing in my life.

Always a very sensitive thing, Santa suffered a number of gastro-intestinal problems over the last two years. When he became ill again last Sunday it looked like he was in for another few days at the vets being nursed back to health, but this time was just one too many for his little system. Santa died around 11am on Tuesday 10th August 2010, just three and a half years old. My heart is still breaking.

Part of me didn't want to write this entry. It is very painful to remind myself that I have lost him. But as he was the original inspiration for starting this blog, it felt right to honour his life here somehow, so I have posted here two of my favourite pictures of him. They were both taken the same day in February and show two of Santa's best sides - the sweet, innocent, loveable boy who would sit patiently for you to take his picture and the crazy little monkey that you would find doing things you wouldn't expect. I hope this gives you a feeling of the dear little soul that I love and miss with all my heart.

Mixin it up on DJ Hero, Feb 2010

Fluffy Four's Big Day

"Erm...Doggy wants to know if snacks

are served on this trip?" asks Orlando

Well, the day had finally come. After 14 weeks of living in my house it was time for the once tiny litter of cuddle bundles to return to the Rescue to be rehomed. They packed up all their things into the pet carriers, waved goodbye to Jemima with their little paws and off we set.

When we arrived at the rescue there was a dizzying array of new smells to experience and many new friends for them to meet. They were very excited and couldn't wait to get out to explore, but first things first - Marigold had a special cuddle for Caroline! ("Wow, haven't you gotten BIG?")

First into their new homes were Pingu and Orlando. A little uncertain of the strange terrain and not too sure about the enormous neighbours peering through the fence, but once they were sure they were safely contained they were off, racing up and down the grass and in and out of of the fun obstacles.

Pingu plays hide-and-seek

Next up Cherish and Marigold. After a couple of laps of their warren to discover the lay of the land it was time to meet their neighbours. Within minutes Cherish was seen winding Megan up into a jealous frenzy by flirting with Whisky through the fence, while Marigold was enjoying all the tasty new grass.

"Well hey there handsome fellow - fancy sharing a

plate of grated carrot later?"

So a big day for them, a big day for me, saying goodbye to my miniature house guests. And a very exciting one - some of today's visitors have already expressed interest in each of the girls and with the boys gorgeous blue eyes I have no doubt all four will each quickly find loving new homes.

"Chomp chomp munch chomp"

In The Bag

One of the things that makes bunnies such good house pets is that they are very easy to litter train. Once they have settled in to a new home, they will generally settle on a particular corner and into that corner you put the litter tray and the job is done. They are clean and tidy creatures, so once the toilet area is established they will stick to it and your nice carpets (and sofa) will be safe.

Having established this, you can also move the litter tray. This is especially useful if the corner they picked wasn't the one that you wanted them to use (why do they always pick the one by the door?). If you do this gradually, the bunnies will return to the same spot each time, see (well, probably smell) the tray and use it. Any, er, misunderstandings can be moved into the tray and they will soon get the idea.

Moving the tray quickly to another corner is asking for trouble. The bunnies will return to the original corner, finding no tray will just assume you have cleaned up for them and start again (just like if you'd put a clean tray back). Not only that, but when they find the tray elsewhere they'll take that as you green-lighting an additional toilet area and now you have two. This very thing has happened to me when I have placed a soiled tray down somewhere while I replace it and turned my back for a moment only to find a bunny using it. Then the next day, guess what? New pile of poo in that spot. Be warned. Anyway..

There is something I would like to touch on here, another word of warning really. The religious using of the litter tray without accident can be quickly disrupted if you do anything to disturb their routine or incur their wrath. If, for example, you were to bring home some temporary foster bunnies and let them play in your (their) garden you will quickly discover that your bunnies will make you pay for this crime by giving to you the gift of an afternoon of picking their poo out of the grass. From across the whole lawn. The books will tell you this is a territorial thing as they try to claim back their space from the interlopers, but I tell you now, I've seen revenge in their eyes as they glare back at me... Moving on.

Now, the reason I mention all this today is that Santa and Jemima have recently altered their own morning routine. Rather than hopping back into their fresh litter trays for their big post-breakfast clearout, they've found a new spot.

"Hang on, I'll be done in just a minute."

Now if I can only train all the bunnies at the Rescue to do this (and not just at breakfast) the cleaning out will suddenly get a whole lot easier...