Naughtiness in abundance

We now effectively sit in a puppy pen cage in our living room - it is one of the 8 panels ones, we have it from a speaker next to the fireplace, across the fireplace (to protect speaker cable and Christmas stockings), past the other speaker, and television/hifi (yes, we now watch TV through the pen), then it turns the corner and fences off Christmas tree, more cables, router etc. and stops by sofa.

So in theory everything precious is 'safely' cordoned off... but I've seen them eyeing, plotting, scheming... it won't be long...

I've been living with bunnies for many years, enough to know what they're capable of. But others in the family still have a lot to learn... yesterday morning, little Rosie left her precious pink hairbrush on the floor. About 6 of the bristles immediately went missing, no evidence except Dijon nomming brazenly next to the brush. The same evening my husband left a peeled clementine, split in half, in a pot on the sofa... half went the same way as the bristles, leaving a puddle of juice on the cushion.

I dread to think what this - on top of the remote control buttons - will do to his digestive system, but he's certainly still eating well, and - judging by the pile in the cage - no blockages!

Mabel is appalled by his behaviour.

Buttons, Holes

It had to happen, and it did. Quicker than you could imagine...

The one remote control that was untouched by bunny teeth is now the remote control that has been most mangled by bunny teeth.

Stupidly, I left the satellite remote on the sofa when I left the living room. I thought it would be safe; after all, there were others in the room, so Dijon really should not have been able to destroy anything. However, he was very swift, and in the space of 5 seconds he had eaten FOUR buttons. I'm not even sure what one of the buttons does as the label was stamped onto it.

So now there are no remote control units in the house that have a full set of buttons.

Sofa, So Good

Just a couple of days ago we were saying how Mabel and Dijon were behaving themselves since being allowed in 'our' half of the living room... well, they must have heard us and decided that would not do... since then they have been naughty, naughty, and doubly naughty... we have an old piano stool next to our sofa, and they have decided their latest mission is to go under it and burrow their way behind the sofa, using teeth and claws to remove anything in their path.

I'm struggling with this one - every defense I put in place is rapidly destroyed, and it's meant they cannot spend as much time out as they require constant supervision. They know it's naughty, and flick their tails at us if we come near to move them. I'm sure previous bunnies leave their invisible bunny signs to say 'hey, come this way, there's a great tunnel behind the sofa if you can just get there', as it's always been a problem area. Just hope they get bored of trying soon.

Absconders

 

I shut the gate. I made a mental note as I walked through...Shut the gate. Shut the gate. Shut the gate... Unfortunately, I did not secure the gate, so Dijon pulled it open and escaped.

Now, as there was no urgency to go anywhere, we decided to let them have a little more freedom (which confused them as they are used to being chased and clapped back into their area.) Interesting...

Mabel remained in the living room, investigating the skirt around the arm chair. Only once did she venture out into the hall way, but she didn't like the laminate flooring; she couldn't walk on it, instead just dragged her hind legs behind her.

Dijon, on the other hand, like a whirlwind, was into the hall, and onto the mountain of shoes that lives by the front door. He knows no fear... Having scaled the pile of footwear he decided to investigate the kitchen. He's never been there before, so he was a little more cautious than normal, but still quite bold and he stretched himself flat and edged around the base of the units.

Now that they are more settled, it really is time the bunnies were given more freedom, so following the latest escape, I have now purchased a second cage from EasiPet which will be used to cordon off the electrical and cables in the living room. If all goes to plan, this will give Mabel and Dijon the opportunity to socialise with us rather than us socialising with them. Who knows, they may even come for cuddles on the sofa, rather than burrowing into the sofa...

Sucker!

We have just had a new Hoover delivered (and it is a Hoover, so now I can say "I'm hoovering" without pedantic husband saying it's vacuuming!!) [Husband says: Hoover also makes washing machines, tumble driers, fridges, dishwashers, and steam irons... what will you be doing if you're hoovering the spuds?!] The old one's motor burnt out - probably bunny fur/hay/poo overload.

It is much louder (and hopefully stronger!) than our previous one. The bunnies were safely in their cage as I used it - cable looks somewhat thinner than usual, not likely to withstand bunny 'investigations'. Mabel was inquisitive, following the broom with her nose as it passed the cage. Dijon was brave at first but then it all became too much for him and he shot away and wet himself in the corner of the cage.

I don't suppose the floor will remain fur-less and hay-free for long, now that they're out again, periscoping the parked Hoover from a safe distance.

Bite the hand that feeds...

Last Saturday morning, 10th November, Mabel sank her teeth into my thumb! It was very swift. A growl, a lunge, and a very cross bunny. So hard was the bite, that I couldn't stem the flow of blood, and had to use an elastic band as a tourniquet. After a couple of minutes I was able to apply a Steristrip and a plaster. There will be quite an impressive centimetre long scar on my poor thumb!

And what had I been doing to warrant this attack? Sprinkling some treats on the carpet. That's gratitude for you.

We have no idea what provoked her, but she spent a lot of time afterwards mounting Dijon's head, so maybe it was hormonal?

Autumn

I can't believe it's been so long since we last posted. Shame on us. But that's a sign of just how settled life is with the bunnies at the moment.

We've had no health scares, although Mabel developing spurs on her teeth and had them filed down. Both she and Dijon have calmed down a lot - the maturity of adulthood - and are very content.

I was admiring how well they have settled, and commented that Mabel was no longer so protective of Dijon; there had been no lunging, growling or biting for a couple of months, I spoke too soon...

Summer

Well, the summer is almost at an end. During the school holidays, the bunnies have spent a lot of time outside. Now that we have a pen attached to the outside wall, we leave the patio doors open, and Mabel & Dijon can hop in and out at will.

They are used to the aeroplanes, so don't shoot inside every two minutes, and the clackety-clack of trains no longer perturb them, so they can enjoy the great outdoors without feeling too stressed... the only things that seem to give them the willies is when blinds, curtains, or windows are opened upstairs. Any of these is guaranteed to have them rocketing indoors at supersonic speeds.

It's been just over a year since they came to live with us, and they are very settled. I've been editing some video of them recently and will post this wen it's ready. We've also been looking at photos of all our beloved houserabbits over the past 14 years, and I think we'll upload some of these too. Rosie Rabbit is something to behold. Sunday lunchtimes were always very amusing...

Outed

A few weeks ago we bought a puppy pen for the bunnies. The idea was to find them some type of cage we could erect in the garden where they could play in safety during the summer. The wooden pen I had made about 10 years ago had been brought inside to act as a barrier to prevent them escaping into forbidden areas of the house.

Although we had ordered a drop-pin version from an eBay seller named Easipet, we ended up with the non-drop-pin version. All this means is that instead of separate panels that can be joined using a drop-pin, they are pre-ligated. This error turned out to be a better choice for us as we could securely set up the pen on our patio and fix it to the wall. We now have a semi-permanent run on the patio with direct access from the living room.

The bunnies absolutely love it! Mabel has developed a way to let us know when she wants to go out, and they hate it when the patio door is shut after they've been outside. Dijon will deliberately stand in the way of the door so we can't close it, even if it's pouring with rain outside.

The two of them have demonstrated that they know their names. When they are outside, if we call their names from inside, they will come bounding in (hoping for a treat), hop over to say 'hello' and then bound out again. Aeroplanes and magpies are things neither of them like, and should one fly overhead, the bunnies come shooting inside.

Here they are, happy in the pen.

Captured...

Here's a drawing of Mabel & Dijon. It perfectly captures the relationship between them and the way they position themselves - Dijon stretched out, Mabel huddled. Not bad at all, for a 6 year old.

 

Emergency

6:00 p.m... we noticed Mabel wasn't her usual self. She was throwing herself around, writing and looking very uncomfortable. Unusually, she allowed us to stroke her without protest (normally, stokes are very much on her terms), and she overtly did a wee outside of her cage.

So there was a last minute call to the vet, which thankfully closes at 7:00 p.m, and there was one appointment left. Off we set... We suspected it was gas (from what we can only guess), a diagnosis the vet agreed with as he could feel no blockage in her gut.

A very reasonable consultation fee plus the cost of Metacam later, and we have a happy Mabel again. She is springy and bouncy, and just as calculating as ever. She's not interested in hard treats at the moment, but was keen to eat a sprig of parsley and a small grape.

Happy Birthday, Mabel

Well it, it may have been Father's Day, but far more important than that, it was Mabel's first birthday. She had a delightful birthday tea that both bunnies enjoyed. Happy Birthday Mabel!

Happy Birthday, Dijon

Dijon is one year old today. Here he is taking delivery of his special birthday tea (what you don't see is that Mabel stole the carrot shaped into a '1'):

If You Love Somebunny Set Them Free...

Well, over the past few weeks the bunnies have been given a little more freedom. They are now allowed into the main part of the living room for short periods. they are quite content with this, although they are perfectly content to remain within their usual confines.

Dijon is obsessed with jumping onto the sofa. Although we constantly push him off to discourage him, he is nevertheless dogged in his quest to leap over us and make it to the magical place that is The Telephone Table. Pushing him away is, frankly, futile; far more effective, I found, is simply to try to stroke him. It confuses him. On one hand he desperately wants that stroke; on another hand, he needs to reach that table.

Mabel, however, prefers to keep her feet firmly on the ground. She quietly takes everything in, scheming and plotting all the while...

2021!

This isn't a post about the bunnies. But it is about the future of bunnymad.co.uk... The news is good.
bunnymad.co.uk will be around for a while to come thanks to the new domain registration rule that allow domains to be registered for up to 10 years. Thanks to this bunnymand will remain in our hands for the next 10 years, safe from the hands of speculators.

You may have noticed that the bunnymad.com domain suddenly disappeared and then reappeared with a 'for sale' sign $1,595 is the asking price (+ transfer fees.) Around about Christmas time it was offered to us... well, we were told we could put in an offer before it went to auction. We did put in an offer which was promptly declined, and an suitable amount was suggested. More than we could afford.

We're not going to let bunnymad.co.uk go the same way.

bunnymad.co.uk is here to stay.

Out!

Since the vet extracted the remainder of his elongated bauble, Dijon has discovered that there is a brain in his head... he has learned how to pull the chain which hangs from the edge of the fence separating their area from the rest of living room, so that it makes a gap just wide enough for him to sneak through.

He has also realised that he stands a great chance of escaping and exploring if no adult human slaves are in the room.


And he knows exactly where to go to maximize his chances of prolonged freedom (amongst the shoes, in the hall, by the front door.)

Warren Peace

We've been away for a few days, returning yesterday.

The bunnies were attended to by a trusted source, and were - apparently - very well behaved and seemed quite content.

We were a little worried that they would be cross with us for having left them, but when we returned home, we received a very warm welcome. Both Dijon and Mabel expressed their happiness with lots of skips and runs, and coming to sniff us all over, give us licks, and generally take advantage by crawling up and down us.

And that is how they have been today, too. They have been very attentive towards us.

What has surprised us more than anything is how much they seem to have grown during our absence. Mabel in particular appears to have grown a lot. She is no longer a cute little bunny, but a but a big grown up doe.

Vet

Dijon has been to the vet. Twice in as many days.

Silly boy began to tug at his stitches yesterday... All credit to him, though, he did manage to last a week without being bothered by them. The problem was that one of the knots must have come loose and this began to bother him. But instead of gnawing it off, he began to tug at it.

Kate, the vet who operated on him, had done a wonderful job of tying the sutures which meant, alas, that they loose one wouldn't come out no matter how hard Dijon tugged. We could see the flesh on his abdomen stretching in a most alarming way. We didn't really have much choice other than to turn him upside down (not a recommended move unless absolutely necessary), and cut off the knot.

Unfortunately, Dijon had managed to cause a little damage to himself, and the end of the incision had begun to bleed. Not knowing how he would react to this, we called the vet and it was recommended that we take Dijon in for a quick examination.

The good news is that there is no real harm done, but the vet suggested we give Dijon a course of antibiotics, just in case of an infection. And to come back after 24 hours for another quick once-over. £7.90 the poorer,  we returned home. Dijon showed no sign of being interested in his wound. So we decided we wouldn't give any antibiotics, yet. (Some of you may tut at us, but we reasoned that the antibiotics would probably cause more problems than they would be worth - all those good bacteria in Dijon's gut could be killed off, causing digestive problems.)

Well, all was fine today, but Dijon and I nevertheless returned the vet. Thankfully, the wound is healing nicely, and so there is no need to return for another few days.

P zero zero

The bunsters were out for about 14 and a half hours today, and NOT A POO in sight! The were let out of their cage at about 7a.m, and remained out until the children's bath time, twelve hours later. And then they were allowed out again from just after 8 until about 10:45. And there wasn't a stray poo to be seen.

It's incredible how less than a week after the elusive testicle was removed, Dijon (and Mabel) are now completely settled, house trained, and considerably less destructive than they were. Dijon, especially, is more snuggly than ever. He'll bound over to us and as soon as he's touched will flop out for a long stoke. Legs out behind him, grinding happily away, and very very licky. He permits us to touch his toes (forelimbs only) and doesn't mind if we tease his tail.

And both Mabel and Dijon have discovered the joy of sunbeams. Lovely to see them basking in the rays that shine through the French windows.

Tranquility

Dijon is much calmer. He still mounts Mabel every now and then, but this seems to be out of habit (whenever we approach the cage with food) rather than through any biological urges.

The number of poos outside the cage has dramatically reduced, the spraying appears to have ceased, and he is a lot less frenetic.

Mabel appreciates it too. She can relax safe in the knowledge that she is not going to be pursued. If it continues like this, then we will be able to give them the run of the entire living room without fear of 'water damage'.

Dijon's missing testicle

Happy news... for our family, the carpets, the walls, but especially for Mabel...

Today the bunnies have spent the day at the vets... 'exploratory surgery', and the vet found Dijon's missing testicle! Now, you may recall that when the bunnies went to the vet for neutering last year, Dijon was found to have one generously proportioned testicle, and one minuscule, fat-covered, one. Well, that turned out not to be the case, and we've had a few issues with Dijon's adolescent hormones.

He has been so intense in his 'romancing' Mabel, for the past fortnight the cage has been shaking like a heart-stopping fun-fair ride as he mounts her everytime he is excited about anything. Poor Mabel has taken to cowering in her litter tray and squealing as he approaches... also the spraying has continued, so we (us and the vet) decided last week it was time to have a look, just in case.

Apparently she snipped open where she thought she'd taken it out before - last time his big one turned out to be all fat with a teeny weeny one inside. She had pulled it as far as possible, had a good look around, but no more to be seen. Again this time, nothing there. So she opened up his abdomen and there it was, a long, thin, 'abnormal' one, hiding in the inguinal canal!

The vet had mixed feelings - she was also very happy to have found it, glad she had done it, relieved that it was abnormal and therefore not really her fault missing it, but her biggest regret was forgetting to take a photo!!

Now we have to hope he doesn't have any problems with the wound - he's been cleaning it a lot, but just hope he doesn't cause problems. He was bit dozy at first but has eaten well, drunk loads, and is now busy destroying his cardboard tube.

Dirty Dog

We've just returned from a day visiting relatives down by the south coast. They own a greyhound, We were, apparently,  covered in doggy smells... Mabel took one sniff, thumped and wouldn't come near us. Dijon sniffed us all over, then chinned us all over, he seemed to like it, then this evening he made extra sure that no other creature was going to claim his territory by doing 86 (yes, I counted) poos over the carpet. Nice. And that was after we'd all had a bath and change of clothes!

Let's hope the doggy smell has worn off by tomorrow!

Fancy a Nibble?

The naughty NAUGHTY bunnies – they're in the, er, doghouse today -

"Ooh!" said Freddie this morning, "the bunnies are eating ALL the bureau!".

I'm not sure what possessed him to watch for so long, I can't really hold him responsible, but a large chunk all along the bottom of one door is now missing! 

We have to hope they've forgotten when they come in the living room later... but who am I kidding? Bunnies always go back for more, don't they?!!

Dijon's spraying

I was with the vet for nearly 40mins discussing Dijon's mounting and spraying. She had a good feel around and could find no lumps (sadly no "oops I must have missed a testicle", thus putting and end to this spraying nightmare.)

She clipped his claws, then started to doubt herself and had another feel, this time with him 'dangling' so that anything there would drop down. On one side she could feel slightly more fat, and started to wonder if she should just do a small operation, a little incision on that side, under anaesthetic, just to check for any testicular tissue hidden in the fat. Poor woman said that, if she did find anything, it would be the first time, and she began to doubt her whole career, but said she takes pride in her work and wants to make all her animals happy...

She recalled that when she did the castration back in September, she found that one testicle was actually much smaller than it had appeared, being inside a lot of fat, and she had a big dig around to make sure it was all out. The fact that she double-checked at the time makes me (and her) think that it's unlikely anything's been left, and more likely just his nature... And so we've left it that we'll see how he goes, if he calms down, and re-evaluate in a few months if he hasn't - or if he's really bothering Mabel.

Top and Tail

We have booked an appointment to get Dijon's bits checked out. 4 months since castration, and he is spending more time that ever trying to mount Mabel, is 'hmm-hmm'ing so loudly we can hear it from the next room, and this evening he sprayed full force when out in the dining room, sending wee all over the carpet, piano stool, piano (as high as the keys) and cupboard next to it. Fortunately he just missed me.

Unfortunately I had spent most of yesterday morning cleaning his spray stains off the carpet with the Vax. I suppose I'd provided a blank canvas.

As I type, he is going in circles trying to mount Mabel. We have noticed that he tends to pester her when we approach - if he's excited to see us then he redirects his excitement onto Mabel.

However, she may be getting her own back... we've noticed that several of his whiskers on one side appear to have been chopped off - badly, they even have split ends. Could it be Mabel...?

Break Out

We had decided to delay expanding Mabel and Dijon's play area into the front of our through living room - mainly because Dijon has been doing the occasional spray outside of his cage, but also because we need to reinforce the bunny-proofing to suit our 2 teenage bunnies (barriers had been removed as Nelly became older and less adventurous).

But this morning, Mabel became impatient. She shook the fence (2 panels of our chicken-wire outdoor rabbit run, linked together with chains). She pulled so hard with her teeth and claws that they fell down, leaving a gap in the middle. Both made their escape, then they split, each to a naughty corner obviously bunny-signposted by buns gone before. So there was no way of catching either because I had to be watching both at the same time! (This escape was obviously planned in advance - choose a time when only one bunny-slave is at home).

Lots of stretched out periscoping, and lots of excited thumping, then they both showed too much interest in the television/hi-fi/juicy cable corner, so I had to try my hardest to herd them back. Dijon was very obliging - he knows the ringing of the cage bells and went straight back for his slice of pear, but Mabel preferred the taste of freedom and had to be ushered back.

She is now tugging at the towels in her cage very crossly!

Time Out

What an amazing day! The bunnies have been with us for 5 months today, and  they have spent almost the whole day out of their cage, with very little destruction to show for it. They really were surprisingly well-behaved.

It began at 8:30 when they were given breakfast. Rather than closing the door to their cage, we left it open. Mabel hopped out almost immediately, leaving Dijon to much at his leisure, but she soon returned as she didn't like the music we were playing. She is a bit funny about music, and more often than not will retreat under the towel in her cage until the music ends. Dijon did try rounding her out of the cage, but she refused until the music was switched off.

So from 8:30 until 5:30 - when it was tea time - they stayed out. There were a minimal number of poos from Dijon, no spraying, no wallpaper stripping, carpet lifting, or book ripping. No leaps onto the piano, no chair/table leg gnawing, no curtain ripping.

But there were bunny cuddles, bunnies sleeping, bunnies grooming each other, children and bunnies playing together.

Was there no damage at all? No, there was a little, all caused by Dijon. He can't help himself... First, he ate the rubber end from a zip, and gnawed around the edge of the lid to the tub storing the Burgess. Not only did his gnaw it, he ate all the slivers he nibbled off. Not a single shaving of yellow plastic was to be found. Well, at least he has shown some intelligence - knowing where the Burgess is hidden is quite a step for him.

Mabel, on the other hand, was impeccably behaved and showed no desire to do anything other than look longingly at the piano keyboard.

On Your Knees and Spray

Just as we think the bunnies have settled, one of them goes and does something so hideously rude...

Since Christmas, Mabel and Dijon do seem to have become more settled, and they have been much more willing to have a prolonged stroke. Even Mabel has hunkered down for a nose rub when touched between the ears or on the snout, and that is not like her at all. We have had some seriously long strokes of late - up to 10 minutes!

Well, although Dijon is quite to poopmeister, it did seem that his spraying had abated, but last night he shamed himself. It was time for the bunnies to return home after a good run, and as usual they returned home without any protestations. However, as whilst the towel in the cage was being straightened to make it more comfortable for him, he sprayed in his female carer's face. Bull's Eye!

Surely by now, so many weeks after his snip, he should have stopped spraying!?

Shame on him.