Don't know how we managed to miss this article from BBC News, but it's well worth a read.
To quote from the report:
Rabbits have various ways of making people aware of how they feel
When stroked along the jaw line they grind their teeth, a sign that they are contented
A rabbit that runs towards its owner when it sees them is
another indicator of a pet that associates its owner with positive
interactions
Honking and binking (sic) means they are excited
But one that lunges at its owner with ears back and grunting is not happy bunny
Another way bunnies have of expressing themselves is the tail shake. Dijon is an avid tail-shaker, especially when he is being ushered back into the living room from the hall. An exaggerated shake of the tail is what we receive, a sure sign that we are seriously out of favour!
It will be interesting to see where the research leads and what conclusions it draws.
OK, so Christmas was two days ago, so we're a little late in posting anything... Mabel and Dijon had a lovely time; Mabel had a few tasty pieces of carpet pile and Dijon ate a strip of a metal case from a mince pie. For Christmas they received some dried Dandelion leaves that they can't get enough of.
We also received a couple of lovely bunny-related gifts all the way from Switzerland. First, there was a handmade tree decoration in the shape of a rabbit. It's about 5 inches tall, and looks lovely when surrounded by the other tree decorations:
There were two larger cream-coloured versions of this, that are about 10 inches tall:
We're not sure where to put them, so for now they are resting majestically on the back of an armchair. They wouldn't be safe on the floor - Mabel and Dijon would take too much of in interest in them...
Here are a few photos of the bunnies taken yesterday. Despite being a little chilly, they still insisted on going outside... They assume that because it's warm inside (central heating) and it's sunny outside (winter sun) then it must be warm outside.
Dijon has just paid some very unhealthy attention to a piece of tinsel this evening - not that we've put up decorations yet, merely searched out some pieces for two nativity costumes. He was reaching up for it as though it were the tastiest treat, and snuffling the floor for any dropped pieces.
We will have to keep our decorations VERY well fenced off this year!
How did it come about that we started to keep house rabbits? Well, it all began fifteen years ago to the day...
It was a cold, damp, drizzly Sunday afternoon, when we spotted the most beautiful looking lop-eared bunny. I’d promised my wife I would buy her rabbit, and that day was just the right day to do it. So, one rabbit, a hutch, and all the required rabbit paraphernalia were purchased – coming to a grand total of £18.81 (an amount neither of us has ever forgotten.)
During the drive home, names were discussed, and we came up with ‘Lupin’, and the name stuck.
My understanding at the time was that rabbits lived outdoors in a hutch, but it was such a cold afternoon, and the rabbit had been living inside an enclosure in a garden centre, that it struck me quite heartless to put the poor creature outside. So, I suggested that we keep he indoors until the weather was less inclement.
She never did go outside to live.
The first night she hutch resided on the landing outside our bedroom.
The second night it was in the kitchen.
Thereafter it was in the living room.
It was a bit of a secret, and we didn’t let many people know that we were mad enough to keep a rabbit as an in door pet. Thankfully, times have changed and as a society were are a little more enlightened.
What struck me about keeping a rabbit was just how sociable they were. Whatever we did, Lupin wanted to be involved. When I was ironing, she jumped on top of her hutch to be as close as possible to the ironing bored, and she sat there, calmly watching the iron move back and forth. When we played the piano, she jumped from the roof of her hutch on the piano keyboard.
She was an adorable rabbit, who unfortunately was only with us for eight months before she succumbed to pneumonia. But the happiness she brought, and the lessons she taught us about keeping a house rabbit, have never left us.
For some snippets of Lupin in action, view the Run Rabbit Run in the Videos section.
There are plenty of large boxes for the bunnies to play in dotted around the the living room. they are quite happy to hop inside to rip them up, burrow, and scrabble, though we have to listen carefully to ensure they haven't broken through to the carpet.
It came as quite a surprise today when rearranging the boxes and checking them over to see if they needed replacing, to discover that one of the bunnies had managed to steal a few of our CDs from their shelf and drag them into a box. It was very much like a nest of CDs.
And their taste in music...? Surprisingly diverse: The Smiths, Eddie Cochran, and Alisha's Attic were amongst the discs we rescued.
Despite the abundance of popcorn, it's clear that the bunnies are not enamoured by Doctor Who.
We were watching the 50th anniversary episode last night, the whole family sitting around the television, but Mabel & Dijon stayed well away from us all, not at all tempted to come over and try to steal any of our snacks.
Yet, as soon as it was over, and the children had gone to bed, over they hopped as they usually do of an evening, Dijon demanding a stroke, Mabel just investigating.
Too many pet rabbits are kept in inadequate conditions -- cages that are too small, left out in unsheltered housing, fed a poor diet.
The RWAF has a campaign, A Hutch is Not Enough, that aims to educate owners and potential owners of how to properly provide and care for their rabbits. Here is the video that accompanies a song written especially for the campaign:
Don't know what just gave the bunnies the heebie-geebies, but they've just rocketed around the living room in panic, darting all over the place, knocking their boxes left, right and centre, and upsetting their water bowl.
When I tried to sooth Mabel, she was so tense she was solid.
We did check for foxes and cats outside, but the garden was empty. We've closed the curtains on the patio doors, and that seems to have calmed them a little. They're currently licking the dining table's legs...
Yes, yet again, the bunnies are in disgrace. Well, one bunny... Mabel. We were only out of the room for thirty seconds, but that was all it took for her to make another
sizable hole in the carpet. This time was different on two counts.
First it wasn't a hole at the side next to the skirting; no, this was a
nice big hole right in front of the piano. There's no disguising it. The
best we have been able to do is cover the affected region with a square
of Vet Bed which neither of the terrible two like. Second,
Mabel ate the pile. Not content with ripping it out, she had to make a
meal of it. When we returned to the living room, there she was standing
in front of the damage, munching happily to herself. Needless to say,
she was immediately sent straight back to the cage, where she remained
in disgrace (but only until lunch time.) We are still waiting for an apology.
The bunnies have been unimpressed at the offerings from our garden
recently. There are few tasty green bits to be found now that Winter is
coming, and with the darker evenings it's even harder to find
anything. I'm sure the neighbours watch and wonder if we're mad, going
out in the dark and sometimes rain to pick dandelion leaves... let's
face it, they already think we're crazy having rabbits indoors.
Last
week I had to apologise for the noisy piano playing (piano is against
party wall)... Mabel again. She plays something which sounds like the
soundtrack to a horror movie. For such a nervous creature, I cannot
understand why she enjoys it so much. She has never batted an eyelid at
the thunderous noise she makes as she lands on the piano. She's so
sensitive about other things, but seems to enjoy landing on the piano,
then hopping up and down the keyboard at her leisure. One of our
previous bunnies, Charlie, once leapt onto the piano when he was still a
springy little baby. It gave him such a scare that he just sat there
and we could literally see him trembling with fright! He was terrified
and had to be rescued. Never went there again!
Dijon just
watches - it doesn't particularly bother him, he just sits with a look
on his face like "oh no, not again"! It's about the only place he
doesn't follow Mabel.
Today was annual bunny vaccination day. As usual, Mabel showed the
brains - she spotted the carrier being prepared early this morning, even
though it was done discreetly, and she was obviously preparing for a
chase. However, first we had a trip to the doctor with our daughter, so
the bunnies were sent back to their cage, and when we returned from the
surgery Mabel was scooped quickly from cage into carrier. Despite her
brief struggle and thumping, Dijon still just ambled stupidly into the
carrier to be with her!!
Weight, teeth, claws, vaccinations -
everything fine, thank goodness. £70 for the two vaccininations - we
had to remind ourselves that previously we would have been paying for 2
separate vaccines, twice a year.
They are now busily washing the stink of that HORRIBLE vet from their fur, and giving us the evil eye.
Mabel was unwell yesterday evening. It was very sudden - at lunchtime
she was making us laugh by racing so fast around the room, and
mid-afternoon, when she was called back to her cage so the living room
could be vacuumed, she was happy to eat some treats.
However,
at teatime, she was flopped out on her side, showed no interest in her
greens, instead hopping into her tray and stretching out on her side.
She was panting, and obviously very uncomfortable.
Male servant
was sent out on bike to buy Infacol from Tesco, and a dose was given,
along with a gentle tummy massage, as we suspected gas. Dijon went
crazy over the sweet smell, and seemed to be trying siphon Infacol from
her mouth, he was pestering her so much, licking her lips! No change
in Mabel though, just lots of changing position to get comfortable.
By
the evening she was puffed up, eyes closed, with some grinding from
pain. We gave her some Metacam, in the hope that if the pain went she
would relax enough for her gut to start moving (again, Dijon was
desperate to have some - most bunnies love Metacam).
Within a
few minutes, she suddenly went to her cage looking for food. We gave
her the tea we'd saved (Dijon still managed to steal quite a bit), then
she wanted some Burgess. After that she was back to normal, exploring
and having cuddles.
We were wary that the Metacam had simply masked the problem, but today she is fine.
It
would be useful to know what triggers these sudden bouts of illness -
probably a combination of a heavy moult and consuming too much
cardboard/sofa/carpet/paper... had slowed down her gut.
We were on holiday last week, and the bunnies had a couple of well-trusted bunny-sitters come to look after them.
Thankfully,
Mabel & Dijon were impeccably behaved, and did exactly as they were
told - returning to their cage when called, demanding and accepting
strokes, and not causing any damage.
Upon our
return, it was clear that they were happy to see us again, especially
Mabel who, although not any more pettable than before, was a little more
sociable and keen to make presence known.
Of
course, it took all of three days fro them to forget that we had ever
been away... trying to burrow into the arm chair, incessant attempts at
pulling out the pile on the carpet, leaping up on us in an attempt to
reach 'Cable Corner'.
If you could, would you bring your bunnies on holiday with you? Or would being able to bring them allow you to have a holiday?
We
find that we won't take a holiday if the is nobody to look after Mabel
& Dijon. Whoever it is has to commit to coming over twice a day at
set times in the morning and evening, and staying for a couple of hours
each time so that the routine is as close to normal as possible. We don't stressed rabbits whilst we're away.
Wouldn't
it be so much easier if you could just bring your bunnies with you, and
stay in a place that welcomes and caters for them? A place that is well bunny-proofed, but with plenty of bunny toys (refreshed for each new bunny visit)...
We
certainly think it's a great idea, so why are there no bunny-friendly
holidays. There are plenty of places that welcome dogs, but nothing for
rabbits.
We're delighted to report that Dijon's spark has returned. This morning
he is acting more like his usual self. Skipping, head shaking, sniffing
around as if he means it rather than just going through the actions.
So, the trip to the vet seems to have done the trick.
For the past few days Dijon hasn't been himself. It's difficult to pinpoint, but he seems a little subdued.
He
comes when called, is eating, grooming (himself and Mabel) and doing
all the normal Dijon things; yet there's a spark missing. We can see it in his eyes. He just wants non-human cuddles all the time...
So he's booked in to see the vet later this afternoon just in case there is something wrong.
Well,
he has returned from a very brief visit to the vet, and Dijon has a
clean bill of health. The vet could find absolutely nothing wrong with
him at all. It's just a matter of monitoring him to make sure there's no
sudden change for the worse...
Maybe he's just fed up with the weather?
Mabel
didn't miss him at all whilst he was away. She slept through it all,
but is showing more interest in him now that he's back again!
Mabel
and Dijon aren't afraid of thunder, it seems. We've had a bit of a
storm this morning, and the two of them were quite content to stand
outside in the rain, not at all perturbed by the spectacular streaks of
forked lightning nor by the menacing rumble and crash of the thunder. Even the rain didn't seem to upset them until it started sheeting down.
I wonder if they pick up from us that there is nothing to be afraid of?
Mabel has caught on that we have caught on to her antics.
As
you may know, she is resolute in her determinate to gain access to
Cable Corner, the area of the room that is most densely populated with
cables. You may also know that she has learned the route there is via
the back of the sofa.
However, humans sit on the
sofa and make it difficult for her to accomplish her mission.
Nevertheless, she has learned that to get past the humans, all she need
do is, in rapid succession, jump onto the cushion, then a human
shoulder, then to the back of the sofa. She has mastered this very well;
humans cannot thwart a rabbit in mid-leap - they are just too fast and
scary.
What Mable didn't bank on is humans learning
to read her. We have learned the almost imperceptible signs that give
away her intentions. So, just as she is about to leap, all we need to do
is stick a foot out. She's quick enough not to end up being kicked.
There's
a process of tit-for-tat going on, and she has recognised when a foot
is about to thwart her, and now she has taken to stopping dead in her
tracks and boxing our feet. Now, a rabbit boxing isn't much different
from a kangaroo boxing; it's just on a smaller scale, but no less
perturbing.
I have a terrible feeling that Mabel is going to come out on top, and she IS going to reach the heaven that is Cable Corner. And on the way, humans, sofa, and anything else that blocks her passage is going to suffer.
It's a bit cooler here now - it was around 32C last week. Dijon doesn't
enjoy the heat - he's such a muscular bloke of a bun, but Mabel
doesn't seem to mind. She's very slight in build, and we think she
feels the cold in winter, so has been happy with the sunshine.
She's
always appeared to be such a good, quiet, timid little thing... until
recently. In the evening, the buns are allowed into 'our' side of the
living room. My husband sits on the sofa, and I sit on the armchair...
yes, the buns have driven a wedge between us, as Dijon demands his
cuddles at the side of the armchair. Not so long ago, Mabel discovered
the sofa, and then she discovered that, if she hopped across my husband
and onto that arm, she could reach the telephone table.
So now
she is on a mission. Every evening, she develops a crazed look in her
eyes, and sits by the sofa on her haunches, ready for take-off. Just
when she looks ready to leap, she usually races off, doing a couple of
laps of the living room, complete with mad binkies, then skids to a halt
by the sofa, on her hind legs, front paws dangling.
Then thump and leap, a bit like a paso doble,
she springs vertically, lands on the cushion, and usually sets about
scrabbling husband's arm and side to move him. He tickles her, she
springs down, and the whole process starts again!
Meanwhile, Dijon sits looking either confused or scared!
Mabel and Dijon, as you know, have been a little too hot recently, but
at last they have managed to review the Supreme Russel Rabbit Food
Complete Muesli (£1.99 from monsterpetsupplies.co.uk).
They decided the best way to undertake this task was take equal amounts
of Russel Rabbit and their regular treats, put them on the floor, and
see which they preferred. Whichever they ate first would be the
preferred food. So we took one of each type of treat from Russel Rabbit
and the generic muesli, and let the bunnies go for it.
Mabel caught whiff of the smell of the food as it was being laid out,
and was eager to get going, yet it was Dijon who reached the food first,
and he instantly started munching on his regular treats. When Mabel
hopped over, she took a quick look at what Dijon was eating before
turning to Russel Rabbit which she seemed to very much enjoy. Once his
pile had been consumed, Dijon joined in with Mabel.
It's a bit cooler here now - it was around 32C last week. Dijon doesn't
enjoy the heat - he's such a muscular bloke of a bun, but Mabel
doesn't seem to mind. She's very slight in build, and we think she
feels the cold in winter, so has been happy with the sunshine.
She's
always appeared to be such a good, quiet, timid little thing... until
recently. In the evening, the buns are allowed into 'our' side of the
living room. My husband sits on the sofa, and I sit on the armchair...
yes, the buns have driven a wedge between us, as Dijon demands his
cuddles at the side of the armchair. Not so long ago, Mabel discovered
the sofa, and then she discovered that, if she hopped across my husband
and onto that arm, she could reach the telephone table.
So now
she is on a mission. Every evening, she develops a crazed look in her
eyes, and sits by the sofa on her haunches, ready for take-off. Just
when she looks ready to leap, she usually races off, doing a couple of
laps of the living room, complete with mad binkies, then skids to a halt
by the sofa, on her hind legs, front paws dangling.
Then thump and leap, a bit like a paso doble,
she springs vertically, lands on the cushion, and usually sets about
scrabbling husband's arm and side to move him. He tickles her, she
springs down, and the whole process starts again!
Meanwhile, Dijon sits looking either confused or scared!
Mabel and Dijon, as you know, have been a little too hot recently, but
at last they have managed to review the Supreme Russel Rabbit Food
Complete Muesli (£1.99 from monsterpetsupplies.co.uk).
They decided the best way to undertake this task was take equal amounts
of Russel Rabbit and their regular treats, put them on the floor, and
see which they preferred. Whichever they ate first would be the
preferred food. So we took one of each type of treat from Russel Rabbit
and the generic muesli, and let the bunnies go for it.
Mabel caught whiff of the smell of the food as it was being laid out,
and was eager to get going, yet it was Dijon who reached the food first,
and he instantly started munching on his regular treats. When Mabel
hopped over, she took a quick look at what Dijon was eating before
turning to Russel Rabbit which she seemed to very much enjoy. Once his
pile had been consumed, Dijon joined in with Mabel.
Dijon says: I’ll eat anything, including things I shouldn’t. I rate it 3/5.
Mabel says: my
old treats smelled old and stale in comparison to the offering from
Russel Rabbit. In particular, the orange coloured pieces were very
tasty. The browner the pieces, the less tasty they were, but I did like
it all. I’ll give it a rating of 5/5. Owners’ comments: As
Dijon says, he doesn’t care what he eats; he is a relentless easting
machine. Mabel is a much pickier eater, so for her to eat every sample
piece of muesli is a good sign. At £1.99 for 850g it is good value. We
rate it as 4/5.
Supreme Russel Rabbit Food Complete Muesli is available from Monster Pet Supplies for as little as £1.99
Remember, rabbits’ main food source should be long grass/hay. This
type of food should be given sparingly and only as a treat. Try
sprinkling a pinch or two around their living area to encourage the
natural instinct to forage.
The
recent hot weather has really taken its toll on poor Dijon. He has
spent much of the past fortnight flopped out, or hiding beneath the
skirt of the armchair. He just can't cope with the heat, unlike Mabel.
He hasn't even been able to muster the energy to chase her when she
deliberately races past his nose. Nor has he been up to review
Both
the bunnies have been insistent that the patio door remain open all
day, but neither has ventured out until dusk when the sun doesn't shine
in the back garden.
Fortunately, they have very much
taken to their new water bowl, and they continue to drink regularly
from it, meaning it has to be topped up at least twice a day.
Now
the heat has abated, Mabel and Dijon's mischief glands are being
reactivated, and they are gradually becoming more mischievous again. So
the time is ripe to engage them with their second review which will be
coming very shortly.
OK, which of you two bunnies has eaten two of the feet on my tripod? And WHEN did you eat them?
I
am at a total loss as to where, when, and how this wanton feasting
occurred as the tripod has been in its case, locked away in the study,
for several months. I rarely use it, and certainly not where the bunnies
roam.
How I wish I had just one item that hadn't succumb to the bunnies hunger...
A few weeks ago, Monster Pet Supplies
sent Mabel & Dijon a few goodies to review. Now that they have
calmed down after their Great Escape, they have had some time to sink
their teeth into a new project and take a look at the contents of the
box...
The bunnies have chosen to review the food bowl
first. Now, you might think that a food bowl is much the same as any
other food bowl, but according to Mabel and Dijon you would be mistaken;
they much prefer the new bowl over their older water bowl. They've
given it a big 'buns-up', as you will see from this video:
Dijon's Rating: 5/5 The
bowl came in a very tasty box, and was wrapped in equally tasty
plastic bubble wrap, which was sadly confiscated before I'd finished
eating the first bubble! As for the bowl itself, it is just right: not
too thick or thin (our old one is too thin), and is the perfect size -
about 4.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall.
Highly recommended.
Mabel's Rating: 5/5 I
love this bowl! It's a good weight - easy enough for me to push with
my nose and pull with my teeth, but too heavy to toss around. It holds
just the right amount of water for us to drink when we're on the loose
during the day. I much prefer it over the old bowl. Everything tastes
so much better from it.
I highly recommend this bowl for rabbits, so buy one without further procrastination!
(The box it came in was tasty, but the bubble wrap was annoying.)
Human Rating: 5/5 Mabel
and Dijon took an instant liking to the bowl. Although you don't see it
in the video, Dijon was captivated by it from the moment he entered the
box, but it was too heavy for him to pull out. Mabel is usually
suspicious of new items, but she was smitten by the bowl immediately.
It is a very good quality bowl. It's easy to clean, and holds just the tight amount of water for the bunnies to drink in a day.
Given that the bunnies like it so much, we highly recommend this food bowl.
You
may have noticed some other goodies in the box - Russel Rabbit Complete
Muesli and Supreme Bedding Twist Nest. Mabel and Dijon will be
reviewing these very shortly.
Please note that although
Monster Pet Supplies sent these items free of charge, Mabel & Dijon
(and humans) will be honest in their reviews.
Well,
it just goes to show. Criminologists are correct in asserting that the
guilty party will revisit the scene, yet protest his (or in this case,
her) innocence.
It has become increasingly clear who was responsible for the break out and wanton destruction of the living room...
To
our surprise, it wasn't Dijon. He is far too dim. Being a boy, he would
normally be governed by his testicles, but since they were completely
removed he has had neither brains nor balls to guide him.
Mabel, however, has brains. She also has strength, persistence, and insight.
Since the Great
Escape, Mabel has shown a persistent tendency to pull at the bars of
the barrier we have in place around the living room. If we return it to
its original location, she'll tug it again, moving it quite some
distance.
This week she has shown great insight. It is
clear she can form quite a complex 3D map of the living room, and can
figure out alternative routes to her destination, despite never having
travelled these paths before.
The area of mass
destruction was by the telephone table which is between a wall and the
sofa. Unable to gain access to the cables thanks to the barrier, Mabel
has worked out that it is possible to gain access by leaping onto the
back of the sofa, hopping along to the arm, then clambering from the arm
onto the telephone table. Cable heaven lies just a couple of hops aways
from there.
She is determined to get there; even my
presence on the sofa doesn't stop her attempts. If I'm in the way, she
just hops onto my shoulder, across my chest, and from there to the arm
of the sofa.
I'm writing this one-handed. It's a real-time blog this morning...
No, I've not been injured by the bad bunnies! My left hand is currently giving them both a deep, tooth-grind-inducing stroke.
It's
not often Mabel wants a stoke, but this morning, after Dijon made it
quite clear that my need for breakfast came a poor second to his need
for a cuddle, Mabel ambled over and joined in. Dijon is very must in
your face, though, and tries to take a stroke from me at the same time
as nestling into her, but she just kept repositioning herself into my
hand.
And she's having the longest cuddle she's had for a long time.
I
have just dared to type with both hands as the bunnies needed a
scratch, and my foot was scrabbled to order me to resume stroking,
They are curious creatures these rabbits that live indoors with us.
3:30
this afternoon, the internet stops working. I think nothing of it as
the wireless connection on the main PC is flaky at times. I should have
known better.
At 4 o'clock I came downstairs, only to discover a trails of destruction in the living room. Mabel & Dijon had escaped...
I
am too upset to write much about it, but I'd estimate that about £200
of damage has been done (that's damage we have discovered so far).
Here's what was immediately visible:
Two camera bags ripped
Power supply to router in two pieces
Telephone cable in pieces
Router-phone socket cable destroyed
Sewing machine power cable severely eaten
The camera bags can be replaces (about £40).
The
telephone will need replacing as it took a special cable to power it.
As it was the master phone the other two DECTs will no longer work. They
will need replacing (£40 again).
Router power supply will probably cost about £10 to replace, or I'll have to buy a new router (at around £20 for a basic one).
The
sewing machine power supply is another matter altogether. The machine
is only a week old; a replacement pedal costs £69 which is third of what
the machine cost! And search as I might, there don't seem to be any
generic ones for this particular model of sewing machine. Ouh
Mabel is a naughty bunny. A very naughty bunny indeed. And it all began with Lego.
A
large tub of Lego found is way into the living room, and has happily
set up home right in the middle of the floor. The bunnies were happy
with this arrangement. Unfortunately, in an attempt to make the living
room look tidier, somebody moved the tub, placing it so that it abutted a
vintage, hand crafted piano stool and the sofa.
Mabel and Dijon, being very observant creatures, spotted this rearrangement, and it immediately attracted their attention. Dijon
immediately set about trying to burrow between the tub and the sofa,
but stopped as soon as I moved the box. Alas, moving the box a second
time caught Mabel's attention. Now, Mabel, is far too sensible to waste
her teeth on upholstery; she prefers to tuck into something more solid,
and - you've guessed it - she had a jolly good gnaw on the piano stool.
No longer does it have four proud varnished legs. Instead, it has three varnished legs, and a stripped-to-the-core fourth one.
It
may be possible to disguise the damage with a few new layers of
varnish, but I imaging Mabel will only see this as a challenge. Frankly,
I will lose the battle; a piano stool with just three legs is no use at
all.
A wedding - and everyone's over-eaten, including the buns...
Today
our family has attended a wedding - a Sikh wedding. Sikh weddings
begin early, so we had to leave the house before 7am in order to be at
the Hounslow Gurdwara by 9am.
Mabel and Dijon have freedom of
the dining room for most of the day - they are only in their cage
overnight, and if we're out for any length of time during the day, so
were not going to take kindly to being shut in for a whole day.
Therefore, we called in The Bunnysitters - my parents, who were happy
to give them breakfast at normal time then to sit for 3 hours whilst
Mabel and Dijon did there usual - chew a bit of cardboard box, then sit
where they choose (ie. not in their cage).
I had warned The
Bunnysitters that lately we've been having difficulty tempting them
back to their cage at night time. However, when we arrived home later
this afternoon, we were informed that Dijon was a good boy and went
straight back, and Mabel had been willing to follow a trail of treats
to the cage.
We use SMALL pinches of muesli-based bunny food as
a going-back treat. Unfortunately, The Bunnysitters informed me, there
had been a little accident with the treats tin, kept on top of the
cage, and the bunnies had thought Christmas had come early when "a few
pinches" had fallen into the cage.
Well, I've never before
seen Dijon healthy yet not interested in food. There were still plenty
of treats left on the floor of the cage, quite visible even to human
eye, neither bun showed much interest in their grass/herb forage at tea
time, and not even a whisker moved when they were offered their
pellets!
It seems we've all over-eaten today... de-tox diet tomorrow, for everyone/bun!
Yesterday evening, I ate a satsuma and mistakenly left the peel, which
had been removed in one piece, on a plate on the arm of the chair.
I
completely forgot about it, until Dijon casually hopped onto the
armchair, snatched the peel from the plate, and jumped down again to eat
it. As I approached, he skipped away, peels still dangling from his
mouth. He managed to run a full lap of the dining room, leaving a trail
of pith and pips in his wake, then attempted to hide in a box before I
caught caught.
It's not the first time he's been
attracted to citrus fruit; a dew months ago he managed to consume almost
half of a clementine before we realised why he was mesmerised in one
place
We've been watching The Great British Sewing Bee
on BBC2. A couple of months ago, before the series began, we won an
eBay auction for an electric sewing machine; not a fancy one, but good
enough for most sewing tasks. Well, inspired by the Sewing Bee, we
decided to convert some outgrown children's dresses into skirts. And all
was well until we noticed the extension cable was looking somewhat
naked.
We scratched our heads as to how this could have
happened, and then it became clear... Last week, the extension cable had
been used close to the bunnies. We hadn't been foolish enough to
let it snake across the floor, so it had been suspended between the
serving hatch and a dining chair, well out of reach of the eager teeth.
Or so we believed.
Who the culprit was is unknown, but
whoever is responsible has a very lucky escape indeed, for they only
munched into the earth wire. Let this be a warning - rabbit's teeth are quick! It takes just a blink of an eye for them to sever cables. And the more dangerous the cable, the better...
Do rabbits eat snails? Yes,
they do - well, paper ones anyway.
Our 4yr old daughter made a lovely
snail, drawn on both sides of the paper and cut out really neatly...
she showed us, showed her big brothers, and then decided to show the
bunnies. Mabel glanced from a distance, but apparently Dijon couldn't
quite see it properly, and needed a closer look... we soon heard lots
of crying... Dijon had eaten the poor snail's head!
Nothing
could console our daughter, but hopefully she's learned a valuable
lesson... bunnies must appreciate art from a distance.
A
couple of months ago we won an auction for an electric sewing machine.
It's nothing special, but it does the job of mending curtains that have
succumb to rabbits' teeth...
The machine does not yet have a permanent home, so it tends to sit wherever there is space on the floor.
Well,
Mabel has spied the curious contraption, and she has become quite
besotted with it. Each evening, she'll hop over to where it stands and
greet it. She will remain in front of it, staring, for a minute or two.
Real, intense staring. And she doesn't like anything to obscure her
view. If anything is in the way, she will do all she can to peer around
or over it.
I suppose the sewing machine must have a smell
that attracts her, and a shape to match. Whatever it is she finds
appealing, every evening she has to hop over to give it a bunny
greeting.
I've
been busy finding all the video I shot of the bunnies over the last
couple of years, and today I edited footage of Mabel burrowing into a
cushion.
The cushion, six months on, is still going
strong, although over the last couple of days Mabel has started at it
again. It must be the spring weather setting her off.
I hope to have more videos and some photos posted over the next few days.
Oh
dear. The spring-like weather has set Dijon off. He’s not in the mood
for love, but in the mood for destruction; he’s being a very naughty boy
today! And Mabel is also displaying some undesirable behaviour, too.
Let’s
start with Mabel. She is determined to gnaw her way into the innards of
our one remaining armchair. She has managed to find her way beneath the
skirt – so she cannot be seen – and now she is scrapping at the
upholstered parts doing her level best to make inroads to the interior.
Shooing her away results in an angry flicking of her back feet and a
defiant return to the chair moments later.
Dijon has aided her a
little, but he is more intent on ripping the cover to shreds. Now,
originally this was a three piece suite that was bought to furnish out
home when we moved in 15 years ago, so it has (had) lasted well.
One
armchair succumbed to Neroli, our previous Dutch houserabbit, who
succeeded in tearing in to it unbeknownst to us. Ideally, we would like a
few more years use out of the remaining chair and sofa as we are
reluctant to splash out on a new one when there are destructive bunnies
on the loose.
Anyway, Dijon has been making the most of he teeth
by gnawing sizeable chunks from the outer cover. And he simply refuses
to be shooed away; he doggedly remains attached, determined to finish
the job of embellishing the cover with a fine selection random holes.
Not only that, but he is adamant that the decorative piping around the
cushion and backrest would look better if it were removed, an
improvement that he had made a start on.
As
some of you may have noticed, bunnymad.co.uk has changed. It has
received a little facelift, and all older pages have been archived. The
reason for the latter is that we just don’t have enough time on our
hands to maintain so many sections. Children, jobs, and other
commitments (not to mention rabbits) demand too much of our time for us
to be able to keep up to date.
So, from now on only the blog will be updated.
And here is the first update of spring...
Mabel
and Dijon are now very settled in their ways, and they are quite happy
with the arrangement in the living room: in the morning, the Easipet pen
is arranged to allow them access only to the dining area of the living
room. Straight after their breakfast they are allowed out, and out they
stay until it’s time for school (at weekends they stay out). IN the
late afternoon and evening they are given access to the entire living
room.
At meal times they have become terrible beggars, and it’s
not unusual for them to stand on their hind legs, stretching as far up
to the table as possible, demanding something from our plated. They look
like a couple of performing poodles the way they tiptoe on their back
feet. It’s highly undignified behaviour for bunnies.
Over the
cold winter they have learned that radiator give of a pleasant heat, and
they love to sit as close as possible. This does keep them out of
mischief, but does mean they are in a permanent moult which has caused
the filter on the vacuum cleaner to block more than once. Two rings of
black, brown and white fur are a common site on our carpet.
They
have also learned to sleep in sunbeams that shine through the patio
doors. In the morning they shine onto the radiator, and at midday/early
afternoon onto the piano, so Mabel and Dijon will move around
accordingly.
If they spot one of us out in the back garden, then
the moment we come back inside, the two of them run to the living room
door awaiting a treat. If we forget to bring a freshly picked apple
twig, strawberry leaves, or a few blades of grass/oats, they do grow a
little cross.
It’s hard to believe they’ve been with us for 20
months. They have caused relatively little destruction in that time.
Only my slippers and remote controls have really suffered - Dijon has a
taste for leather and rubber.
Today
I received an email from Waterstones, announcing the shortlist for
their Children's Book Prize. I was close to deleting it when I noticed a
book listed called 'Rabbityness' by Jo Empson... of course I couldn't
resist looking to see what it was... couldn't find a 'look inside' on
any retail site, but found this on a blog...
This
blog contains descriptions and images of many pages showing that it's a
beautiful book with a deep message about loss and grief... but in
particular, a message with which many of us bunny people are familiar:
losing a bunny leaves a horribly empty grey hole, a stark contrast to
the happiness and fullness their lives brought us, but then we begin to
discover the gifts they left behind - the beautiful memories and
special qualities they shared with us, as they tried to teach us the
value of 'rabbityness'.
I challenge anyone who's lost a bunny to read the blog (or the book!) and keep a dry eye.
I'm
not sure whether it was a lapse in concentration or a lack of respect
for the destructive ability of the bunny, but my husband left a long
piece of wool on the carpet. Dijon noticed and was picking it up then
putting it down, the way they do when nesting. He probably wouldn't
have given it much more attention, but I thought I'd better move it to
safety, and that's when he decided he really REALLY wanted it. That wool
belonged to him.
It started with a tug-of-war, with me not
daring to pull too hard in case I damaged his teeth, but then Mabel
joined in and it became more of a fight. They were like 2 puppets on a
string. There was aggressive tugging, tossing of heads, each trying to
win it from one another and from me, then Dijon managed to run off with
it, and the wool very much lost! Interesting how they can vary their
bite from holding wool to severing wool to chewing wool.
Needless to say it had to be recovered quickly before more was consumed.
This evening the living room door was left ajar and Dijon was quick to
open it and hop out into the hallway, clickety-clickety on the laminate
floor with his slightly-in-need-of-a-trim claws. He was very pleased
with himself, and showed us with a very expressive tail that he didn't
intend to return to the living room before he'd finished exploring, so
we left him for a while as we were in the kitchen. However, very soon
the clickety-clickety changed to b-lump b-lump b-lump... Dijon was going
up the stairs, and with 3 children asleep up there, this had to be
stopped!
Poor Dijon was too scared to come down the
stairs, and could only go further up. He had to be rescued and carried
back to the living room, where Mabel had been enjoying a few moments of
peace, without her man around!
Unfortunately I doubt he'll
remember how scary those stairs were, next time the living room door is
left open. His bunny desire for exploring new territory will overcome
the memory.
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