The learning curve – nearly five decades of living with
rabbits
Memories of childhood rabbits, by Female Slave
Domino
Domino, a black Dutch, was bought from a pet shop, in the late 1970s; she had a large hutch, lovingly built by my father, and a makeshift plastic trellis exercise pen. I loved Domino, and remember her sitting on my lap for cuddles. I enjoyed looking at the pictures in my book about rabbit care, and reading the advice (poor by today’s standard). Domino’s diet consisted of a muesli-type mix, peelings (mostly carrot and apple) and leaves, and occasionally oven-baked potato peelings! Sadly, after a couple of years she stopped eating and became very wet around her mouth. The local vet had no idea what was wrong, so Domino was put to sleep. Today, we realise it was probably a dental problem, curable with dental work, but preventable with a suitable diet.
Magic was chosen from a litter of yellow Dutch bunnies, advertised by a breeder. She received the same care as Domino, but a sturdy, larger pen was built for her, as she could squeeze through the mesh of the plastic trellis pen! Unfortunately, Magic became aggressive, and the final straw was when she bit my mother and wouldn’t let go, hanging from her wrist. Magic was deemed too risky for children, and returned to the breeder, who said she would be better used for breeding. Now we know that neutering may have solved the problem.
Bonnie and Beauty
I was upset to arrive home from junior school to find Magic had been gone… but determined not to be without a rabbit. My school friend had some lop-eared rabbits, and one had recently given birth to a litter of black and white bunnies. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted a black bunny or a white one, so persuaded my parents to let me have one of each!
My father said two rabbits would require two hutches, but they proved him wrong – Bonnie and Beauty were inseparable. They lived in the hutch, had plenty of exercise time in the run, and I spent many hours in that run with them! They exercised in the utility room when the weather was too wet for the outdoor run, and came indoors during the winter months. Their diet was still far from ideal, and they spent far too many hours confined in the hutch, but I doted on them, and much of my understanding of rabbit communication comes from spending hours with them… I even wrote a character study on Beauty for my GCSE English coursework!
At around 5-years-old, Bonnie developed a respiratory infection. Rabbit medicine in the late 1980s was far cry from today – no treatment was offered, and she deteriorated rapidly. Beauty lived alone for a couple more years, but her diet was probably her downfall – she developed a messy bottom, which required regular cleaning. Upon return from a family holiday, when Beauty had been staying at my grandparents' house, we heard she had died - my grandmother had taken her to a vet when she became unwell, but was told she had flystrike. I still find it difficult to think of her dying in such an awful way. With university on the horizon, there were no more ‘childhood’ rabbits. For just under a decade, I was without rabbits, until my husband asked me, on the spur of the moment, whether I’d like one…
The Bunnies of Bunnymad
We spotted Lupin in a garden centre pet department – 29th November, 1998. We'd visited for something to do on a Sunday afternoon, and came home with a baby bunny, a hutch, and all the necessary supplies… the type of impulse buy which lands so many rabbits in rescue centres. In our defence, we had a fairly sound knowledge of rabbit care from those childhood rabbits, but today we would always remember 'adopt don't shop', as there are so many rabbits in rescue centres waiting for homes – and it’s vital to prepare beforehand!
It was cold outside, plus there was a local spate of animals being found decapitated (probably due to foxes)... and so Lupin stayed indoors. She had a large hutch, but it was too small by today's standards, and although she was allowed to freely roam our house, it was only possible when we were home to supervise. She was fed a muesli-type food – pelleted food had only just become available, and we fed her a large bowl of it, morning and evening (rather than today’s recommended small portion). She lived alone – we didn't appreciate the necessity of same-species companionship, but she was neutered.
Despite all our downfalls, Lupin was adored, and she was infatuated with us, circling and 'hm-hmming', and demanding cuddles. And, importantly, we discovered the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (it was the British Houserabbit Association at that time), and started learning about the proper way to keep houserabbits.
Lupin died in 1999 – a short life, but she made a very big impression.
Charlie was another garden centre rabbit, and another impulse purchase – he caught our attention when we were shopping there, and we didn’t have the heart to leave him. By then, we realised a hutch was not enough and so we rushed over to Argos to buy a puppy crate, an improvement on the hutch, but still very short of today's standards. We knew far more about rabbit care, thanks to our involvement with the RWAF, and so, although he still didn't have the space we now know is vital, and he didn't have a bunny partner, he did have far more enrichment and a better diet than Lupin, with Burgess nuggets rather than muesli food, and unlimited hay. He also had a run, so he could enjoy time in the garden.
He was a fun-loving bunny, who enjoyed running off with our belongings, or chasing us playfully up and down the stairs! He also loved cuddles, and often chose to sit beside us on the sofa. We had started to prepare him for the arrival of our first baby, by introducing him to the new baby equipment, but sadly he suffered a fatal bout of stasis, just a few months before baby's due date, on 29th November, 2001 – exactly three years since Lupin had come home with us.
.jpg)
Heartbroken that we'd lost Charlie, especially that our first child would never meet him, we shared the news with our friend at the RWAF. She understood our devastation, but also knew we didn’t want a rabbit-free home, and sensitively mentioned a baby Dutch rabbit that had been rescued in Manchester. Spotted roaming a car park, the local RSPCA had spent days trying to catch Neroli. It was only when they'd given up, and, as a last hope, left a carrier containing food, that Neroli had hopped in. She was being fostered in a home in Macclesfield. If we wanted another houserabbit, we needed to introduce one to our home before the baby arrived, so we agreed to adopt her. We drove up early on a bright, crispy winter morning, 23rd December, 2001, with Christmas carols playing on the car CD player. We met Neroli in a Birmingham service station car park – her foster carer kindly agreed to drive part of the way down, as we were coming from Kent. It was such a memorable Christmas – she even had a request played on Classic FM! – and we always think of her at that time of year. 'Nelly' not only met our first son when he came home from hospital, the day after his birth... she also saw a second son and a daughter arrive in the family, and they all came to love and respect her. First crawls and first steps were taken towards Nelly, but we're proud to say that not one of them ever attempted to pick her up. They learned how to give her the cuddles she liked, on the ground, but during their younger years, if they approached with too much enthusiasm, she gave a gentle growl or boxed them, and they left her in peace – they didn't need to be told twice!
By then, rabbit health care had advanced, although in hindsight, she spent too much time in her cage, and we fed her too many pellets and treats, so she was quite overweight. When Neroli lost use of her hind legs in 2011, she was able to have X-rays, which revealed spondylosis. We received support and advice, which were now more accessible, and she continued to live happily for a few more months, before falling asleep in our arms that summer.
Rosie
.JPG)
Our third and final garden centre impulse-buy rabbit was Rosie, brought home to be a companion for Neroli, in 2003. By then, we recognised the importance of companionship for rabbits, but we didn't know much about bonding, except that the rabbits should be introduced in neutral territory. We brought Rosie home, put her in a cage in the living room where Neroli was given free roam, and later introduced them in the kitchen. Now, we know we should never have placed Rosie straight within Neroli's territory, nor placed Neroli's litter trays within the 'neutral' space of the kitchen. Neroli chased Rosie, but not aggressively, so we soon let them live together in the living room, even though they were not bonded. They tolerated one another, would even eat sitting side-by-side, but it was a miracle they got along as well as that, given what we know now about bonding.
They had individual cages, kept side-by-side, although they were (mostly) only kept in these overnight as someone was now at home for most of the time to supervise their free-roaming.
Rosie was quite a character – wary of us, but confident with our 1-year-old son, and happy to fall asleep on her back!
She became unwell in December 2005, but did have a few weeks to get to know our second son before she left us. Neroli appeared slightly lost for a short while, but we chose not to provide another companion.
Mabel and Dijon
Ideally, we would have adopted rabbits from a rescue, but we
had three young children, so the local rescue was reluctant. We spotted a
breeder advertising two litters of Dutch rabbits in the local newspaper. These
were to be their last litters before they shut down their breeding business.
Mabel and Dijon were half-brother and sister – they had the same father (Luigi)
but different mothers (Mabel – Coco; Dijon – Lily). Born in June 2011, they
came to live with us that August. We upgraded to a larger puppy crate – our
rabbits were still kept in a cage overnight, and we realised the old cage was
too small for two rabbits. They were typical baby bunnies, full of energy and
mischief, but soon settled down and loved their cuddles. Mabel was definitely
the brains, whereas Dijon was a cuddle-monster. You can read about their
adventures on the Bunnymad blog.
Mabel and Dijon adored one another. We were fortunate that they had such a strong bond – just because young siblings grow up together, it doesn't always mean they remain bonded. They had free roam of the living room, and an outdoor run they could access through the patio doors.
In 2016, Mabel developed an abscess on her jaw. However, through our membership of the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund, our vet was able to access their specialist veterinary advice service, and thanks to this, Mabel continued to enjoy life until 29th November, 2018.
We found a new partner for Dijon – Ebony (see below).
Dijon's amazing life is well documented on Bunnymad and on his bunnymad_buns Instagram account. He made many appearances in the Rabbiting On magazine over his years. A few months after his 10th Birthday, he found a new lease of life – he took great pleasure in being Chief Building Inspector when we had our garage converted, and often started his day with a patrol of the new room, which has become known as 'Dijonica'. Dijon reached the grand age of 12 years old in June 2023. He passed away on 11th September, 2023.
Ebony
Dijon always loved our cuddles, and was very sociable, but when Mabel died in 2018, we recognised that we couldn't offer him the companionship he needed – that of another rabbit.
There were few single female rabbits in nearby rescues, but we found Ebony through Rabbit Rehome. She had been living happily in a family home, but had recently lost her partner, and her owner realised she needed a bunny companion, so had made a reluctant decision to rehome her so she could have a partner. Ebony had previously come from the Pets at Home rescue section, so this was to be at least her third home.
Ebony arrived on 9th December, 2018. We placed her and Dijon in side-by-side enclosures in the living room, introducing them in the kitchen for short periods, at least daily. However, we found it hard to let them sort out their hierarchy, as we couldn't bear to watch Ebony, the new one, chasing our beloved Dijon, who clearly just wanted cuddles from her, but was terrified by her chasing. Deciding the kitchen was too large, we tried a bonding pen, but that was too stressful for him, so we resorted to putting them both in the living room – Dijon showed no sign of defending this, his territory, Ebony was exploring instead of chasing, and when she did chase, Dijon had space to escape. Maybe they never actually sorted out their hierarchy – after all, Ebony did tend to give Dijon the occasional chase, and to chew his whiskers and eyelashes, throughout their five years together, but they did adore one another!
Dijon never managed to persuade her to trust human cuddles, but he did teach her his love of food.
Ebony and Dijon were free-range houserabbits – although, to date, Ebony has never stepped over the living room threshold into the hallway. Dijon seemed to take great delight that she was too scared to move out of the living room, and although he spent most of his time in there with her, he would occasionally wander into the kitchen to ask for treats. Ebony would wait patiently by the threshold, knowing that we would bring one to her as well – probably cleverly letting Dijon do the work!
Ebony was given time to say her farewell to Dijon in September 2023, and was clearly lost without him. We moved quickly to find a new companion, and she is now enjoying life with Snoop.
Snoop
Snoop joined us on Sunday 24th September. We adopted him from Foal Farm Animal Rescue. He was found roaming Hampstead Heath, in northwest London, in May 2023, and, following a health check by a local vet, taken to the rescue centre. He was adopted but, despite best attempts, didn't bond with the rabbit in that home, so was returned to Foal Farm. A few days later, we visited the rescue centre, and he bounded forward in his enclosure to meet us, and allowed us all to sit on the ground next to him and give him a stroke. We applied to adopt him, on the understanding that we would return him to the rescue centre if he wasn't the right friend for Ebony. A week later, we were informed we could collect him when we were ready. We collected him the same day, realising it was vital Ebony had a bunny companion as soon as possible. Within a week, they were bonded, and it was heart-warming to see Ebony enjoying life with her new partner. Snoop followed the signs left by Dijon, and loves exploring the hallway and Dijonica!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment. The bunnies will review it and respond as soon as possible.