Spsh

Dijon, there is no need to spray. It's most ungentlemanly.

Nor is there any need to scent your own droppings.

Thump!

The bunnies' cage is lined with a large beach towel. It has lasted a surprisingly long time considering how much it is scrabbled, gnawed, and tugged. Dijon tries hardest to destroy the towel, and although he is strong with supremely sharp teeth, the towel has always got the better of him. The best he can do is detach it from the side of the cage - it's held in place with bulldog clips - slide into the gap that appears, and then have lots of fun roaming between towel and cage bottom. Squeezing him back out is a task and a half.

Mabel disappeared today, giving everyone a bit of a shock... she had found her way between towel and cage bottom. But she is a very svelte bunny, and the shape of her form was barely visible beneath the thick towel. Only the occasional movement gave her away.

Once out (she emerge of her own volition) she took to thumping and scrabbling as an attempt was made to tidy her living quarters. She is a single minded bunny, and when she has her mind made up, nothing will sway her.

In and Out

Apologies for the dearth of updates. It's been a busy week...

Well, the bunnies are continuing to settle in well, and now completely trust their owners. They socialise well, hopping over to whoever enters their play area, no longer giving licks, and no longer becoming overly agitated when a human crawls into the cage to clean it or arrange the towel or litter tray.

Dijon's bites are now playful - they are sharp enough to elicit a yelp, but not so hard as to cause damage (draw blood!). He is happy to hop onto laps, scrabble clothing, and do cheeky bunny things without apprehension.

Mabel asserts herself well, and makes her needs known.

Both bunnies have learned their names and will return home to their cage without fuss when the bells are rung, and called with "Home time."

Well, this morning somehow Mabel broke through the barrier that keeps her and Dijon confined to their permitted play area. The barrier is two chicken wire frames, which allows the bunnies to see what is on the other side. They have shown some interest in the other side, but have never made a serious effort.

But Mabel slipped through. Fortunately, as it was accidental, she was a bit confused, and stood still trying to make sense of what she had done. In that moment of confusion, she was lifted swiftly back to the right side. She has not tried to repeat the escape. Yet.

We are Family

The bunnies are settling.

Dijon will allow himself to be petted, especially by his female owner. Even when out of the cage, he will settle down and have his ears tugged and cheeks massaged, although if Mabel appears to be having fun, he will forgo the petting and try to join in with her.

Mabel, on the other hand, is not one for being stroked. Sometimes, if Dijon is having a particularly long cuddle, she will come and join it, but it is with reluctance, and it never lasts for long. However, she is a great groomer. The moment her male owner lies on the floor, she'll hop over and start groomer him. She is very gentle and caring, and has a very warm tongue.

Of course, when she is grooming, Dijon construes this as having more fun than he, so he will hop over and join in. He is not quite as gentle, and he hasn't quite master the art of teasing hair with he teeth. Rather, he tends to bite a little too hard, resulting in an unexpected haircut for the person he's grooming. He, too, has a warm tongue, but it licks and grooms with far greater force and less consideration than Mabel's.

Toe Whom it may Concern #2

"Dijon has eaten Baby Rosie's toe!" came the squeal this morning.

Dijon has a reputation. He'll never live it down. Even a three-year-old knows Mabel would never do such a thing.

Needles!

The bunnies had a bit of a shock today. It was time for the first visit to the vet for their vaccinations.

When we started keeping bunnies, we chose our original vet very carefully based on a set of questions from the British House-Rabbit Association (now called the Rabbit Welfare Association). For thirteen years we stayed with the practice, but last year the owner sold up, and the new vets just weren't as well versed as the old one. When our last rabbit was in the last few months of her life, the advice we received was imprecise and unsatisfactory. A chance encounter with another vet at a Bank Holiday Charity Fair helped us decide to seek a second opinion, and happily we ended up with a much more rabbit-savvy (and enthusiast) vet just around the corner from us. So that is the vet with whom Dijon and Mabel are registered

Getting the bunnies into the pet carrier was child's play. We simply moved it in front of their cage, and as soon as the door was opened, out they shot, right into it! The carrier is always in their play area, and they are free to enter and leave as they please, so of course, as soon as it was moved out of its normal place, it became an object of fascination, hence the readiness with which the bunnies jumped in.

On this visit to the vet, Dijon and Mabel were given the myxomatosis jab. There was no wait for the appointment; it was straight into the consulting room. The vet decided Dijon should go first, but he was a feisty little chap, and scrabbled her wrist, drawing blood! So, off came the lid to the carrier, and Dijon was lifted out. Mabel was cradled by her female owner.

Having received his jab, the two bunnies were swapped over. It was touching to see that Mabel understands that we care for her, and she tried to escape from the vet to the safety of her female owner's arms...

Once they had returned home, the bunnies were allowed some time out of their cage to play. Dijon was fine about it, but Mabel was still shaken and she just sat in a corner. She was so shocked, she allowed herself to to stroked, which is most unlike her. Usually her ears are out of bounds.!

Hopping Mad

The bunnies have been quite boisterous today, and they are now resting in their cage.

After four weeks with us they are quite settled, and have grown into confident youngsters. Although Mabel appeared quite shy and delicate to begin with, she has developed into a brave and sensible girl, and she is definitely in charge of things. Wherever she goes, whatever she does, Dijon follow. She will accept cuddles, but only when Dijon is close by, and usually only when in the cage.

Dijon remains full of bravado, and gives very little thought to things; he will dive in, when he really ought to be a little more thoughtful. He is very vocal, unlike Mabel, and will scent everything he passes... not just a quick chinning, but a thorough going over. He's also a little liberal with pooping outside of the cage at times, though he's not nearly as bad as when he came to live with us, and most days he manages to control the urge to mark his territory.

Now that they are settled and have a routine, they are a beginning to show a greater interest in their surroundings and what lies beyond the barrier that confines them to the dining area of the living room. They realise that the hatch in the wall leads somewhere, but they don't know where. It doesn't stop them from trying to find out. Tonight, Dijon make several attempts to leap up to the hatch. It's about 3 feet off the ground, but he only managed to jump about a foot. It won't be long until he finds a way to where he wants to go.

Dijon is definitely kissy bun. He won't like anyone, but once he's satisfied that you're worth it, you'll get a lick. Tonight he showed an interest in two of his male owner's fingers - fingers that had Phorpain ( ibuprofen gel) rubbed on them! Mabel showed no such interest, preferring instead to shoot in and out of her cage, and buckaroo from side to side (something that make Dijon spin about and wonder what on earth is going on.)

It's great to see them so settled and well behaved... how long will it last, we wonder?

Toe Whom it may Concern

Our daughter left her doll, Baby Rosie, in the bunnies' area. Nobody thought to move her. And now poor Baby Rosie is missing the big toe on her right foot. Our daughter hasn't noticed, thankfully.

Which of the bunnies has a taste for toes...? Nobody thinks it was Mabel.

A Matter of Trust

We've decided our owners can be completed trusted, and we're actually becoming quite fond of them.Dijon is happy to hop onto them, scrabble their clothes, and give a playful nip. He has also been very affectionate towards our female owner, and has been giving her lots of kisses all day. (I've also been kissing Rosie, the youngest human in the house.)

Mabel dared to give our male owner a groom when he was lying down on the floor. She crept up to him, and began nuzzling through his hair, giving it gently tugs, and then snuffled in his ear. He seemed to enjoy this, so she gave him some kisses. This is most unlike her, as she's not the most affectionate of bunnies. (I am very choosey about who I give my kisses to - they have to be earned, unlike yours, Dijon. You are far too

Fed and Watered

We are now eating adult Burgess Rabbit Excel pellets. Until just a couple of days ago we were having a mix of Adult and Junior pellets. Our owners had been told by a vet that really there is no difference between the two, other than their size... he claimed it was all marketing.

Well, if that's the case, how come Mabel could sniff out the Junior pellets from the Adult? There are still a few straw ones concealed around the care (careless human dropped them everywhere when Mabel headbutted their hands one morning).

So pellets for grown up rabbits for us, together with some carrot tops. Big bushy clumps of greenery. We love that. And apple peel from the apples that have fallen off the tree in the garden. This makes a nice treat for us.

Dijon is proud of himself. He has mastered using the waterbottle. I've been trying to shoe him how to use it for weeks, but he is a slow learner. He is quite a dim rabbit, and allows himself to be stroked when out of the cage. Everybunny knows that out-of-cage time is time investigate and secretly learn about all those places that we shouldn't know about.