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!