Spring

The bunnies have been enjoying some of the benefits of Spring - well, mostly the dandelions and fresh long grass. Ebony still doesn't quite trust the dandelions, and approaches their sticky stems with caution, but Dijon vacuums them up and even appears to smile.

They have enjoyed some time outside on the patio, and Ebony scrabbles on the glass of the patio door most days from about 7am, asking to go out, whatever the weather.

 On cold days, we have to distract her by bringing in treats from the garden.

They are spending more time relaxing, either together or separately, and also grooming together.

 

Zoom in to see Ebony's tongue!

Rather cuddle the table leg than Dijon

They have also been busy exploring under our new armchair - we finally plucked up the courage to replace our 21yr old one, knowing full well it would be damaged at some point. Within the first week a small piece of the corner 'piping' had been removed, and the seat was in serious risk of being destroyed from underneath, requiring corrugated plastic reinforcement. The battle continues.

Dijon is not quite as adept at slithering under, and appears to be stuck on his first attempt, but here's a photo of him emerging.

Nothing to say it's bunny resisitant?!

Dijon's whiskers and eyelashes are still regularly shaved by Ebony, but fortunately she hasn't (yet) touched his stylish Mohican hair.

A couple of times each day there is a chase from her, no aggression, and Dijon is generally far more active since they've been together, which has helped him to lose some of his excess weight...

... although all this extra movement is hard work for a bunny who will have his 8th Birthday next month.

Munching Flowers Once Again

Woke up one morning half asleep
with all my blankets in a heap…

…and yellow flowers at my feet…

The time was still approaching for I couldn't stand it anymore,

forget-me-nots are my favourite treat…

I'm just sitting munching green grass once again
feel the power of the rain making the garden grow.

I'm just sitting munching green grass once again
feel the power of the rain keeping me good…

(Turn up the volume!)

(Adapted from 'Watching Flowers in the Rain' © Roy Wood)

Let Stalk About Dandelions

Dijon and Ebony have just enjoyed their first fresh dandelion flowers of the year. We suspect this may have been Ebony's first ever dandelion - she was very wary, and abondoned it at first to wash her face when the sticky sap touched her nose. So Dijon, as well as being a fast eater, had a headstart and had to be kept at bay so she could finish her flower.

Against the Odds

It’s not particularly cold today, but we decided to test the new heater, bought with Mabel in mind. It seems to be a success!

She is still enjoying life, especially sunshine, cuddles, and stealing my armchair:

It’s been over 6 weeks since she ate pellets or hay, defying every theory about rabbit health and also very hard work for us!! She is eating crushed watercress, puréed dried apple leaves, grated carrot, sunflower seeds, and bread. She can also eat various leaves from the garden such as strawberry and dandelion leaves, if they have been rolled between our fingers.

Rollercoaster days with Mabel

Since the last update, Mabel has certainly kept us on our toes. The food she will accept varies by the minute - and when our main winners of broccoli, sunflower seeds, banana, and crusts of bread started to fail, we thought we'd lost the battle. She was happy enough, still running for cuddles but just not interested in food.

Following a day when she had eaten only a tiny bite-size piece of bread, I bought some spinach and two potted herbs (basil and thyme) in desperate hope to tempt her. I crushed a tiny piece of basil between my fingers and to my amazement she ate it and begged for more! I continued then tried my luck with some other leaves. She ate strawberry, dandelion, evening primrose, and carrot leaves - as long as they were in tiny pieces and completely crushed. We had tried finely chopped leaves previously, but apparently the success is due to the crushing.

It's so good to see her enjoying her favourite leaves again, even if it is just for a short while.

Mabel Update

Mabel's abscess has grown quite large over the past few weeks, mostly down beneath her jaw but also slightly across under her throat. At times, we've noticed she has been quite wet around her mouth, but it has only lasted for a short while and - even when this has happened - she has enjoyed life as normal.

However, over the past few days her appetite has decreased. At first it appeared she was being picky, just begging for her favourite treats (especially during our mealtimes!), but then we noticed she was having difficulty chewing leaves and pellets, and just left them. She refused powdered or soaked pellets, but accepted certain foods if they were finely chopped - and also lots of sunflower seed hearts. Now, though, she is rapidly losing interest in any food. Yesterday she enjoyed several grapes, and some banana, both finely cut, grated carrot and also the sunflower hearts and small pieces of bread… not enough to sustain her, and she didn't even eat them hungrily, but she was happy. Today she is even less interested. 

She is still really enjoying her cuddles, and also relishing the sunshine. Here are some photos taken yesterday of her and Dijon in their favourite cuddle position - looks so uncomfortable for Mabel, but she never moves away from him so she obviously likes it! There is also a photo of her choosing the chopped banana from a plate of offerings yesterday. 

It is heartbreaking, especially to think about Dijon being left alone. Tomorrow will be exactly 7 years since we collected them, and we had been told twice by the vet in 2016 (once in August when she had a bad bout of stasis and again that November when the overgrown tooth root was diagnosed) that we should be prepared to say goodbye to her, yet we've enjoyed two bonus wonderful years.

 

Birthday Week

Dijon celebrated his 7th Birthday last Wednesday, and Mabel's was yesterday. They both received a special Birthday platter of treats to enjoy. 

They have been enjoying the long grass growing in the planters on the patio, and they are not always so good at sharing… what a face Dijon is pulling!!

Innocent until proven guilty...