Fame, Fame, Fatal Fame

Mabel has been chosen by the RWF to be the face of their latest vaccination campaign.
 

Dijon has been rather persistent in his pursuit of Mabel, despite having been snipped a few weeks ago. Every time he approaches, Mabel starts squeaking like a very stressed guinea pig. At first we wondered if she was hurt, but there have been no signs of injury. However, it is clear that Mabel has matured.

She has changed from a sweet young girl to a feisty teenager. Her shape has changed, too. No longer is she a svelte bunny, but she has slightly broader shoulders and her face has filled out. She's not nearly as chunky as Dijon.
 

Mabel has been squealing when Dijon comes close. Along with this, she is constantly trying to get away from him. We're concerned about this as it's one of the signs of pregnancy. 

If she is expecting, then it means Dijon did the business AFTER his operation!

Matters became quite frantic this evening when Mabel started nesting. She was hopping about the living room, frenetically picking up any small strands of hay she could find. We have our fingers crossed that it is a phantom pregnancy.

Mabel's spay day

Well, all has gone well for Mabel - I collected them at 4.30pm. 

The nurse asked where I'd put my other pet carrier - I explained that they'd shared one for comfort/company and she was surprised... apparently, despite being in such a scary environment, as I'd handed over the carrier this morning, Dijon had instantly resumed his attempts at mounting Mabel, so they couldn't even be put in the same cage at the surgery - so a pointless trip for Dijon! I couldn't believe he would try again in the waiting room, in the presence of so many scary dogs, but sure enough he did. Mabel was too drowsy to even notice, but fortunately he stopped once in the car.

Needless to say, they were put straight into separate cages. He is very cross - when we let him out this evening, he ran around with his tail up very high, pooing everywhere and thumping! Mabel sat in her cage (door shut of course) and just made her strange whimpering/chattering noise every time he came close to the cage.

She hadn't eaten anything I'd offered, so I've just given her some pellets mixed with water, which she licked from a teaspoon, so I'm happier now. Unlike Dijon, who is still sitting bolt upright just watching her. Well, things could have been very different if he'd had some consideration!!

Teenage Kicks

Mabel.

She has turned from a gorgeous little girl, into a feisty, destructive, rioting teenager. As soon as anything upsets her she turns into the bunny equivalent of Violet Elizabeth*; she honks, then thumps. If she were human, she truly would scream and scream and scream until she was sick.

It seems that the time is right to have her done...

Since his orchids were excised, Dijon has calmed down, and his spraying has reduced, though not been completely eliminated. A little more time will tell for certain just how calm he will turn out to be.

*If you don't know who Violet Elizabeth is, she is a character from the Just William Books

Paper!

Where is the wallpaper disappearing to? Small chunks have disappeared, and there are teeth marks in the plaster.

Sure a certain pair of house guests are not abusing the hospitality of the householders...?

Family Jewels

Despite Dijon having had his family jewels removed from the display cabinet, he remains rather frisky and is constantly trying to mount Mabel. Shes far swifter than he, and can avoid his unwanted advances. Alas, this just drives him crazy.

He is also spraying like crazy which, as you can imagine, is most unpleasant. We have managed to capture some video of him spraying, and it will be uploaded as soon as possible.

Fingers crossed that the snip will shortly take effect...

On the topic of jewels, Mabel had a nip at mine tonight (through my pyjamas, I hasten to add!) It was unwarranted. And painful

Beg, Steal, and Burrow...

It has been a sweltering weekend. 30°C in the shade, and not much cooler in the house, but did the bunnies care?

Not a bit! The hot weather gave them the chance to show just how clever they are...

Somehow they managed to detach the bath towel that lines their rather well appointed cage from the rear bars. This allowed them to burrow beneath it, so they spent half of the morning and early afternoon dozing between the cool metal base and the towel. It wasn't easy to make our their forms, but we could just about discern that they were wrapped lovingly around each other in their make-do burrow.

Of course, as soon as the side of their bowel was tapped, they found their way out in no time at all. They are greedy little monsters.

Conkers Clipped

A trip to the vet, and Dijon has had his conkers clipped. The vet discovered, upon closer inspection, he had one massive testicle on one much smaller, fatty ball.

He recovered quickly and was up and hopping within a short time. We're keeping a close eye on him to make sure he's not nibbling at the stitches, bleeding, or  showing any signs of discomfort.

Mabel is looking after him well. Let's hope he cares as much for her when it's her turn on the operating table (in 4 to 6 weeks' time).

Mounting

Mabel's hormones have started to course through her veins.

She has started mounting Dijon.

Mainly his head - he doesn't mind, he thinks she is grooming him. But if she mounts from behind, it terrifies him.

The Great Outdoors

Saturday and Sunday... not too hot, not too sunny, not too window. Perfect conditions for some time outside.

So this weekend the bunnies have spent a fair amount of time in the back garden (in their pen), and they had the most delightful time. Dijon immediately sprayed, scented every blade of grass within reach, and dropped a circle of poos around the litter tray. Mabel was rather more sensible, choosing instead simply to graze and enjoy the great outdoor.

One thing became apparent when the bunnies were enjoying their time in the open air - they really do want to socialise with us. Every time one of us walked close to their pen, they immediately hopped over and followed us about. After a brief 'hello' they hopped off again. What a joy! One of those touching moments that let's you know you're doing the right things, and the bunnies appreciate it!

Big boy

Dijon officially has large testicles.

The vet was impressed.