Garden delights

 

It's nearly 26 years since we bought our house and started work on the garden. The property had been empty for some time, and both gardens – front and back – were overgrown with nettles and tangled with bindweed. There were no plants to salvage – just a small laburnum and an ancient apple tree, so we worked around those, clearing everything else. We dug and raked until we had a suitable patch for a lawn, which we grew from seed, then we bought and planted a few shrubs for some structure, and started to gradually add more plants. 

Most plants added over the years have been grown from seeds or cuttings, or divided, from plants either in our garden or my parents' garden. It's now reached a point where most of the ground is covered by plants, so that very few weeds grow, and those that do can mostly be picked and fed to the bunnies. 

We're guilty of feeding the easy option – supermarket greens/veggies and herbs, but when Mabel and Dijon were given access, via the patio doors, to their enclosure on the patio, we started picking tasty treats from around the garden to scatter in their area. The bunnies soon realised that if we were also outside, they only needed to stare at us or stretch up the bars of the enclosure, and we'd rush to fetch a few leaves for them! Here's Dijon enjoying some apple prunings, back in September – apple tree pruning time was his favourite time of year, so we were so happy that we pruned the tree early last year, so he had a chance to enjoy some leaves.

 Dijon passed on the tip to Ebony, when she joined him in 2018, and now Ebony has taught Snoop to beg! 

 

Our lawn is raised, a few steps up from the patio, so it would be tricky to allow the bunnies to access it securely and independently, and the laburnum overhangs the lawn, so there would be risk of them eating the toxic fallen leaves or seeds. Instead, they have some large planters of grass in their enclosure, but it doesn't stop them begging for more! Below are some of their favourites.

Some of their favourites are technically ‘weeds’ (eg. dandelions, herb Robert, wild strawberry plants) – in the past, we would have pulled them up, but now we allow them to grow so we can pick leaves for the bunnies. Many of the plants have self-seeded – oregano, lemon balm, calendula, and of course forget-me-nots, which are everywhere in the spring. The bay just appeared, probably a cutting dropped over the fence from next-door’s pruning, and the rosemary bushes were cuttings of my parents' plant. Not only are most of these rabbit-friendly plants inexpensive, but they're also great for bees, are quite hardy, and require very little maintenance!
We don't feed Ebony and Snoop any fruit from the garden, only leaves and branches... although occasionally they enjoy a couple of tiny wild strawberries!
Although few of these leaves grow during winter, we've started to pick and dry some of the leaves in summer, so that we can continue to feed garden leaves throughout the year.

We do have another rabbit feature in our garden, although it is not edible for bunnies...

 

Mabel and Dijon - a compilation of the best photos

 

We hope you enjoy this compilation of photos, in memory of Mabel and Dijon, showing the amazing bond between them.

We selected Mabel and Dijon (in 2011) from 2 litters of Dutch rabbits (now we know it’s better to adopt from a rescue centre). They shared the same father, so Mabel was Dijon’s half-sister. They were put together by the breeder as soon as they were old enough to leave their mothers, and we brought them home shortly after. 

Rabbits from the same litter don’t necessarily get along – they can fall out, especially when their hormones kick in. Dijon did pester Mabel a bit when they were young, and his first neuter didn’t help – he continued to mount her and spray urine around our living room, until, in desperation, our vet agreed it was worth going ahead with ‘exploratory surgery’ to see whether anything had been missed! It had – she found testicular tissue lodged in his inguinal canal, thank goodness, and once it had been removed, Dijon became the perfect gentleman. He adored his Mabel, cared for and protected her, and, as you’ll see toward the end of the compilation, loved to throw himself at her feet! Mabel finally lost her battle to a mandibular abscess in 2018, which is when we adopted Ebony.
 

Dijon's sofa moments

Here's another compilation of special moments with Dijon. This time, footage of him enjoying time on one of his favourite places – the sofa. 

Whenever he jumped up to the sofa or armchair, Dijon would race from side to side, binkying and flopping. The first recording is from 2016 – we don't seem to have any before then, probably because he and Mabel were kept away from the sofa in their early years, as Mabel enjoyed burrowing into the upholstery! The final recordings – shown in slow motion in this compilation – were taken in 2022. By then, Dijon had injured his knee, and was an old man at 11 years old, so we lifted him to the sofa so he could have fun. We stopped lifting him to the sofa, shortly after this – his knee had become arthritic, and we were worried he would hurt himself. 

The compilation consists purely of his binkies – all the footage of him resting on his back when he threw himself on his side has been cut, but as it is the video is over three minutes long!

Over a decade of bunny yawns

 

Here's a compilation of our favourite bunny yawns from the past twelve years! Snoop puts in an appearance at the end (he saw the edit was near completion and yawned just in time to be included). Dijon appears more than anyone else – his yawns were always more cute than the usual scary bun yawns, and he yawned a lot as he became an old man… many were captured in his 12th year! 

(Music credit: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: I. Morning Mood, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)

 

The World is Not Enough

 

Ebony and Snoop have permanent, 24/7 access to our 3.5m x 3m dining room. That's where they stay overnight. During the day, they also have access to the rest of the living room. Watch how fast they move when the gate is opened in the morning! 

Snoop also races to go into the hallway, every time the door's opened – Ebony has never crossed the threshold, even though Dijon loved venturing out and now Snoop does too. She doesn't like the hard, slippery laminate flooring. 

Most days, whatever the weather, the bunnies also have access, via the patio door, to a run on the patio. They can choose to go out – the door is not shut (despite plummeting temperatures indoors) until we're sure they have had enough of being outside. Frequently, just as we go to close the door, they miraculously wake from apparent deep sleep, nosing our ankles to tell us they're not finished with the great outdoors.  

Seeing how eager they are always to have access to more space makes it even more sad to think of so many rabbits restricted to hutches... A Hutch is Not Enough

 

Revenge

 It may look innocent enough, but Snoop was certainly a bit taken aback...was this revenge for Snoop's disturbance? (see our previous post)

Clumsy Snoop

 ... or was it intentional? Every time Ebony settles down on a comfortable surface - a cushion, her mat, the blanket, Snoop has a way of disturbing her. This disturbance was more dramatic than usual...

Snowy videos from Mabel and Dijon's early days

First, a video from 2011… and a big wee in the snow by Dijon. The little girl keeping up the supply of snow for them is now 15yrs old – Dijon saw her through nursery, the whole of primary school, and most of secondary school. 

This was before the bunnies had a run set up around the patio doors – back then, we had to place them in the run for outdoor time, whereas now they can choose where they want to be, which is far better (not for us – we must freeze when they ask for the patio doors to be open in winter).

 

Next, a video from January 2013 – Dijon was far more ‘yellow’ when he was little, and his markings sharper. By the time he reached 12, he was greying and his blaze was wobbly, but in our eyes he was far more handsome than a pedigree Dutch.
Look out for him doing another wee in the snow, near the start!! By this time they had their run on the patio, so we had the patio door open for them despite freezing temperatures, and we were shovelling snow into their pen to keep them entertained… but it was worth it!

25 Years of Bunstruction

Today marks the 25th anniversary of bringing our first rabbit into our home.

29th November is a significant date in our history of houserabbits:

• Our first houserabbit, Lupin, joined us on 29th November, 1998.
• Charlie, our next bunny, died on 29th November, 2001. 
• We lost Mabel on 29th November, 2018. 

Run Rabbit Run, edited back in 2008, features the succession of bunnies who shared our home before Mabel & Dijon arrived – every clip is different, taken from 13 hours of raw footage! (song written by Noel Gay and Ralph Butler and sung by Flanagan and Allen). 

Lupin is the mostly-white lop, Charlie the lop with quite a bit of black fur, Rosie has a lionhead mane, and Neroli is the yellow Dutch. You might also spot our first baby (now 21!). We didn’t know as much about rabbit welfare back in 1998 – you’ll see the hutch, the harness, and too much fruit being fed! But they were all adored, and our world revolved around them 😊

Black rabbits

Black rabbits, like black gemstones, reflect a kaleidoscope of colours in the sunshine – in fact, one of the names suggested when we considered renaming Snoop was Obsidian, Sid for short! (we had too many name suggestions from our family of 5, so stuck with Snoop!). However, black animals are frequently overlooked in rescue centres – they are left, waiting in the shadows, whilst the more colourful animals go to their forever homes. Ruby-eyed white bunnies (REW) are also widely unpopular – people find the red eyes unnerving, yet they are known to be very affectionate rabbits!

So why don’t people want black rabbits? It’s the same reasons as for other black animals:

• Black animals are hard to photograph – they are less likely attract attention on animal rehoming websites, with people being drawn to those with more distinguishing markings or bright colours. Prospective owners want photogenic animals – they wish to show off beautiful details of their pets on social media, not upload photos of a black blob! We are guilty of saying Mabel and Dijon (Dutch rabbits) were easy to photograph compared to Ebony and Snoop. It just requires more consideration, which is good, as we take more time to observe, rather than just snapping the photo!
• Black animals are unlucky – the myth that black cats are unlucky, and associated with witchcraft or evil, has tainted other black animals. In UK folklore, black cats symbolise good luck, unless they cross in front of you… then it’s unlucky. This dates to the Middle Ages, during the Black Death, when people thought that black cats were spreading the virus. There was a cull of black cats, but the spread of the virus accelerated, so then people started believing that choosing to cull the black cats had caused bad luck. They failed to recognise that it was the rats spreading the virus, and without the cats controlling the rat population, it was escalating.
• Black animals are less friendly – there’s a common assumption that black animals are unfriendly, less playful, and even aggressive. This may simply be because people cannot read their facial expressions as easily.

In other cultures, the black rabbit has positive associations, including fertility, new beginnings, wisdom, protection, and good luck. It is viewed as a symbol of magic, mystery, and strength. See this page for more about their symbolism. Perhaps there wouldn’t be so many black rabbits in rescue centres if the western world shared these views?

Some other positive thoughts about black rabbits:

• Black is sleek and sophisticated.
• Black is versatile – black rabbits match any décor.
• Black is discreet – you won’t need a lint roller for your black suit.
• Black is associated with boldness, confidence, and power!

Although of course being black does help Ebony and Snoop get up to mischief without being too visible!