Tuesday 30 April 2013

Plate Grass

It's great having longer days and drier weather so Whisky can get out in the garden more, but all this extra playtime for him means I have to find more things for myself to do outside.  Yesterday I thought I'd make constructive use of this time by taking a pair of scissors and a plate and cutting some grass and dandelions off the lawn for him to eat when he got bored and went in.

Can you guess what the flaw in this plan was? Given the choice of slowly nomming the tops off the grass yourself or having someone play the part of your missing front teeth and hand the grass to you on a plate (literally), there can only be one way to go...

"Oh waiter! Do keep 'em coming. And next time, not so stingy on the dandelion topping!"

Monday 29 April 2013

Three Buns and Their Babies

Well it looks like May is going to be a tough month at the Rescue - we are set to be overrun with teeny tiny babies.  As well as Texas' litter of seven, who are now out in an aviary with mum (see below), we had another new mum and a pregnant doe about to give birth come in last week.

So, tough because of all the extra work, tough because of the extra financial burden on the Rescue and tough getting any work done when you're surrounded by volunteers who can't stop squeeing.

On top of all that, they can be pretty demanding little fellows those young-uns...

"You know why this bowl is empty?  Because YOU haven't refilled it since I just finished eating everything. Now get to it!"

Sunday 28 April 2013

Sundays Are For...

...mega-flop sunny super-naps!

"Zzzzzzz...."

(Sorry, you were going to get baby bunnies today but then Whisky did this and I had to share!  Baby bunnies tomorrow, promise!)

Saturday 27 April 2013

On Bed With Mad-Bunneh

Extra Whisky posts this week, trying to make up for the previous couple of weeks where he wasn't on here much. During those weeks either I was too stressed about him to take photo's or he was too grumpy from the medicines or bottom cleaning. My little boy deserves a little extra attention now and then, though sometimes if I'm too good to him it can go to his little fluffy head...

"Bring me my slippers.  Oh wait, I don't wear slippers - bring me yours so I can poo in them.  Or a snack.  Your choice."

Friday 26 April 2013

M*A*S*H (ed Veg)

"If it helps you cope, call me Colonel Whisky.  That way I'm supposed to be eating in the mess."

Thursday 25 April 2013

Bun For The Road

"Hey you!  If you see my human, don't tell him but..."

"...I think I may have had one too many carrotinis tonight..!"

"Oh wait.  You ARE my human!  When did you get to be so blurry?! Now quit glaring and carry me to bed!"

Wednesday 24 April 2013

The Adjustment Bun Though

"Your box?  Oh I was just...erm...looking...at it..."

Monday 22 April 2013

Massage Message

"Well to be honest I assumed this would be more 'parlour' when I made the booking, but so long as you get those knots out we're good."

Sunday 21 April 2013

Ultrasound of Music

Let me start this post by saying the end result of what follows is relatively positive.  Because although I would generally enjoy describing events in such a way as to allow you to follow along with my emotional journey, in this case I'd like to save you the (what for me was several weeks of) sickening dread.

Here goes.

So there I was, the day after having to say goodbye to Jemima, drowning in grief and barely able to function.  Two of my dearest fluffy children lost to tumours in four months.  But having taken the week off work to spend more time with Jemima in her last days, I had the luxury of being able to just shut the world out and not have to worry about trying to exist in it.

I had planned to feed Whisky his breakfast, sort out his water and litter trays then head back to bed to spend the day feeling sorry for myself, but Whisky had clearly decided not to let that happen.  Having on-going problems with his digestion, he had covered the floor and much of his leg fur in very unpleasant looking bottom-discharge.  So, fighting against my reluctance to go anywhere near another vet practise so soon, off we went on the long car journey to see his super-vet.

On the examination table, the vet pushed her fingers deep into Whisky's abdomen searching for signs of physical abnormality and as usual his eyelids did their job of straining to keep his eyeballs from popping out of their sockets in surprise.  And then she said it.

"I think I've found a lump."

Well for a split second I thought he would out-live me anyway, because I almost died right there.

A second feel and the vet suggested that, although it didn't quite seem in the right place, it could  just be something working through his oddly behaving digestive system.  I suspect she thought this would make me feel more optimistic, but this was pretty much what Elvis' vet had said about his tumour several weeks before it killed him so it really didn't make me feel better at all.  We were sent home with a variety of things to address the digestive issues and the vet demanded to see him in three weeks for a re-check.

Three weeks later, last Wednesday this was, we arrived back at the surgery seemingly no better off.  She felt his tummy again - the lump was definitely still there.  Whether a tumour or something else, this could explain the odd function of his digestion, but it definitely needed quick action.  He was booked in for an ultrasound and possible biopsy Friday, I dropped him off around 0830 and had an appointment to discuss the results at 1840.  It was a long day, but I managed to distract myself by deep-cleaning Whisky's room - despite my daily best efforts of mopping up, the mats and carpets really needed aggressive shampooing by this point. It felt good to have his room sparkling for his return, though it was something which he later greatly disapproved of claiming it "smelled all wrong". Typical.

Well anyway, the results were unexpected - the lump turned out to be not a mass but one of his kidneys which had shifted forwards in his abdomen.  Apart from this odd positioning, there was nothing unusual revealed by the scan. I felt like bursting into song with joy and relief.

So I feel slightly less stressed now than I have the last few weeks, though we are no further forwards in finding out what is disrupting his digestion.  There are a few more things we can try and he is having more tests carried out on his blood this week but in the meantime he is happily bouncing around enjoying life apparently tumour-free.

One puzzling thing for me in all this was that I was repeatedly warned beforehand that he would be dramatically shaved.  This seemed odd because why would I even remotely care what it would make him look like at a time like this??!!  Sure HE might not be too impressed, but for me it was the least of my worries!

Whisky's shaved tummy

"Huh?!  How dare you look at my naked bits??!!  SO rude!"

Saturday 20 April 2013

Mirror Mirror

One of the results of having holiday boarders during the school vacations is that our regular residents end up getting shuffled around.  Caroline prioritises moves to makes sure the bunnies who need space the most get it first as the boarders go home, but I can't say I always agree with her choices of who goes where.

Because putting Pudsy and Magda next to Bacardi and Astrix isn't going to confuse me at all, is it??!!

"Oh dear, I'd better call maintenance.  This mirror they installed appears to be running slow."

Friday 19 April 2013

The Snack Is Not Enough

"Choose your next move carefully.  Though your kale has pleased us, you have not."

Thursday 18 April 2013

Jonny Be Green

Caroline had a slight issue last week, whereby after re-painting the outside of one of the hutches she put the bunnies back in the enclosure a little too quickly. No harm done, "...but" said Caroline, "if you've seen any green bunnies, now you know why!".

Of course, kids are all the same, furry or otherwise, so when one kid has something cool all the other kids have to have it. Or at least I assume that's what's going on here...

"Well I wanted to see how it would look before I commit to the full-on paint job!"

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Mo Bunny

There's a time and a place for displays of affection and when you are out in public is not it. Isn't that right Russell?

"Not now Mo, smoochies later, there are people watching!"

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Hoppy Breakfast

It is not often that I see Hoppy and Purdy these days now that they live in Caroline's office, but on the way to sort breakfast down at the Rescue I had to drop some bits off there so I couldn't resist dropping in to say "Hi!".  It would be nice to think that the bunnies' enthusiasm on my arrival was because they missed me too but, I was not surprised in the least to discover, this was not the case.  Purdy saw her chance to dash out the door for a jaunt around the courtyard and Hoppy had spotted an opportunity for negotiation...

"Carrot tops?!  You don't want carrot tops!  Let me do you a favour and take those things off your hands for say... three pellets each?"

Monday 15 April 2013

Green, Green Grass is Mown

At the Rescue we have spent a significant amount of money and volunteer time paving our aviaries. This not only makes them secure from those attempting to dig in/out, bunnies and predators alike, but also reduces cleaning time and allows easier disinfection. With so many bunnies so close together, bunnies moving around with rehoming or as their needs change and holiday boarders coming to stay, this is critical.

In short, paving the aviaries was clearly the right thing to do.

So what is sad in a way is seeing all the bunnies in our other accommodation, when they are let out into the fenced off green areas around them, enjoying grazing on the fresh grass so much. We clearly have some thinking to do - this will be the first summer since the row of aviaries was completed and the majority of them were paved and we certainly don't want the occupants to miss out on the natural grazing joy they had before. We may have to start growing grass in trays or create raised planting areas inside the aviaries, though myself having a natural talent for killing off even the hardiest of plants accidentally, I might leave that project for the other volunteers!

Meanwhile at home, Sunday's sunny weather really enhanced Whisky's day. In the morning he took up his favourite napping place in the sunny spot by the window, then spent the afternoon excitedly mowing the lawn. And since I can't leave him in the garden on his own (at the mercy of any passing predator), that meant my afternoon was set too. I'm now trying to figure out if he's forgotten he's a rabbit or if something about the smell of tasty green grass makes him forget what crepuscular means.

[nom-nom-nom]

Sunday 14 April 2013

Einstein A Go (Go)

It's usually the giants and larger rabbits we let run around the Rescue.  They appreciate the large space, they are less likely to squeeze into somewhere they're not supposed to be and, most importantly, they are easier to find when it's time to go back in!

The only problem is, they are not always the most well behaved bunnies.  Somebun spent much of Saturday afternoon running around winding everybun up and starting jealous fights amongst the pairs and groups.  I think we're going to have to keep a close eye on this one...

"The setup is complete.  Now watch it all kick off as I run up this path!" 

Saturday 13 April 2013

The Scoop

Every now and again, for one reason or another, Caroline will send me off down the Rescue with a pet carrier to bring back a pair of bunnies.  Maybe they are being moved, maybe they are being weighed, maybe they are being health-checked.  But one thing you can guarantee is that even if they don't scarper at the sight of me approaching carrier-in-hand ("Argh!  Vet trip day!"), the second bunny will always disappear at speed the moment they see me put their friend in it.

Well, that's not quite always true - for example, Betty-Boo and Wilbur are so curious and into everything, if I put a pet carrier anywhere near them they dive straight in to investigate, door closed, job done.  But mostly...

Now as you can imagine, the whole uncertainty of what could possibly be going on, being a prey animal, seeing your beloved partner being shut into a small container - it has got to be scary, especially when the moment the door is shut the human turns their attention on you.  And with groups of bunnies, by the time you pick the last one up, either because it takes longer to get to them or because they see each sibling disappear and see their turn gradually approaching, they are often properly scared.

So, when Caroline said "Can you go and get me Darwin's 7 children for weighing and having their ears marked - oh, and they are not in their shed, we let them out to run around the bottom of the Rescue..." I just assumed Caroline was enacting some sort of revenge on me.

Well, I'm sure you can guess where this is going.  There was no Benny Hill style chase.  I walked up to the first one.

"Hello!"  I said.

"Oh, hi!  Are we going to play a game?" said the bunny.

Scoop.  Cuddle. Stuff (into carrier).  Repeat.

I couldn't believe it! Easiest and cuddliest job ever! 7 bunnies, one after the other, one hundred percent trust.  I could have cried, they were so sweet.

So that was that.  And here is (two of) them.

"Me next! Me next!  Are we going somewhere fun?!"

Friday 12 April 2013

None Shall Pass

"Oh, I'm sorry - did you think you were allowed upstairs before you've made my dinner?"

Thursday 11 April 2013

Two Trick Bunny

So then there's the other thing Archimedes always does when he's allowed the run of the Rescue...

"If I can reach it, it is mine.  End of."

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Signs

Health and Safety is very, very important in an organisation like a ours.  We can't have volunteers and visitors injuring themselves all over the place.  After several close calls, thanks largely to the carelessness of one certain individual, I think we have come to a point where we have no choice but to put up a new sign.

Archimedes, we do love you, but do you really need to take your naps in the middle of the path?!

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Snatch

"Ooo, I love these mobile salad bars!  Not only is the food tasty..."
[snatch]

"...but if you're quick enough, the portion sizes are tremendous!"

Monday 8 April 2013

The Grassy LOL

Angus and Jessie, along with a number of our other residents, have given up their spacious accommodation to some holiday boarders for a few days while we are busy for the Easter break. This is not ideal for them, but the donations from boarders help keep the Rescue going, so a few days of relative confinement is a small price to pay.

Angus' back problems mean his exercise is very important to his health, so whenever we have enough volunteers on site to supervise we try to let them out into a larger space. As you can see, Angus makes FULL use of his exercise time...

"So I said to Esther, 'Leave me on the grass while you clean, I can have a run around and stretch my back'. And here I am.  Well, if I'd said '...so I'll catch the sun better for my afternoon nap' do you think she would have let me out??!!"

Sunday 7 April 2013

Tall Grass, Short Story

The last month has been very depressing for me.  It is still too painful for me to go over the details, but the main part of it was that I lost Jemima to a rapidly growing tumour the week before Easter.  Since then, I have been constantly surprised by what does and doesn't bring back the deep feelings of loss.

Cleaning her room I thought would be difficult but in fact felt very ordinary and unemotional.

In the supermarket I find myself standing where the spring greens should be being so frustrated they have none.

"What am I going to do for breakfast tomorrow?  They don't even have savoy cabbage, poor Je...oh."

I forget I don't need them.  I walk on and try to distract my brain by staring at the herbs trying to recall which ones don't upset Whisky's tummy, I don't want to lose my composure in the vegetable aisle.

Today it was the garden.  I was on the sofa doing nothing of consequence when Whisky came barreling into the room.  It is unusual to see him before 3pm, he usually naps until then, but since he seemed to be full of beans I opened the back door and let him straight out.  Usually he runs about, sniffs and scents things for a bit then heads back in.  20 minutes is normally about his limit, 2 is not uncommon, but today he stayed out there for over an hour wandering about and eating the grass.  As a rabbit with no front teeth this is quite challenging for Whisky, but now the grass is long he can just wander about grinding the ends off with his back teeth.  I had a brief moment of happiness, seeing him do something so naturally rabbity he rarely does, before I remembered why the grass was so long and my heart sank again.

Well that was Sunday.  At least we are finally seeing more sunshine than snow - if anything is going to cheer me up it is bunnies frolicking in the good weather.

"Oh wow, so this is like dried grass, only...er..not dry?"

"Leave me.  I think I may have a new favourite thing."

Saturday 6 April 2013

Neroligy

"You will notice I am wearing my serious face.  If I am not happy with this mornings breakfast offering, so will you.  On your nose."

Friday 5 April 2013

Cooooooool

After losing her partner earlier this year and a failed attempt to bond her with Mr Unbondable Grumpypants, Rosetta finally has a new husbun.  Meet super-cool bunny Fonzie!

"Did I hear my name? Is it snacky time?!"

"Sweet. No, seriously, sweet - where's the dessert?!"

Thursday 4 April 2013

Pretty as a picture - Part 2

So I felt guilty for the photo of lovely Dakota looking a little chubby whilst having a nap. Here's one of her looking totally beautiful.
"Yes I am very beautiful and I don't have a double chin and it was definitely all fluff. Now go fetch me some extra snacks to eat whilst Rocket's not looking!"

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Pain in the (hairy) neck

"I know you say there are some matts on the back of my neck...."

"...but did you really need to comb off this much of my floof?!"

"And what the heck have you done with my ears??!"

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Pretty as a picture

A good photo can help 'sell' the adorableness of any bunny. Not sure Dakota will be best pleased with this one.

"Everyone knows the camera adds 10 ounces"

Monday 1 April 2013

Prank

"I heard 1st April is a day for pranks, so I have hidden all the vegetables!"

"If you want them back, they should re-appear in 4-20 hours."