bunn | Entries tagged with rabbits

Recently, Rosie has started spending time at the top of the steps that lead to the back garden. This seemed odd: usually my dogs utterly scorn our back garden, instead insisting that they must be taken to more exciting locations where there is more to sniff: people, dogs, foxes, sheep, Victoria Sponge Cake, deer etc. Rosie will go out of the back door a distance of about four feet, to the spot where I am required to place a dog bed in the position where it will catch the sun. And Brythen will occasionally go out for just long enough to dig madly and destroy the lawn, then come gallumphing back in joyfully with muddy feet all over the carpet.( Read more... )

Will Rosie Roo catch a rabbit and the other rabbits flee in terror? Or will I come down one morning to find the rabbits have joined us inside the house and are all curled up with cats, lurchers etc, all together on the hearthrug...? Who knows.

There was a change to the law recently which said that all dogs in the UK must be microchipped, and that the microchip record must contain the details of the current owner. This came as a nasty surprise to the many dog rescues which had been keeping all the dogs they rehomed, microchipped with their own details, and consequently had thousands of dogs microchipped with one set of contact details - but the law was well overdue.

Dog rescues (in my opinion, and I have some experience with them) typically do not have the internal data management systems in place to keep in touch with all their adopters, let alone being able to update the contact records when the new owners move or go on holiday.( Read more... )( Read more... )

I mentioned the other day that I like to design rabbit housing in my head. Well, I think I no longer need to do this - finally I have found rabbit housing that is actually fit for purpose! If I ever have bunnies again, I shall save up for one of these. I love the curved shapes and the fact that it sternly tells you that 10 feet is OK for small and medium rabbits, but that you'll need more space for large ones.

http://www.framebow.co.uk/_bespoke_rabbit_hutch.html

200 wild daffodils are planted, plus about half of the Stars. I think the rest of the Stars can go in the front garden. I'm really pleased with the space cleared and planted up with bluebells: a definite improvement!

I've also cleared out the porch and made a space for the smaller dog crate as a winter home for Ash bunny - given that she is ill and on her own now, I decided it would be better not to have her sleeping outside in her rabbit house, solid though it is, once it gets cold. Obviously this immediately caused it to be the warmest day we've had in ages, so at the moment she is still out in her run grazing and enjoying the sunny evening.

Current Mood: dozy

Coming back from our walk today, I heard a rabbit screaming. The hounds shot off into the bushes to find out what was going on, and found a fox in the process of catching a rabbit. (probably a rather young inexperienced fox, as the rabbit made so much noise).

Az ran right past the rabbit, after the fox (honestly, that dog only sees things that move, I think he needs specs! ) leaving Mollydog with the rabbit. Mollydog may be the world's least rabbit-huntingest sighthound, she usually doesn't even bother chasing them, but she obviously felt she was supposed to do something, so she prodded it with her nose.

Rather to my surprise (and hers) the rabbit got up and dusted himself off, looking a bit confused. So she prodded him again. And he turned round and loppited into a bush.

So, one very lucky rabbit there, and one poor fox cruelly deprived of his breakfast!

Current Mood: amused

Ash bunny is doing generally OK, but her teeth have started to grow oddly. Local Vet says 'keep an eye on them' : thank you, I think I could have worked that out without paying you £20.

More usefully, my online rabbit contacts suggest that the back teeth may be overgrowing and forcing the front teeth sideways. Am considering another trip to Ivybridge Vet to get this checked out properly, though I don't think it's too urgent yet as she is eating well and the teeth are still biting on one another and wearing themselves down, if in a slightly odd way. It appears that this is a bit unusual to start at the age of 6 though.

Have started Mollydog on Previcox for her bad leg. Local Vet much more convincing as dog vet than as rabbit vet. I don't think that vet actually likes rabbits.

Mollydog is 29.5kg, which worried me slightly as her racing weight was only 25.5 kg. But the vet pleased me by saying she wasn't carrying much weight at all and was nice and muscly :-D. Az is 21.5KG, which I think is about a kilo more than he was last time. He is perhaps looking just a little chunky, but not too bad.

Yesterday evening's walk, Az cut his paw. This morning's walk (short, because of rain and bandaged paw) Mollydog got stung by a wasp. The wasp got stuck on her by the sting and could not pull out. I had to pull it off her!

It's a house of woe here this morning...

Current Mood: restless

Sadly, Joop took a turn for the worse on Friday and by Saturday morning it was clear that the only humane thing left to do for him was to let him go. The head tilt had become abruptly much worse and he kept falling over.

He was just 4 and a half years old.

I am now wondering what I should do for Ash: I feel it would be wrong to adopt a companion for her, as she is probably infectious. Also given how scarily thin she still is, I'm really not sure how much longer she will be with us. She is eating well however, and can get about comfortably: I just hope she's not going to be too lonely.

Current Mood: sad

Just had a call from the Bristol rabbit clinic vet, test results are back and he is fairly confident from those that the main problem is an e. cuniculi infection.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: cheerful

Philmophlegm heroically drove to Bristol yesterday to take Joop bunny to the rabbit specialist clinic. The specialist (seemed very good and thorough) thinks Joop has not one but two problems
( Read more... )

Conclusion: anyone out there thinks rabbits are cheap simple pets for kids: think again!

In more optimistic news, Ash bunny is looking loads better and although she is still underweight, she is eating like a little piggy and her back legs are nearly normal. I think she will need to have a daily dose of Panacur for the rest of her life, but that is at least looking like it will be a good few years, with luck.

Current Mood: blah

Sick animals:
1) Joop: no change. :-(

2) Yama - ate breakfast this morning, still droopy, but definitely improved.

3) Henning: went to vet, antibiotics, healing nicely

4) Ash: doing really well, possibly now counts as a 'rabbit with disability' rather than sick.

all other animals in fine fettle. Az mugged the gardener's labrador, much to my embarrassment, but I suppose that suggests he is over his bout of sickness.

I however, have a cold. Bummer.

Current Mood: cheerful

( May revolt people without pets )

Current Mood: thoughtful

The Baytril has not helped Joop Bunny's infected ear much. They think there is an abcess down there somewhere.

They are going to put him under anaethetic and try to clean the ear out thoroughly today. Fingers crossed it works.

EDIT: 4:30pm: just had a call from the vet: the abcess has ruptured: they have cleaned it out, but he may not make it because it's fairly advanced.

I am not entirely happy that the abcess wasn't picked up the first time I brought him in, when the ear was already discharging pus, and that they put him on Baytril for 5 days instead of dealing with it straight away. 5 days of an ear abcess is not good. I think now I should have pushed harder for more to be done, and taken him back on Mon, not waited till Weds. Easy to say now. :-(

EDIT2: They have sent him home with more Baytril, to come back on Sat. I also have some Gentamicin ear drops, to be administered 3 times a day. He has also had injections of Antisedan, Baytril, and Rimadyl.

His eardrum is burst and he is having difficulty balancing. I asked if we should be giving him something stronger and was told the injections should sort it.

I am not feeling a lot of confidence in this vet. So far, the guys on the Refuge forum reckon he should be on Septrin, or possibly Duphapen (penicillin), and Rabbit Rehome suggest penicillin, an x ray to find the source of the infection, and an operation called the zepp procedure.

I think tomorrow I shall call the local rescues and ask if they can recommend a really good rabbit vet.

Current Mood: worried

( Of orchids )
( Wild bunny )

Last weekend Ash bunny was ill with e. cuniculi, and had to be rushed to the vet, very poorly and barely able to hop. She's still very thin, but has definitely put on some weight over last week. Rabbits lose weight so fast, it's really scary. I'd expect a 5 year old rabbit to be a bit bony on top, but she really should have more muscle on her hips and spine, she's just a bag of rabbit skin. At least she has a little tummy underneath again now.

She has had treatment with Panacur all this week and is now moving much more confidently, which is a huge relief. Joop is also now on the Panacur, as e. cuniculi is infectious, though apparently the latest research suggests that 50% of domestic rabbits in the UK have it and most show no symptoms. Joop is as tough as leather, luckily, and showing no signs of illness at all, but better safe...

One good thing is that Panacur seems to be very palatable to rabbits. Also, rabbits are quite easy to medicate with paste-type medicines, as as soon as you get the tube behind their 2 big front teeth, there isn't much they can do but swallow it.

Current Mood: relieved

1) watching repeats of the new version of Dr Who, I am once again amazed by how much better than the old Dr Who it is. I can only say this because Polo is away in Oxford for the night. But it is. Hurray! for new Dr Who.

2) Somebody lost a Shitzu on the hill a couple of days ago. I really hope they found it but I had to go home to work before it turned up. Now I am worried it may have fallen down a mineshaft.

3) We bought some new DECT cordless phones. The Phillips ones are good: the Motorola ones seem to be tormented by endless faults. I keep phoning the suppliers to get them to send more bits.

4) Contact lenses are playing up again, damnit. Think I shall have to go to the opticians before we go to Istanbul.

5) Ash the rabbit is supposed to be litter trained, but this seems to have produced a rabbit that thinks it's OK to wee in her bedroom as long as there is newspaper in it. All my previous rabbits have been self-training, so I am not sure what approach to take here. At least Joop, who teats up newspaper, does not tear up weed on newspaper.

6)I really want to adopt this dog but Polo won't let me. :-((( The bastard breeder has handed over a whold batch of dogs of an incredibly rare breeed and no-one has even heard of them so they are a RIGHT GIT to rehome. WHY DID SHE BREED THEM THEN? Not to mention the previous batch handed to the RSPCA a year or so ago by the same breeder, one of which is still waiting.... grrr.

7) Whiskey is surprisingly potent and has an awfule effectn on one's tieping evewn if you ahve lots of ice.

8) but it does not make me green despite what the icon might suggest. (Suggest is a very difficult word to typ.)

Current Mood: drunk
Current Music: QI burbling

I have new contact lenses. They are supposed to stay in all month, which would save a bit of time. So far I've had them in 4 days and my vision is really going downhill. Optician told me yesterday to leave the lenses in for a couple of weeks to adapt but if I can't see, I can't work....

I've finally found a toyboy for the bunnies. He's a neutered rescue dutch rabbit and he's on his way over from Sussex on Thursday. Only one and a half - I wanted an older chap really - but it seems like only the younger bunnies come up in rescue. Would like to think that this is because the older bunnies all have happy homes, but I fear not.

We did a seafari this weekend - wind gusting to gale force 10 and we were bouncing round Falmouth in an RIB! It was great - huge waves, and we saw a curlew, some herons, lots of shags and egrets and gannets, not to mention a whole bunch of seals who seemed to find the sight of us in our little boat most amusing. We had been hoping for dolphins, but it was just too windy to go out to sea to look for them.

I was going to post a mighty rant about an agency for which I do some subcontracting, but then my browser spontaneously closed itself. It could clearly tell the rant was deeply dull, and I've got it out of my system now :-)