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September 2011
World Animal Day 2 October Litter training problems Living with an older bun Life at the Do Hop Inn Bunny & deer meet at animal rescue centre

B U N OL OGIST

Rabbit found in Edinburgh shower

http://www.digitalspy.com.au - 19 August 2011 (UK) A hotel owner in Edinburgh spilled a jug of water over herself in shock when she found a rabbit in the shower of one of the rooms. Patricia O'Donnell entered the room at the Armadillo guesthouse to water the flower boxes when she spotted the rabbit in the shower unit, The Daily Telegraph reports. The bunny also had hay, bedding and food. O'Donnell said: "I thought I'd better go and water the window boxes, but when I got to their door there was a 'do not disturb' notice on the handle. "That was odd because they'd only been there a short time, so I got the jug of water, went into the bathroom and almost died when I saw this rabbit. I got such a fright the water went all over me." An SSPCA officer was called and when the family staying in the room returned, they were told to take the animal to the local Gorgie City Farm but they refused. "The mother said that most guesthouses allow animals. Maybe we'd allow dogs or cats but not for somebody to keep a rabbit in the bathroom," O'Donnell added. "They absolutely stink, and I ended up spending most of the next day trying to get rid of the smell. You've got to think of the other guests. That poor thing had only been in the shower for an hour and the smell was already really bad."

The Big Yellow Rabbit of rebro

http://www.kuriositas.com - 27 July 2011 (Sweden)

A Big Yellow Rabbit has invaded a Swedish city. There he is, above, relaxing in his new home. It may not be a surprise to hear, however, that this piece of installation art has split the local community down the middle. Yet love it or hate it, the Big Yellow Rabbit of rebro in Sweden demands attention. The town is in the middle of its annual open art festival and among many others this year it attracted Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman who already has something of a reputation for the sensation that his art creates. Made from wood and painstakingly constructed over a number of days, Hofmans big yellow rabbit has attracted many fans.

Maybe Ms ODonnell shouldnt blame her own offensive odour on a clean little bunny!! (BOING)

World Animal Day 2 October 2011

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Litter training problems

by Karen www.boingonline.com I talk to a lot of people about their bunnies & behaviour problems. One of the most common behaviour problems I hear is that a bunny doesnt use the litter tray as well as the person would like. I tend to find (once we delve a bit further) is that the litter tray is usually filled with the wrong contents. Most of the problems are usually associated with people providing a litter tray to the bunny with the contents that are more suitable for a cat. When I ask about the contents, the person usually describes a plastic cat litter tray filled with cat litter and thats all (or a plastic grill). I realise that most people expect their bunny to hop into a litter tray, do their business and then jump out again. However, rabbits are different to cats and their needs are also different. When a rabbit uses a litter tray, its not only a place to go to the toilet, but it also doubles as a play station. They do hop in & do their business in there, however, they also need something to attract them to staying in the tray and enjoying the experience so they go back there repeatedly.

So, how do you make a litter tray attractive & fun?

Get a nice BIG tray! I love underbed storage containers. You can buy them very cheap from $2 shops and choose the trays that have tiny wheels so the inside remains flat. Next, line the tray with thick, flat newspaper. Then top with extra thick good quality oaten hay. Place the tray in a spot against a wall or a corner of the room. Introduce the bunny to the litter tray and watch them enjoy and play. Now, the last thing to do. CHANGE the litter tray EVERY DAY so it stays nice & clean & dry. If your bunny doesnt have a clean litter tray every day, they will not return and youll end up with poo & wee all over the place! Left: a nice BIG underbed storage container where two big bunnies can play

And well be there!! Come & meet us (Karen & Nimal) at our Radical Rabbit animal friendly merchant stall..

Edgars Mission is a really great day out!! Come & meet all the lovely animals and come & say hello to us too!

Living with an older bun

by Karen www.boingonline.com I thought I would share my experiences with some of my bunnies who are now elderly in bunny years. As rabbits age eight years to our one, there are a few issues that Im now dealing with my older buns.

We have started to reduce his intake of vegies as too many veggies cause his tummy to gurgle very loudly and its uncomfortable for him. Limiting his veggies to a small amount once per day encourages him to eat more hay (he loves his hay anyway) and to limit the amount of soft poos that he produces. Ally has also lost a bit of weight for his size so we have now started to give him more of the Oxbow Bunny Basics pellets to gain weight. The pellets also contain Vitamin D which helps indoor buns who dont get Vitamin D from the sun. Ally has a friend (Peter) who adores him. I think this also helps to keep him young at heart and keeps him company. He loves to snuggle with Peter when he sleeps (which he does more often now that he is older).

Ally

Rex

Ally (black & white bunny picture on the right) is around 89 years of age now. He suffers from bad arthritis so needs an injection every 3 weeks to help with his joints. As he is a big bunny with mobility problems, he has now developed a problem with sticky poo getting stuck to his tail. He can still hop but he cant clear the floor as well as he could do as a younger bun which means bits get stuck. To wash off the sticky poo from his tail, I recently made up a very low luke warm bath and let water loosen everything that was stuck. It took 3 baths, one rinse and big dry with fluffy towels to get everything off but Ally was really happy afterwards as he loves to be clean. Due to Allys problem lifting his feet above the ground to hop, I am concerned about the bottom of his feet scraping on the ground. We have given him multiple fluffy beds so he can make his way from his bed to his low tray (his tray is lower so he can get in easier) so his feet stay on ultra soft material. You can get these fluffy beds from the Melbourne Rabbit clinic. They are also great for buns who have accidents as urine can pass through the mat to a towel placed underneath and the fluffy bed stays soft, warm & dry (they are also easy to wash in the washing machine & dry really fast). Rex (darker little guy on the right) is around 8 years of age too. He is a healthy little guy but has been left with severely bent front legs from a break he sustained as a baby bunny. He is starting injections for arthritis as, even though he gets around really well, his joints will probably be suffering and it should help with his mobility. Rex is currently having a problem with one weepy eye. It was flushed and quite a bit of snotty stuff came out but it remains weepy. Hopefully a second flush will help fix up the problem. Due to little Rexs bent front legs he has a problem washing his own face so he relies on me to clean the fur around his eye. Also having a friend like Tessie helps Rex keep his young spirit and love of life. He adores her and follows her around everywhere. He loves to snuggle and snooze with her. Without a friend I think Rex would suffer and become depressed.

Life at the Do Hop Inn

By Karen

Bunny & Deer make friends at rescue centre

25 July 2011 - http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/goodnews/real-life-bambi-thumper-story-holbrook-animal-rescue170557243.html A young deer, suffering from head and leg injuries after being hit by a car, was taken to Holbrook Animal Rescue in West Sussex, UK.

Last month we mentioned how Pumpkin & Princess were being bonded after many years of living separate lives next to each other. We are really happy to report that they are doing really well.

Pumpkin is a whole new bunny! Hes sleeker in his appearance and more alert and excited. Both buns adore each other and snuggle all the time. Princess, who suffers from extreme short sightedness, follows Pumpkin around to help her find her way. Pumpkin does sometimes need to still be separated from Princess overnight just because he has rediscovered his mojo. He does attempt to hop on board to show Princess how much he loves her. She doesnt really appreciate his affections in that way and it causes her to run away. I just find it better to pop him over the see-through barrier so they can still be together but he cant annoy her overnight. This is now a rare occasion which is great!

A rescue rabbit at the centre comforted the wounded animal. Holbrook staff posted the sweet video of the Bambi-andThumper relationship on YouTube (see link above). "One of our rescue rabbits seemed to know that something was wrong and immediately snuggled up to the deer. The rabbit started to wash and comfort the fawn, and the fawn responded. This is not the first time that this sort of thing has happened here. In fact, there have been a number of times where different species have bonded." Rabbits and deer (and other gentle herbivores) do find comfort with each other and, with obviously no predatory threat from their new friend, they can safely enjoy each others company.

Bunny Proofing
This month we changed our lighting so that we no longer require floor lamps and worrying about electrical wires. We ended up getting an electrician to install wall lights in our lounge & dining rooms. Its been fantastic & well worth the change! In the bedroom I changed the bedside lamps with switches off the electrical cords to touch lamps. Now the cord goes down the back of the bedside table against the wall and no risk of bunnies playing near the back of the lamp.

Calici vaccinations
All our bunnies (apart from Jack who is booked in next week) have now had their calici vaccinations ready for the coming summer months. Please do get your bunny vaccinated prior to summer to keep your bunny safe! http://www.animalintelligence.org/2007/01/08/interspeciesfriendship-deer-and-rabbit/