TH E B U N OL OGIST

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February 2012
Sheep hearding rabbit Tokyo rabbit cafes are hopping Too much freedom living with a teenage bun Peta & Leroy are looking for a home Life at the Do Hop Inn The Great Rabbit short animation Myxo campaign continues Caecotrophs why bunnies need them

Sheep herding rabbit

3 February 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk

Tokyo rabbit cafes

9 February 2012 - http://english.kyodonews.jp In a city full of cafes and coffee houses catering to different tastes, a new breed of Tokyo cafe has appeared for people who love to hang out with rabbits. Ra.a.g.f (pronounced ''raf''), which opened last fall in the fashionable Jiyugaoka area, is usually packed at weekends with customers reveling in the company of its 20 to 30 rabbits. ''I came here during my break to relax,'' said a smiling woman in her late 20s as she fed fresh vegetables to rabbits.

Champis the bunny doesn't merely hop, he also knows how to herd a flock of sheep, possibly having picked up the skill watching trained dogs. A clip of the five-year-old Swedish pet rabbit in action has had more than 700,000 YouTube hits since surfacing on a blog a week ago. The video shows Champis running back and forth to keep Nils-Erik and Greta Vigren's sheep together. Dan Westman, a sheepdog breeder who shot and posted the video, said Champis did the job better than some dogs. "It's a herding rabbit," Westman said. "He rounds them up, and if they get close to escaping through the gate he sometimes stops them."

Customers who want to buy rabbits can do so from the cafe's breeding center, but the cafe's rabbit 'staffers' are not for sale. Cafe manager Maria Fuwa cautions, however, that the rabbits must have a suitable home to go to and not end up being abandoned later on. ''Usagi Cafe Ohisama'' (rabbit cafe, the sun), which was launched by a pet shop operator in Shimokitazawa last year, is also buzzing at weekends, with women making up the majority of its customers. The cafe has about 30 rabbits. The most popular is a rabbit called ''Naito-kun'' that lives with cafe manager Asami Yoshimura. Another rabbit cafe in the same area of Tokyo is ''Usagi no Ehon'' (rabbit picture books). Given that many live music houses and small theaters are in the vicinity, it's a gathering spot for musicians and actors. ''I want our cafe to be a healing space for stressed-out people,'' says Etsuko Kawasaki, who has been running the cafe with her family for the past two years. The cafe has seven rabbits, displays pictures books and sells rabbit-themed merchandise

Too much freedom

Living with a Houserabbit- by Linda Dykes & Helen Flack Houserabbit owner Alan Best, from Kent, describes the domestic devastation caused by his rabbit, Daisy, when she was initially allowed too much freedom. Our first rabbit had a maloccluded jaw, which meant she couldnt chew anything. At worst, she could suck on the furniture. How unprepared we were then for Daisy, a six month old, unneutered female Dutch, with all her dental armoury intact and in full working order. She had been cooped up for all her short life, so we wanted to give her the full freedom she deserved. What a good idea it seemed to give her the run of the house. What a good idea to give her access to the back of the rather expensive sofa we purchased, just like a rabbit burrow. Perhaps not! Daisy behaved like a child who had just been given the keys to the sweet shop. Behaving naturally like any burrowing animal, Daisy shredded the sofa, severed wires (somehow avoiding electrocution), tore up the corners of the carpet (managing to avoid lacerating her paws on the carpet grippers), and generally had the time of her life, completely oblivious to the screams of her human companions. We were at our wits end. Its surprising how quickly you can lose it with one, small furry creature! Someone said she will improve when shes neutered. It was all quiet for a day or so after the operation, then it was business as usual.

So, our human house was converted into a rabbit shanty town of cardboard boxes and carpet samples, and Daisy was confined to whatever room we were in at the time. The kitchen became base camp. A dramatic influence on Daisys behaviour was the recommendation from our vet to change her diet from pre-prepared dried food to hay and grass. Almost at once, Daisy turned her attention away from soft furnishings. Why? One expert said that rabbits have a need for low-grade fibre so its either hay or grass, or your wallpaper and carpet. You take you choice! Another said its because a bunny spending all day eating does not have the time to wreck your house. Either way, who cares? It helped us, even if it does not work for everyone, and the bunny will be the better for it (although the hay gets everywhere even in your bed!). And what about Daisy? Shes three now and has a soulmate, Gilbert. Life is about sleeping and eating and she has the run of the place. Lessons have been learned and we are beginning to reap the fruits of our labour. Daisy lets us know that, every so often (when we drop our guard), she may have grown up now, but shes still a teenager at heart. Just one final bit of advice. Forget your need for material possessions and your aspirations to be houseproud. Rabbits are great levelers of such thoughts. Remember this, and your life with a houserabbit will be a mutually rewarding experience honestly!

Adopt me!!
Peta & Leroy Location: Melbourne

Joining the British Houserabbit Association brought advice and light at the end of the tunnel. First the bad news she was going through the teenage rabbit-from-hell phase and this behaviour might take 18 months to settle down. The good news was that there was something we could do to help her and us. We provided Daisy with plenty of distractions toys to throw, wood to chew, boxes to scrape. We bunny-proofed the house by removing wires from reach, protecting corners of carpets, defending skirting boards. Importantly, we limited Daisys horizons to a more confined part of the house for a time, extending them gradually. Good, sound advice, ignored at our peril. .

These two gorgeous indoor bunnies are desexed and currently looking for a new home (only because of moving house and there is a resident fox terrier that is a danger to the bunnies). Leroy is placid, sweet and can be very entertaining. Peta oozes personality. She's affectionate (although doesn't like being handled) and loyal and has no issue speaking her mind!
If you could offer Peta & Leroy a new loving indoor home, please contact Emma at emmalouisesaunders@gmail.com

Life at the Do Hop Inn

By Karen (www.boingonline.com)

Mr Rupert Bunny
Mr Rupert is doing very well. He is our latest addition to the Do Hop Inn. Rupert came to stay just before Christmas after he was surrendered due to an inner ear infection and a head tilt. Rupert loves to spend time with his new human friends and spends most of his time watching tv in bed. Hes a great little guy and runs around in circles when he gets excited.

Not a great deal happened this month, which is good!

Ally & Peter

We took Ally (pictured left) to the bunny doctor at the Melbourne Rabbit Clinic to have his ears checked out. Ally has really bad arthritis and has difficulty grooming himself so when he was trying to scratch his ears and couldnt, I had a look inside. They looked a bit brown and they were obviously itchy. I could only scratch them for him from the outside so he made a visit to see Dr Alice for a checkup. Fortunately his ears were pretty good but there was a bit of debris and wax inside. There was the start of an infection so he had a penicillin injection and an ear clean. Whilst he was at the clinic he had his teeth checked and they were good. He needs to gain a little bit of weight but otherwise, hes in good shape for over nine years of age. Next week we return for another ear clean and Ally & Peter can also get their calici vaccinations. Hes not the best at toilet training so we need lots of towels when hes out spending time with us. We did attempt to introduce Rupert to Finn but it was probably a little too early to attempt to bond him with another bunny.

We have also set up a bigger spot for Rupert to run around thats not in the bedroom but we can really see how much he loves being near Nimal and myself. I know he likes some more running space but what he really loves is lying on the bed stretched out and then running to us for kisses.

The Great Rabbit

19 February 2012 - http://www.animenewsnetwork.com.au

Caecotrophs
Living with a Houserabbit- by Linda Dykes & Helen Flack The caecotroph is a concentrated packet of nutritional goodness. Teeming with bacteria, the soft, smelly, dark caecotroph is covered in a layer of mucus. Once swallowed by the bunny, the caecotroph sits in the stomach for several hours. Eventually, the stomach acid erodes the mucus covering, releasing the nutrients within (mainly amino acids and vitamins), making them available for absorption. The stomach acid also kills most of the bacteria. Although complex, this two-stage digestive process has several advantages. It enables rapid processing of vegetable material without the need for storing large amounts of fibre, which would be impossible in a small animal like the rabbit.

Atsushi Wada earned the award of The Silver Bear for the Best Short Film (Jury Prize) with "The Great Rabbit anime short at the Berlin International Film Festival this weekend. Wada directed the seven-minute short with French backing, and it had its world premiere during the February 9-19 festival. A magical animation that is also a profound conundrum. Once we called the noble, profound and mysterious existence The Great. But we have moved with the times and our thoughts and consciousness have changed. "If you believe in the Rabbit, you'll believe in anything. If you don't believe in the Rabbit, it means that you wouldn't believe anything."

Also, the coprophagic process of eating and digesting caecotrophs can take place in the safety and privacy of the burrow, away from predators. Finally, by utilizing bacterial fermentation, rabbits enjoy a diet far richer in protein than would otherwise by possible from grass or other vegetation.

Myxomatosis Campaign
Summer is upon us and we need your help to remind Mr Joe Ludwig in Canberra that we still want the myxomatosis vaccine for our bunnies. He may have forgotten our beloved bunnies, but we havent!! You can write, email and send him something to remind him of our bunnies (toy bunny, photo, painting, whatever you like!). Joes email joe.ludwig@maff.gov.au

Caecotrophs

Write to: The Hon Joe Ludwig Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry PO Box 6022 Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600

Normal bunny poo