The Bunologist Apr09

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What’s News? Easter Bunnies! Thinking of getting a bunny as an Easter gift??? Think again! Baby bunnies are cute & cuddly but when the novelty wears off (daily feeding, cleaning, attention) what happens to that cute little baby bunny?? Some are taken to shelters. Some are given to well-meaning family or friends. Some are left to run lost in the streets or deliberately dumped. But most live out their short & lonely lives in a tiny boxshaped contraption called a pet store hutch. These tiny little fluffies, who were so desperately wanted only a few weeks before, will now be forgotten & ignored in many backyards. A rabbit is for life… Not for Easter!

Rabbit boom in Canada 11 March 2009 - British Columbia, Canada KELOWNA, Canada - The overpopulation of domestic rabbits running wild in Kelowna, British Columbia has been an ongoing issue for the Canadian city. Now, another British Columbia city, Richmond, which is located near Vancouver, faces a similar problem. The Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) has taken in over 40 unwanted/abandoned rabbits recently. Many were rescued from area parks after being dumped by their owners. If left on their own in the parks, these rabbits would produce litters upon litters of feral rabbits. In fact, in 2006, mirroring circumstances caused lawmakers to schedule a cull of the out-of-control feral rabbit problem. But before the cull took place, the rabbit population was decimated by disease and starvation. Now the city may turn to a ban on rabbit sales to solve the problem. This would limit the number of impulse buys from pet stores that lead to the dumping of domestic rabbits in parks.

April 2009 • • • • • • • •

Hawk danger Melbourne Rabbit Clinic’s next seminar Rabbits: Their part in my downfall – Part 13 Pigeon adopts baby bunnies Adopt me! Clarence the Super Spy & Queen Sunshine III Dear Diary Rabbit eye health

New World Record - Oldest living rabbit NORFOLK, UK-- Hazel, a 16-year-old miniature grey rabbit (owners, Mike and Irene Womack, of Chapel Close, Pulham Market) sets the world record for being the Oldest living rabbit. The oldest bunny alive on record until last year was George, who was born in March 1994 and was owned by a couple in Massachusetts, USA. He was declared the oldest living rabbit in the world after several vets confirmed his age as 14 years, as of March 13, 2008. The longest-lived rabbit ever was caught from the wild on August 6, 1964, and christened Flopsy. He died 18 years, 10 months, and 21 days later, at the home of L.B. Walker of Longford, Tasmania, Australia.

Hitching Hare BAKERSFIELD, US - a rabbit darted across an auto repair shop floor and the owner of the car thought it was a shop pet. Turns out a young cottontail rabbit must have jumped on board when the driver pulled his car over on the way to have it repaired. The mechanic caught the bunny. It was their first rabbit - they've found cats, squirrels and even rats in cars. The mechanic took the bunny home and named him “Hitch.”

The Olympic Rabbits: Vancouver Rabbit Rescue Seeks Bunny Photos for 2010 Calendar The Vancouver Rabbit Rescue & Advocacy, a chapter of the House Rabbit Society, is looking for photos for their 2010 calendar. The theme, in honor of Vancouver hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, is “The Olympic Rabbits.” They are looking for photos of rabbits doing natural rabbitty behavior like yawning, stretching, binkying, digging, bulldozing, standing, grooming, and snuggling. Does your bunny have what it takes? Learn more: http://www.vrra.org/photo_info.htm

Hawk danger Katy Ferguson, Tasmania 17 March 2009 I thought I would share with you something that just happened! I was sitting at my computer desk checking emails with Willow (bunny) relaxing on the windowsill in the soft morning light. All of a sudden *CRASH* - I looked around to see a hawk crashing and scratching at the window! He must have seen Willow from the sky and flew down to make a meal out of him! I couldn't believe it!

BUNNY BASICS SEMINAR Thursday 23 April 2009 7.00pm A seminar for bunny owners covering up to date information on:

Willow was fairly unimpressed as you can imagine. I'm glad I had the windows shut this morning (usually they are open all the time) as he gave the fly screen a good thrashing!

* preventative health * diet * behaviour A word of warning to all those bunny lovers out there... be very wary of hawks and eagles if you let bunny outside... * housing * toilet training and even if they’re inside!!!!!!!! * and importantly, when to come to the vet A shaken Katy and Willow!!!!

$15.00 per adult $7.50 per child

Today’s modern organic farming with Nuance & Nudge Some people trying to make a quick buck in the “green sustainable organic” food zone are trying to promote rabbit as the latest “green” food.

Mount Waverley Community Centre 47 Miller Crescent, Mount Waverley Mel Ref: 70 E1 Refreshments provided Bookings essential - please call 9796 3989

www.saveabunny.org has made this really lovely & friendly video from buns Nuance & Nudge educating people that pet rabbits would be prefer to be snuggled & kissed than food on a dish. Be green and not mean. Reduce your karmic footprint with tips from hosts Nuance and Nudge--experts in sustainable and organic living.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjF2JtusL78 To see more of Saveabunny’s videos, you can view them here - http://www.youtube.com/user/saveabunny

*** BOING will be there! We’re even bringing a non dairy/egg cake to share (for those who like to be a vegan bunny themselves). So if you do come along, please pop over & say hello!!

Rabbits: Their part in my downfall – Part 13 by Nimal

Sarah the Chocolate bunny (adopted Christmas 2007) Not content with filling the house with our own adopted rescued rabbits, we started looking after other peoples’ bunnies when they went on holiday. In a way it made sense – now that we couldn’t leave the house ourselves, we might as well offer bunny boarding to help prevent other people from being prisoners in their own homes. While we enjoyed meeting new bunnies and their owners, it was a bit stressful – we were already limited for space and there was the heavy responsibility of looking after someone else’s pet and ensuring that they went home safe and healthy after their holiday. However, there was one risk that we hadn’t considered until Christmas time one year when Mopsy the bunny was delivered to our house for an eightday visit. Mopsy had been booked in to stay with us and his arrival went as scheduled. What wasn’t scheduled was the fact that Mopsy did not arrive alone. His owners also brought us a chocolate-brown lop who had been found hopping around their street that morning! So two extra rabbits stayed with us that Christmas, which was fine – it just seemed a bit unfortunate that only one of them went home! Mopsy’s folks didn’t want an extra rabbit, so we were again left holding the bunny! The stray was named Sarah and it wasn’t long before she had wheedled her way into Karen’s affections. Karen claimed that Sarah was a “chocolate bunny”, because she “melted” under the hand that was patting her. The drooping ears and long eyelashes gave Sarah a somewhat woebegone look, belied by a frisky nature that often saw us retrieving her from the top of the television or back of the couch. In one memorable incident, Sarah leaped clear over a 90 cm high barrier, straight into Karen’s arms (fortunately, Karen caught her!)

Now a convicted home-wrecker, Sarah settled in with Peanut, who decided that his main activity from now on was going to be running around after her grunting amorously. While Sarah was one of the bounciest, friskiest bunnies we had ever encountered, it became apparent that she was also unusually sensitive to any discomfort or stress. One day we found her looking particularly morose and apparently unable to move. We promptly rushed our seemingly paralysed bunny to the vet. Far from being on death’s door, our vet was unable to diagnose anything wrong with Sarah, who seemed to be in perfect health. Feeling somewhat sheepish, we took Sarah home and in a while she was hopping around again as though nothing had happened! Sarah had another moment when we temporarily moved her and Peanut to an outdoor enclosure. We had recently taken in a couple of surrendered bunnies and were also boarding a bunny, so we were really struggling to find room for everyone. Some friends had loaned us a large outdoor enclosure, which we had set up on our lawn. It was spacious, sturdy and insect-proofed, and we thought Sarah and Peanut would enjoy a bit of sunshine and running around outside. They had been out for a couple of days when Karen, looking very concerned, brought Sarah in. Sarah was listless and seemed to be having difficulty breathing – she was making a noise like a dodgy car exhaust and was moist around the nose. Once again Sarah was rushed straight to the vet, this time returning with a nebuliser and medication. This paraphernalia had cost us $200, but it was never used because as soon as Sarah was moved back inside the house, she made a miraculous and instant recovery! Apparently she just didn’t like being outside – as soon as she was back indoors her breathing was fine, she was running about and there was nothing wrong with her! And so we wait on tenterhooks for Sarah’s next bout of malingering. One wonders what she’ll fake next – bubonic plague? Mad cow disease, perhaps? Despite having given us the run-around, Sarah can do no wrong in Karen’s eyes, and even I have to admit that any bunny capable of putting up with Peanut deserves a medal!

Sarah was stationed in an enclosure next to bachelor boys Stuart and Peanut. These two happy-go-lucky bun-chums had been coexisting for some time. Sarah seemed to be getting along very well with the boys next door, so we decided to try making them a threesome. Peanut was immediately besotted with Sarah and took to following her around wherever she went. Indeed, the three of them seemed to be getting on famously for a time, until Stuart suddenly decided that he’d had enough. Opinions were divided over whether he was jealous of Peanut or Sarah or both, but the upshot was that he reverted to single life.

Peanut rests happily on Sarah’s back

Pigeon Adopts Baby Bunnies 26 March 2009 – Boulder Examiner COLORADO, US - Three teeny bunnies, orphaned by a dog attack, were barely clinging to life in an animal rehab centre when they were "adopted" by a homing pigeon in a neighboring cage. Noah, a onelegged homing pigeon who cannot be released back into the wild due to his injury, lives at the rehab centre full time. He was immediately enthralled with the baby bunnies, continually looking in their cage and even sleeping in front of their door to keep watch. One day the caretakers noticed one of the bunnies was missing from its cage. She hastily picked up Noah to investigate and lo and behold - there was the bunny underneath Noah, sound asleep. The bunny babe had climbed through the cage bars to snuggle with Noah. Now they are all housed together and the bunnies are thriving. They cuddle under Noah's wing and if one of them moves too far from his protective embrace, he gently pushes them back where they belong with his beak.

Interesting Rabbit Facts http://www.shurepets.com/pettales.htm • • • • • •

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Rabbits can be litter trained Adult bunnies can weigh between 2 lbs - 20 lbs depending on breed Rabbits can purr similar to a cat A 4 pound rabbit will drink as much water as a 20 pound dog When rabbits are happy, they will jump and twist, this is called a binky The oldest rabbit lived 18 years, 10 months and 21 days. Flopsy was caught from the wild and lived in Tasmania, Australia. Because its eyes are on the side of its head, a rabbit can see behind itself without turning its head Rabbits' front teeth are called incisors and they grow continuously through their lifespan Rabbits are not rodents, they belong to the genus Lagomorpha* Rabbits can mate as early as three months of age; gestation is 31 days with a litter size of four to 12 kits Rabbits communicate through a variety of methods, including stomping a hind leg, grunting, honking/oinking softly, and grooming each other "The Tales of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter, is the best selling children's book of all time Rabbits are most active in the early morning and in the late evening A group of rabbits is called a herd

* Lagomorpha is an order, not a genus! - BOING

RSPCA surrenders One of our newsletter members, Lauren, was curious to know if any shelters had statistics on rabbit surrenders. This is the RSPCA’s reply: Thank you for your query. On average we receive about six rabbits per week at our Burwood animal shelter. However, we also receive many more requests from people wishing to surrender their pet rabbits. Sadly our success rate in finding new homes for rabbits is very low (less than 20% are placed into new homes) and we therefore refer many people to lesser known animal welfare organisations. I do not have any statistics on the number of phone calls we receive from people wishing to surrender their pet rabbits. Our phone staff advise people that the rate of rabbit euthanasia is high and we recommend that people seek alternatives like asking friends or relatives to care for their rabbits and to contact rabbit clubs and other shelters before surrendering their rabbits to the RSPCA. I hope this gives you some idea on the number of rabbit surrenders, which is similar at all our shelters across Victoria. Kind Regards

RSPCA Customer Service

Adopt me!

Peter Rabbit Location: Melbourne

Dong Dong & Furball Location: Melbourne

Furball

Dong Dong How could you not love these two beautiful boys!! Dong Dong & Furball are urgently in need of a very loving indoor home. They are two bonded, desexed boys who need a loving home. If you are interested in adopting these beautiful little gentle boys, please contact Susana on 0416 108 583 or email her at [email protected]

Miffy Location: Melbourne Miffy was advertised in our February newsletter but is still awaiting a new home!! Miffy was rescued from a home where the family had lost interest in her after her little bunny sister died and as a result, she has been neglected for a long time. With lots of TLC and fresh food, she has blossomed into an absolutely darling bunny. She is small, of unknown breed, has been checked out by the local vet and would be perfect in a home with a gentle boy bunny or where she’d get lots of attention by older people (no kids please!!!). She did have one solitary friend in her old home – the also-neglected pussy cat, so Miffy will also be comfortable in a home with a gentle, complacent pussy cat. If you are interested in Miffy, please contact Chrissie on 0409 526 787 or email [email protected]

From Jaimi: I am currently looking for a home for a foster bunny that has recently come into my care. He is a male, fawn coloured lop. He is approx 2 years old and healthy. He has been fully vet checked. He can be a little shy at first but comes out of his shell quickly and is a very curious and sweet boy who doesn’t mind a pat. He is a large bunny who is a little uncomfortable being picked up. He loves his food and it is certainly the way to this boy’s heart. He is currently being housed indoors and his litter training is coming along well. He will be best suited to a quieter household with lots of room. Discount desexing can be organised before he goes to his new home. I have really fallen in love with this boy but with my full household and being due to give birth myself very soon I am hoping to find him an urgent home or someone willing to take him on as a foster, if not he can stay with myself as long as it takes. If anyone is interested in this gorgeous bunny, please contact Jaimi at any time on 0402 259 178 or [email protected]

Whatever happened to? Lucy (friend of Furball & Dong Dong) found a fabulous new home with one of our Bunologist members, Sian & her bunny Arthur. We wish Lucy all the best in her new home! We are so very happy that this little bunny found a good home as she was first spotted advertised on the Trading Post website. We notified the owner that giving a free rabbit away on the Trading Post is not a good idea for the bunny. Fortunately, she was really happy for help and Bella found a home with a bunny lover who saw her on the BOING adoption website page.

Clarence the SUPERSPY

Kitty was so shocked that, for some weird reason she used a laser to shoot a large hole in the roof of the burrow. ‘What did you do that for?’ James asked Kitty, finally out of astonishment.

And Queen Sunshine III. By James Robertson (pictured below with Clarence the Super Spy) ‘Wow, I still can’t believe we all got an Easter Spy Award,’ said Clarence, while taking off his top hat and bow tie. Clarence, James, Bunneary, Chief Guinea pig, Kitty, Ally and Pancake had just come back from the SPY LEAGUE, where they all got a Spy Award for a lot of different reasons. Mostly for accuracy. It was the day before Easter and it was the day that Queen Sunshine III was going to make her appearance at the Beijing stadium. They still didn’t know who was going to escort her from the Eureka Tower to Beijing, because her guards had mysteriously gone missing. James, Kitty and Clarence all put their trophies in Clarence’s sparkling Trophy Case. But Bunneary and Chief Guinea Pig would put their Trophies in their own glittering case at their house. They all lay down in the hay made chairs in the living room and took out their books, waiting for a mission. Ally and Pancake wanted to go on a mission with Clarence again, like the old days. They waited for a very long time until… Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. They all raced to the huge computer at the end of the corridor. The screen was flickering; the face of Colonel Bunny was shown. ‘Hello Clarence’s team and Pancake and Ally, the SPY LEAGUE wants you guys to escort Queen Sunshine III to Beijing. We think you will be the most compatible of all the spies.’ They were all double gob smacked, except for Ally who’d fainted in terrified shock (right).

Kitty stared at him in bewilderment (above). ‘I don’t, know? They’d got all their necessary supplies and spy weapons. They were up for a very bumpy ride before meeting up with the queen at the Eureka Tower. She was wearing a very big, black gown and a lace hat with her ears poking out of holes. ‘Very nice to meet you all, I hope you will be good enough for my escort,’ said Sunshine III while shaking Clarence’s paw. ‘So you must be the famous Clarence the super spy. I’ve heard a lot about you and your courageous team, not to forget the BOING bunnies. I’ve heard in the newspapers about how Mr. Beaver’s robots attacked you all at the Do Hop Inn. I also heard about how the so called Tessa won the annual car race and a Mr. Beaver minion was involved.’ They were all blushing. ‘Well we do have a lot of adventures in our missions,’ said Pancake from the back, although she wasn’t in any of those missions. ‘Well let’s get started. Don’t want to be late, do we?’ announced Bunneary. They all started loading their cargo onto the big spy plane. Clarence politely helped Sunshine up the stairs to the passenger deck. Clarence was going to pilot the ship with Chief Guinea pig as his co pilot. Pancake would be the beautiful stewardess. And the rest of them were just going to be passengers, like the queen. ‘Ok, everyone please fasten your seatbelts. Our first and only destination is Beijing. Food will be handed out when we are safely in the air. Now everyone listen to Pancake as she tells you all the safety instructions for this plane,’ announced Clarence through the PA system. Pancake showed everyone the safety instructions contently. Everyone was bored by the instructions, except for Bunneary who’d fallen asleep. After all that, they launched off into the open air. Pancake came around offering food like: Vegie Burgers, Carrot Soup, Pumpkin Soup, Canned Carrots, Salted Nuts and different flavours of Sappy Spy Soda. They all stuffed themselves. But they didn’t know what was ahead of them.

Bullets were being shot at the plane, but none got in. The assault had happened so quickly. The pilot tried to dodge but the plane was too big. All the passengers opened the windows and started using their weapons against the Mr. Beaver bounty hunters. Kitty was the most affective with her new Ice Block Blaster that she got in the game Crack the Walnut. The Queen and Ally huddled down in the seat for protection. Then, there was a screeching metallic sound from the bottom of the plane. Pancake, Bunneary and James ran down the set of platinum stairs and fell into the main cargo shelter. There weren’t many objects except a couple 1940s cans with some sort of fruit in them, some rusty, metal bookshelves and a big hole in the middle of the metal floor. Oops? There were two bounty hunters emerging out of the hole, holding two very big Net Blasters. James ran up, dodged the slinging nets and gave both bounty hunters a full-on kick and they fell out into the hole. James knows karate. ‘Cool,’ said Pancake and Bunneary. They quickly ran up to the passenger deck, where they saw Clarence and Chief Guinea pig getting everyone into a big orange lifeboat. ‘What are ya doing?’ asked Bunneary. They all looked up to see them. ‘I think we’re going to jump out, because the engines are down,’ said Ally timidly.

Dear Diary By Karen This month we’ve been getting ready for Easter & a few boarder bunnies coming to stay. It’s always a bit chaotic but lovely to help other people relax on their holidays and ensure their buns have an equally fun vacation whilst their family are away. Fortunately, the last month hasn’t seen too many disastrous moments at the BOING household. Of course Princess continues to get into trouble & do very naughty things. This month she took it upon herself to romp out onto our patio whilst the door was briefly ajar while I was changing the litter trays. In the split second it took to put the trays down & retrieve Princess, she had eaten a fallen flower. There was nothing I could do but to wait & hope that the flower was not poisonous!!! Fortunately, she was okay but a reminder that rabbits are very quick & curious when it comes to nibbling on unknown items (so keep those chocolate Easter eggs up high & away from inquisitive bunny mouths). Hugo & Lily have moved back outside into our garden since I finished extending one of our outdoor bunny houses. I’m very proud of their new home & they just love it! It’s sad that they’re not indoors with us anymore as we prefer indoor housing but they’re together & are enjoying much more room. Of course it is all insect proofed & weather proofed so they are safe. They love their new big fluffy blanket too!

They all clambered in the inflatable boat. They pushed it out of the open door and went soaring down. The plane went much faster, with smoke spiralling from its toasted engines. They were clinging onto the rope barriers for dear life. Sunshine was holding her lace hat so it didn’t fly away. Her big floppy dress was puffing up. Ally had fainted for the second time today! They saw and heard the plane crash down in the jungle below. They were about to land on the beach of the island also. When they were safely down Bunneary was the first one to hop out of the boat. He was kissing the sand and making snow (sand) angels. His eyes were wild and his mouth was screeching out unknown words. ‘Hey, Bunneary, are you feeling ok?’ asked Chief Guinea pig timidly. Bunneary turned around, his eyes in the wrong places. He charged up to the chief and gave her a spinesmashing hug of unfriendly proportion. ‘Doilla huggggii fourr ssssnoooow bol,’ he said in a totally different language. They all thought it was gibberish. Then, he fell asleep. ‘What are we going to do now? We’re on a deserted island, and Easter is tomorrow,’ said Sunshine solemnly.

To Be Continued…

Hugo & Lily love their new home in the garden Hugo & Lily’s old indoor home also had a minor makeover so Molly is now living in there.

Molly enjoys her new house

Windows to the Bunny Soul: Your Rabbit's Eye Health by Astrid M. Kruse, DVM http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/eyes.shtml

A rabbit's eye can become diseased or infected just like any other body part, and awareness of potential problems is just as important so you can look out for the well-being of your companion. Here are some of the conditions you need to watch for: Corneal ulcers: Your playing bunny may take the corner too fast and bump into a baseboard with her face, or get a tiny piece of hay chaff stuck in his eye. Scratching the cornea, which is the outer layer of the eye, may cause an ulcer, a wound that is slow to heal without proper treatment. Your bunny will tell you if something is wrong by repeatedly blinking or refusing to open the eye, and lots of tears that tell you to get the vet soon because this hurts! Blocked tear ducts: Dental problems, inflammation, and other sources can clog your bunny's tear

(nasolacrimal) ducts. The ducts run from the inner corner of the eye to the nose and drain the liquid tear film that is constantly formed to protect the eye (this is why when you cry, your nose gets runny). Rabbits only have one duct opening in the eye, and thus are more susceptible to blocks. The tears, instead of draining out, then overflow and leave wet areas around the eye. The condition itself is not painful, but constant tears on the face will cause skin irritation. Without care, the fur becomes soggy and matted around the eye, and the underlying skin will become so irritated that eventually the fur just peels off- events should never get to this point. Until the duct opens, which may take several visits to the vet, gently wipe your bunny's affected eye several times a day to remove the sticky salty tears (try cotton wipes and water), then dry carefully. Cancer: Any changes in your bunny's eye, from splotches in the iris to pigmented areas in the whites of the eye, call for a visit to the vet. My bunny Ginger had a cancer scare recently. Just in time for holidays in December, I noticed a dark brown lump on the white of her eye just under her eyelid, a place I only looked because the eye was being covered in my vet school anatomy class. I took her to Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Brookline to see an ophthalmologist immediately; the lump was already quite large because I didn't know to check her eyes thoroughly at regular intervals.

She was diagnosed with scleral melanoma, a very aggressive cancer in the white of the eye, and had her entire eye removed a few weeks later. The pathologist who examined the eye luckily found that the dark mass was not melanoma. Instead, the sclera had weakened and the dark part of the eye behind it was pushing through the rupture. I now check Ginger's remaining eye regularly, and when her tear ducts clogged shortly after the surgery I was forearmed with knowledge that would have been useful earlier. Cataracts: In many rabbits (and humans), the lens inside the eye becomes more and more opaque with age. This cloudiness may progress to the point where less light can reach the sensitive retina at the back of the eye, and visual ability decreases. Laser surgery can correct the problem. However, as this type of vision loss is gradual, many rabbits adapt well if their environment remains stable. Ginger is now blind in her remaining eye, and other than running into us, her mobile family members, there has been no change in her enjoyment of life. She still dashes between her favorite places and noses around for treats. Plus her special needs have forced my husband to pick up after himself and become neat! Checking your rabbit's eyes: Be aware of changes in tear production; tear overflow alerts you to a number of eye problems. Check the white of the eye for any color changes or persistent redness. Watch for color changes in spots in the iris, irregular edges to the pupil, or clouding of the cornea. Any time your bunny's eyes change in appearance or seem painful, a visit to your vet is important to clear up any of these conditions or to determine if something else is going on. You may choose to see or be referred to a veterinary ophthalmologist, who specializes in the eye of all animal species and is able to provide more specialized care for complex problems. Don't delay, as eye conditions can be quite painful or cause permanent damage leading to blindness.

** We are happy to report that Willow (as mentioned in the “Hawk danger” article) is back to his happy self after double cataract eye surgery.