Diary of Winifred's Babes: Day 3

Here are they at 3 days old.

We can see fur growing and even their little bodies have grown in this short time! Their markings are coming out and we can see so far one really white one, one really dark one and the rest are speckled with two being quite hard to tell apart at this stage.

They are individuals already- 2 of them like to make lots of fuss, crawling over everyone and scratching the floor, trying to get the best spot amongst Mamma Winifred's fur. There is one really calm, quiet guy- one of the speckled ones whose quite accomodating to everyone.

Winifred is much calmer and happier for me to come and check her bubs- she has let me watch them drink her milk twice now which is unusual for both her personality and the prey instincts of rabbits in general.  And a great pleasure for me as the noises of baby bunnies suckling are really adorable. Winifred has been timid and flighty til now and today I could pat her whilst she ate.

All things are nice and furry in the bunny nook.

Clare.

Diary of Winifred's Babes: Day 1+2

Winifred, our rescue rabbit who was meant to be a Wesley came to us pregnant from the pound. It's something to always be aware of when rescuing from pounds is that they often do not have qualified rabbit vets to sex rabbits properly. It was a red flag though when she was labelled a desexed male as those are rare in pounds- usually a desexed rabbit is a well looked after rabbit. So she was flatting with a big white boy who is now also in another rescue, safe and sound and unaware of his 7 babies now welcomed into our world.

The warning signs were obvious- Winifred had started to re-arrange in her playpen- ripping all the newspaper from inside her litter tray and arranging it into her other litter tray. At one stage I watched her drag a huge towel, after knocking her water bowl and food from on top of it, over to the "nest" she was creating. From then on anything that went into the playpen, went into the nest, Winifred sacrificing all her bedding in prep for her babes. One of her veggie meals even went in once and I had to fetch it out.

The next sign was the weight gain- big fat bulges on the side of her body and then came the fur pulling- for two reasons: to line the nest with for warmth (these lucky buns have a cashmere bun which are farmed for their fur so they get extra soft warmth) and to remove barrier to the teats.

Sunday morning 22 days after we rescued Winnie, we awoke to seven very warm wriggly pink bodies as photographed above. You can already see some of their markings and I'm told they are quite big- maybe after their dad. They were making noise and crawling all over each other with so much joy to be alive! This told us they were healthy and happy!!

We even had the pleasure of seeing Winifred feeding her children this morning, her own milk- confirming their safety. Domestic rabbits share wild rabbits genetic imprint when it comes to baby care- they do not hang next to or sit on their nest- they feed once or twice a day then watch from afar. This is because they have a scent and babies do not yet therefore they could lead a predator to the nest if they were to guard it. Many people think they are not caring for their young, when really they are using their instincts to protect them. That's the prey animal instincts for you!

Winifred and her babes will be up for adoption later in the year but we are taking enquiries now. For fostering too as I am space poor now in this bunny refuge and would love help.

They are with Sydney Pet Rescue and Adoption and can be enquired about through bunnybooksydney@hotmail.com.

Good information on domestic, wild and orphan baby care from The House Rabbit Society here.

Will keep you posted on their progress,

Clare.

Patch desperately needs a home

"Patch"

Black & White

Long Hair

Male Rabbit

Patch arrived to the Forest Animal Hospital a few months ago, and is looking for his forever home after a long rehabilitation.

When Patch arrived, having been handed in by a very concerned member of the public who found him alone on the street, he was matted and underweight. The staff at the Forest Animal Hospital and the Northside Emergency Veterinary Service have cleaned him up and nursed him back to health. He is very friendly, loves being petted and is very curious and courageous.

Patch is desperate to turn his luck around as he has actually been abandoned twice in his lifetime since his new owners never showed up for him. He is not an impulse buy, but a life-long commitment who deserves a family who will love him forever.

If you can find it in your heart and your home to adopt Patch please contact:

Forest Animal Hospital

612 Warringah Road, Forestvile 2087

Monday - Friday 8am-7pm

Saturday 8am - 12 noon

(02) 9451 4840

Northside Emergency Veterinary Service

612 Warringah Road, Forestvile 2087

After Hours

(02) 9452 2933

Bonding Bunnies

1. Desex both bunnies

Most bunnies would love a bunny friend, however, finding a perfect partner and bonding rabbits is not as simple as people think.  Rabbits are very territorial and aggressive when another bunny enters their home.  The best bondings are a desexed boy & a desexed girl and best if they pick out their own friend.  Bringing just any bunny home and introducing that bunny to yours will just end up in tears and trip to the vet when one of the bunnies gets hurt.

2. Let your bunny find their own friend

The best thing you can do (if your bun is desexed) is to take your bun along to a shelter for a "bunny date".  Your desexed bun is introduced to a number of desexed buns and they can equally agree who they find the nicest bun to live with.  The best place to do this in Melbourne (assuming you're in Melbourne) is the Australian Animal Protection Society in Keysborough where they have a fabulous bunny adoption program.

3. Bringing home a new bunny
Saying all that above, however, it doesn't mean smooth sailing even if your bunny finds a friend and all seems good at the shelter.  When you get home, it's still your bunny's territory so you need to change all towels, rugs and thoroughly clean out the litter tray (preferably get a new neutral tray that both can claim).  I find it better to re-introduce in the bathtub when you get home (with a towel on the bottom) so you can see how they go when home.  If they seem to be okay, you could put them together in a neutral zone with all neutral things and supervise.  If there's any chasing, humping or aggression, you'll need to keep them separated until they get used to each other.

4.  Introducing your buns safely

A barrier helps when you bring a new bunny into the home.  Swap each bun over into the other's territory so they can smell each other's zone and get used to each other without any close up contact.  Keep swapping them over every day & introduce in a neutral zone for a short time every day until they start to groom each other, snuggle & share food together.  By that stage, the buns are usually very happy together unsupervised.

From Boing Online - a great Melbourne based site for rescue buns. 


**In Sydney I recommend contacting Porsches Small Rescue.

Rupert and Evie need Desperate help!!!

MELB: Rupert and Evie's mum is moving to Queensland for her job- sadly there are no bunnies allowed there (they incur a huge fine and are put to sleep) so she has to leave them behind.


These very loved companions are adorable and follow each other around, Evie is very protective of Rupert and they are such a joy to watch together.


Rupert has some special needs to do with his teeth but just requires an injection each week- his mum is supplying 5 months worth for him. Besides that they are healthy and happy and come desexed and vaccinated.

They need urgent help and can be either adopted or fostered by a caring person who can make them part of the family indoors. Even if you are not in Melb, let us know if you can help.

You can contact me for more info on bunnybooksydney@hotmail.com or Suzanne who is helping rehome them on: she_suz@yahoo.com.au

Porsche's Small Animal Rescue

Belle:

Belle is a calm, cuddly possum. She is a sophisticated blue-grey Chinchilla rabbit in her first years of life. Her previous owners surrendered her to the pound much to our shock as she is the most kindly mannered, sweet hearted girl with so much love to give. Put her on the grass outside and she'll express all her joys with binkies (literal jumps, leaps and flips which express extreme happiness) and will flop out, snuggled into her own fur when she is relaxing inside. She is very clean, litter trained and enjoys playing with her toys- we think shes a smart girl! She will cuddle with you on the couch or in bed and would make a beautiful companion.

Belle would like to find a home with people who can make her part of their family and that can give her daily cuddles and playtime. Can you give this special girl a second chance?

Belle comes desexed, vaccinated and is litter trained and very clean. She enjoys oxbow pellets and fresh oaten hay and fresh vegetables from her foster's garden :)

Leia:

Leia came to the pound as a stray before she came to us. She has really come out of her shell to reveal a rascally but adorable bunny who needs lots of love and affection. Sit with Leia and she'll jump all over you, and sniff around your face, ears and if she can make it up onto your shoulders and onto your back she will! She has lots of energy for a girl whose endured some tough trials. Though curious and seemingly mischievous, she is very well behaved, litter trained and not very fussy. She is happy as long as someone is loving her. She'll give lots of attention to you in return and will amaze you with her funny quirks.

Leia would like to find a home where she is made part of the family and not confined to a small hutch or cage. She'd make a wonderful companion if someone could give her, her turn at a second chance.

Leia is desexed and vaccinated. She is litter trained and very clean too!! 

Contact bunnybooksydney@hotmail.com to enquire about fostering of adopting Leia.

A Hutch is Not Enough

Grant of $1.3 Million to Support the Development of Rabbit Virus for Cancer Treatment

The Health Research Council of New Zealand had provided a $1.3 million grant to support the treatment, being developed by the Southern District Health Board Oncology Research Unit and the University of Otago Medical School.
The research is believed to refine the figures that have marked the Southland with maximum number of bowel cancers and aimed to draft policies to enhance the treatments along with a modified virus that had destroyed the rabbit population.
Chris Jackson, SDHB consultant Medical Oncologist while addressed a meeting of Freemasons and the public at the Southland Masonic Centre, on Tuesday, and notified that during the 1990s, the virus for rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) had decimated the rabbit population in New Zealand, particularly in the regions of Central Otago.
However, the latest treatment involves the mechanism of bioengineering in which the drained shell of the virus called virus-like particles (VLPs) is used to stimulate the body immune system against the cancer.
The involved attaching tumor-associated proteins to the VLP shell like "a tail" to stimulate the cancer immune response in order to target the terrible disease, cancer. "There's room for hope and a lot of room for optimism, but there's a need for a new direction”, he added further.

Sourced from here.

Terence Blacker: Standing up for rabbits' rights

Concern for animals has a slightly unfortunate political pedigree. Hitler was tender-hearted towards pets. Alan Clark, famously sensitive to the plight of animals, was once asked if his concern extended to humans; "Curiously not," was the answer. The BNP likes to boast about its firm line on animal rights. Nick Griffin's party-political fireside chats see him with a cat – strangely of mixed race – curled up on his lap.

Yet I am almost certain that it was not a sudden lurch towards fascism that convinced me that the RSPCA's current campaign was not an entirely ridiculous idea....

Read more, from the Independent.