The Carrot Chronicle is brought to you by the North West Rabbit Welfare Project, who kindy let it feature on Rabbit Rehome. If you have any queries regarding the newsletter, appeals or rabbits in it please contact them directly not Rabbit Rehome.

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	Chronicle is the monthly newsletter for The Northwest Rabbit Welfare Project. The project is part of the Society for Abandoned Animals located off Dane Road in Sale, Manchester. The Altrincham/Cheshire branch of the RSPCA generously supports the project by paying for the costs of neutering, vaccinations and food basics. www.welcome.to/rabbitproject www.abandonedanimals.com

Issue # 4, May 2003.

Dear Friends,

Can you guess who that is reading CC? It’s bunny rabbit Clara. Thanks to her mum for sending in this fab picture. As you can see Clara has really settled in to her new home and clearly has very good taste! If your bunny is a fan of CC then please send in a picture to: carrot.chronicle@btopenworld.com alternatively if you post a photo to the sanctuary we will return them to you. Contributions to CC are always welcome so if you have something to share then please do!

Best wishes as always and we hope you enjoy your latest CC, Susie.

Sharing news of rehomings is undoubtedly the best part of the job. We are not short of good news stories this month, which is a good job once you read about the number of admissions we have had this month! www.rabbitrehoming.org.uk is partly responsible for a number of our rehomings and reserves and we are delighted with the response we are receiving.

The first furries to leave were Harriet and Harvey. They have gone to live with a lovely family in the local area who have custom-built their new home to our specifications. Within a week they are showing signs of settling in well, though Harriet is giving them the run around when it is bedtime!

Sandy was the next lucky lady to leave. She had to bonding session with her new fella Hector, an equally stunning lop eared bunny. His mum is an experienced rabbit carer and found out about us through Ashleigh Vets, in fact we even have her new mum on board as a weekend volunteer. Bonding is slow going at home at the moment but Gina (their mum) is taking things slowly.

Foxy lady got a reserve on her on the Open Day and boy has she struck lucky! She has a new companion called Rocky, a 10 month old black lop (yes, he does have black-lop syndrome – a mentalist obsessive) Curiously he is a little fella for his age but no less stunning. The bonding went well on first try and so Foxy went home to start the process of bonding. Little Rocky was all hump and no trousers where as Foxy just seemed very calm and unphased. We think she’ll be like a mummy/carer to Rocky until he grows a little older. They are both house rabbits.

Bobbi stole the hearts of visitors to the Open Day too, and they came back to us after some thought and put a reserve on her. The family have a fantastic set up in Warrington. They have two bonded pairs of bunnies that live in deluxe accommodation outdoors, but Bobbi’s new companion lives indoors. They had two bonding sessions together and things seemed very promising so Bobbi went on her way. And if it transpires that Bobbi is a bit too much of a black lop mentalist in the house and starts shredding the place then her and her new mate can move into deluxe accommodation outdoors too.

Keegan is the last bunny to leave us this month and we are all going to miss him. From a urine-stained, unhappy, unwanted child’s pet to the ‘personality of the Bunny Barn’ it was no surprise to us that he won the affections of visitors to the Open Day. His new family had travelled all the way from Birmingham just for the Open Day and instantly fell in love with Keegan and spent the whole day mauling him in the barn! His new family was known to a few of us and it was unsurprising they passed their homecheck with flying colours. He seemed to take the journey home well and as soon as they got back he was out in the garden bobbing around. The family have promised to send photos of him and keep us up to date.

Reserves

Now on to reserves – Starsky was another lucky fella to win an Open Day visitor’s affection. In case you didn’t already know, it was Auntie Barbara who fell in love with him. She loved his attitude and playfulness and just wanted to steal him there and then! Well, there have been a few delays but the homecheck takes place this week and we will let you all know the outcome in the next CC.

Rufus – do you remember him? Fawn and white Dutch bunny that was miserable when brought in for rehoming so after a week went back in to foster care with Karen? Well Karen has worked her charms on a family member who already has a female housebunny and it looks like Rufus is destined for a new home with a lady companion, we’ll let you know how things went next CC.

A family that found out about us on www.rabbitrehome.org.uk have been visiting us since March. On their first visit they fell in love with Sebastian but knew that their lady housebunny needed neutering. Two weeks ago their bunny was neutered and they came back to put a reserve on Sebastian. The family are all in love with Sebby and visit him regularly. A homecheck will take place shortly and we hope that Sebby will be on his way by next month.

Finally little Twinkle, our bunny that was abandoned outside a pet shop in St Helen’s, has well and truly stolen the affection of visitors who also found out about us through the rehoming website. They are experienced rabbit owners who love a bun with attitude and they are having their male bunny castrated so Twinkle can be bonded with him. Again the homecheck will take place shortly and we look forwards to sharing her departure with you next month.

New Arrivals in April

We have had a staggering 14 new arrivals this month – to say we are stretched to capacity is somewhat of an under statement, and at one point in the month there were actually 42 rabbits in our care. None of this could have been possible without the dedication and support of our foster carers.

So let me tell you all about the new arrivals.

Helena explains in greater details about the 9 bunnies removed by RSCA Inspectors under Lucas’ story, but here is a brief run down:

There are two males living together (a lot happier now that they have been castrated) and they are Ren and Stimpy. One is a white lion head with black panda eyes - he is stunning. Whilst his matey is a little netherland dwarf with Himalayan markings! This little guy is ever so friendly where as his matey is still a little nervy – still, there are plenty of kissy opportunities here.

Bob is a little agouti lop fella with a really bunny-munchkin face about him. He has a terrible abscess on his ear and has been in some pain with it. He was lovingly cared for by Gilly and Helena but when the treatment of Dupaphen (a troublesome injectable antibiotic) was prescribed he came to live with Susie and Steve. His abscess is coming on a treat and he seems to be in a lot less pain, however he is very nervous and through fright he will have a bit of a box at you – god only knows what he has been through for him to be in such a petrified state.

Next up is Bradley, a lovely white and tan lop with ears that touch the floor! He is making remarkable progress and his various wounds are healing well. He is an explorer bunny and is constantly on the go! Castration coming shortly…much to my relief.

Finally the last to be removed by the RSPCA Inspectors was Buttercup and her four babies. Sadly she rejected the babies and they have been being successfully hand-reared in foster care. Buttercup will be coming into the sanctuary early in May. She is an agouti lop whilst her babies are two black, one chinchilla grey and one agouti. Because they are so young they are all still up-eared but no doubt some will turn lopdy. They were approximately 3 weeks old when they were brought in.

The day after we had the panic of finding carers for all these bunnies a member of the public brought us in Biggles. A gentleman had found this beautiful harlequin lop cowering down the side of his house the night before and captured her and kept her overnight in a box. We received his call the following morning and were told she smelt quite badly. This truly was the understatement of the year as when we turned her over to begin the health check her stomach and bottom area was just one swimming mass of diarrhoea and puss. The smell filled the entire office – she was in such a bad way we couldn’t even tell what sex she was. Her claws were over an inch long and she was understandably petrified. She went straight into the vets where she was sedated and cleaned, even her bobtail had to be entirely shaved and it was discovered she was infected with syphilis. She remained at the vets in isolation for 5 days and is making a fantastic recovery and has won all of our affection. She is the most sex mad over-friendly bunny going and has already won the heart of volunteer Michaela and been renamed Sunshine. She has gone into foster care with Michaela and once fully recovered will be adopted by her. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease and we can only assume she was kept with other males (though how she wasn’t pregnant we don’t know) and we think perhaps once she had become unbearably smelly and ill the owners must have released her rather than seek veterinary treatment. She had clearly been in that state for sometime.

Guess what, it didn’t stop there! The next week we received a call from a woman whose rabbit had prematurely given birth during the night and died, leaving 4 newborn baby bunnies. It transpired that this woman bred lionhead rabbits and wanted us to rear them for her. We agreed to take the babies but not to return them. Gilly also spoke to her about breeding and responsibility. It was such a long shot that the little ones would survive and despite all of Gilly’s and her parent’s efforts 3 of them died the following day and the last one died a day later. But thank god we have Gilly and her family who are expert hand-rearers or else these guys would not have stood a chance of survival in the first place. R.I.P. Little Ones.

New arrivals named by Bunny Birthday Club and Sponsored Hutch members

The name Bradley was nominated by volunteer Debbie Fairhurst as part of the Bunny Birthday Club. She said she chose the name, as she rather likes Brad Pitt. In fact when Debbie met Bradley she took quite a shine to him and remarked he did indeed look a bit like the movie star!

To register contact Gilly or Susie.

Movers and Jumpers

Malindi has moved out of foster care with Susie and is now awaiting a new home in the Bunny Barn. She was a pleasure to have around the house, even if she was a bit of a trasher! She has gone from a freaked-out flying furball to a chilled and loving companion. She isn’t best chuffed at being moved into the barn so the next time you are visiting please stop for a chat and a tickle with her.

Sebastian has moved into the Bunny Barn from Isolation and is being very generous with his affection.

Remember Muffin who went to live Phoebe but they didn’t get on, but the family had fallen in love with him regardless and wanted to keep him? Well after a further month of home life Muffin had become quite subdued and the family were just so worried about him being on his own and being miserable that they made the really tough decision to bring him back in. We are all so sorry that little stud Muffin didn’t want to stay in his new home, but the family made a very tough but wise decision to let him find happiness elsewhere. Needless to say Phoebe is as chilled and settled as ever and ruling the roost.

Society for Abandoned Animals United!

With changes in management at the Sanctuary (primarily having a bunny nut as the new Manager) we are now re-organising our finances. The rabbits are now seen as a fully integrated part of the sanctuary, having equal priority with the dogs and cats. As a result, we are very shortly closing the bank account that was opened for the rabbit project when it first started. It will be much easier to manage and to be accountable to the Charities Commission in this way. Many of you kindly send us donations, so please note that in the future cheques will need to be made to the "Society for Abandoned Animals". Please send them for Helena's attention, and if you wish your donation to be used specifically for the rabbits please add this with a covering note. If you don't specify, it will be added to general funds and applied where there is the most pressing need at that point in time (I'm sure you realise that general costs which benefit the rabbits have to be met from somewhere too, e.g. staffing, telephone bills, heating, light and water). We are continuing to receive a budget of up to £500 per month from the Cheshire (Altrincham) RSPCA branch, which covers virtually all the vet bills and dried food/bedding supplies.

Thank you all for your continuing support, Helena Brailsford (General Manager).

Appeals and Ideas

SPRING OPEN DAY - SATURDAY 12th APRIL 2003

As many of you know we raised a phenomenal £1460.45 on the day. The other charities in attendance have also reported they had a wonderful day and raised lots of cash and awareness too. So with the success of the event we are set to make the Spring Open Day a regular event.

But by far the greatest of importance was the Bunny Photo Show that took place on the day. And the winners were...

In the Naughtiest Bunny/Bunnies category the winners were...

In 1ST PLACE was TINKER (pictured right) He is Michaela Halliwell’s bundle of trouble.
	In 2ND PLACE was FUDGE (pictured left) Sue Cornell is the doting slave to this gorgeous bunny-bum. (apologies to Sue for the reproduction of this image in black & white)
In 3RD PLACE were BUNGLE & GIDDY (pictured right) These terrible twins clearly rule the roost at Helena Brailsford’s house.

In the Laziest Bunny/Bunnies category the winners were...

In 1ST PLACE was BUZZ (aka Buzz-nutter) He is the pride and joy of our very talented pet portrait lady and foster carer extraordinaire – Karen Scott.
	In 2ND PLACE was APRIL (pictured left) April lives with Buzz...so is Karen boring them to sleep? What is she doing to them?!?!
In 3RD PLACE was that naughty TINKER again (pictured right) Well, you can see why Michaela’s bun won in this category too!

In the Cutest Bunny/Bunnies category the winners were...

In 1ST PLACE was BERTIE (pictured right) Rachel (now Hagen’s mummy) was proud to have shared her life with this little cutie. He is sadly missed but not forgotten, R.I.P. Bertie.
	In 2ND PLACE was PIPKIN (pictured left) This yummy scrummy fella lives with Martin and Debbie Doyle. Good job they live in Birmingham or else I would have had to have bun-napped him too! (I want their bunny Teddy as well.)
In 3RD PLACE were ARTHUR & LUMPY Loved and cared for by Susie and Steve. Arthur passed away in March 2002 and Lumpy sadly died on the 23rd of April this year. R.I.P. all my furry friends and make sure you all look after Lumpy. I can assure everyone that our judge, the Society’s Chairman Roy Gunton, although a lover of bunnies did not know who they all belonged to – it wasn’t a fix!

North West Rabbit Care & Advice Day on Sunday 20th July 2003

In response to recent press coverage, see below for instance, we feel it is imperative to spread the word about rabbit welfare across the North West. We have a one day event planned to encourage rabbit owners to bring their rabbits along for a FREE ‘Bunny MOT’ (including claw clipping), and on hand will be expert veterinary advice. We will have a small team of very experienced rabbit staff conducting rabbit health checks, plus an educational exhibition area accompanied by rabbit volunteers who will be on hand to offer further advice on everything from litter training to bonding.

There will also be refreshments, rabbit crafts and rabbit themed games to play as well as the chance to meet the bunnies. We are also currently in talks with the Rabbit Welfare Association to run this with their support and involvement. We hope to have widespread publicity throughout the region to encourage as many members of the general public, previous rabbit adopters and other animal sanctuaries to come along on the day.

If you would like to help out at this event we would be delighted to hear from you. Contact the sanctuary on 0161 9735318 or email carrot.chronicle@btopenworld.com We really can’t run this event without experienced bunny people on hand, all existing volunteers are urged to help out on the day!

NEW RABBIT ISOLATION UNIT UPDATE

The metal work is now in place and the industrial perspex is soon to be installed and then we are ready to go! Before we move the bunnies in though we want to do a weekend overhaul of the bunny barn. So very soon we will be calling upon your help one weekend to help us temporarily relocate the furry guys to the new unit, clean out the barn and paint it….so watch this space to see how you can help.

DANDELIONS Friend or Foe?

If your rabbit has been unwell or has an operation, dandelions are one of the best foods to start them off eating again. They love them. I have also read during my research into weeds that a few per day can brighten the eye and bring a shine to their fur!

However, a word of warning they are also calcium rich. I have a Lionhead who leaves a dry white stain in her wee and I have been busily redefining her diet to reduce the amount of calcium she has (other than her mix) and to get her to drink more and have been feeding dandies! Aunty Barbara’s head not on straight!

Although I still give her a dandelion leaf a day I am now feeding her more yarrow, also a diuretic and plenty of sticky weeds, which she adores.

So what are STICKY WEEDS?

THE HUMBLE “STICKY WEED”
I have been feeding my rabbits on this rather prolific weed all winter without knowing its true worth in nature’s medicine chest - protection against kidney stones. It can be a bit of an “acquired” taste at first, but they will love it in the end. Feed it along with Yarrow.

Most kids will recognise this weed it sort of grabs you as you walk by. I have a patch in my back garden, and you’ll find it almost everywhere, parks, under trees, and pathways. Those of you with dogs and cats probably have to pinch the seeds out of their coats in September when they’ve come back from a walk or with your cat a mooch around the “estate”. This year plant them in the garden. (source of recommendation for feeding sticky weeds was the ‘Rabbit Nutrition’ book .)

The following can be found at www.petplanet.co.uk, it originated as a larger article in THE TIMES newspaper on 18th March 2003. I’m sure many of you read it or at least heard about the controversy it caused, but we just wanted to let you know that the Rabbit Welfare Association took action….read on!

The article:

Rabbits Bite Off More Than They Can Chew

Rabbits are the latest pets to suffer weight problems as they become the nation’s ‘new cats’.

New statistics from the PDSA, veterinary charity, show that health problems in rabbits have increased dramatically as the popularity of these pets has grown rapidly over the past five years, making them the nation’s ‘new cats’. The knock-on effect however is that they are the latest pets to suffer from severe weight and dental problems as pet owners ‘kill them with kindness’.

Rabbits have now become the third most popular pet* and in recent years have become the ‘new cat’ for time-poor pet owners believing them to be a low maintenance pet. According to the survey carried out amongst the charity’s vets, who treat over 4,500 pets free ever working day, this new pet ownership trend has led to a rise in the number of rabbits enduring an unnatural lifestyle. Rabbits are frequently kept in small spaces, which decreases exercise and leads to boredom eating. They are also often deprived of essential grass-grazing, high fibre diet, sunlight and sometimes fed inappropriate high calorie treats.

These factors have contributed to about one in three rabbits now being overweight leading to severe problems. Fat rabbits have an inability to control their body temperature, so can develop heat stroke in warm weather leading to respiratory problems. Female rabbits that are too fat may fail to breed, and as well have an increased susceptibility to pregnancy toxaemia, which can be fatal. The worst problem, however, is the rabbit’s inability to clean itself properly which can result in maggot infestation during the summer.

This new rabbit lifestyle trend has also led to worrying dental problems for over one in ten rabbits. Of these, 69% are dwarf breeds suffering from gruesome tooth overgrowth and spikes on their back teeth. This can cause a rabbit to starve to death, as they cannot eat. Dry mix feeds and unhealthy treats do not offer rabbit teeth the chewing exercise required. This means that they are only used for crushing instead of grinding as nature intended.

Additionally, keeping rabbits indoors deprives them of sunlight necessary to help them to make vitamin D, which is used to absorb calcium, essential for keeping bones healthy.

These warnings come as PDSA launches its annual PetCheck Programme to promote responsible pet ownership across Britain from a purpose built mobile vehicle. With nearly half of all British households owning a pet, PDSA is educating and encouraging people to think carefully about the best way to care for their pets to prevent unnecessary illness.

Despite health warnings from PDSA last year, the nation’s dogs and cats are still suffering from severe weight problems; nearly 50% of dogs and 20% of cats in the UK are overweight.

Elaine Pendlebury, PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, comments: "Weight and dental problems are an increasingly common ailment, particularly for rabbits. Oral disease is one of the most prevalent conditions in veterinary medicine, which is worrying when a healthy mouth is of paramount importance to an animal’s general well-being and quality of life. Feeding rabbits a grass-grazing, high fibre diet will not only help their teeth but also will aid their digestion and help to keep their weight down. Make any dietary changes gradually, under veterinary supervision, and you will be helping your rabbit have a happier and healthier life. "

Marilyn Rydström, PDSA Director General comments: "The results of our survey reveal some very worrying trends in the welfare of our pets and these issues must be addressed and acted upon immediately. We believe the PDSA PetCheck Programme will help us to reduce the number of avoidable conditions that vets see every day, freeing up our precious resources so that PDSA veterinary surgeons and nurses can concentrate on caring for critically ill pets when sickness or injury strikes. "

Claire King, Trustee of the RWA, advises “we contacted the PDSA whose study all this originated from and indeed they had been misquoted on some of it, which is no surprise at all with the press!”

Claire kindly forwarded the following letters:

Printed in The Times on Wednesday 26th March:

From Dr Linda Dykes
Sir, Pet rabbits get fat (report, March 18) due to an unsuitable diet and inadequate exercise, regardless of whether they live indoors or out. House rabbits enjoy far more opportunity to exercise than their hutch-dwelling counterparts, most of whom are confined in spaces so small they can barely move around.

Anyone keeping a pet should strive to cater for the physical and behavioural needs of the species. For rabbits, this means space, company (preferably of another rabbit) and a grass/hay based diet. These needs can be met either by keeping pet rabbits free-range, hopping about (but destroying) the garden; or inside the family home, trained to use a litter tray.

The real problem in welfare terms is the solitary rabbit locked in a small hutch, coupled with owners who do not understand how to care for and feed their pet bunny.

Yours faithfully, Linda Dykes (Rabbit Health Liaison Executive), Rabbit Welfare Association, PO Box 603, Horsham, RH13 5WL.

From Miss Penny Yates
Sir, As a veterinary student I find that obesity certainly is a problem in this increasingly popular species, simply due to ignorance of owners, who think they are being kind providing excess commercial rabbit mix. Hay and grass are important for natural wear of rabbits’ teeth Poor nutrition is almost always the reason for the rabbit visiting the vet.

Yours faithfully, Penny Yates, L21 Agnes Jones House, 1a Catherine Street, Liverpool, L8 7JZ.

SPECIAL FEATURE by Lisa Hodgson

HELP SAY NO TO ANIMAL TESTING!

From birth to death these poor rabbits, unlucky enough to be bred for animal experiments, must wish and pray for the day they die, when finally the fear and pain stops forever!! THERE IS NO HOPE, NO REPRIEVE. THEY NEVER GET OUT ALIVE!!

Every 12 seconds in the UK an animal dies! Thousands and thousands of rabbits and other animals are subjected to severe pain, fear and agonising deaths unnecessarily FOR US! And only we can help stop it by buying cruelty-free products. Please read about the tests done and make up your own mind if they are acceptable and next time when your out shopping for L’Oreal, Max Factor, Pantene, Vidal Sassoon, Oil Of Olay, Persil, Fairy Liquid, Domestos amongst many other products tested on animals please think again, put it back and buy cruelty free. We can make a difference and for the sake of these poor creatures we have to!!

TYPES OF EXPERIMENTS

There are a broad range of animal experiments used to test cosmetics and toiletry products. These are some of the more commonly used tests.

DRAIZE EYE TEST

Eye irritation studies. This is where chemicals are dropped into the eye of the conscious rabbit, often immobilized in stocks. Rabbits don’t have as much tear flow as we do and so are less likely to ‘cry away’ painful substances. They also don’t have any blink reflex so cannot stop the process. Damage to the eye is recorded over a number of days and they will often not receive pain relief and will suffer in silence.

SKIN IRRITANCY TESTS

The back of the rabbit (or guinea pig) is shaved and test substances are applied to the bare skin. Over one to two weeks any redness, swelling, inflammation, skin cracking and ulceration are recorded. Again, no pain relief is normally given.

THE LD50 TEST (LETHAL DOSE 50%)

This is a type of toxicity test. This involves poisoning a group of animals with increasing doses until half the group dies, in order to establish the substances ‘lethal dose’. The substance is administered by either force feeding, injection or inhalation and usually without pain relief. This test has been widely criticised as being crude and unscientific as well as causing extreme suffering. The LD50% (oral toxicity) test was banned in the UK in 1999 but elsewhere in the world the test is commonplace.

MY CRUELTY-FREE SHOPPING GUIDE

This is a list of all my favourite cruelty free products and where you can easily get them. Contrary to belief they are not more expensive or poorer quality than many of the big name brands. I personally find them cheaper and there is a wide choice available to suit your taste and needs. Why not at least give them a try and SAVE MONEY AND LIVES!

• BARRY M- offers a wide range of cosmetics. Available mail order at www.barrym.co.uk
• BODY SHOP- offers a wide range of cosmetics, toiletries and gifts all at great prices! Available in most high streets.
• CHARLES WORTHINGTON- a great range of hair care products that work! Available from Boots the chemist.
• CO-OP SUPERMARKETS – offers everything for the home from household cleaners, shampoos and deodorants to toothpaste and washing powder. Just check for the BUAV logo, and in the absence of that read the labelling for further information.
• LIZ EARLE - exceptional range of natural skin care products (no animal ingredients) worth every penny. Available from QVC shopping channel or order easily online www.qvcuk.com
• MEADOWSWEET- range of perfumes made with no animal ingredients based on well-known fragrances. Available mail order form www.meadowsweet.co.uk
• PAUL MITCHELL SYSTEMS- a professional range of hair care products available from many hairdressers.
• SUPERDRUG- cosmetic range Kolor and many other own brand toiletries and household products.
• TESCO- huge range of own brand cosmetics, toiletries and household products at great prices and earn club card points too.
• OTHERS TO TRY- Aldi (own brand), Beauty without cruelty (cosmetics), Bettaware (household products), Clarins (skincare), Cachet (perfumes), Nisa (own brand), Pets choice (pet foods), Primetime (pet foods), Sainsbury’s (own brand), Sommerfield (own brand), Tissard (aromatherapy), Woods of Windsor (toiletries) and many more.

For a full list of products contact Naturewatch www.naturewatch.org email info@naturewatch.org

For a copy of The Compassionate Shopping Guide priced at only £1.50. Or BUAV www.buav.org email info@buav.org for a free copy of the little book of cruelty-free.

GOOD NEWS

At last after more than a decade of campaigning by the BUAV the EU has now voted for a total ban on cosmetic testing across Europe – however, unfortunately it won’t come into effect until 2009. They also voted for a EU ban on the sale of new cosmetics tested outside of Europe -staggered between 2009 and 2011. Due to a loophole there could be further delays if industry can argue that insufficient non-animal research techniques have been developed and validated by 2013. We need to keep up the pressure and the best way is to boycott products tested on animals.

BUAV CRUELTY FREE WEEK JUNE 2003

What better time to show your support. Join the BUAV on the launch of their first cruelty free week. Check out the website for more info. www.buav.org and spare a few minutes to sign their petitions.

DON’T FORGET! ONE DAY WITH OUR HELP THE NIGHTMARE OF EXPERIMENTS WILL BE OVER!

Perhaps the next time you reach for that all-important product that you just can’t live without, you should picture your own rabbit being subjected to animal experimentation. What’s the difference between your rabbit and a bunny in a laboratory? None. So make that change today.

Giddy & Bungle by Helena Brailsford

Having lost all three of my elderly bunnies within a period of 2 months, I decided to take stock and think about what I really wanted from my next bunnies. Having nursed one of my old crocks for over 6 months, I decided the ideal solution would be a pair of young bunnies to have some fun with and bring a smile back to my face.

Being at the sanctuary is like working in a sweetie shop – how on earth do you choose from so many gorgeous bunnies? In the end the decision was made with some not so subtle encouragement from Gilly to adopt Giddy and Bungle, two females from the litter hand-reared by her from a few days old and then from 5 weeks old cared for by Karen.

When they arrived they were 6 1/2 months old. I wanted fun, and boy did I get it! Anyone taking on teenage bunnies should think carefully – they are hugely entertaining as their personalities develop and emerge, but also hard work and very naughty!

They were allocated their own bedroom, and settled in really quickly. They had an old rug over the carpet, but we had to have a rethink on layout as they pulled it up all round the edges to get at the carpet underneath. A barrier or two later and with careful positioning of toy box, cage and dig box, we were back in business.

They had completely litter trained themselves within 4 days of arriving and are still really clean. They have a cage but it’s left permanently open. I love to relax in their room with a glass of wine in the evening whilst they clamber all over me and chew my clothes. One evening I fell asleep on the floor to be rudely awakened by a bite on the bum from Bungle!

Bungle is chief digger and Giddy chief chewer. I’ve lost count of the number of chew rings, twig balls etc they have gone through, and they love their log tunnel and the yellow pages. They are very confident, but still don’t like to be picked up. They’re learning though (clipping claws is a hazardous task!). Giddy had a trip to the vets with a shoulder injury recently, which I can only assumed she sustained from crashing into something at speed, but all seems ok now.

The photo was taken 3 days after they arrived – I think you’ll agree they settled in fairly quickly!

Lucas RIP by Helena Brailsford

I know we all enjoy seeing the happy pictures of rehomed bunnies, but I think it’s also really important for people to understand the issues we face at the sharp end of rabbit welfare. That’s why I have decided to share Lucas’ story. As most of you will know I have close links with the RSPCA, and the Altrincham Branch fund our bunnies to the tune of £500 per month. Consequently, when we get a request for help from an Inspector, we always do our best.

We were requested by Inspector Thornber to take in a rabbit she had removed from a home where he was being neglected, suffering from an abscess. The picture isn’t pretty, but it shows what I was dealing with. Lucas was a beautiful natured orange rex who had received a bite wound from the other unneutered males he was being kept with. It was the worst abscess I have seen, and was initially treated with injectable antibiotics and aggressive cleaning to keep the wound open. He was also seriously malnourished and suffering from digestive problems.

I cared for Lucas at home for 12 days before he finally succumbed to severe enteritis and was put to sleep as he was losing his battle for life. He didn’t stand much of a chance, but the ironic thing was the abscess was beginning to heal quite well. I think the combination of drugs was just too much for such a weak system, but at least he had 12 final days of TLC.

We admitted 3 further rabbits from the same house later that week (Ellie, Peter and Dinky), and after we took a further 4 adults (Bradley, Bob, Ren & Stimpy), plus a mum and 4 three week old babies (Buttercup plus Button, Tinker, Bomber and Twilight), the house concerned is now rabbit free. The Inspector is keeping a close eye to ensure they don’t re-stock. Bradley and Bob had lived with Lucas and both had injuries; Bob has an ear abscess and Bradley had been bitten severely around his genitals and ears - both are with Susie and Steve whilst they recover.

A Tribute to Rosie by Helen Perry

Helen is a friend of the sanctuary and is a Silver Hutch sponsorer. It was thanks to Helen’s swift thinking that little Twinkle found her way into our care after being dumped outside a pet shop in St Helen’s. As part of her sponsored hutch package Helen also nominated the name Ellie for allocation to a new arrival (she is pictured on the left with companion Dinky on the right).

Here in Helen’s words she explains how she became a rabbit fanatic and fondly remembers her beloved Rosie.

I first looked at rabbits at Christmas of 1998 in a pet shop. They were all busy eating and sleeping, and I thought how lovely the all looked; twitching noses – never still. Later on in July 2000 I was drawn to a litter of five, all different and one smaller than its brothers and sisters. For reasons not for me to understand I could not stop thinking of the smallest one. The next time I paid a visit a week later all four had gone to new homes, leaving just the tiny one on her own. This tiny little beauty was a girl. I put a reserve on her, and she came to us on August 5th 2000. Very quickly she started to show her character and to my delight recognised my voice.

She was in a hutch outside with a run and a patio umbrella over her in the sun when it started to get too hot. I grew to love her in a way I couldn’t have thought possible, and not having had a rabbit since childhood, thought as I now naively see, this was how rabbits were cared for. I soon found out by October when the colder weather and the heavy rain came that it really hurt me to go to bed at night knowing she was outside alone. Many were the times I got out of bed and looked through the windows to check on her.

Eventually in the November she was brought inside. It was cold and wet and I couldn’t leave her out any longer – a house bunny now! Due to our family life I wasn’t able to let her have the run of the house but she was able to be free in one room from morning until evening. She knew my every move, and even when I put my shoes on to go out her eyes were never far away. She ran round in greeting on my return, and she chose how to spend her day; with a lot of company, and returning to her home each night almost to the minute and to her own accord. She adored being brushed and never objected to ears and eyes being checked and wiped.

In late August 2002 sadly she suddenly took ill and went into the vets. She spent several days there under observation but by September 9th I heard the good news that she was eating her hay and bobbing about. It sounded good and we were hopeful. When I rang early morning the following day I received the tragic news that she had passed away in the night. My shock was immense and no one at the vets could tell me how or why she had died.

For two years we shared so much and many many hours together. She gave me love, companionship and many laughs. My one regret now is that I couldn’t give her the run of the house. Even though I know I could not have cared for her more, I feel on that count I let her down.

She has left a huge hole and the pain does not get any less, but because of her loss it brought me into contact with the Rabbit Project at the Society for Abandoned Animals and the like minded group of people with the common goal to help these adorable little creatures. Everyone there gets all my admiration for the hard work and dedication.

I urge anyone who may read this to keep all they can, either financially or in kind by giving donations or when able to take in one of these bundles of fun into their care.

I have such a lot to thank for my rabbit for whose name was Rosie. In her short life she gave me more than I could have ever expected. She looked at me with such love it used to almost make me cry. The reason why I say more than I could give her is that in reality they ask for so little but give so much. Animals give unconditional love, and we humans could learn so much from them and as I have discovered, a rabbit is able to give so much fun too.

I send my love to all the furry little souls in the care of the sanctuary and hope so much they all find homes and families to give them the care and attention they truly deserve – my Rosie would want that for them all.