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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 # 6, July/August 2003.

Dear Friends,

You may have had to wait a little longer than usual for your Carrot Chronicle, but we can guarantee it was well worth the wait. We have updates on events, baby bunnies and our new unit. Sadly we have a number of furries to commemorate too but we are certain CC will still put a smile on your face. If you would like to contact us or subscribe to our emailing list either call the sanctuary on 0161 973 5318 or email carrot.chronicle@btopenworld.com. If you have a sanctuary rabbit and would like to give us an update we would be delighted to hear from you. Enjoy the summer holidays, Susie xxx.

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As the summer holidays have approached, and now arrived, rehomings have significantly fallen. This is not just unique to our sanctuary but with all rescue and rehoming centres across the region. We are hoping things will pick up soon and in the meantime let us tell you who has gone where during June and July.

Sebastian finally left us when it was love at first sight with his new girlfriend. Our beautiful silver fox lop has gone to live as a house rabbit in Didsbury and is blissfully happy.

Ellie and Dinky were whisked away to Staffordshire and are delighting the whole family with their antics. This is the latest update: ?Ellie (Princess Chiara) and Dinky (Toffee) have settled in nicely into their new home. They adore having a run around the garden. Both have met the cats and all get on well, even to the point of touching noses. When they run around the garden, we have to make sure we keep an eye on Chiara, otherwise we find her in the kitchen! They love herbs, especially parsley and basil. Both have found their way up and down stairs.?

Peter has gone to a fab new home and is settling in really well as a house bunny in Glossop. His slaves are first time bunny carers but spent many months researching & reading up on the idea before taking the plunge after finding us on www.rabbitrehome.org.uk

Winnie and Wincie have gone to live in a wonderful, outdoor set up with underground purpose-built tunnels and warrens! Bradley and Buttercup were originally scheduled for this home but her ladyship Buttercup wasn?t having anything to do with Bradley in a hurry! The two girls are settling in really well and the family are very happy with their new arrivals.

Velvet, one of the 3 black upeared bunnies that came in together, has found herself a rather handsome boyfriend. The bonding process has begun but may take a little longer than first anticipated, paws crossed it will work.

Finally Barney-McGrew found himself a beautiful girlfriend called Sophie ? a lionhead lop eared bun. Barney?s original owner has emigrated to Australia, which is why he needed to find a new home ? and he did!

Reserves

We only have one definite reserve at present and that is on Buttercup. The potential adopters have a male house bunny and live next door to one of our trustees who is also rabbit mad. So fingers crossed the homecheck goes well and that Buttercup actually likes this rabbit!

New Arrivals in June and July

Well as with oh so many other sanctuaries/rescue centres across the region we have been overwhelmed with the number of calls we are receiving to take in unwanted animals. Perhaps it is because the holiday season is upon us and people can?t or won?t find boarding for their pets, or perhaps it is all the babies being produced? Needless to say we are overwhelmed once more and we have had 9 new rabbit admissions.

Found as a stray and brought to us by the Altrincham branch of the RSPCA, Charlie Parker went straight into foster care due to a lack of space at the sanctuary. He had at one time been mauled by a predator and his left ear was split in half and missing a significant amount. He has proven to be an absolute mentalist and the love of Susie?s life. He has delighted everyone with his wonderful personality and spraying wee-wee charm! (Take a look at Bunny Heaven.)

Beautiful, beautiful Mary arrived in June and 3 weeks later out popped 8 babies! She was allegedly found as a stray but she was definitely pregnant prior to admission so could it be the people knew she was going to give birth? Who knows? Anyway, we were beginning to have our suspicions she was pregnant, when a few days prior to giving birth her teats began to show. Examination of her tummy proved puzzling, as there was no lumps or bumps. She is a very slender rabbit anyway but there was just no indication of wrigglers in there! Then one Thursday morning her hiding box was full of fur for the first time and careful examination revealed 8 babies, one of which had died. We left her nest well alone, and after 10 days decided to change the bedding and discovered that only 4 had survived. These 4 wrigglers were massive and by the end of the week their eyes had opened, they were fully furred and the cheeky white one was venturing out to play around the run and to eat mum?s food. What an absolute delight!

Mary has always been incredibly friendly and nosey and has been absolutely fine about us being with her babies. Take a look at the pictures!

When Lou-Lou came into us she had an enormous abscess on her face that looked like it had gone untreated for quite sometime. She went straight into foster care with the fantastic Prime family and is making a remarkable recovery thanks to their dedication and hard work. Lou-Lou is a white lop eared rabbit with black splodges ? she is a pretty girl that is full of life.

Miss Mischief was brought to us because her owners were not prepared to pay for her dental care. She is a happy little lady and has settled in really well at the sanctuary and she is the most unusual looking bunny ever! Mischief is a lionhead (dwarf-ish sized) with Himalayan markings ? pictured right.

Last but by no means least is a little guy named Stuart. Just as I was relaxing after the long and busy day at the Rabbit Care and Advice Day I received a call at 8pm from volunteer Debbie Fairhurst saying she had just managed to capture a stray rabbit that was in a very bad way. Locals had told her he had been around for about a week, and both us of were so relieved we had him as he was troubled with dental problems. His fur was all matted, he was stuck with poo, his eyes were streaming and he was very underweight. He was named Stuart after Debbie?s neighbour who found him that night.

After a week of medicines and food he was well enough to undergo a dental and castration and we are delighted to report he is doing really well. Stuart is a lovely little fella, who adores a tickle and a run up the stairs. And you can tell he is feeling better as he is being far pickier over what dried food he?ll eat!

New arrivals named by Bunny Birthday Club and Sponsored Hutch members

Mary's name was chosen by Heather Wallace as part of her Silver Sponsored Hutch. It was her Grandmother?s name, who sadly passed away 7 years ago. What a fitting tribute.

Movers and Jumpers

Snowbell and Holly sadly had to be separated after Holly attacked Snowbell and hurt her. These weren?t the first signs of ?fall out? between them and although it was a tough decision it has proven the right one, as Snowbell especially is a lot happy. She has moved into foster care and gone from Susie?s to Gwyn?s house (lady with Dill and Amber ?yum buns!) until we have space for her at the sanctuary again.

Oscar has come out of foster care with Gilly. After Nocturne attacked him and the little man needed his face stitching up he went to be loved and looked after by the Primes. It broke Gilly?s heart to bring him back, but he has settled well but is just desperate for attention ? so please give him a tickle.

Reenie and Cookie They are now neutered and vaccinated and approx 6 months old and looking gorgeous and want a new home. It was very difficult for their foster mum Karen to part with them after spending so many months looking after them since they were just a few weeks old, but Karen has done a grand job and should be very proud ? her girls have grown up! Cookie is pictured right.

Hermione - alas the little lady didn?t take to her potential new mate and after over a month of hard work, Ann (her temporary slave) had to make the tough decision to give up as her bunny George was going off his food and becoming very miserable. Hermione is a lovely rabbit, and there is a lot of her to cuddle. She needs to be a lot more active and would really suit being a house rabbit on her own with a lot of freedom. She is a love bunny ? won?t some bunny give her a home?

Special Feature

Rabbit Care & Advice Day Update
Sunday 20th July 12noon to 4.00pm

We are all really proud of our facilities for rabbits at the sanctuary. As well as inviting the general public to bring along their pet rabbits, we sent invitations to pet shops, veterinary practices, animal welfare students & lecturers and animal sanctuaries in the North West. We wanted to show our high standard of care and to provide some inspiration on how best to look after rabbits.

On the Day

To our immense surprise people were queuing with their rabbits 45 minutes before we opened. Pictured right, are people still arriving at 3pm! Many had travelled considerable distances too.

We kept records of each rabbit that came for a health check and gave their owners detailed recordings of our findings. We also gave each owner an information pack, containing details about rabbit health and welfare. We saw approximately 40 pet rabbits, of which 24 we vaccinated.

Volunteer Michaela Halliwell worked tirelessly showing visitors around our facilities, which generated a lot of interest, and homings are imminent.

These were just two of the bunnies we saw on the day. We advised the owners that the male also needed to be neutered and they willingly accepted our advice and agreed to do so. The bunny girl was found to have a broken rib, but it was a well-healed injury that was clearly not causing her any discomfort. This injury was unbeknown to the owners and we advised to handle her carefully. Otherwise, they were both in great shape.

Two teams of health checkers worked really hard on the day ? Susie Hughes & Jacqui Wood, Karen Scott & Gilly Prime ? all workers at the sanctuary, foster carers and highly experienced with rabbits. Staff from Ashleigh Vets in Chorlton, who are exotic pets specialist, oversaw the teams. The ?exotics? qualified vet and nurse also administered the myxomatosis vaccinations.

Pictured Left

A young carer learns more about her rabbit Ozzy, and decides he needs a bunny companion.

The health checkers wore disposable aprons (changed between each patient) disinfected the examination tables with Vet Ark spray and cleaned their hands after handling each rabbit. Boy was it hot in those aprons!

We were overjoyed with the turn out, and at just how many people cared about their pet rabbits. Common findings were overgrown claws, fur mites, overweight rabbits (one of which was fed custard creams!), rabbits not getting enough exercise and rabbits fed incorrect amounts of dried food or the wrong types of vegetables, most commonly lettuce and white cabbage.

Pictured right

Ozzy having his bottom, scent glands, claws and hocks checked over. He didn?t mind one bit.

Inevitably we did come across a few cases of very ill rabbits. One had a massive breast tumour, which had spread all the way up to her chin and down to her genitals. The vet examined and advised the owners to urgently seek veterinary attention at a practice (she has since, sadly, been euthanised). Another rabbit had an abscess on the end of its nose that again needed urgent veterinary treatment. An equally saddening case was that of a 6.5 years old Dutch rabbit named Fruity. For over 18 months he had barely been able to eat, the owner?s vet had diagnosed kidney problems. In the last 6-8months all that Fruity would eat was bananas (we were shocked to learn it was 4-5 a day!). He had all the classic symptoms of dental problems. Streaming eyes, very matted paws, loss of fur under the chin and drooling from the mouth ? yet they had gone unrecognised by their vet. Fruity was hunched and clearly in discomfort. We advised the owners to seek veterinary attention at Ashleigh the very next day but that he may not be well enough to make it through the anaesthetic and they may be facing a tough decision. We all shed a tear and gave him a cuddle. He was a beautiful little man, who was clearly very ill and in pain.

A follow up call to Fruity?s owners two days later yielded some great news. Not only had the owners taken Fruity to the vet the next day but they had gone all the way to Ashleigh vets (quite some distance from their home). For the first time Fruity had a blood test, which revealed his kidneys (and liver) were absolutely fine. He had in fact had an enormous spur on one of his molars and as we spoke he was at home recovering well from his surgery. What a triumph! And, his owners even said they would see us at next year?s health check, to which we remarked ? ?with Fruity!?

A lot of the feedback we got from visitors was how much they had learnt. Our aim for the day was to educate people and to improve the lives of pet rabbits. The turnout from people who had come down to learn was great and there was something for everyone. We even had a workshop for children to make pop-up rabbits!

We had displays of hutches (good and poor ones), indoor cages, examples of different types and quality of grasses, straw & hay, as well as plants poisonous to rabbits (including wild ones). We had interactive games teaching how difficult it is to care for longhaired rabbits, the best vegetables to feed, and how much dried food to feed rabbits (accompanied by free samples). There were also exhibition displays of ?popular rabbit myths?, medical information including dental and neutering procedures, the prevention of flystrike, as well as product promotions, rabbit toys ideas, and information about rabbit fur farming and cosmetics experiments.

The Rabbit Welfare Association was also on hand to give out literature and advice, and Bunny Bazaar were on site selling their highly prized bunny treats and toys, and practical wares.

All items that were donated by companies and individuals were given away free or used as prizes. Although the day was never intended as a moneymaking opportunity we did have refreshments on sale and a few games to play and to our delight we raised ?250!

Thank you so much for your help and support, as without it we would not have succeeded. The day was an overwhelming success and we are looking forwards to doing it all over again next year ? hopefully with your help once again.

NEW RABBIT QUARANTINE UNIT COMPLETED ? yippee!

Look how fantastic it is! We completed the unit at the beginning of July, thanks to the hard work of Claude Prime, Steve Knowles, Susie Hughes and Gilly Prime. There are 6 runs (7ft by 4ft) made from galvanised steel and heavy-duty perspex. The bunnies play happily all day and night and have really settled in well.

Rabbit Welfare Fund Conference 2003

Essentials of Rabbit Health, Behaviour and Nutrition:

2nd November 2003 - The Moat House Hotel, Bedford

Essentials of Rabbit Health, Behaviour and Nutrition:
2nd November 2003 ? The Moat House Hotel, Bedford, 9am - 5pm.

The Rabbit Welfare Fund?s trustees have announced details of the 2003 RWF Conference.

After the success of last year?s conference, which was heavily over-subscribed, the trustees are confident that this year?s conference with its distinguished panel of speakers will be as popular.

This year?s conference will be held on Sunday, 2nd November at the Moat House Hotel, Bedford.

Speakers and topics:

• Paul Flecknell (Anaesthesia, analgesia and peri-operative nursing)
• Dermod Malley (Urinary problems)
• Sharon Redrobe (Abscesses and Clinical techniques)
• David Crossley (Dental problems)
• Anne McBride (Rehabilitating nervous and aggressive rabbits)
• Christine Huggett (Nutritional support and the needs of convalescing rabbits)

The event promises to be a fascinating and educational day for Veterinary Surgeons, Veterinary Nurses, rescue workers and all rabbit owners. From feedback received from the last RWF conference in October 2002, all groups of delegates found the conference extremely interesting and felt it extended their knowledge of rabbit health and behaviour in many ways.

As you can see, for the 2003 conference we have also added a nutrition lecture into the programme.

The trustees are positive that the topics covered by the panel of world-class speakers will again prove enlightening to all delegates.

The venue, the Moat House, in Bedford is situated alongside the Great River Ouse and offers first class conference facilities as well as comfortable and affordable accommodation for those wishing to stay the night before and/or after the conference. Accommodation details for the Moat House and other hotels in Bedford will be sent to all delegates who book a place at the conference. Delegates must organise and book their own accommodation, and the price of accommodation is not included in the conference ticket price. Those wishing to stay in the Moat House will receive a discount on their accommodation if they mention that they are attending the RWF conference when booking their accommodation.

The conference hall can hold a maximum of 400 delegates. Coffee provided during a mid-morning break, tea during an afternoon break and a buffet lunch are included in the ticket price.

Trade stands will be present from companies, including: Burgess Supafeeds, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Bayer, Novartis, West Wales Willows, Vetstream, Petlife International and Abbott Animal Health.

Bedford is well served by main-line train replica watches services and on the same line as Gatwick and Luton Airport Parkway stations. It is approximately 1? hours from London by train, and about 20 minutes by train, from Luton Airport Parkway station. The Moat House is just 10 minutes from Bedford station.

By road the M1 junction 13 to the A421 or M1 junction 11 to A6 are the closest motorway links, and it is just a short drive from both of these to the Moat House. Travel directions and details will be sent to delegates with confirmation of their booking.

The cost of the conference is ?50 for RWA members and students with a valid NUS card and ?65 for all other delegates. One-day conferences of this calibre are often priced at well over ?150.

Although there are 400 places available, due to the easily accessible location, world-class speakers and inexpensive ticket price, the RWF trustees anticipate a huge demand for places, and are advising delegates to book their place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

To book a place, please print off and fill in a booking form (one for each delegate) - www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/RWA/conference.htm - and send it together with your cheque, made payable to: The Rabbit Welfare Fund and an A5 1st class SAE (for confirmation of your booking, accommodation and travel details) to: The RWF 2003 Conference, PO Box 603, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5WL. Bookings must be received by the 21st October 2003.

Further information can be obtained from the event organiser Claire King by e-mailing: cking_bunnymad@hotmail.com

Please ensure you have read and accept the conditions of booking before sending off your booking form.

Conditions of booking

1. Full payment must be made at the time of booking.
2. Cancellations by delegates:
   All cancellations must be notified in writing. We regret that we cannot offer refunds for cancelled places, unless we are able to re-sell the ticket, in which case we will refund the ticket price paid less a cancellation fee of 20%.
3. Cancellation by the organisers:
   In the unlikely event of cancellation of the event by us, the ticket price paid will be refunded in full. However, we cannot be responsible for consequent expenses incurred by delegates.
4. The organiser reserves the right to amend the programme or speakers.
5. Bookings must be received by the 21st October 2003 and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Lamby-bear says?.guess who?s been staying in my house?

Alice (above) stayed with her friend Peekachoo ? smallest rabbit in the world! Alice is spirited as ever and caused the humans a scare when she grew a cancerous tumour ? overnight! It was swiftly operated on and biopsy results confirmed that it had all been removed. Alice is her usual self ? a beautiful mAlice, and Peekachoo was such a little dink-pot.

Harriet and Harvey arrived whilst Susie was writing CC. All I can hear is her squealing over the little man and remarking how much Harriet has grown. Harriet spent the first 2 hours thumping, but has finally shut up and they both now seem really content and are munching away.

SUMMER OPEN DAY ? Sunday 10th August 12noon to 5pm

Fancy spending a fun-filled Sunday afternoon with lots of friends ? furries and humans alike? Well come along to our main event of the year - the Summer Open Day.

There will be lots of stalls and games to play to suit all ages and interests. Fancy a rummage through bric-a-brac, books, cds and videos? Or perhaps you will get lucky at the raffle or tombola, or maybe you fancy treating yourself to some hand-made crafts?

Bunny Bazaar will be on site too and there will be refreshments and speciality ice creams. There?ll also be music (and laughter) with the ?Fun Dog Show? and there will also be a dog agility course for your canine friends.

If that wasn?t enough you can also win tickets to see Atomic Kitten at MEN arena in December ? now what more could you wish for?

Peggy Henderson?s 90th Birthday Party!

As many of you know, Peggy founded the sanctuary back in 1965! She still lives on site and is going strong, and keeps us on our toes by keeping a watchful eye over us every day. Peggy?s 90th birthday is a truly tremendous reason for a celebration, so if you are a volunteer and fancy wishing Peggy a happy birthday we will be holding a party at the sanctuary on Saturday 6th September from 6.30pm onwards. Contribution toward food and drink is very welcome, and you can bring your own alcohol too. If you would like to make a donation please see Gilly in the office.

Carrot Chronicle has been promised a full update very soon but in the meantime we hope you enjoy this beautiful picture of our special man Hagen with his lady Spring. It took several months to ?bond? the pair and now look at them!

As many of you will remember Hagen was a resident at the sanctuary for an extraordinary amount of time last year ? all because he was an albino bunny. We think Hagen is yummy-scrummy and it looks like Spring agrees. His slave Rachel is similarly besotted with him!

TINKER (and Miffy?s) STORY
By Barbara Peters

As most of you are aware I made a very fatal error in visiting the Sanctuary?s Easter Fair by (almost) coming back with more than I bargained for. I fell in love with the contents of the last hutch in the bunny barn. A very small, black/white Dutch bun, then known as Starsky. There was just something about that little rabbit that caught my eye. I very sadly left him with a ?teddy? (christened ?Miffy? by the staff of SAA) I bought to keep him company until we met again.

Well I collected him a little while ago and bought him home via the tram, lunch at Yates Wine Bar at Manchester Piccadilly (where he was quite the centre of attraction), a bus ride and a visit to the corner shop. 3.5 hours later Tinker was in a much better state than I was, as he had had a nap on the train.

I had arranged quite a large run for Tinker in my bedroom filled with tunnels and toys via a removable indoor/outdoor run so he could meet my rottweiler of a Lionhead Doe -Zippy-Zoo, who also lives in my room. At first I thought I had made a terrible mistake to attempt a bond as she was doing her normal aggressive act. She received a scold and a warning that if she didn?t behave like a lady should she would be consigned to the front room. Tinker was here to stay!

When I awoke the following morning both rabbits were settled down side by side with the wall of the run in between. Later that morning I decided to let Tinker out to see what would happen?well my Sunday joint was consigned to the freezer for another day as I lay on my bed watching the fun. Both rabbits were excited and just running around together with only one mild scuffle whilst they decided who was going to be top bun. I?m still unsure who won that ?round? as Tinker is no ?wus?. They have made a great twosome with Zippy doing most of the grooming, and it is great to see them side-by-side eating wallpaper or listen to them under the bed gnawing the wood. The other great thing about Tinker is he likes to play with me, and I like nothing more than to sit on the floor playing rag-rag with his blanket, rag and roll with the scrunch, and toss the loo roll, or a chucky toy. Low and behold a certain little lady also now brings a toy over to me for a play. Wonders will never cease!

And Miffy, well Tinker still brings his teddy out from under the bed in the mornings, it moves around the room during the day, has plenty of washes, has a nap in the afternoon and disappears back into the burrow at night. What else could a nice little teddy want??

Oscar left the Scott family and all his furry friends behind in June. Oscar was a very special gentle giant of a doggy who loved the bunnies as much as his human companions.

Look at Buzz and April snoozing alongside Oscar ? that?s why he is in Bunny Heaven.

Oscar fought his arthritis valiantly and was very much loved and admired. R.I.P. Oscar ? you are greatly missed.

Sammy, our beloved bunny who took so long to find a permanent home last year, had a wonderfully happy 9 months with Tricia and Keith. She certainly kept them on her toes, especially during her springtime hormonal activities (yes, she was neutered!), and filled their lives with joy.

Sammy will be very much missed by many of us who shared their homes and their love with her. R.I.P. Sammy

Saxon was well known to hundreds of us bunny lovers and it is with great sadness that we share the news that he has passed away. His slave, Claire King, is understandably devastated by his loss but is so thankful that he shared his life with her

We will all greatly miss Saxon?s witty column ?Saxon Says? in Nibbling News (Rabbit & Rodents Enthusiasts Club magazine), and we send Claire our best wishes. R.I.P. Saxon.

Charlie Parker was a mentalist. He spent his life following me around the house, circling my feet or simply enjoying a tickle and a cuddle from ?his Susie?. He had unlimited energy and was up and after you the second he clapped eyes on you. Even in the middle of the night when you went to the loo he would bomb it straight upstairs to see you. Monday night he was his usual self, but the following morning I found him in a catatonic state under the stairs. He hadn?t eaten something he shouldn?t, and the vets were perplexed but thought it was something neurological going on. Two days later there was little improvement and we were back at the vets. He passed away in the vet?s arms, the stress of blood taking proved too much. The bloods revealed liver and kidney problems but not necessarily the cause of his catatonic state. His sudden and dramatic illness and death has taken its toll and he is desperately missed. At least he had two very happy months with the freedom to be Charlie P-P. I love you very much P-P, R.I.P.