TILLYS BURROWS

Rabbit Tales

Lucky

The story starts with a rabbit called Lucky. A black cross breed English which i bought with my parents as a child of 12 at local pet shop.

she was a frail, sickly looking rabbit with short ears and a sad face and was in a 2ft hutch which she could just about give one hop to the other side of the cage.

I fell in love with her straight away and pleaded with mum to buy her. My wish was granted, we left with her the same day. We named her Lucky because lucky for her we had rescued her from that awful shop.

At home my younger sister had a brown agouti Abyssinian guinea pig called George, and the two animals when introduced became best of friends. They would have a game in the curtains where the guinea pig would run in and out of the curtains and the rabbit would follow him. He would call her in his squeaky little voice and she would come running then they would repeat the game. George would do little skips like a lamb as Lucky caught up with him. When he was caught Lucky would then wash George all over and George would create a rumbling sound in disapproval as he had been caught. Lucky would put her ears up and come to me when called and the guinea pig learnt to follow.

Although these games were amusing to watch, being a problem bunny from the start, and me being an inexperienced owner we didn't realise the implications of buying a sick looking pet shop bunny. She had constant problems with her bowls. She would bloat and get blocked up although she was on a healthy diet of hay, veg,fruit and dry food and had plenty of exercise. I took her to the vet, but they said to continue with her diet and exercise.

Then one day i checked on the rabbit and guinea pig as usual before going to school. Later that afternoon i got called from class to be told that my dad was at the office and he had to explain to the headteacher that i had a dentist appointment. This was odd, as i had not been told of any dentist appointment by my parents. As we left he said, ' its Lucky. She's in the house and not looking very well. She is crying in pain and we don't know what to do for her'. My immediate instinct was to get her to the vet. I got home, called her and she lifted her head from the bed and cried. My mum had made in an old drawer into a bed for her. She had been given a homemade pillow and a blanket. Lucky was trying so desperately to greet me that i had to hold her down in her bed.

We rushed her to the vet, and i left her with the nurse until after school, when i returned to the surgery. There was nothing they could do. even though i had done what i was told there was nothing that could be done. Her bowl had totally packed up and was blocked from end to end and she had died within half an hour of me leaving her.

I was so upset and cross with the fact that there was nothing that could be done for this rabbit and that for all of her life she had to put up with this illness. Unfortunately for George he had lost his best mate and I think it took its toll on him too. He was never the same guinea pig after loosing Lucky, he was always crying and looking for her. He would not accept another guinea pig.

Within months he developed Mange and needed veterinary treatment. When i was little the vets did all the bathing for mange where as now there are other treatments to be administered at home.

He had to go back to the vet twice for his baths which was a very stressful process for him, and with the shock of the treatment along with the fact that the second time round he was not totally dry when he was handed over to us, he caught pneumonia and died 2 days after his second treatment. it was a real shame as the mange was decreasing and we thought he would pull through the treatment. So Little George went to the field in the sky to be with Lucky.

Yes. This is a sad story to start with. But it show the implications when buying a ill looking rabbit from a pet shop. It also shows the love between two different animals and what loosing one can do to the other. They may not be human, but they still have feelings. George and Lucky showed me this in their own way.

Bonnie and Badger

Bonnie was another extreme case. Yes, she was another rescued pet shop rabbit. Albino mini lop with deformed teeth. She came to us with her Guinea pig mate who we called Badger, another Abyssinian, black and white.

Bonnie was a gorgeous rabbit who luckily was of a bright nature when she was bought at a reduced price. With malocclusion she had to see the vet every 4 weeks to have her teeth trimmed, but that didn't bother her one bit. She formed an unusual bond with me, as well as having badger as her pal. We harnessed her up to go into the garden with an extension lead attached(she was never left alone on the lead for safety reasons), and she would hop on my back as i laid in the sun on a blanket and sunbathe flat out on top of me. I knew not to let her do that too long being white as well as i didn't want her overheating, and she had full access to water when she was out.She would come to me when she was called and would understand that i had to open her mouth and check her teeth daily. In the winter she would have a pet carrier box constantly open all night, in my bedroom and she would hop on to the bed, crawl up to the pillow and wash my face all night. Many a time mum would come in, in the morning to see bonnie laying flat out and fast asleep above my head on the pillow.If she needed the toilet she would hop off the bed and go into her box. I only ever had two accidents with her messing when she was still young.

Badger in the meantime would stay in the box, he had the option to come out but preferred his own comfort. In the mornings he would come running out of his box squeaking for his morning meal as i was getting dressed. He loved his grub.Bonnie would have her afternoon ritual of running around pushing her beach ball around and trying to hurdle it.

Then came another sad event (yes another one). Badger was constantly whimpering and sitting in the corner of his cage straining. I took him to see the vet, thinking it was a bladder infection, but the worst was to come, he actually had a golf ball size tumour in his abdomen which was causing the pain to his bladder. Operating was not an option, so he was put to sleep. He was a 4 year old

Bonnie was now looking lonely, so i decide to buy her a friend. A rescue who i called sooty. A very aggressive unwanted female rabbit, who needed alot of attention and care. The days when i came in from cleaning out were memorable due to the bites and scratches that i received from her. you couldn't say that they were love bites either. She was very territorial and protective that i thought that the match would not work, but i could not send her back, as all bunnies need a chance to prove themselves. Bonnie and Sooty surprisingly were a match made in heaven. They loved each other. Bonnie was a good influence on Sooty and built up Sooty's confidence. Handling was still a problem but i was able to hand feed her and check her over in her cage. She was just suffering from fear aggression. What made a young doe so frightened it would throw such a big tantrum was anybodies guess. Persevering i was eventually able to handle her. Bonnie accepted me with her new mate as she always somehow trusted me and sooty began to show a little bit of affection on her own grounds.

Bonnie was happy and soon forgot that badger was not there although if i mentioned his name her eyes would light up and she would peer out of the cage as though she was looking for him, so she had not forgotten him totally, she just learnt to come to terms that he was no longer there.

Unfortunately for Bonnie not all ended well. her teeth started to cause her more problems as she reached 4 years old. She started to find eating difficult so i took her back to the vet in between check ups to see if there was anything that they could do. Taking into account that i was still at home and young, and surgery was not an option there was nothing they would do. They gave me antibiotics for infection that was building up. They said that all of her teeth roots were over growing and that it would of been impossible to remove them as her quality of life would be nil. They said that she would have a few more good months at least. The antibiotics seemed to work on the infection and after a few more vet trips she looked well and was eating as normal. More events came soon after that, and overnight she developed a lump above her left eye. another trip to the vets was due and i was given more antibiotics for the infection. At this point she demanded in staying on my bed with me on her favourite pillow and groomed my head as usual. In the middle of the night she crawled onto my chest and nudged me and grunted for me to wake up. I noticed she was developing a discharge from her nose, she had actually woke me up to tell me about it. She was shaking and obviously frightened about being ill. I cleaned her nose for her and put a dab of Vick's cream on top of her nose to make her breathing easy and covered her with my duvet. She fell asleep on me for a few hours by which time it was 6am, by which time her breathing was laboured. She tried to follow me when i got up but couldn't, so i wrapped her in a blanket and took her down stairs with me. She licked my hand laid down and died.

This story does not end here with the problems of rabbits with teeth problems. I have rescued many since with similar problems. It is very distressing to think about the amount or rabbits with malocclusion, who are kept by novice owners. Its not the owners fault that the rabbit is like this, it is all down to the breeder, either trying to breed the perfect rabbit or novice breeders breeding for fun or to make a bob or two.

Sooty

Sooty's story does not end here she lived to the ripe old age of 9, She never took to another rabbit. But she absolutely adored Our guinea pigs Jessica and Daisy. But that's another story...

Parsley and Jasper

Jasper was a Black and white English Spot. He came to me with teeth problems which was to later on take his life. He was a nervous rabbit who was always on the alert and very shaky when someone came near him. He was in need of a companion, and i had just the right rabbit for him. Parsley. Parsley was a Seal point doe who came from a bad home. She was rescued from a person who bred Newzealand White rabbits, ferrets and Terriers. The rabbits never had freedom and this rabbit was bought and penned up in a hutch by itself. The local animal welfare could not do anything about the Newzealand rabbits as they looked well fed and sheltered, which was very infuriating. But this one rabbit was being neglected. The person could not look after herself never mind taking on another rabbit, due to being ill.With determination I talked the person into giving me the rabbit. The poor rabbit was in a right state. She looked so sad. Her coat was dirty and full of fleas, her nails were overgrown, she was quite thin and very nervous, she did not like being handled, although she never bit me. I took her to the vet for a check up and they said that she was in such a state that they dared not neuter her at this stage as she would not make it through the operation. Through perseverance and lots of cuddles her character started to come out and she started trusting me a lot more. I put an old armchair in the shed and she would run around my feet and climb up my legs for a cuddle. She would sit and wash me and then run back down to play with her toys. I now felt that she was ready to have a companion. At this point i still had Sooty, my black doe who had lost her best friend, Bonnie. She had her Guinea Pig companions when she was in the 8ft x 8ft run, who she treated like her babies, but she had her own hutch.( I am not a big fan of keeping rabbits and Guinea Pigs in the same hutch, that are any bigger than the Guinea Pig, due to getting injured. In the run the Guinea Pigs had plenty of small hide aways and lots of space). I thought to attempt to put Parsley in the run in an unscented area of the garden and to add Sooty after. I Sat in the run with the two rabbits, and regretted it. Parsley was charged at by Sooty five minutes after introducing her to the run, Parsley ran and hid behind me for protection, then i got a beating too off Sooty. She lunged at me, tooth and claw, and sank her teeth deep into my wrist. I had to get the little vampire by her scruff with my free hand to release her. with blood dripping from my wrist, I called Parsley who jumped into my arms. Sooty has been traumatised that much by Bonnie's death that she was never going to accept another rabbit.

I was now in another predicament. Parsley still needed a friend. This is when Jasper came into my home. With dental problems he was another rabbit in need of special care and regular visits to the vet. Firstly he was neutered, settled in and handled as much as possible. He was a very heavy bunny so with his nervousness this wasn't easy, but it was essential of health checks and bonding. After a few months of roaming around the garden on his harness and extension lead, he finally spotted Parsley in her cage. From then on he would not leave her alone. He kept coming to me for reassurance at first as he had not experienced a lot of rabbit contact and felt it all strange. I then had the idea to get Parsley on her harness and to walk them together. With vegetables in hand i led them onto the lawn and put the food down in front of them. They instantly started eating, and in doing so got closer and closer to each other. Their noses touched and there was instant affection. Parsley washed Jasper straight away, and when i went to put them to bed, Jasper jumped straight into his hutch and Parsley followed. From then on they were together until Jasper passed away after a fit due to root problems 3 years later.

Cuthbert

Cuthbert, yet another tooth problem rabbit, was a Newzealand white bought from a pet shop as i was told by a good source that the rabbits were going to go back for slaughter due to their size being too big to sell. My friend bought Cuthbert's brother too for the same reason. They were rabbits with great character and we could not let this happen to them.

At the time Parsley was again on her own and being the type of rabbit that she is, i knew she would welcome another bunny into her life, as she was so gentle and understanding of her surroundings. Cuthburt first developed spurs on his teeth at a very early age. He was six months old and i was taking him for neutering and asked for his health check and teeth check to be done while he was asleep. So as well as being neutered he had his first dental. I knew this was something to be observed regularly, during his life he had another two teeth trims and a wobbly tooth taken out. The vet said had very slightly abnormal molar positioning hence the wobbly teeth, but other than that his teeth were in good nick and his dental work was minimal due to his diet of Excel rabbit food, Hay and veg. Everything seemed well but i knew he was always going to be on borrowed time.

It was now mid summer and I left my fluffy friends for a week with my parents while I went for a relaxing holiday in Wales. My mum phone and told me all the rabbits were well and they had all had their daily freedom of the garden. I was talking to my husband about getting Parsley neutered when we returned home because her health was great now. It had taken me this long to get her this far and she could now withstand surgery. We returned home the Saturday and I booked her in for the following Thursday for surgery. All the rabbits were well and were health checked over the weekend and there was no complications or illnesses. Then another tragedy struck Tuesday before the surgery. Parsley seemed a little wobbly on her back legs. She was eating fine and very lively but one of her legs was not supporting her body. I took her straight to the vet, and in the consultation it was confirmed that she had ovarian cancer. I was to late!! What I was trying to avoid had happened as if by magic. Parsley had been sick for a while and it had not show at all until the final stages of the disease. I was choked. My work had not paid off this time, although she had a good life with me there was no saving her and the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep. She crawled to me for her last cuddle as the injection was prepare, as if she knew her fate. She didn't flinch a muscle when the vet did his job. Parsley had been kind and gentle and trusting to the end.

Cuthbert wasn't alone for long. I obtained a Continental Giant called Tilly.His last days were spent with her running around the garden. The fondest moment of their time together was Cuthbert stealing a piece of Flapjack biscuit off the floor in the lounge after I had done some baking, and running off into the garden with it, then Tilly chasing him until she got hold of one end and they played tug o war with it until it had been devoured. (not one for giving rabbits sweet treats really but this was comical).

Cuddles

Cuddles was My Netherland Dwarf Rabbit who is house trained and lived in my bedroom.

He was very territorial and like to play chase with Doody my Budgie. Doody ws a female Budgie who i brought home from work. She was very Humanised to start with and did not know how to get on with t he Budgies in the shop. The staff named her Doody as she had a cool character for a Female budgie.

She also lived in my bedroom and was free all evening and all night to wander the bedroom. In the mornings at 7am she jumped off her perch, flew over to the rabbit cage,which she walked along and climbed down to pester the rabbit to wake up, climbed back up, walked onto my bedside table, onto the bed and would sit on my chest and shout 'doody' as loud as she could to wake me up.

She would run around the floor with the rabbit, peck him gently on the nose so he would give chase, she would then laugh at him and run in circles until he caught up with her.

Because she developed feather plucking even though she had loads of attention, i decided to try her in a friends avairy, to see if see would get on with the other budgies, to our suprise she found a mate and settles down and had babies and her feather plucking stopped. a happy ending.

Cuddles on the other hand did not have a happy ending as i introduced Burgesses Rabbit fruit mix to him which should of been ok. But the sharp pieces of Banana in it caused a abcess which could not be found,deep in his throat and even through treatment he died at 4 years of age, in my arms at work after taking him to the vet during work hours and bringing him back to the shop.

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