• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

The best bit

doorkeeper

Mama Doe
Absolutely the best part of running a sanctuary is the day you get to let a new rabbit out into his/her permanent full sized accomodation.

Yesterday it was the turn of Winter, a five year old English marked brown and white standard rex buck.

He arrived a month ago just before the VHD outbreak, along with his three siblings. Two of them, Summer and Autumn, are already living in a 5ft by 6ft shed. Previously they all lived in 4ft by 2ft sections of an aviary with no shelter except a plastic roof on the aviary. How they survived last winter I don't know:( They all incredibly fat from lack of exercise. I have never seen such fat rexes before. They all have enormous dewlaps, the 3 males dewlaps bigger than the doe's as she had been speyed at least.

As it happened we had a mini rex doe in need of a partner and as Winter made the transition to A&P faster than his brother he was the one who got first attempt at Myrtle. The bonding went well. I knew she needed another rex as she has been quite a bully in the past. She needed somebunny she would respect. Winter did the job beautifully. He is much bigger than her which helped too. He didn't stand for her charging him, but was so delighted with her that he didn't turn the tables and bully her instead. He chased her to one end of the bonding cage and then sniffed her all over and then pressed himself against her. It is such a shame that this loving rabbit had been alone all his life:( After a day she decided she was in love too and they became inseparable in the bonding cage. So the day before yesterday they went into Hazel's old hutch just before dark, and yesterday their hatch was opened first thing in the morning. Out shot Myrtle, knowing the routine, but Winter just sat there looking out in a puzzled way. Then he leaned out as if to see where she had gone, and finally extended a paw, then the other and sniffed the ground. Then slowly slowly out he came.

I had to let everyone else out and do the meds round so I couldn't stand there watching any more, but every time I went past the run he was getting more and more adventurous. He got a bit irritated when Myrtle started arguing with the neighbours and told her off, but she scooted out of the way. By bedtime he had explored the whole of the 28ft run, tasted a few leaves, met the neighbours, got rained on, got muddy, in short had his first day of real life. At bedtime I had to pick him up and put him into the hutch where he found Myrtle already tucking into the pellets and veg.

This morning when I opened the hatch. He was out like a flash, as if to make sure it was all still there. And at bedtime he hopped straight in knowing his tea would be waiting. I've still got the pleasure of the first binky to come, but come it will:)

His brother, Sunshine, is still without a partner or a permanent hutch and run. I look forward to be able to give him the same chance at a real life.
 
Back
Top