Another good idea.

One thing this old bun has learned is that if you want to train your humans you have to change your mind set. Forget about being a lagamorph. For a house rabbit like me, stamping is no longer a sign for danger as with my cousins in the wild. No, foot stamping is for getting immediate attention. It now means Pronto, Subito, Imediatement and other foreign words of that ilk.

Last night, when I had nothing better to do, I decided it was bedtime for the old folk so I shot upstairs into their bedroom. Usually I potter along to mine for a bit of peace but this time I had something on my mind. I gave a couple of heavy stamps on the floor above them as only a rabbit can and waited. As sure as eggs are eggs up came my human mum. Right on cue. I stared very hard at her until she got the message and lay down on the bed. Good girl! Then I ran over and flopped out by her side for the night. Done!That was the successful part. Suddenly, not at all according to my plan and just as I had closed my eyes, she got up grabbed me and carried me downstairs. Not so good but an achievement in part for rabbit kind. I wonder where I went wrong.

I'm running out of training ideas. Any new ones will be gratefully received. Something to encourage a constant supply of juicy raisins would be good.

Harve's complete faith and conviction that I will understand his wishes is quite astounding. Staring at closed doors, sitting with his front paws in his empty food bowl, waiting patiently at the foot of the stairs until the rug he uses for take off is put in place, pushing his face into my hand so I will cuddle his head and stamping for immediate attention whether it be for banana, which he can smell at a hundred paces or his running entrance into a room to tell us he has arrived. Why do I still find it so strange after eight years?

A family friend refers to him as The Cog. A combination of a cat and a dog. He encompasses the habits of both of these with a little more intelligence.

People still keep these wonderful companions in hutches.

Superbun.

I'm going to enter the fire tong throwing section of the Olympic Games. Nobody will believe a small ball of powderpuff, black fluff like me can toss heavy, sooty, fire tongs. It's best to do it across the cream carpet so they can easily check the distance because there's a black mark where they land. I bet I win the feather weight class.
My carpet fringe has disappeared. It's been tucked under so I can't tug and chew it so I have to do something. Tong throwing seems a good way to strengthen my neck muscles. Nobody here seemed very impressed but they didn't take the tongs away until my second throw. I don't think they believed it the first time.

This is Edward. He came especially to see me today but I kept my distance. He kept waving his arms about because he is only five months old. I wasn't quite sure whether he could reach me or not so I kept the chair between us although I did go over to sniff him once. He was quite nice for a human kitten but he couldn't binkie. I could at that age.

Campaigning Day.

I had to look after things at home again today while the other two helped out at The Rabbit Welfare Association stand at the Veterinary Nurses Conference.

We are desperately trying to get people to join so they can spread the word about so many important things people should know about rabbits. If you join you get four fabulous magazines a year and all the information you need to know about bunnies in the house and in the garden. The main problem is the size of hutches. People put their rabbits in hutches that are far too small for us. We need a house which is at least 6 feet by 2 feet by two feet. Then of course we like a run so we can binkie and improve on our running speed. I'm the best speed runner in the world but I get plenty of practise in this house. Well, I could miss something exciting if I were too slow.

I heard that in Germany there is already a law to make sure hutches are big enough. Maybe in Holland too but I am waiting to find out about that from a Dutch friend.

If you join the Rabbit Welfare Association there is a helpline in case you want to ask questions.

Anne Mitchell came home to see me afterwards. That's Anne in the middle of the picture. Now, Anne thinks all bunnies should live in pairs but my brother didn't like me very much so we had to be separated. I did my bit to charm her, jumped up beside her on the sofa, chewed at the carpet fringe while J tried to stop me while I ducked and dived, dashed about to show how fit I am and so on. I was so proud when she said what a wonderful life I have. Well, I sorted that out myself with my training sessions for people. Quite easy if you persevere. None of those hutches for me thank you. Not of any size or shape.

Killer rabbits.

I was listening under the table when the man came to get my Aga ready for chilly days. I always like to listen in when somebody comes. He said he had heard on the TV programme called QI that trappers in very cold countries who tried to get through the winter by living on rabbit meat alone died of malnutrition. Sounds good to me but I wonder where Mr. Fry heard that? Has anyone else heard it

Mind you, I don't think I could live on just grass. One food only wouldn't be very interesting. Even my cousins in the wild manage to find a bit of variety.

I have a small worry at the moment because my favourite things are apple leaves and they are beginning to fall in my garden. Along with my baby greens, sweetheart cabage and, yes Lennie, yummy peaches, I have a wide assortment of stuff to munch. It changes every day so I always look forward to my meals. I hope I don't lose all my apple leaves.

I'm still snoozing quite a lot. Most of the time in fact. My second in command is the same. We are very happy hanging out together.
Got it!!!

The only solution is to pee.

The signs are there. Travel basket with a fresh cuddle blanket inside and my facecloth with a blue bunny on it which smells of me. You can bet your bobtail it's ...............

VETS!

Weigh in, then bottom shave which = being left to look after the house while they go away which = Pauline and Bev which = more treats which = more time to doze during the day instead of that continuous chatter and kisses. Not bad at all.

It's just getting through the scary vet visit and makeover that's the worst and the feeling of complete helplessness when the 'scope is forced into my mouth for a teeth check. The scales are slippy so I can't get a grip for an escape leap. Awful. I'm used to being upside down for a bit while my rear end is dealt with every day so the shave is tolerable.

I was so scared in the waiting room that I peed on my fresh bed and was shaking. J picked me out and cuddled me and whispered in my ears which made things a bit better. Normally I don't like sitting on her lap but at times like this I love it because I know she understands and it makes me feel safe.

To crown it all, I was referred to, yet again, as a geriatric rabbit.

All done, anyway. Best to forget about it and drop a few hints about getting my dish filled up. Hello? Anybody there?

Carrot-free zone.

I've gone off carrots! It's official. Maybe not for ever but I'm putting it in my diary so I will remember. I thought I might write to the papers. " Rabbit refuses to eat carrot." More interesting than the stuff they publish most days. I rip them up if I find newspapers on the floor.

Carrots go with rabbits. Always. So, what's left for me? Well. there's.....

......homegrownbeanleavespeatopscarrottopsfreshgreenssweetheartcabbageflatleafparsarsleymintappleleavesbananasandsoon. When the dish is empty, I sit in it. I can get most of me in there and when they spot me, they fill it up again. Nothing to it.

They are talking about it here of course. Is it his teeth do you think? Open his mouth and have a look. No, you open his mouth. He doesn't like it. Should we take him to the vet? No, if it were his teeth he wouldn't be able to eat his crunchies and he is eating his hay which he wouldn't do if his grinding teeth at the back were troubling him. We'll wait and see then.

Phew, no vets. I hadn't thought of that.

My bedtime carrot is still left beside my dish when they put the lights out but somebody gets rid of it during the night. Hmmm.

Heard from my friend Lisa, yesterday. She has a lionhead bun to keep her house in order and help her run her Hay Experts business. She was very worried the other day because she couldn't find her. Eventually, she looked behind the sofa and Noonie had chewed her way into the back and was fast asleep inside. I think that beats my frilled arm cover. I'm so jealous. What a bun!!

As far as the carrot thing goes, why shoudn't I go off things? People do and after all, I am just a furry person after all.
What's this? Diving board? Chewy mat?

Can rabbits count?

Anne Mitchell, who is the most important person in the world because she runs the Rabbit Welfare Association, says rabbits can't count. Is she right? Does a doe bun know how many kits she has? Would she go looking if she found she was one short? Would she really know if one were missing?
Birds know. They spend hours in my garden searching for babies once they have left the nest.

Our old labrador could count but only up to three because she was the fourth member of the family and she could only see three others. If J gave her 4 little biscuits she used to take three of them away under the stairs then only come back to look for more when she had eaten them. If she was given three, she didn't bother looking for more.I've been given a pot of green buttons from Waitrose to count but I just knock it over when it's put in front of me. We are saving them for a rabbit charity although the collecting box is a long time coming. We have given Waitrose lots of information about the Rabbit Welfare fund and how badly rabbits are treated and how people like Ingrid Tarrant are great supporters of buns so we are hoping for something. If you have a Waitrose nearby you could ask them to include rabbits in their list. Dogs and cats seem to do very well with collections but rabbits seem to have been ignored. Shame on you, Waitrose.

One, two, seven, twelve, nine..............zzzzzzzzz

Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund
PO Box 603
Horsham
West Sussex
RH13 5WL