April 2009

The •
•
•
Hawk danger
Melbourne Rabbit Clinic’s next seminar
Rabbits: Their part in my downfall – Part 13

Bunologist •
•
•
•
Pigeon adopts baby bunnies
Adopt me!
Clarence the Super Spy & Queen Sunshine III
Dear Diary
• Rabbit eye health
Your FREE monthly rabbit newsletter
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What’s News? New World Record - Oldest living rabbit

NORFOLK, UK-- Hazel, a 16-year-old miniature grey rabbit
Easter Bunnies! (owners, Mike and Irene Womack, of Chapel Close,
Thinking of getting a
Pulham Market) sets the world record for being the Oldest
bunny as an Easter
living rabbit.
gift??? Think again!
The oldest bunny alive on record until last year was
Baby bunnies are cute
George, who was born in March 1994 and was owned by a
& cuddly but when the
couple in Massachusetts, USA. He was declared the oldest
novelty wears off (daily
living rabbit in the world after several vets confirmed his
feeding, cleaning,
age as 14 years, as of March 13, 2008.
attention) what happens
to that cute little baby
The longest-lived rabbit ever was caught from the wild on
bunny??
August 6, 1964, and christened Flopsy. He died 18 years,
10 months, and 21 days later, at the home of L.B. Walker
Some are taken to
of Longford, Tasmania, Australia.
shelters. Some are
given to well-meaning
family or friends. Some are left to run lost in the streets or
deliberately dumped. Hitching Hare
But most live out their short & lonely lives in a tiny box- BAKERSFIELD, US - a rabbit
shaped contraption called a pet store hutch. These tiny darted across an auto repair shop
little fluffies, who were so desperately wanted only a few floor and the owner of the car
weeks before, will now be forgotten & ignored in many thought it was a shop pet.
backyards.
Turns out a young cottontail rabbit
A rabbit is for life… Not for Easter! must have jumped on board when
the driver pulled his car over on the
way to have it repaired.
Rabbit boom in Canada The mechanic caught the bunny. It
11 March 2009 - British Columbia, Canada
was their first rabbit - they've found
cats, squirrels and even rats in cars. The mechanic took
KELOWNA, Canada - The overpopulation of domestic
the bunny home and named him “Hitch.”
rabbits running wild in Kelowna, British Columbia has been
an ongoing issue for the Canadian city. Now, another
British Columbia city, Richmond, which is located near
Vancouver, faces a similar problem. The Olympic Rabbits: Vancouver Rabbit Rescue
Seeks Bunny Photos for 2010 Calendar
The Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) has
taken in over 40 unwanted/abandoned rabbits recently. The Vancouver Rabbit Rescue & Advocacy, a chapter of
Many were rescued from area parks after being dumped by the House Rabbit Society, is looking for photos for their
their owners. If left on their own in the parks, these rabbits 2010 calendar. The theme, in honor of Vancouver hosting
would produce litters upon litters of feral rabbits. In fact, in the 2010 Winter Olympics, is “The Olympic Rabbits.”
2006, mirroring circumstances caused lawmakers to
schedule a cull of the out-of-control feral rabbit problem. They are looking for photos of rabbits doing natural rabbitty
But before the cull took place, the rabbit population was behavior like yawning, stretching, binkying, digging,
decimated by disease and starvation. bulldozing, standing, grooming, and snuggling.
Does your bunny have what it takes?
Now the city may turn to a ban on rabbit sales to solve the
problem. This would limit the number of impulse buys from Learn more: http://www.vrra.org/photo_info.htm
pet stores that lead to the dumping of domestic rabbits in
parks.
 Hawk danger
Katy Ferguson, Tasmania
17 March 2009

I thought I would share with

you something that just
happened!

I was sitting at my computer

BUNNY BASICS
desk checking emails with
Willow (bunny) relaxing on the
windowsill in the soft morning light.
SEMINAR
All of a sudden *CRASH* - I looked around to see a hawk
crashing and scratching at the window!
Thursday 23 April 2009
7.00pm
He must have seen Willow from the sky and flew down to A seminar for bunny owners covering up to date
make a meal out of him! I couldn't believe it!
information on:
Willow was fairly unimpressed as you can imagine. I'm glad
I had the windows shut this morning (usually they are open * preventative health
all the time) as he gave the fly screen a good thrashing! * diet
* behaviour
A word of warning to all those bunny lovers out there... be
very wary of hawks and eagles if you let bunny outside... * housing
and even if they’re inside!!!!!!!! * toilet training
* and importantly, when to come to the vet
A shaken Katy and Willow!!!!
$15.00 per adult
$7.50 per child
Today’s modern organic Mount Waverley Community Centre
farming with Nuance & 47 Miller Crescent, Mount Waverley
Mel Ref: 70 E1
Nudge
Refreshments provided
Some people trying to make a quick buck in the “green
sustainable organic” food zone are trying to promote rabbit Bookings essential - please call 9796 3989
as the latest “green” food.

www.saveabunny.org has made this really lovely & friendly

video from buns Nuance & Nudge educating people that
pet rabbits would be prefer to be snuggled & kissed than
food on a dish.

Be green and not

mean. Reduce your
karmic footprint with
tips from hosts
Nuance and Nudge---
experts in sustainable
and organic living.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjF2JtusL78
To see more of Saveabunny’s videos, you can view them
here - http://www.youtube.com/user/saveabunny
*** BOING will be there! We’re even bringing a non
dairy/egg cake to share (for those who like to be a
vegan bunny themselves). So if you do come along,
please pop over & say hello!!

Rabbits: Their part in my
downfall – Part 13
by Nimal
Sarah the Chocolate bunny
(adopted Christmas 2007)
Not content with filling the house with our own adopted
rescued rabbits, we started looking after other peoples’
bunnies when they went on holiday. In a way it made sense
– now that we couldn’t leave the house ourselves, we might
as well offer bunny boarding to help prevent other people
from being prisoners in their own homes.
While we enjoyed meeting new bunnies and their owners, it
was a bit stressful – we were already limited for space and
there was the heavy responsibility of looking after someone
else’s pet and ensuring that they went home safe and
healthy after their holiday. However, there was one risk that
we hadn’t considered until Christmas time one year when
Mopsy the bunny was delivered to our house for an eight-
day visit.
Mopsy had been booked in to stay with us and his arrival
went as scheduled. What wasn’t scheduled was the fact
that Mopsy did not arrive alone. His owners also brought us
a chocolate-brown lop who had been found hopping around
their street that morning!
So two extra rabbits stayed with us that Christmas, which
was fine – it just seemed a bit unfortunate that only one of
them went home!
Mopsy’s folks didn’t want an extra rabbit, so we were again
left holding the bunny! The stray was named Sarah and it
wasn’t long before she had wheedled her way into Karen’s
affections. Karen claimed that Sarah was a “chocolate
bunny”, because she “melted” under the hand that was
patting her. The drooping ears and long eyelashes gave
Sarah a somewhat woebegone look, belied by a frisky
nature that often saw us retrieving her from the top of the
television or back of the couch. In one memorable incident,
Sarah leaped clear over a 90 cm high barrier, straight into
Karen’s arms (fortunately, Karen caught her!)
Sarah was stationed in an enclosure next to bachelor boys
Stuart and Peanut. These two happy-go-lucky bun-chums
had been coexisting for some time. Sarah seemed to be
getting along very well with the boys next door, so we
decided to try making them a threesome. Peanut was
immediately besotted with Sarah and took to following her
around wherever she went. Indeed, the three of them
seemed to be getting on famously for a time, until Stuart
suddenly decided that he’d had enough. Opinions were
divided over whether he was jealous of Peanut or Sarah or
both, but the upshot was that he reverted to single life.
Now a convicted home-wrecker, Sarah settled in with
Peanut, who decided that his main activity from now on
was going to be running around after her grunting
amorously.
While Sarah was one of the bounciest, friskiest bunnies we
had ever encountered, it became apparent that she was
also unusually sensitive to any discomfort or stress. One
day we found her looking particularly morose and
apparently unable to move. We promptly rushed our
seemingly paralysed bunny to the vet. Far from being on
death’s door, our vet was unable to diagnose anything
wrong with Sarah, who seemed to be in perfect health.
Feeling somewhat sheepish, we took Sarah home and in a
while she was hopping around again as though nothing had
happened!
Sarah had another moment when we temporarily moved
her and Peanut to an outdoor enclosure. We had recently
taken in a couple of surrendered bunnies and were also
boarding a bunny, so we were really struggling to find room
for everyone. Some friends had loaned us a large outdoor
enclosure, which we had set up on our lawn. It was
spacious, sturdy and insect-proofed, and we thought Sarah
and Peanut would enjoy a bit of sunshine and running
around outside.
They had been out for a couple of days when Karen,
looking very concerned, brought Sarah in. Sarah was
listless and seemed to be having difficulty breathing – she
was making a noise like a dodgy car exhaust and was
moist around the nose. Once again Sarah was rushed
straight to the vet, this time returning with a nebuliser and
medication. This paraphernalia had cost us $200, but it was
never used because as soon as Sarah was moved back
inside the house, she made a miraculous and instant
recovery! Apparently she just didn’t like being outside – as
soon as she was back indoors her breathing was fine, she
was running about and there was nothing wrong with her!
And so we wait on tenterhooks for Sarah’s next bout of
malingering. One wonders what she’ll fake next – bubonic
plague? Mad cow disease, perhaps? Despite having given
us the run-around, Sarah can do no wrong in Karen’s eyes,
and even I have to admit that any bunny capable of putting
up with Peanut deserves a medal!
Peanut rests happily on Sarah’s back
 Pigeon Adopts Baby Interesting Rabbit Facts
http://www.shurepets.com/pettales.htm
Bunnies
26 March 2009 – Boulder Examiner • Rabbits can be litter trained
• Adult bunnies can weigh between 2 lbs - 20 lbs
COLORADO, US - Three teeny bunnies, orphaned by a depending on breed
dog attack, were barely clinging to life in an animal rehab • Rabbits can purr similar to a cat
centre when they were "adopted" by a homing pigeon in a • A 4 pound rabbit will drink as much water as a 20
neighboring cage. pound dog
• When rabbits are happy, they will jump and twist, this
Noah, a one- is called a binky
legged • The oldest rabbit lived 18 years, 10 months and 21
homing days. Flopsy was caught from the wild and lived in
pigeon who Tasmania, Australia.
cannot be • Because its eyes are on the side of its head, a rabbit
released back can see behind itself without turning its head
into the wild
• Rabbits' front teeth are called incisors and they grow
due to his
continuously through their lifespan
injury, lives at
• Rabbits are not rodents, they belong to the genus
the rehab
Lagomorpha*
centre full
time. He was • Rabbits can mate as early as three months of age;
immediately gestation is 31 days with a litter size of four to 12 kits
enthralled with the baby bunnies, continually looking in their • Rabbits communicate through a variety of methods,
cage and even sleeping in front of their door to keep watch. including stomping a hind leg, grunting,
honking/oinking softly, and grooming each other
One day the • "The Tales of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter, is the
caretakers best selling children's book of all time
noticed one of • Rabbits are most active in the early morning and in
the bunnies the late evening
was missing • A group of rabbits is called a herd
from its cage.
She hastily * Lagomorpha is an order, not a genus! - BOING
picked up
Noah to
investigate
and lo and
behold - there
was the bunny
RSPCA surrenders
underneath One of our newsletter members, Lauren, was curious to
Noah, sound asleep. know if any shelters had statistics on rabbit surrenders.
This is the RSPCA’s reply:
The bunny Thank you for your query. On average we receive about six
babe had rabbits per week at our Burwood animal shelter. However,
climbed we also receive many more requests from people wishing
through the to surrender their pet rabbits. Sadly our success rate in
cage bars to finding new homes for rabbits is very low (less than 20%
snuggle with are placed into new homes) and we therefore refer many
Noah. Now people to lesser known animal welfare organisations. I do
they are all not have any statistics on the number of phone calls we
housed
receive from people wishing to surrender their pet rabbits.
together and Our phone staff advise people that the rate of rabbit
the bunnies euthanasia is high and we recommend that people seek
are thriving. alternatives like asking friends or relatives to care for their
rabbits and to contact rabbit clubs and other shelters before
They cuddle under Noah's wing and if one of them moves surrendering their rabbits to the RSPCA. I hope this gives
too far from his protective embrace, he gently pushes you some idea on the number of rabbit surrenders, which is
them back where they belong with his beak. similar at all our shelters across Victoria.

Kind Regards
RSPCA Customer Service
 Peter Rabbit
Adopt me! Location: Melbourne

Dong Dong & Furball

Location: Melbourne

Furball

Dong
Dong
How could you not love these two beautiful boys!!
Dong Dong & Furball are urgently in need of a very loving
indoor home. They are two bonded, desexed boys who
need a loving home.
If you are interested in adopting these beautiful little gentle
boys, please contact Susana on 0416 108 583 or email her
at susana_pui@hotmail.com
From Jaimi:
I am currently looking for a home for a foster bunny that
has recently come into my care. He is a male, fawn
coloured lop.
He is approx 2 years old and healthy. He has been fully vet
checked. He can be a little shy at first but comes out of his
shell quickly and is a very curious and sweet boy who
doesn’t mind a pat. He is a large bunny who is a little
uncomfortable being picked up. He loves his food and it is
certainly the way to this boy’s heart.
He is currently being housed indoors and his litter training
is coming along well. He will be best suited to a quieter
household with lots of room. Discount desexing can be
organised before he goes to his new home.

I have really fallen in love with this boy but with my full
Miffy household and being due to give birth myself very soon I
Location: Melbourne am hoping to find him an urgent home or someone willing
to take him on as a foster, if not he can stay with myself as
Miffy was advertised in our February newsletter but is still long as it takes.
awaiting a new home!!
If anyone is interested in this gorgeous bunny, please
Miffy was rescued from a home where the family had lost contact Jaimi at any time on 0402 259 178 or
interest in her after her little bunny sister died and as a jaimi_m@hotmail.com
result, she
has been
neglected
for a long
time.
Whatever happened to?
Lucy (friend of Furball & Dong Dong)
With lots of
found a fabulous new home with one
TLC and
of our Bunologist members, Sian &
fresh food,
her bunny Arthur. We wish Lucy all
she has
the best in her new home!
blossomed
into an
absolutely
We are so very happy that this little
darling bunny. She is small, of unknown breed, has been
bunny found a good home as she
checked out by the local vet and would be perfect in a
was first spotted advertised on the
home with a gentle boy bunny or where she’d get lots of
Trading Post website. We notified
attention by older people (no kids please!!!). She did have
the owner that giving a free rabbit
one solitary friend in her old home – the also-neglected
away on the Trading Post is not a
pussy cat, so Miffy will also be comfortable in a home with
good idea for the bunny.
a gentle, complacent pussy cat.
Fortunately, she was really happy for help and Bella found
a home with a bunny lover who saw her on the BOING
If you are interested in Miffy, please contact Chrissie on
adoption website page.
0409 526 787 or email cheyn@legalsuper.com.au
 Kitty was so shocked that, for some weird reason she used
Clarence the SUPER- a laser to shoot a large hole in the roof of the burrow. ‘What
did you do that for?’ James asked Kitty, finally out of
SPY astonishment.

And Queen Sunshine III.

By James Robertson (pictured below with Clarence the
Super Spy)

‘Wow, I still can’t believe Kitty stared at him in bewilderment (above). ‘I don’t, know?
we all got an Easter Spy
Award,’ said Clarence, They’d got all their necessary supplies and spy weapons.
while taking off his top hat They were up for a very bumpy ride before meeting up with
and bow tie. Clarence, the queen at the Eureka Tower. She was wearing a very
James, Bunneary, Chief big, black gown and a lace hat with her ears poking out of
Guinea pig, Kitty, Ally and holes.
Pancake had just come
back from the SPY ‘Very nice to meet you all, I hope you will be good enough
LEAGUE, where they all for my escort,’ said Sunshine III while shaking Clarence’s
got a Spy Award for a lot paw. ‘So you must be the famous Clarence the super spy.
of different reasons. I’ve heard a lot about you and your courageous team, not
Mostly for accuracy. It to forget the BOING bunnies. I’ve heard in the newspapers
was the day before Easter and it was the day that Queen about how Mr. Beaver’s robots attacked you all at the Do
Sunshine III was going to make her appearance at the Hop Inn. I also heard about how the so called Tessa won
Beijing stadium. They still didn’t know who was going to the annual car race and a Mr. Beaver minion was involved.’
escort her from the Eureka Tower to Beijing, because her
guards had mysteriously gone missing. They were all blushing. ‘Well we do have a lot of
adventures in our missions,’ said Pancake from the back,
James, Kitty and Clarence all put their trophies in although she wasn’t in any of those missions.
Clarence’s sparkling Trophy Case. But Bunneary and Chief
Guinea Pig would put their Trophies in their own glittering ‘Well let’s get started. Don’t want to be late, do we?’
case at their house. They all lay down in the hay made announced Bunneary. They all started loading their cargo
chairs in the living room and took out their books, waiting onto the big spy plane. Clarence politely helped Sunshine
for a mission. Ally and Pancake wanted to go on a mission up the stairs to the passenger deck. Clarence was going to
with Clarence again, like the old days. They waited for a pilot the ship with Chief Guinea pig as his co pilot. Pancake
very long time until… would be the beautiful stewardess. And the rest of them
were just going to be passengers, like the queen.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
‘Ok, everyone please fasten your seatbelts. Our first and
They all raced to the huge computer at the end of the only destination is Beijing. Food will be handed out when
corridor. The screen was flickering; the face of Colonel we are safely in the air. Now everyone listen to Pancake as
Bunny was shown. she tells you all the safety instructions for this plane,’
announced Clarence through the PA system.
‘Hello Clarence’s team and Pancake and Ally, the SPY
LEAGUE wants you guys to escort Queen Sunshine III to Pancake showed everyone the safety instructions
Beijing. We think you will be the most compatible of all the contently. Everyone was bored by the instructions, except
spies.’ for Bunneary who’d fallen asleep.

They were all After all that, they launched off into the open air. Pancake
double gob came around offering food like: Vegie Burgers, Carrot
smacked, except Soup, Pumpkin Soup, Canned Carrots, Salted Nuts and
for Ally who’d different flavours of Sappy Spy Soda. They all stuffed
fainted in terrified themselves.
shock (right).
But they didn’t know what was ahead of them.
Bullets were being shot at the plane, but none got in. The
assault had happened so quickly. The pilot tried to dodge
but the plane was too big. All the passengers opened the
windows and started using their weapons against the Mr.
Beaver bounty hunters. Kitty was the most affective with
her new Ice Block Blaster that she got in the game Crack
the Walnut. The Queen and Ally huddled down in the seat
for protection.
Then, there was a screeching metallic sound from the
bottom of the plane. Pancake, Bunneary and James ran
down the set of platinum stairs and fell into the main
cargo shelter. There weren’t many objects except a
couple 1940s cans with some sort of fruit in them, some
rusty, metal bookshelves and a big hole in the middle of
the metal floor. Oops? There were two bounty hunters
emerging out of the hole, holding two very big Net
Blasters.
James ran up, dodged the slinging nets and gave both
bounty hunters a full-on kick and they fell out into
the hole. James knows karate. ‘Cool,’ said Pancake and
Bunneary.
They quickly ran up to the passenger deck, where they
saw Clarence and Chief Guinea pig getting everyone into
a big orange lifeboat. ‘What are ya doing?’ asked
Bunneary.
They all looked up to see them. ‘I think we’re going to
jump out, because the engines are down,’ said Ally
timidly.
They all clambered in the inflatable boat. They pushed it
out of the open door and went soaring down. The plane
went much faster, with smoke spiralling from its toasted
engines. They were clinging onto the rope barriers for
dear life. Sunshine was holding her lace hat so it didn’t fly
away. Her big floppy dress was puffing up. Ally had
fainted for the second time today! They saw and heard
the plane crash down in the jungle below. They were
about to land on the beach of the island also.
When they were safely down Bunneary was the first one
to hop out of the boat. He was kissing the sand and
making snow (sand) angels. His eyes were wild and his
mouth was screeching out unknown words.
‘Hey, Bunneary, are you feeling ok?’ asked Chief Guinea
pig timidly.
Bunneary turned around, his eyes in the wrong places.
He charged up to the chief and gave her a spine-
smashing hug of unfriendly proportion. ‘Doilla huggggii
fourr ssssnoooow bol,’ he said in a totally different
language. They all thought it was gibberish.
Then, he fell asleep.
‘What are we going to do now? We’re on a deserted
island, and Easter is tomorrow,’ said Sunshine solemnly.
To Be Continued…
Dear Diary
By Karen
This month we’ve been getting ready for Easter & a few
boarder bunnies coming to stay. It’s always a bit chaotic but
lovely to help other people relax on their holidays and ensure
their buns have an equally fun vacation whilst their family are
away.
Fortunately, the last month hasn’t seen too many disastrous
moments at the BOING household. Of course Princess
continues to get into trouble & do very naughty things. This
month she took it upon herself to romp out onto our patio
whilst the door was briefly ajar while I was changing the litter
trays. In the split second it took to put the trays down &
retrieve Princess, she had eaten a fallen flower. There was
nothing I could do but to wait & hope that the flower was not
poisonous!!! Fortunately, she was okay but a reminder that
rabbits are very quick & curious when it comes to nibbling on
unknown items (so keep those chocolate Easter eggs up
high & away from inquisitive bunny mouths).
Hugo & Lily have moved back outside into our garden since I
finished extending one of our outdoor bunny houses. I’m
very proud of their new home & they just love it! It’s sad that
they’re not indoors with us anymore as we prefer indoor
housing but they’re together & are enjoying much more
room. Of course it is all insect proofed & weather proofed so
they are safe. They love their new big fluffy blanket too!
Hugo & Lily love their new home in the garden
Hugo & Lily’s
old indoor
home also had
a minor
makeover so
Molly is now
living in there.
Molly enjoys
her new house

Windows to the Bunny
Soul: Your Rabbit's Eye Health
by Astrid M. Kruse, DVM
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/eyes.shtml
A rabbit's eye can become diseased or infected just like
any other body part, and awareness of potential problems
is just as important so you can look out for the well-being of
your companion. Here are some of the conditions you need
to watch for:
Corneal ulcers: Your playing bunny may take the corner
too fast and bump into a baseboard with her face, or get a
tiny piece of hay chaff stuck in his eye. Scratching the
cornea, which is the outer layer of the eye, may cause an
ulcer, a wound that is slow to heal without proper
treatment. Your bunny will tell you if something is wrong by
repeatedly blinking or refusing to open the eye, and lots of
tears that tell you to get the vet soon because this hurts!
Blocked tear
ducts:
Dental
problems,
inflammation,
and other
sources can
clog your
bunny's tear
(nasolacrimal) ducts.
The ducts run from the inner corner of the eye to the nose
and drain the liquid tear film that is constantly formed to
protect the eye (this is why when you cry, your nose gets
runny). Rabbits only have one duct opening in the eye, and
thus are more susceptible to blocks. The tears, instead of
draining out, then overflow and leave wet areas around the
eye. The condition itself is not painful, but constant tears on
the face will cause skin irritation. Without care, the fur
becomes soggy and matted around the eye, and the
underlying skin will become so irritated that eventually the
fur just peels off- events should never get to this point. Until
the duct opens, which may take several visits to the vet,
gently wipe your bunny's affected eye several times a day
to remove the sticky salty tears (try cotton wipes and
water), then dry carefully.
Cancer: Any changes in your bunny's eye, from splotches
in the iris to pigmented areas in the whites of the eye, call
for a visit to the vet. My bunny Ginger had a cancer scare
recently. Just in time for holidays in December, I noticed a
dark brown lump on the white of her eye just under her
eyelid, a place I only looked because the eye was being
covered in my vet school anatomy class. I took her to
Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Brookline to see an
ophthalmologist immediately; the lump was already quite
large because I didn't know to check her eyes thoroughly at
regular intervals.
She was diagnosed with scleral melanoma, a very
aggressive cancer in the white of the eye, and had her
entire eye removed a few weeks later. The pathologist who
examined the eye luckily found that the dark mass was not
melanoma. Instead, the sclera had weakened and the dark
part of the eye behind it was pushing through the rupture. I
now check Ginger's remaining eye regularly, and when her
tear ducts clogged shortly after the surgery I was
forearmed with knowledge that would have been useful
earlier.
Cataracts: In many rabbits
(and humans), the lens inside
the eye becomes more and
more opaque with age. This
cloudiness may progress to
the point where less light can
reach the sensitive retina at
the back of the eye, and
visual ability decreases. Laser surgery can correct the
problem. However, as this type of vision loss is gradual,
many rabbits adapt well if their environment remains stable.
Ginger is now blind in her remaining eye, and other than
running into us, her mobile family members, there has been
no change in her enjoyment of life. She still dashes
between her favorite places and noses around for treats.
Plus her special needs have forced my husband to pick up
after himself and become neat!
Checking your rabbit's eyes: Be aware of changes in tear
production; tear overflow alerts you to a number of eye
problems. Check the white of the eye for any color changes
or persistent redness. Watch for color changes in spots in
the iris, irregular edges to the pupil, or clouding of the
cornea. Any time your bunny's eyes change in appearance
or seem painful, a visit to your vet is important to clear up
any of these conditions or to determine if something else is
going on. You may choose to see or be referred to a
veterinary ophthalmologist, who specializes in the eye of all
animal species and is able to provide more specialized
care for complex problems. Don't delay, as eye conditions
can be quite painful or cause permanent damage leading to
blindness.
** We are happy to report that Willow (as mentioned in
the “Hawk danger” article) is back to his happy self
after double cataract eye surgery.