Our Rabbits

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Basil
Cauliflower
Chilli
Jazz and family
Konijn
Lil
Liquorice & Allsorts
Minstral
Pip and Squeak
Poppy
Rover




We receive e:mails asking us about caring for rabbits - follow this link to see our answers   health and care   to the most common questions.   Remember that we have no veterinary training, this is only our opinions and experience.


Rabbits make wonderful pets, but will you make a good owner?   People think rabbits are 'low-maintenance' pets, are cute and cuddly, so just right as a first time pet for their child.   Rabbits need as much care as any other captive animal and do not make particularly good pets for young children because they are, by nature, skittish.   Their form of defence is to run away from danger and small children may end up being scratched and frightened and the rabbit is then ignored.

Before you take on a rabbit, be aware it will need cleaning, exercising and veterinary care as well as your time.   Do check to see if there are any pet rescue centres near you - there are thousands of rabbits who need a home - and the staff will know the personality of each rabbit and you can find one to suit you.   Shops only sell rabbits to make money.   We came in contact with CottonTails Rabbit Rescue Centre and since then would never consider buying a rabbit from a shop only a rescue centre.   CottonTails is a registered charity and is now based in Westbury, Wiltshire - see their website at:   CottonTails.

But, as with any pet, the results of your work can be very rewarding.   Rabbits make excellent pets - make sure you are an excellent owner!


Click on the thumbnail to see full size picture

Minstral     (1974-1985)
Dutch rabbit

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Minstral was a very quiet and gentle rabbit.   We had her when she was about two months old, and thought she was a 'boy' rabbit.   However, a few months later we discovered she was in fact a girl and had produced a litter of kittens.
She lived to the grand old age of almost eleven.

1984

"Hair Dryer!"

1984


Liquorice & Allsorts     (1990 - 1997)
Dwarf lop rabbits

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These two rabbits were opposites to each other.   Liquorice was quiet and gentle, while Allsorts was into everything and very dominant.   Being litter mates, they lived quite happily together for 6 years, but then Allsorts wasn't well and needed to be alone for a few weeks.   After that they seemed to fight when together, so we kept them apart, which Liquorice seemed to appreciate!

Allsorts aged 6 weeks 13 May 1990

Liquorice aged 6 weeks 13 May 1990

Allsorts grown up




Rover     (1994 - 1997)
Dutch

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Rover and Chilli were enemies.   They tried their best to get to each other and fight, yet when alone they were both very gentle rabbits.   Men!
Rover was extremely, well, silly.   There's no other word for it.   Most rabbits can be easily trained, but not Rover.   He just seemed to have no sense.   Like the time he hopped onto a table, then walked backwards and fell off.   It could have something to do with his liking of over ripe pears - there are plenty around that fall off our trees - we are sure they fermented and he was in a continual state of being drunk!   We were so proud of him once though.   When he was 3 years old he actually did something sensible - he was in the garden and it started to rain, so he took shelter under a chair.   The only trouble was the wind was blowing so the rain was at an angle and he still got wet.   Never mind, he tried!   Rover needed an operation every 10-12 weeks for teeth problems.   We knew what the signs were early enough so he didn't suffer with them, and took him for his operation.   Two months before he died he was chased by a cat.   He fell and either broke or dislocated one of his toes.   He needed to be anaethetised every few days to have the bandage changed, and this took its toll.   We decided he had had enough operations ...

Rover with young Poppy

Rover and Chilli

Rover




Chilli     (1995 - 1997)
Dwarf cotton lop

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Chilli was quite remarkable in that he learnt to climb.   He kept escaping from his run and one day he managed to fall and put his top front teeth through his bottom lip; we decided we had to find out how he managed to escape, so watched him from a distance.   He jumped at the wire fence, then clung on to the wire and walked up it like we climb a ladder.   Apart from his climbing skills he loved to come indoors and snuggle next to us and be pampered.   He was a loving rabbit who just wanted to be loved back.
Chilli was killed in his run by a fox.   Urban foxes have become increasingly common and bold in their actions.   Even in the day time rabbits must be protected from the threat of foxes.

Chilli

Rover and Chilli




Poppy     (1995 - 1996)
Dutch rabbit

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Poppy was a happy, nosey, funny rabbit.   We had a wonderful time looking after her.   She loved to run behind the furniture so we couldn't get hold of her - not that she didn't want to be caught - but because she loved all the attention and moving of sofas.   Another place she found fascinating was the wine-rack, until she became stuck while 'reversing' out one day.   Perhaps she hadn't realised she was a young rabbit and was growing bigger by the day.
One day Poppy looked ill.   We took her straight to the vet but even though we acted promptly she died the next day of an infected womb.   Rabbits are extremely good at hiding illness so please act quickly if your rabbit shows signs of being ill.

Poppy

Poppy helping with the Christmas decorations!

Poppy was very inquisitive!




Jazz     (1996 - 1996)
Dutch rabbit

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We have fond and sad memories of Jasmine - 'Jazz'.   We got her from a garden centre's pet shop and two weeks after bringing her home she gave birth.   We tried to look on the bright side - buy 1, get 5 free - but we were very angry.   She was far too young to be allowed to have babies (okay, nature said she was!), and it was very wrong of the shop to sell on a pregnant animal.   However, she turned out to be a most attentive mother and we enjoyed the experience of seeing nature in its rawest.   We kept one of the babies - Konijn - but when the others were old enough they had to go to new homes.
Rabbits have a certain reputation which is wholly justified.   All they want to do is produce baby rabbits!   And eat.   Then produce more babies.   Six months after we had Jazz she and Rover managed to escape and, well, become friends.   Jazz gave birth to 12 kittens.   The average litter size for a Dutch rabbit is 5-6.   Jazz was exhausted and collapsed with eclampsia when the babies were just 10 days old.   To cut a very long and tiring story short, Mandy took over looking after the babies.   The local paper heard about her endeavours and took photos, which lead to a television company telephoning and subsequently filming an interview with her.   Mandy's 15 minutes of fame!!
Despite 8 weeks of countless trips to the vets, surgery, medicines and finally 5 days in intensive care, Jazz succumbed to her illness.   We were devastated to lose her after all the trauma both she and we had gone through with her.   And all because we didn't take enough care to keep her and Rover apart.   Please learn from our mistake.

Jazz (on the right) with some of her family

Jazz's babies

Jazz's babies

'Ears' aged 3 weeeks, 1996

'Ears' aged 5 months
1996 - 2000

October 1996




Konijn     (1996 - 1997) - one of Jazz's babies.
Dutch rabbit.

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Konijn is the Dutch word for 'rabbit'.   Konijn was the reason Chilli and Rover fought so much - they wanted her sole attention.   Konijn could run so fast and would dart from one end of her run right to the other, fly through the cat flap and just manage to stop hitting the other end of her hutch.   It drove the boys wild trying to keep up with her on their side of the fence.
The other memorable thing about Konijn was that we had to cut her teeth every couple of weeks!   The front teeth were misaligned so didn't wear down whilst eating.   It gave her face a comical appearance, and when she ate it was rather like watching a camel eat.   It was becoming an expensive time taking her to the vets every fortnight, and they suggested we buy some special tough clippers and gave us instruction on how to cut them ourselves.   Although it didn't hurt her, she was none to impressed with us! Because of her teeth problems we had to cut up her food into grass size strips.   Oh she was so pampered!

Konijn


Cauliflower (1991 - 2000)

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I first saw Cauliflower in CottonTails rabbit sanctuary.   He was old 6 years old, which is old for a rabbit, and nobody else wanted him, perhaps because they thought he may not live too long.   As we had just experienced the upset of losing two rabbits we didn't feel we should take him; instead we took home 5 month old Basil.   But I couldn't forget Cauliflower - those sad eyes were so expressive!   Two months later another rabbit died, so we had room to look after another rabbit.   This time I had decided before we even went to the sanctuary that if Cauli was still there, he would come home with us.   We did bring him home (along with 6 week old Lil too!).
To be honest we didn't really expect him to live very long - he was rather thin and old and tired - we just wanted to give him all the love and care he deserved for the short time he had left.   When we arrived home we allowed him to run in the garden, but he looked terrified.   He didn't know that rabbits were supposed to hop around, eat the grass, investigate; instead he cowered.   We put him in his hutch where he obviously felt much safer.
As for food, he only ate dried rabbit mix.   He would sniff fresh food, but didn't know he was supposed to eat it.   It was only through watching the other rabbits grazing on grass and eating their veggies that he learnt he could eat it.   It was probably about 3 months before he started nibbling grass and other fresh food.   But then he got the taste for it - his favourite was broccolli leaves and stalk.
Cauliflower thrived.   He has to be our most rewarding rabbit.   We could see him change - almost into a young rabbit again - as his confidence grew.   And he was so loving, so gentle, so gorgeous!   He would come running up to us when we went into the garden and actually seemed genuinely pleased to see us - a rare reward from a rabbit.   When we sat on the grass, he would have to nuzzle right beside us.   And he was so funny - he used to love putting a flower pot over his head and walk around, bumping into things of course because his eyes were covered up!   Daft.
This sad rabbit came alive again.   After three years with us, he died.   I like to think we gave him a happy retirement.

Cauliflower enjoying the grass

Cauliflower showing his teeth are stronger than wire!

Such a handsome chap

The indignity of it all!




Basil     (1997 - 2002)
Silver Fox rabbit

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Basil came from CottonTails rabbit sanctuary - he and his siblings were taken there after they were born.   He was so handsome with his silky jet black fur, with curious white hair coming through in specks.   Baz was curiously both very shy and extremely inquisitive.   When he was in the garden investigating, his nose didn't stop twitching, but anything new would send him running for cover.   Baz shared Lil's hutch and run during the day time, but as he was bossed around by her so he went into his own hutch at night.   (The vet made sure he couldn't have babies, so they were quite safe together!)

Baz

Baz with one of his toys - a cone hung on string

Basil with Lil, 2001




Lil     (1997 - 2003)
Dwarf lop rabbit

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'Buffallo Lillian' to give her her full name, came to us from a CottonTails rabbit sanctuary when she was only 6 weeks old.   This tiny bundle of fluff grew into a rather formidable, bossy rabbit who was perpetually hungry.   IF you could catch her, she changed into a rather meek character, and enjoyed being stroked.   Although she was a lop rabbit, she always seemed to pick her ears up when she ate, or when they were in danger of getting wet and dirty.   This curious habbit meant her ears were usually horizontal, reminding us of the shape of a buffallo's head - hence her name 'Buffallo Lil'.

Lil

Lil aged 6 weeks

Lil's first experience in snow!


Lil with Basil, 2001




Pip and Squeak (1992 - 1999) Lop-eared rabbits

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Pip and Squeak were sisters and lived with Alex Bouton from the age of 10 weeks.     Alex used to put them on leads and take them for walks - seeing them walking along the street nearly caused a passing driver to crash his car!

Pip and Squeak

Pip


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This page was last updated on 7th July 2007.