Okay, I know I said I’d talk about poop next, but the PDSA’s Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report is out today, and I’m really excited to see what has changed since the 2011 PAW Report.

Let me set the scene, the PDSA is a big UK veterinary charity than runs free and discount clinics for pets whose owners are on benefits. One thing I love about the PDSA, as well as that they provide free vetcare to animals in need, is that they treat bunnies just as important as cats and dogs, so their report has lots of fascinating insights on their welfare.

Last year’s report looked at how well owners provided for the five needs outlined in the Animal Welfare Act: environment, diet, behaviour, social interaction and health. This year they focus on several key issues: diet, behaviour (specifically dogs), heath and pet ownership. The report is 68 pages long, and it’s an interesting read. I’m just going to pull out a few rabbit related facts but do download a copy to get the whole picture.

Diet

A bit of bad news here,

44% of rabbit owners continue to feed rabbit muesli as their rabbits’ main source of food. Many owners may think this is typical ‘rabbit food’, but may not be aware it is actually unsuitable for rabbits and linked to dental and digestive health problems.

There is obviously still a bit of education to do about the right and wrong kinds of rabbit food. I think I’m going to revamp the diet pages on my website and focus a bit more on the choices available. It’s tricky to get this message across as a lot of owners will just pick a colourful looking bag in a pet shop and assume it’s good and never do more research. I wonder at what point manufacturers will start phasing out their muesli lines in favour of pellets – I know some sell both and they must know pellets are better.

The good (ish) news:

Rabbits should eat at least their own body size in hay or grass each day but 36% don’t.

Why is this good news? Because last year the figure was 45%, which means in the last year there has been a big improvement in the number of rabbits getting enough hay or grass. Let’s hope this trend continues.

Health

Here the report looked at routine heath care such as neutering and vaccinations. The good news is that these figures were up for all animals, including rabbits.

The report also gave the top three reasons owners gave for not neutering/vaccinating…

Not Neutered Reasons:

1. Haven’t thought about it
2. Too expensive
3. Worried about general anaesthetic

Not vaccinated Reasons:

1. Not necessary
2. Too expensive
3. Haven’t thought about it

Still some educating to do here too, but in some ways that is good because if the reasons they give are things you can fix with education that means there is the opportunity for change. It sounds like we need to make people more aware that rabbits can be neutered and what benefits that brings, and also get rid of outdated misconceptions about anaesthetics. We also need to make people aware that vaccinations are necessary, many owners don’t realise this until their rabbit catches one of the fatal diseases they protect against.

Ownership

The PDSA estimates the lifetime cost of owning a rabbit is £9k but 81% estimated cost less than £1k. That’s quite a wide gap. Even ignoring unexpected vet bills, the cost of housing, food, bedding, vaccinations is easily over £1k across 10 years life expectancy. It’s not surprising so many animals are abandoned because people have trouble affording them.

The PDSA asked vets about their concerns as well as surveying pet owners. Vets say their concerns general pet ownership are:

1. owners not understanding costs
2. lack of information at purchase
3. lack of awareness of the five needs outlined in the duty of care

For rabbits specifically, their concerns were:

1. inappropriate diet
2. dental disease
3. inadequate space for exercise

It sounds like diet all around is quite an important issue, which isn’t surprising when you consider how important food is to rabbits!

Conclusion

So what does this all mean? Well there are signs that education messages are getting through, but there are still many areas that need a lot more work. The great thing about quantifying the issues is you can tell when things improve so get out there and get educating and hopefully the 2013 report will be even better!

I’ve read two bunny books in the last week! Both tell the story of sharing your life with rabbits, or rather one tells the story of sharing your life with bunnies and the other sharing your life with people.

When a Man Loves a Rabbit

This book tells the story of Bruce Atchison’s life with rabbits and what he learnt along the way.

I love the descriptions of his bunnies behaviours, they are so very accurate. I think everyone with a house rabbit will be able to relate to the endless efforts to bunny proof and the inventiveness of rabbits. Gideon’s antics made me laugh and his behaviour after finding his new warren under the bed blocked off reminds me very much of Scamp:

He acted like an addict, desperate for his fix and obsessed with finding a way under it. He tried every corner, hopped on top of the bed and even squeezed between the mattress and the wall. I couldn’t believe his manic persistence as he kept looking for an opening to that enticing world under my box spring.

The book covers several decades of living with bunnies, and Bruce is very honest about the mistakes he made along the way. There are sad parts and difficult decisions  – expect to cry as well as laugh. It’s a long time since I got my first rabbit, and, like Bruce, I can think of lots of things I did wrong and would do differently now – some make me cringe.  I think a lot of new owners find it very daunting trying to navigate the conflicting information about how to care for bunnies and feeling like you’re getting everything wrong – it’s nice to read that you’re not the only one!

Bruce often credits the PetBunny and EtherBun mailing lists with helping him understand his rabbits and improve their lives. It really demonstrates the power of online support groups, when people take the time to answer questions and post information in can make a difference in the lives of rabbits hundreds of miles away. It makes a nice circle that Bruce is now passing on what he’s learnt to other rabbit owners so their bunnies lives can be improved too.

You can find Bruce’s blog here: http://bruceatchison.blogspot.co.uk/ the link to buy the book is in the sidebar.

The Diary of an Inspirational Bunny

Whilst the first book was written from the point of view of a person, this book shares the other side of the story, how a rabbit feels about living with a person.

It tells the story of a year in the life of Harvey, a nine year old mini-lop, who lives as a house rabbit with Jane Toseland.

Harvey frequently offers sage advice on topics such as how to avoid bedtime and what to do when your owner blames you (quite incorrectly) for scattering hay all over the place:

There is only one thing a rabbit can do in such circumstances and that is, turn his back. … Back turning is an art because once you have done it you have to stick to your guns. If you give way when they wave a piece of carrot under your nose you have lost the argument.

It’s extremely funny, although I’m sure Harvey would not appreciate you laughing at some of the indignities he has to put up with (don’t mention vet trips). It should be required reading for anyone thinking of getting a house rabbit, but keep it away from your bunnies if you don’t want them learning any new tricks for trouble making.

You can find Harvey’s blog here: http://harvey-diaryofaninspirationalbunny.blogspot.co.uk/

To get your copy of the book, send a cheque for £6.50 made out Jane Toseland to

Figaro Publishing
20, Meadow Lane
Little Houghton,
Northamptonshire
NN7 1AH

Free Rabbit Behaviour Issues Ebook

Whilst we are on the topic of books, I’ve been writing a series of articles on solving rabbit behaviour problems. The first few are on my website but I’ve turned the full 10 articles (17,000 or so words!) into an ebook which you can download from Amazon. It’s completely free this week (18th-22nd) in aid of Rabbit Awareness week. Here are the links, please pass them around so bunny owners can get it whilst it is free (Amazon puts a limit on how long you can offer it for free).

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009AV4FUQ
US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009AV4FUQ

The following problems are covered:

1. My rabbit chews at the cage bars
2. My rabbit won’t come near me
3. My rabbit hates being picked up
4. My rabbit is aggressive towards people
5. My rabbit has bad litter box habits
6. My rabbit digs the carpet
7. My rabbit chews things he shouldn’t
8. My rabbit won’t go back in the cage
9. My rabbit is aggressive towards other rabbits
10. My rabbit spends all day doing nothing

Thanks for coming up with that last one Charlotte when I was stuck for ideas.

Next time I shall either be talking about the awesomeness of poop or perhaps the not so awesomeness of fireworks… I’ll let you know.

Last weekend, Scamp got a big parcel in the post, from Monster Pet Supplies, with the note below enclosed:

Me: Scamp, come here – look what you got in the post.

Scamp: A box! That is the coolest box ever, I love spots they go with my moult stripes. I give it a 10 out of 10.

Me: Umm, no, you’re meant to be reviewing the products that came in the box.

The Treats

In the box: Russel & Friends Crazy Carrot & Parsnip Crunchers

Me: Look treats!

Scamp: I love them!

Me: You haven’t tried them yet…

Scamp: They are treats, I haven’t met a treat I didn’t like.

Scamp: Told you I’d like them.

Me: That is my finger!

Scamp: Just checking for crumbs.

Scamp’s verdict: Extremely Yummy

My verdict: Actually, for commercial treats, these aren’t so bad, they are basically carrot/parsnip, wheat flour and flaked oats – I add oats to my home made treats. So while a lump of parsnip is a healthier option, as a special treat now and then Scamp will take my finger off for them.

The Litter

Also in the box: Supreme Tumblefresh Bedding

Me: Look, some lovely litter for your tray, it’s 250% absorbent!

Scamp: Hold on, let me wee on it!

Me: Wait, I thought you were going to wee on it?

Scamp: Every bun knows you can’t wee on it until you’ve kicked it about a bit – this is why they’ve got a rabbit to write the review.

Scamp’s verdict: What can you say, it’s litter: I wee’d on it, it didn’t explode or anything. It’s soft of my behind, so I’ll take it.

My verdict: This is very similar to the paper based cat litter Scamp usually uses, it seems to work a treat and like the cat litter it is compostable. I like the resealable bag and I think it smells nicer than the cat litter. Only downside is it works a bit more expensive.

The Food

Also in the bag: Supreme Science Selective Rabbit Food

This is Scamp’s normal brand, so we already know he likes it. Although, when I got a new bag a few weeks ago they’d upped the fibre and Scamp wasn’t quite so keen. Supreme were nice enough to send Scamp some of their ‘Mature’ version of the pellets to try out – which he approved of. He seems to have got over his huff about the original bag now any way (contrary rabbit) – he’s got rather a lot of bags/varieties to munch his way through now!

Long pellets are the standard version, round the mature.

Scamp: I’ll try one of these (yum), and one of those (yum), oh no I’ve forgotten what the first one tasted like, I’ll try one of these (yum), and one of those (yum), maybe one of those and then these (yum). This is such a tough job!

Scamp’s Verdict: Yum

My verdict: I love Supreme Selective – I’ve been feeding my bunnies on it for years.

Supreme also sent him some Fibre First to try out – which Scamp loved. The Fibre First is a sort of cross between a pellet and a compressed grass cube, they are 2-4″ long and smell gorgeous – all herby.

They would be brilliant if you’ve got a bit of a reluctant hay eater. When Scamp’s munched his way through his current supply of food (maybe by Christmas) I think I’ll get him some more of these.

So, thanks, Monster Pet Supplies and Supreme, Scamp very much enjoyed eating, err, helping you review, your products.

If you follow Scamp’s antics, you probably know he lives in the kitchen. His private space is usually a box/tunnel, and for the last little while it has been a round tunnel with an upturned box over the top as a look out spot. Recently though, it’s begun to have serious structural issues. The roof is getting lower, and lower and lower. After consulting a structural engineer, we determined the issue to be – ‘the little monster has eaten the floor, 90% of the sides, two corners and part of the roof’. I believe this is the official term for ‘time to get a new box’.

The old warren – slight structural issues.

So we acquired a lovely new box:

The lovely new box

Unfortunately, we do need to be able to walk down the kitchen, you know for important things like cooking rabbit treats and transferring carrots from the fridge to the food bowl. So after a few days playing with the big box in the living room, we had to do a little DIY. We started by measuring the box and carefully working out a plan.

I’m trying out stripes this week!

Then Scamp went to work on making additional exits…

…. whilst I attacked it with a stanley knife.

I’m saving this bit for later.

The trouble with square tunnels is they have a habit of leaning, we often make our tunnels triangular by slicing one corner and overlapping two sides, but I’ve a different plan this time.

This tunnel would be perfect for a one-eared, three-legged rabbit.

First I sliced the corner and refolded, to give it double thickness walls, twice the chewing potential.

Getting better!

Then, using the spare bit of box from earlier, I cut two arches and posted the tunnel through the box.

A carefully positioned hole in the tunnel (which I’m sure Scamp will expand) gives him access to a nice snug hidey hole, and once the lid is closed the tunnel will help support the roof.

All done and in place

Very smart looking, if I do say so myself. Of course, how long it survives is the real test. I imagine it will have a few extra exits in no time!

Anyone else carefully craft warrens out of boxes?

This week the RSPCA launched a new campaign called ‘What Bugs a Bunny?‘ based on detailed research carried out by a whole team of welfare scientists, behaviourists and vets at Bristol University.

So what does bug a bunny? Top of the list – too many carrots and not enough grass! Because, if anyone likes grass, it’s a rabbit:

That video is just brilliant – doesn’t it make you want to rush and top up your bunnies hay pile right this minute?

According to the RSPCA, in a recent poll only 8% of people knew hay and grass are the most important parts of a rabbit’s diet. Which is just shocking! That’s potentially 92% of bunny owners not knowing that the most important thing about keeping their bunny healthy.

Feeding the wrong diet, particularly not enough hay/grass, is trouble waiting to happen, it means increased likelihood of

• stasis (a potentially fatal slow down of gut function)
• excess ceacel droppings aka sticky bottom (a major risk factor for flystrike)
• overgrown teeth and dental abscesses (expensive and life shortening dental problems)
• obesity (which has all the same risk factors, eg heart attack, as it does in humans)
• stress and abnormal behaviour (bunnies naturally spend 80% of their day eating – diet is a big factor in keeping them mentally stimulated)

What can you and me do about this?

I’m sure a lot of you reading this already know what the right diet is – can we all shout ‘hay’ together? But what about all the poor bunnies that are sitting by their food bowls, yearning for the taste of fresh grass or hay and not getting any? Lets do something about it! So my bunny loving, hay giving, blog reading friends, please take a moment to:

• Send a tweet about what rabbits eat
• Share a photo on facebook of your rabbit tucking into his/her dinner and label it with an appropriate message
• Share the RSPCA ‘No-one Likes a Grass – Except Rabbits’ video
• Tell a random stranger, work college, or parent in the playground what rabbits eat – go on just drop it into the conversation – must stop in and get some more hay – you wouldn’t believe how much my bunny eats!
• Blog about your rabbit’s diet

Here is the link to the RSPCA Campaign to share: http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaigns/companion/rabbits/-/article/CAM_Pet_rabbits_June12

Or perhaps a nice food pyramid: http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/images/rabbitfoodpyramid.jpg

And a couple of my past posts on hay, in case you want to brush up:

• Why Hay/Grass is Essential for Your Bunnies Teeth
• Rabbit’s Eat Grass
• 5 Ways to get your rabbit to eat more Hay

Now, go forth, spread the word: Rabbits Eat Grass!

Ps. It would be great if you popped back and let me know how you’d help spread the message…