AMPUTEES - Microsoft

BURROWINGS AUGUST 2011 PAGE 16

AMPUTEES CONTINUED ...

THE AUGUST 2011 NEWSLETTER FROM BUNNY BURROWS RE

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T he past three months have

been grim. The leg ulcer I had in 2009 – 2010 reappeared af-ter being healed for 12 months. Since the coffee morning on May 7th I have been unable to fund raise apart from the Tom-bola at West Burton at the end of May. Being unable to drive for the past 6 weeks has made me very grumpy but thanks to all the good friends Bunny Burrows con-tinues to tick along. The weather has been so changeable

that the bunnies don’t know from one day to another if they are going to cause chaos in the garden. It’s a pleasure when they all get out, all 14 of them running free in the garden. You just can’t help but waste time and watch them running and binkying around. The tortoises have found the weather most difficult to come to terms with as they need the warmth of the sun on their shells to encourage them to eat. It’s a bit like the solar lights needing the sunlight to charge their batteries. After getting 13 rab-bits living happily to-gether and it being such a joy to watch

that was irritating her.

At the moment our two boys Fielding and Hop-wood are a joy to watch. Fielding is a black Dwarf Lop and came to us in an appalling state. He was painfully thin, ear mites completely filling his ears and his back leg was sticking out as if it didn’t belong to his body. After having his leg removed, as it was so badly broken, he went into a deep depression. I thought, what have I done to this poor boy, he

really lost the will to live until along came Francheska, a very young, vibrant white Ermin Rex girl. She was and still is the making of him. They live in the living room and every night they come out and race around. He is amazing and when he is in the garden he is very difficult to catch. The other boy, Hopwood, is brown and white and half wild as his mother mated with a wild rabbit. He arrived in a large litter of very fit ba-bies, however, his mother had bitten his foot off and the stump was badly infected. After having his leg removed he was much happier and he now lives with a group of 11 other rabbits of various ages, breeds and sizes. He is afraid of no obstacle as when he’s in the garden he is up and down the steep steps and jumping over the short fence. I hope this article makes my point to any owner or indeed any vet that has a doubt about ampu-tation. Yes, they can lead a very happy full life and euthanasia is not an option at Bunny Bur-rows. Are there any down sides? Like all rabbits, you need to keep a check that they don’t get dirty bums but that should be a routine for all owners to get into. Keep checking their ears are clean, as they are one back leg short to scratch them, other than that, just love them, they are special.

HOPWOOD

FIELDING

NEWS FROM THE BURROW FROM GWEN

them snuggled up together and multi-grooming I decided to try all of the guinea pigs together. I have removed the indoor houses and made a large pen in the back bedroom. We now have 15 guinea pigs, 11 girls and 4 neutered boys all living happily together.

It has been a sad time losing two of our special bunny boys, Wilfred and Saul. It doesn’t get any easier, especially when they have had a bad start in life. Wilf had been used as target practise and had to have airgun pellets removed from his back. He turned out to be a little charmer. Saul came from a petting farm/tearoom and had been put out to die after the season was over. His severe head tilt was caused by ear mites that were not treated. Be-cause of his head touching the floor con-stantly, he had to have his eye removed. He always seemed to have a smile on his face, such a fighter. I hope the weather improves and you all enjoy a peaceful and relaxing Summer break. Thanks to you all for your con-tinued support.


AMPUTEES FROM GWEN BUTLER

A phone call from a local vet recently has stirred me to write this article.

A client had taken a rabbit to her vet with a bro-ken leg and was told it would be best to put the rabbit to sleep. The owner mentioned Bunny Burrows had rabbits with a leg removed and they were living happy lives with their compan-ion bunny. Often people are surprised when they meet the two rabbits currently living at BB who have had their back right legs removed. These are two of many over the years.

My first experience was about 14 years ago when we were asked to look after a pair of rab-bits for the RSPCA, they were a cruelty case. The girl had her front leg removed before she came to stay with us and it never held her back in any way. It was a problem for her to clean her ears as she didn’t have two paws to bring her ears to her mouth but that was soon over-come as her companion washed her ears for her.

Many years later we had a white lop eared fe-male called Pepsi with brittle bones and her back leg was broken. We went through weeks and a great deal of money attempting to save her leg. She had a fixator fitted with titanium rods but all the veterinary work didn’t save her leg. The bone got infected and eventually her leg had to be removed. I said, never again would I put a rabbit through such hell, the kind-est way is to remove the leg. She was quite happy with her life until her brittle bones caused her to break a front leg and we had to let her go to Bunny Heaven. Since Pepsi we have had Merlin, a big boy, he had a back leg removed and lived happily to the age of seven. Hazel-Hop-and-Hide, a lovely little black and tan female had her back leg re-moved; she had a happy life as did Fern, a grey Chinchilla girl who lived very happily with Foster Petrents Kaz and Jill. Fern would let them

know when she wanted her ear scratched by shaking them backwards and forwards and Jill would look inside and gently remove any wax


Thank you to everyone who contributed to this months newsletter. If you would like to submit an article for our November 2011 newsletter would you please e-mail them to me by October 16th 2011. Please note, any articles received after this date will go into the next newsletter.

Could you please send photos as JPEGS and your wording in a text document.

I’m looking forward to being pleasantly surprised by all your e-mails. Send them to: [email protected]

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR and PRINTER BETTER KNOWN AS KAZ

PEPSI

FERN

THE UPSTAIRS COLONY

KNOW YOUR TORTOISE CONTINUED ...

THE NOSE They have a very good sense of smell which is mainly used for locating food and finding the opposite sex. They breathe through their nose so open-mouthed breathing can be a sign of respiratory problems. Discharge from the nose can appear after your tortoise has eaten succu-lent food but otherwise any discharge should be checked by a vet. THE MOUTH Tortoises have a strong bite but they don’t actu-ally chew their food. Instead they salivate and manipulate their food so they can swal-low it. The mouth and tongue of a healthy tor-toise are usually a pink colour. However, this can vary depending on what they have eaten. If they go off their food they should have their mouth examined. In some cases a tortoise’s beak can become a problem. If the beak becomes overgrown it will need to be clipped otherwise it may become very hard and painful for your tortoise to eat. THE SKIN Its skin is made up of small protective scales and some of these can be quite thick. It is nor-mal for scales and bits of skin to peel off, espe-cially in the head and neck area. There are no sweat glands in the skin so you will need to provide some shade for it to shelter beneath

while outside in warm weather. THE CLAWS Adult claws don’t normally need clipping as they naturally wear down. They should only be clipped if they are growing abnormally or are so long that they are at risk of snagging.

THE SHELL The shell is a unique feature which tortoises are well known for. It gives protection as well as absorbing heat from the sun so it can remain warm for longer than other reptiles. Minor damage to the shell should heal unaided but

more severe cases can lead to shell rot. This can also start from less obvious causes but either way veterinary advice should be sought if it appears soft or has liquid seeping through the margins. THE TAIL The tail is the best guide to telling the female from the male. A male’s tail is much longer and more bulky. His tail should be tucked sideways under his shell but if he doesn’t walk tall then he could develop a sore tail if not kept on grass. If this becomes soiled it will become a target for fly strike, so you need to keep this in mind if your tortoise has access to a concreted area.


STOAT OR A WEASEL ? FROM KAZ

A part from a very bad joke on the subject, telling the difference between a weasel or a

stoat is very difficult at a glance, which is what most of us get of these little mammals. Male and female weasels and stoats are referred to as a dog and a bitch and the young are called kittens or kits. Both have a very similar diet and enjoy similar habitats and range around Britain but they try to stay out of each others way. Due to their small size and speed, weasels and stoats are very hard to spot. The easiest way to spot them is by the presence of their droppings. Weasels droppings are thin, tapering and are usually 6mm long and 3mm wide, while stoat’s droppings are 8mm long and 5mm wide. Foot-prints are hard to spot but if you do see them both will show five toe marks with one large pad in the middle of the paw. Weasels footprints are smaller in size and the best time to spot them is when there is snow on the ground. You may be able to attract the sighting of a weasel or stoat by making a squeaking noise by sucking air through closed lips or kissing the back of your hand.

If you are wondering what the bad joke is then Weasels are w’easily recognisable and stoats are stoatily different! So what are the main dif-ferences between the two and how can you identify them? One way to tell the difference between them is that unlike stoats, weasels do not have a black tip to the tail. Both are found throughout Britain but the stoat is also found in Ireland. Their homes are known as dens and are often the former nests of their prey. Both species will usually have several dens, which they will use at different times in the year. (A bit like the Queen.) Both have a high mortality rate, neither are protected in Britain but the stoat is protected in Ireland. A stoat’s fur is reddish brown/ginger and white underneath. However, in Winter some of them turn white and are referred to as ‘ermine’. This fur is used around the neck of Judges’ gowns. (I hope it brings them out in a rash!) The major-ity of the weasel’s fur is ginger/brown and cream underneath. So, will you now be able to spot a weasel and a stoat? When I decided to write this article an old rhyme kept popping into my head … Pop goes the weasel ! Half a pound of tuppeny rice, Half a pound of treacle, That’s the way the money goes, Pop goes the weasel. I was a bit concerned that it meant something awful had happened to the weasel but actually it


STOAT

has nothing to do with the little creature. Let me tell you what it means. The words were derived from Cockney Rhym-ing slang which originated in London. Cock-neys were a close community and were suspi-cious of strangers and had a dislike of the Po-lice. So, they developed a language of their own, based roughly on a rhyming slang. It was difficult for a stranger to understand as most often the second noun would always be dropped. Apples and pears (meaning stairs) would be abbreviated to just ‘apples’; so they would say, watch your step on the apples. To ‘pop’ is the slang word for ‘pawn’. Weasel is derived from ‘weasel and stoat’, meaning coat. It was traditional for even poor folk to own a suit or a coat, which they wore as their ‘Sunday Best’. When times were hard they would pawn their suit/coat on a Monday and claim it back

before Sunday. Hence the term, ‘Pop goes the weasel!’.


KNOW YOUR TORTOISE FROM SOPHIE WEBB

T ortoises are living fossils which have sur-vived since the dawn of the age of reptiles.

This means that they have been around for over 200 million years. The tortoise’s native coun-tries are mainly around the Mediterranean. Tortoises arrived in Britain due to the demand for them as pets. However, since Britain is not their natural habitat guidelines must be followed correctly to ensure your tortoise is as happy as possible. Now, there is a law in place to try and prevent people buying and selling tortoises and their eggs. You must have a special licence to do so. However, this does not apply to giving the tortoise or eggs away free. They are quiet a lot of the time, very misunder-stood animals. Because they don’t show any obvious signs of emotion or distress people often think that they are insensitive. This lack of understanding can often result in tortoises being treated as objects, not animals which need care and attention. As a result many of them can be seriously harmed. Also, they are not particu-larly easy or low maintenance as some people

believe they are. Many tortoises are owned by inexperienced people and as a result suffer avoidable health issues and premature mortal-ity. THE EYE Most tortoises kept in captivity have bright black eyes with the exception of Box Tortoise’s which have yellow, orange or brown eyes to blend in with the markings on their heads. Tortoises have good colour vision even though, unlike most animals, they have no blood vessels on the retina. Also, they have no tear ducts so if tears form they will spill down the face. Cloudiness or cataracts within the eye may be due to freezing during hibernation which can cause feeding difficulties and other strange be-haviour. To avoid this make sure your tortoise is hibernated in a well insulated box in a frost free place. However, do not hibernate your tortoise in hay or straw as the seed from it could enter your tortoise’s eye as it is shuffling around inside its box. This can cause infection and be very difficult to get out. THE EAR Tortoises mainly respond to low-frequency sounds. The ear is below a small circular scale just underneath the angle of the mouth and should be flat or slightly concave. If it is bulg-ing, this may indicate an abscess and it is best to seek veterinary advice. It is always best to try and avoid pressure on this area if you need to open the mouth.


STOAT OR WEASEL ? CONTINUED ...

WEASEL

DID YOU KNOW ? FROM KAZ

The Statue of Liberty is the largest hammered copper statue in the world. Your mouth produces a litre of saliva a day. 55% of people yawn within 5 minutes of seeing someone else yawn. 75% of wild birds die before they are 6 months old. In Denmark, there are twice as many pigs as people.

Dinosaurs didn’t eat grass. There wasn’t any at that time. Melba Toast is named after Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba (1861 – 1931). 8% of folk have an extra rib. Frogs can’t swallow with their eyes open. Isaac Newton invented the cat flap. The average bed contains over 6 billion dust mites.

WHO SAYS WE ARE BORING ? FROM JILL ROBSON

P eople often think guinea pigs are boring pets to have; however, guinea pigs are

highly social creatures. Having a guinea pig living outdoors in a hutch on its own can lead it to suffer from terrible loneliness. Therefore if you are considering a little piggy for the first time, it is essential to have at least a pair to ensure their happiness and well being. Letting your guinea pig live in your home is be-coming increasingly popular. This has the ad-vantage of your pet having more social interac-tion and you, the owner are not missing out on what interesting, friendly little furries they can be. People often think of guinea pigs as being dirty and smelly but they are only as dirty and smelly as you allow them to be. They don’t have flush toilets and cannot clean their own cages out. Just imagine how smelly our homes would be if all we had was a bucket in the corner of our living room for the whole family to use and only getting emptied once a day. I’m sure we would-n’t get many visitors.

Apart from eating, which is probably most guinea pigs favourite hobby, they love to play, not only with each other but with toys and their human friends. If you allow your piggy to run around your home you must ensure the area it is allowed in is free from danger. Electrical ca-bles should be moved or protected with suitable covering and any items of value should be moved or they could very possibly be attacked by very sharp teeth. Among some of the games they like to play is chase, our three piggies (pictured left) often resemble a train as they run around the garden on warm days. They also love fabric tunnels and will race through them at speed and jump in the air when they appear out of the end. One of my favourite piggy things is when you make eye contact and talk to them, they start moving their mouths as if to talk back. Many years ago, our first guinea pig would come out of the pet room he shared with his bunny friend, every night at the same time while I was preparing their supper downstairs. He would go along the landing and stand at the top of the stairs and squeal and shout at high vol-ume until his supper was ready. On the odd occasion I was late I dread to think what he was saying about me if I could have understood him. So, guinea pigs need not be boring, just like most of us they need stimulation and friendship and the more you are prepared to give, the more rewarding it will be for you having these adorable furries as part of your family.


RECIPE FOR AUGUST FROM JOHN TALBOT

Lancashire Sausages. I had this recipe given to me a couple of weeks ago and have not yet tried them but I have been told that they are very tasty.

5ozs Lancashire cheese, grated. 9oz fresh white bread crumbs. 2 spring onions, finely chopped. 1 teaspoon fresh chopped Thyme. 1 teaspoon fresh chopped Rosemary. Grated Nutmeg. Salt and Pepper. 2 large eggs, separated. For the coating: 2 tablespoons of plain flour. 3oz fresh white breadcrumbs. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying. In a large bowl, mix together the cheese, bread-crumbs, spring onions, herbs, spices and sea-soning. Stir in the egg yolks then knead well to form a soft paste, which should hold its shape. Chill for about 2 hours to firm up the mixture, and then shape into 12 sausages. Whisk the egg whites until frothy. Dust each sausage in the flour then dip into the egg white

and roll in the breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated and fry in the oil.


ENJOY

If you have any unwanted gifts, we would be pleased if you would donate them to Bunny Burrows to be used as

prizes on our Tombola Stall.

Our contact details are:

68 Whitefields Drive Richmond

North Yorkshire DL10 7DL

Telephone:

01748 824788

Email address is on front page.

ARTHUR, DANDY and HARRY


TALES FROM TALLY CONTINUED ...

BIG BUNNIES FROM JOHN TALBOT

T he Flemish Giant (vlaamse reus) originated in Flanders, which was part of Belgium and

was first recorded in 1860 but is thought to have first been bred in the 16th century. It is possibly derived from the now extinct breed of large rab-bit, the Potayonian. This breed was common in Belgium and France at this time. Some sources suggest that the Flemish Giant was already being pure-bred in the 16th century under the name of the Ghent Giant. In the 1880’s the breed was exported to America Typically, the Flemish Giant will have a body length of 31 inches and weigh between 15½ and 17½ pounds, although they can grow con-siderably larger than this. Unfortunately, there are a few people who are trying to breed larger and larger giants to obtain record size rabbits; a practice not to be supported I think. The British Giant is the largest of the British breeds and is derived from the Flemish Giant. Because the British Rabbit Council only recog-nized the Flemish Giant with a steel grey coat,

some breeders decided to introduce other col-ours from the U.S.A. This led to the creations of a separate breed and at the end of the 1940’s the British Giant Club was formed. Being smaller than its Flemish cousin, the Brit-ish still weighs in at 13 or 14 pounds and can be seen with the following colour coats; Black, Blue, White, Steel Grey and Opal. The giant breeds usually make wonderful gentle pets as they have a very calm temperament. Many are not very keen to be picked up and should be handled carefully. Always make sure you have one hand under their rump to support their weight. These big bunnies are very spe-cial and a joy to live with.


hay next to Dora before going out and leaping about again; this made mum laugh hysterically. Dora was more cautious, and it was almost a

week before she would venture into the great outdoors but once she did she loved it and spent a lot of time sunbathing. The aviary is made of very strong weldmesh that is sunk into the ground and cemented in so no matter how hard Barny digs he won’t be able to dig out, and foxes can’t dig in. The crows were not very happy about it and they stamped about on the mesh roof whilst mum fed the smaller birds inside the aviary as they can pass through the mesh easily. After all isn’t that what an aviary is supposed to be for, birds?!

FLEMISH GIANT

BRITISH GIANT

How many words of at least three letters can

you make from GUINEA PIG ?

KAZ found 42 can you beat her ?

Answers on Page 11

BARNY

TALES FROM THE DALES FROM A CARAVAN IN WEARDALE

Sorry there is no Tales From The Dales this month as we found out she had been working for the News of the World and had been trying to hack into Gwen’s mobile phone. Fortunately nothing was recorded as she couldn’t keep up with the speed of Gwen’s conversation.

WORDS FROM GUINEA PIG FROM KAZ Age Ageing Ape Aping Egg Gag Gain Gang Gap Gape

Gaping Gauge Gen Gig Gin Gip Gnu Guinea Gun Nag

Nap Nape Nip Page Paging Pain Pan Pain Pang Pea

Peg Pen Pie Pig Piggie Piggin Pin Pine Ping Pug

Pun Unpeg

TALES FROM TALLY The Rabbit Friendly Labrador FROM APRIL CARNEY

H ello eve-

ryone. It has been a busy time around here. A few

weeks ago I heard a big diesel van pull into the drive, I got very excited because I knew my favourite builders called Steve and Stu had ar-rived. I haven’t seen them for a year or more but I haven’t forgotten them at all because they eat lovely food like pie and chips and big ham sand-wiches and they can’t resist feeding me. Before they unloaded their tools they had a cup of coffee. Mum was very excited and wanted them to get started immediately. She had designed an avi-ary type of run to be attached to the front of the shed where some of the bunnies live, to give them much more space and 24hour access to the outdoors. Steve and Stu then got into the van and left again without doing a thing. But an hour later they were back with lots of wood and after an-other cup of coffee they set to work. They sawed wood and dug holes, I was impatient for them to have their lunch and when they did I wasn’t disappointed. They fed me chunks of their sandwiches and crisps and everything, I was so excited. Mum told them not to feed me

but it was too late. I then wandered off to find any tasty morsels the crow may have hidden around the garden. Soon it was time for them to have coffee again, there was nothing for me to eat this time but I did get a lovely rub off Steve. The building of the aviary took much longer than mum had planned, but on the sixth day the bunnies were given their first taste of freedom. Barny was the first out followed by his compan-ion Hazel. Soon Barny was digging enthusiasti-cally in a corner and would then push the soil away from the hole with his front feet, then when he needed a rest he rolled in the cool damp soil. This made Mum giggle and oooh and ahww! She seemed delighted at the mess he was making. Hazel did a few binkies and settled down to nibble grass and to watch Barny's hard work. The aviary was divided into two and in the other half Fletcher came out cautiously to explore. After checking it was safe, he started to run about at a lighting speed and leap into the air whilst changing direction then he would race back into his shed and flop down on a big pile of


GOODBYE APHRODITE FROM LIZZY


W ell, it is 6.33am on Monday 11th July and I am typing but I don’t know what to write.

My Heart is broken. I lost my darling Aphrodite to GI Stasis on Friday night. It is not real. It hasn’t happened to my darling girl. I’m looking at these words on the screen and they are not real. I don’t know how it happened, it was just so fast. I’ve always been a bunny mummy, at the first sign of anything, straight to the vet’s, no messing; and I still haven’t been able to save her. What am I going to do? The house is horribly quiet and there are reminders everywhere. It is only Monday and yet it feels so long since I last saw her and I can’t bare it. I was only thinking at the beginning of last week, “Oh, I must write to Bunny Burrows with the latest on Aphrodite since we got home from Spain for the Newsletter.” I’ll tell everyone how hard it has been trying to find her the perfect run for the garden and the worries of her being in it and not wanting her to feel lonely and then once she went in it I stayed with her the whole time.

I’m sorry, I can’t write very much more at the moment. It has just happened so fast and far too soon. She was only about 16 months old. After all we had been through, getting away from Spain and doing everything possible so she was happy and she had everything a bunny could wish for, it is so unfair. Thank you so much Gwen, you were at the end of the phone for advice and I will never forget that, you are a true “One in a Million” and I will always be so grateful. Thank you to all the nurses at Oakbeck Veteri-nary Hospital in Harrogate, you were all so kind and caring. I must mention Anne Blackburn, the most knowledgeable, caring, kind and gen-tle vet . She appeared in the last few days and came and joined me, fighting in Aphrodite’s corner. Bless you. My Darling Aphrodite – I will miss our snuggles forever. You have the most enchanting charac-ter – the “shinanigins”, the fastest bunny ever, the most amazing jumper, the most caring, beautiful Aphrodite. I will love you forever my darling girl. Xxx

GOODBYE APHRODITE

SPONSOR A PET AND HELP BUNNY BURROWS




Sponsoring a pet is a super way of helping Bunny Burrows. Sponsorship lasts for one year and costs £20, the equivalent of only 39p a week. You will receive an A5 sponsor certificate card with a colour photo, an Easter card, Christmas card and a little up-date from your chosen pet. Take a look at the long term residents who will never be rehomed because of on-going health problems. If you are interested please let us have your name, address and who you would like to sponsor. Please send your details with a cheque to Bunny Burrows 68 Whitefields Drive Richmond North Yorkshire DL10 7DL GIFT AID is tax relief on money donated to UK Charities, please tell us if you will allow us to claim this back from your £20.

Thank you.

PRECIOUS & MERCURY

ANNABELLE, CHARLIE & TWILIGHT

GRAINGER AND DOLLY

NAOMI

FRANCHESKA

MELODY, HARMONY & PAVROTI

BRILLO & DIZZY RASCAL





Sponsoring a pet is a super way of helping Bunny Burrows. Sponsorship lasts for one year and costs £20, the equivalent of only 39p a week. You will receive an A5 sponsor certificate card with a colour photo, an Easter card, Christmas card and a little up-date from your chosen pet. Take a look at the long term residents who will never be rehomed because of on-going health problems. If you are interested please let us have your name, address and who you would like to sponsor. Please send your details with a cheque to Bunny Burrows 68 Whitefields Drive Richmond North Yorkshire DL10 7DL GIFT AID is tax relief on money donated to UK Charities, please tell us if you will allow us to claim this back from your £20.

Thank you.

PRECIOUS & MERCURY

ANNABELLE, CHARLIE & TWILIGHT

GRAINGER AND DOLLY

NAOMI

FRANCHESKA

MELODY, HARMONY & PAVROTI

BRILLO & DIZZY RASCAL

TALES FROM TALLY The Rabbit Friendly Labrador FROM APRIL CARNEY

H ello eve-

ryone. It has been a busy time around here. A few

weeks ago I heard a big diesel van pull into the drive, I got very excited because I knew my favourite builders called Steve and Stu had ar-rived. I haven’t seen them for a year or more but I haven’t forgotten them at all because they eat lovely food like pie and chips and big ham sand-wiches and they can’t resist feeding me. Before they unloaded their tools they had a cup of coffee. Mum was very excited and wanted them to get started immediately. She had designed an avi-ary type of run to be attached to the front of the shed where some of the bunnies live, to give them much more space and 24hour access to the outdoors. Steve and Stu then got into the van and left again without doing a thing. But an hour later they were back with lots of wood and after an-other cup of coffee they set to work. They sawed wood and dug holes, I was impatient for them to have their lunch and when they did I wasn’t disappointed. They fed me chunks of their sandwiches and crisps and everything, I was so excited. Mum told them not to feed me

but it was too late. I then wandered off to find any tasty morsels the crow may have hidden around the garden. Soon it was time for them to have coffee again, there was nothing for me to eat this time but I did get a lovely rub off Steve. The building of the aviary took much longer than mum had planned, but on the sixth day the bunnies were given their first taste of freedom. Barny was the first out followed by his compan-ion Hazel. Soon Barny was digging enthusiasti-cally in a corner and would then push the soil away from the hole with his front feet, then when he needed a rest he rolled in the cool damp soil. This made Mum giggle and oooh and ahww! She seemed delighted at the mess he was making. Hazel did a few binkies and settled down to nibble grass and to watch Barny's hard work. The aviary was divided into two and in the other half Fletcher came out cautiously to explore. After checking it was safe, he started to run about at a lighting speed and leap into the air whilst changing direction then he would race back into his shed and flop down on a big pile of


GOODBYE APHRODITE FROM LIZZY


W ell, it is 6.33am on Monday 11th July and I am typing but I don’t know what to write.

My Heart is broken. I lost my darling Aphrodite to GI Stasis on Friday night. It is not real. It hasn’t happened to my darling girl. I’m looking at these words on the screen and they are not real. I don’t know how it happened, it was just so fast. I’ve always been a bunny mummy, at the first sign of anything, straight to the vet’s, no messing; and I still haven’t been able to save her. What am I going to do? The house is horribly quiet and there are reminders everywhere. It is only Monday and yet it feels so long since I last saw her and I can’t bare it. I was only thinking at the beginning of last week, “Oh, I must write to Bunny Burrows with the latest on Aphrodite since we got home from Spain for the Newsletter.” I’ll tell everyone how hard it has been trying to find her the perfect run for the garden and the worries of her being in it and not wanting her to feel lonely and then once she went in it I stayed with her the whole time.

I’m sorry, I can’t write very much more at the moment. It has just happened so fast and far too soon. She was only about 16 months old. After all we had been through, getting away from Spain and doing everything possible so she was happy and she had everything a bunny could wish for, it is so unfair. Thank you so much Gwen, you were at the end of the phone for advice and I will never forget that, you are a true “One in a Million” and I will always be so grateful. Thank you to all the nurses at Oakbeck Veteri-nary Hospital in Harrogate, you were all so kind and caring. I must mention Anne Blackburn, the most knowledgeable, caring, kind and gen-tle vet . She appeared in the last few days and came and joined me, fighting in Aphrodite’s corner. Bless you. My Darling Aphrodite – I will miss our snuggles forever. You have the most enchanting charac-ter – the “shinanigins”, the fastest bunny ever, the most amazing jumper, the most caring, beautiful Aphrodite. I will love you forever my darling girl. Xxx

GOODBYE APHRODITE


TALES FROM TALLY CONTINUED ...

BIG BUNNIES FROM JOHN TALBOT

T he Flemish Giant (vlaamse reus) originated in Flanders, which was part of Belgium and

was first recorded in 1860 but is thought to have first been bred in the 16th century. It is possibly derived from the now extinct breed of large rab-bit, the Potayonian. This breed was common in Belgium and France at this time. Some sources suggest that the Flemish Giant was already being pure-bred in the 16th century under the name of the Ghent Giant. In the 1880’s the breed was exported to America Typically, the Flemish Giant will have a body length of 31 inches and weigh between 15½ and 17½ pounds, although they can grow con-siderably larger than this. Unfortunately, there are a few people who are trying to breed larger and larger giants to obtain record size rabbits; a practice not to be supported I think. The British Giant is the largest of the British breeds and is derived from the Flemish Giant. Because the British Rabbit Council only recog-nized the Flemish Giant with a steel grey coat,

some breeders decided to introduce other col-ours from the U.S.A. This led to the creations of a separate breed and at the end of the 1940’s the British Giant Club was formed. Being smaller than its Flemish cousin, the Brit-ish still weighs in at 13 or 14 pounds and can be seen with the following colour coats; Black, Blue, White, Steel Grey and Opal. The giant breeds usually make wonderful gentle pets as they have a very calm temperament. Many are not very keen to be picked up and should be handled carefully. Always make sure you have one hand under their rump to support their weight. These big bunnies are very spe-cial and a joy to live with.


hay next to Dora before going out and leaping about again; this made mum laugh hysterically. Dora was more cautious, and it was almost a

week before she would venture into the great outdoors but once she did she loved it and spent a lot of time sunbathing. The aviary is made of very strong weldmesh that is sunk into the ground and cemented in so no matter how hard Barny digs he won’t be able to dig out, and foxes can’t dig in. The crows were not very happy about it and they stamped about on the mesh roof whilst mum fed the smaller birds inside the aviary as they can pass through the mesh easily. After all isn’t that what an aviary is supposed to be for, birds?!

FLEMISH GIANT

BRITISH GIANT

How many words of at least three letters can

you make from GUINEA PIG ?

KAZ found 42 can you beat her ?

Answers on Page 11

BARNY

TALES FROM THE DALES FROM A CARAVAN IN WEARDALE

Sorry there is no Tales From The Dales this month as we found out she had been working for the News of the World and had been trying to hack into Gwen’s mobile phone. Fortunately nothing was recorded as she couldn’t keep up with the speed of Gwen’s conversation.

WORDS FROM GUINEA PIG FROM KAZ Age Ageing Ape Aping Egg Gag Gain Gang Gap Gape

Gaping Gauge Gen Gig Gin Gip Gnu Guinea Gun Nag

Nap Nape Nip Page Paging Pain Pan Pain Pang Pea

Peg Pen Pie Pig Piggie Piggin Pin Pine Ping Pug

Pun Unpeg

WHO SAYS WE ARE BORING ? FROM JILL ROBSON

P eople often think guinea pigs are boring pets to have; however, guinea pigs are

highly social creatures. Having a guinea pig living outdoors in a hutch on its own can lead it to suffer from terrible loneliness. Therefore if you are considering a little piggy for the first time, it is essential to have at least a pair to ensure their happiness and well being. Letting your guinea pig live in your home is be-coming increasingly popular. This has the ad-vantage of your pet having more social interac-tion and you, the owner are not missing out on what interesting, friendly little furries they can be. People often think of guinea pigs as being dirty and smelly but they are only as dirty and smelly as you allow them to be. They don’t have flush toilets and cannot clean their own cages out. Just imagine how smelly our homes would be if all we had was a bucket in the corner of our living room for the whole family to use and only getting emptied once a day. I’m sure we would-n’t get many visitors.

Apart from eating, which is probably most guinea pigs favourite hobby, they love to play, not only with each other but with toys and their human friends. If you allow your piggy to run around your home you must ensure the area it is allowed in is free from danger. Electrical ca-bles should be moved or protected with suitable covering and any items of value should be moved or they could very possibly be attacked by very sharp teeth. Among some of the games they like to play is chase, our three piggies (pictured left) often resemble a train as they run around the garden on warm days. They also love fabric tunnels and will race through them at speed and jump in the air when they appear out of the end. One of my favourite piggy things is when you make eye contact and talk to them, they start moving their mouths as if to talk back. Many years ago, our first guinea pig would come out of the pet room he shared with his bunny friend, every night at the same time while I was preparing their supper downstairs. He would go along the landing and stand at the top of the stairs and squeal and shout at high vol-ume until his supper was ready. On the odd occasion I was late I dread to think what he was saying about me if I could have understood him. So, guinea pigs need not be boring, just like most of us they need stimulation and friendship and the more you are prepared to give, the more rewarding it will be for you having these adorable furries as part of your family.


RECIPE FOR AUGUST FROM JOHN TALBOT

Lancashire Sausages. I had this recipe given to me a couple of weeks ago and have not yet tried them but I have been told that they are very tasty.

5ozs Lancashire cheese, grated. 9oz fresh white bread crumbs. 2 spring onions, finely chopped. 1 teaspoon fresh chopped Thyme. 1 teaspoon fresh chopped Rosemary. Grated Nutmeg. Salt and Pepper. 2 large eggs, separated. For the coating: 2 tablespoons of plain flour. 3oz fresh white breadcrumbs. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying. In a large bowl, mix together the cheese, bread-crumbs, spring onions, herbs, spices and sea-soning. Stir in the egg yolks then knead well to form a soft paste, which should hold its shape. Chill for about 2 hours to firm up the mixture, and then shape into 12 sausages. Whisk the egg whites until frothy. Dust each sausage in the flour then dip into the egg white

and roll in the breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated and fry in the oil.


ENJOY

If you have any unwanted gifts, we would be pleased if you would donate them to Bunny Burrows to be used as

prizes on our Tombola Stall.

Our contact details are:

68 Whitefields Drive Richmond

North Yorkshire DL10 7DL

Telephone:

01748 824788

Email address is on front page.

ARTHUR, DANDY and HARRY

has nothing to do with the little creature. Let me tell you what it means. The words were derived from Cockney Rhym-ing slang which originated in London. Cock-neys were a close community and were suspi-cious of strangers and had a dislike of the Po-lice. So, they developed a language of their own, based roughly on a rhyming slang. It was difficult for a stranger to understand as most often the second noun would always be dropped. Apples and pears (meaning stairs) would be abbreviated to just ‘apples’; so they would say, watch your step on the apples. To ‘pop’ is the slang word for ‘pawn’. Weasel is derived from ‘weasel and stoat’, meaning coat. It was traditional for even poor folk to own a suit or a coat, which they wore as their ‘Sunday Best’. When times were hard they would pawn their suit/coat on a Monday and claim it back

before Sunday. Hence the term, ‘Pop goes the weasel!’.


KNOW YOUR TORTOISE FROM SOPHIE WEBB

T ortoises are living fossils which have sur-vived since the dawn of the age of reptiles.

This means that they have been around for over 200 million years. The tortoise’s native coun-tries are mainly around the Mediterranean. Tortoises arrived in Britain due to the demand for them as pets. However, since Britain is not their natural habitat guidelines must be followed correctly to ensure your tortoise is as happy as possible. Now, there is a law in place to try and prevent people buying and selling tortoises and their eggs. You must have a special licence to do so. However, this does not apply to giving the tortoise or eggs away free. They are quiet a lot of the time, very misunder-stood animals. Because they don’t show any obvious signs of emotion or distress people often think that they are insensitive. This lack of understanding can often result in tortoises being treated as objects, not animals which need care and attention. As a result many of them can be seriously harmed. Also, they are not particu-larly easy or low maintenance as some people

believe they are. Many tortoises are owned by inexperienced people and as a result suffer avoidable health issues and premature mortal-ity. THE EYE Most tortoises kept in captivity have bright black eyes with the exception of Box Tortoise’s which have yellow, orange or brown eyes to blend in with the markings on their heads. Tortoises have good colour vision even though, unlike most animals, they have no blood vessels on the retina. Also, they have no tear ducts so if tears form they will spill down the face. Cloudiness or cataracts within the eye may be due to freezing during hibernation which can cause feeding difficulties and other strange be-haviour. To avoid this make sure your tortoise is hibernated in a well insulated box in a frost free place. However, do not hibernate your tortoise in hay or straw as the seed from it could enter your tortoise’s eye as it is shuffling around inside its box. This can cause infection and be very difficult to get out. THE EAR Tortoises mainly respond to low-frequency sounds. The ear is below a small circular scale just underneath the angle of the mouth and should be flat or slightly concave. If it is bulg-ing, this may indicate an abscess and it is best to seek veterinary advice. It is always best to try and avoid pressure on this area if you need to open the mouth.


STOAT OR WEASEL ? CONTINUED ...

WEASEL

DID YOU KNOW ? FROM KAZ

The Statue of Liberty is the largest hammered copper statue in the world. Your mouth produces a litre of saliva a day. 55% of people yawn within 5 minutes of seeing someone else yawn. 75% of wild birds die before they are 6 months old. In Denmark, there are twice as many pigs as people.

Dinosaurs didn’t eat grass. There wasn’t any at that time. Melba Toast is named after Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba (1861 – 1931). 8% of folk have an extra rib. Frogs can’t swallow with their eyes open. Isaac Newton invented the cat flap. The average bed contains over 6 billion dust mites.

KNOW YOUR TORTOISE CONTINUED ...

THE NOSE They have a very good sense of smell which is mainly used for locating food and finding the opposite sex. They breathe through their nose so open-mouthed breathing can be a sign of respiratory problems. Discharge from the nose can appear after your tortoise has eaten succu-lent food but otherwise any discharge should be checked by a vet. THE MOUTH Tortoises have a strong bite but they don’t actu-ally chew their food. Instead they salivate and manipulate their food so they can swal-low it. The mouth and tongue of a healthy tor-toise are usually a pink colour. However, this can vary depending on what they have eaten. If they go off their food they should have their mouth examined. In some cases a tortoise’s beak can become a problem. If the beak becomes overgrown it will need to be clipped otherwise it may become very hard and painful for your tortoise to eat. THE SKIN Its skin is made up of small protective scales and some of these can be quite thick. It is nor-mal for scales and bits of skin to peel off, espe-cially in the head and neck area. There are no sweat glands in the skin so you will need to provide some shade for it to shelter beneath

while outside in warm weather. THE CLAWS Adult claws don’t normally need clipping as they naturally wear down. They should only be clipped if they are growing abnormally or are so long that they are at risk of snagging.

THE SHELL The shell is a unique feature which tortoises are well known for. It gives protection as well as absorbing heat from the sun so it can remain warm for longer than other reptiles. Minor damage to the shell should heal unaided but

more severe cases can lead to shell rot. This can also start from less obvious causes but either way veterinary advice should be sought if it appears soft or has liquid seeping through the margins. THE TAIL The tail is the best guide to telling the female from the male. A male’s tail is much longer and more bulky. His tail should be tucked sideways under his shell but if he doesn’t walk tall then he could develop a sore tail if not kept on grass. If this becomes soiled it will become a target for fly strike, so you need to keep this in mind if your tortoise has access to a concreted area.


STOAT OR A WEASEL ? FROM KAZ

A part from a very bad joke on the subject, telling the difference between a weasel or a

stoat is very difficult at a glance, which is what most of us get of these little mammals. Male and female weasels and stoats are referred to as a dog and a bitch and the young are called kittens or kits. Both have a very similar diet and enjoy similar habitats and range around Britain but they try to stay out of each others way. Due to their small size and speed, weasels and stoats are very hard to spot. The easiest way to spot them is by the presence of their droppings. Weasels droppings are thin, tapering and are usually 6mm long and 3mm wide, while stoat’s droppings are 8mm long and 5mm wide. Foot-prints are hard to spot but if you do see them both will show five toe marks with one large pad in the middle of the paw. Weasels footprints are smaller in size and the best time to spot them is when there is snow on the ground. You may be able to attract the sighting of a weasel or stoat by making a squeaking noise by sucking air through closed lips or kissing the back of your hand.

If you are wondering what the bad joke is then Weasels are w’easily recognisable and stoats are stoatily different! So what are the main dif-ferences between the two and how can you identify them? One way to tell the difference between them is that unlike stoats, weasels do not have a black tip to the tail. Both are found throughout Britain but the stoat is also found in Ireland. Their homes are known as dens and are often the former nests of their prey. Both species will usually have several dens, which they will use at different times in the year. (A bit like the Queen.) Both have a high mortality rate, neither are protected in Britain but the stoat is protected in Ireland. A stoat’s fur is reddish brown/ginger and white underneath. However, in Winter some of them turn white and are referred to as ‘ermine’. This fur is used around the neck of Judges’ gowns. (I hope it brings them out in a rash!) The major-ity of the weasel’s fur is ginger/brown and cream underneath. So, will you now be able to spot a weasel and a stoat? When I decided to write this article an old rhyme kept popping into my head … Pop goes the weasel ! Half a pound of tuppeny rice, Half a pound of treacle, That’s the way the money goes, Pop goes the weasel. I was a bit concerned that it meant something awful had happened to the weasel but actually it


STOAT

NEWS FROM THE BURROW FROM GWEN

them snuggled up together and multi-grooming I decided to try all of the guinea pigs together. I have removed the indoor houses and made a large pen in the back bedroom. We now have 15 guinea pigs, 11 girls and 4 neutered boys all living happily together.

It has been a sad time losing two of our special bunny boys, Wilfred and Saul. It doesn’t get any easier, especially when they have had a bad start in life. Wilf had been used as target practise and had to have airgun pellets removed from his back. He turned out to be a little charmer. Saul came from a petting farm/tearoom and had been put out to die after the season was over. His severe head tilt was caused by ear mites that were not treated. Be-cause of his head touching the floor con-stantly, he had to have his eye removed. He always seemed to have a smile on his face, such a fighter. I hope the weather improves and you all enjoy a peaceful and relaxing Summer break. Thanks to you all for your con-tinued support.


AMPUTEES FROM GWEN BUTLER

A phone call from a local vet recently has stirred me to write this article.

A client had taken a rabbit to her vet with a bro-ken leg and was told it would be best to put the rabbit to sleep. The owner mentioned Bunny Burrows had rabbits with a leg removed and they were living happy lives with their compan-ion bunny. Often people are surprised when they meet the two rabbits currently living at BB who have had their back right legs removed. These are two of many over the years.

My first experience was about 14 years ago when we were asked to look after a pair of rab-bits for the RSPCA, they were a cruelty case. The girl had her front leg removed before she came to stay with us and it never held her back in any way. It was a problem for her to clean her ears as she didn’t have two paws to bring her ears to her mouth but that was soon over-come as her companion washed her ears for her.

Many years later we had a white lop eared fe-male called Pepsi with brittle bones and her back leg was broken. We went through weeks and a great deal of money attempting to save her leg. She had a fixator fitted with titanium rods but all the veterinary work didn’t save her leg. The bone got infected and eventually her leg had to be removed. I said, never again would I put a rabbit through such hell, the kind-est way is to remove the leg. She was quite happy with her life until her brittle bones caused her to break a front leg and we had to let her go to Bunny Heaven. Since Pepsi we have had Merlin, a big boy, he had a back leg removed and lived happily to the age of seven. Hazel-Hop-and-Hide, a lovely little black and tan female had her back leg re-moved; she had a happy life as did Fern, a grey Chinchilla girl who lived very happily with Foster Petrents Kaz and Jill. Fern would let them

know when she wanted her ear scratched by shaking them backwards and forwards and Jill would look inside and gently remove any wax


Thank you to everyone who contributed to this months newsletter. If you would like to submit an article for our November 2011 newsletter would you please e-mail them to me by October 16th 2011. Please note, any articles received after this date will go into the next newsletter.

Could you please send photos as JPEGS and your wording in a text document.

I’m looking forward to being pleasantly surprised by all your e-mails. Send them to: [email protected]

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR and PRINTER BETTER KNOWN AS KAZ

PEPSI

FERN

THE UPSTAIRS COLONY


AMPUTEES CONTINUED ...

THE AUGUST 2011 NEWSLETTER FROM BUNNY BURROWS

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T he past three months have

been grim. The leg ulcer I had in 2009 – 2010 reappeared af-ter being healed for 12 months. Since the coffee morning on May 7th I have been unable to fund raise apart from the Tom-bola at West Burton at the end of May. Being unable to drive for the past 6 weeks has made me very grumpy but thanks to all the good friends Bunny Burrows con-tinues to tick along. The weather has been so changeable

that the bunnies don’t know from one day to another if they are going to cause chaos in the garden. It’s a pleasure when they all get out, all 14 of them running free in the garden. You just can’t help but waste time and watch them running and binkying around. The tortoises have found the weather most difficult to come to terms with as they need the warmth of the sun on their shells to encourage them to eat. It’s a bit like the solar lights needing the sunlight to charge their batteries. After getting 13 rab-bits living happily to-gether and it being such a joy to watch

that was irritating her.

At the moment our two boys Fielding and Hop-wood are a joy to watch. Fielding is a black Dwarf Lop and came to us in an appalling state. He was painfully thin, ear mites completely filling his ears and his back leg was sticking out as if it didn’t belong to his body. After having his leg removed, as it was so badly broken, he went into a deep depression. I thought, what have I done to this poor boy, he

really lost the will to live until along came Francheska, a very young, vibrant white Ermin Rex girl. She was and still is the making of him. They live in the living room and every night they come out and race around. He is amazing and when he is in the garden he is very difficult to catch. The other boy, Hopwood, is brown and white and half wild as his mother mated with a wild rabbit. He arrived in a large litter of very fit ba-bies, however, his mother had bitten his foot off and the stump was badly infected. After having his leg removed he was much happier and he now lives with a group of 11 other rabbits of various ages, breeds and sizes. He is afraid of no obstacle as when he’s in the garden he is up and down the steep steps and jumping over the short fence. I hope this article makes my point to any owner or indeed any vet that has a doubt about ampu-tation. Yes, they can lead a very happy full life and euthanasia is not an option at Bunny Bur-rows. Are there any down sides? Like all rabbits, you need to keep a check that they don’t get dirty bums but that should be a routine for all owners to get into. Keep checking their ears are clean, as they are one back leg short to scratch them, other than that, just love them, they are special.

HOPWOOD

FIELDING

Documents

AMPUTEES - Microsoft