September 2010
TH E • Events – come & meet bunny
B U N OL OGIST
Your FREE monthly rabbit newsletter
brought to you by BOING
To join, visit www.scribd.com/bunologist
or www.boingonline.com
What’s News?
Myxo warning in Victoria!!! (Australia)
VICTORIANS should brace themselves for a plague of
mosquitoes as floodwaters recede across the state.
The Department of Health warned that pools of
stagnant water, left behind from the floods, would be an
ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes.
An increase of mosquitoes means an increased risk of
myxo spreading to rabbits in the area. If you live in a
flooded area or have any stagnant water near your
home, please either bring your rabbit indoors or heavily
insect proof outdoor enclosures & don’t let your rabbit
run loose outside.
Paris Hilton “rescues” 20 rabbits (US)
September 2010
Paris Hilton is a self-confessed softie when it comes to
anything furry and four legged.
The socialite has a huge collection of pets stationed around
the country at her various homes and just keeps adding to
their swelling ranks.
Her most recent addition? Twenty rabbits!
The 29-year-old went on to reveal that she had been
compelled to rescue the rabbits when she learned of their
impending fate: ‘The bunnies were meant to be feeders. I
saw them at the pet store & they told me they were for
snake food and I had to save them.’
‘I rescued 20 of them. They are now happy living in my
backyard. They are all so happy, so nice to have changed
their fate.’
lovers
• Rabbit study results
• Adoption buns
• Taking rabbits on trains in NSW
Farewell dear friend
From Karen & Nimal at BOING
This month we said goodbye to our beloved Dingleberry.
She was with us for nine years and suddenly passed away
at home. We miss her dearly but know that she had a
wonderful time with us and enjoyed her life right up until her
very last day.
Dingleberry was our very first bunny and made quite an
impact on our lives as well as improving the lives of many
other bunnies over the years.
Many bunnies have made an impression on our lives, but
none moreso than Dingleberry. Dingy made such an
impact on our lives that she changed our entire view on the
world. Without Dingy, there would not have been a BOING
website or Bunologist newsletter. Without Dingy, two
people would not have rescued many unloved rabbits and
given them their second chance at life. The same two
people may not have been enlightened to now live a cruelty
free lifestyle without animal products to help all animals.
Dingy was a very special bunny that changed the world &
we thank her for being a part of our lives.
Dingleberry, nicknamed “Killer” for most of her life, was an
amazing bunny. She was very affectionate with people but
was never really interested in other rabbits. We attempted
to bond her with other bunnies but she refused their
friendship & preferred people as her friends.
Dingy spent five of her nine years living with a head tilt after
an inner ear infection. She taught us never to give up &
always enjoy every day even though you may have to view
the world from a different perspective.
 Events
Sunday 26 September is
International Rabbit Day!!
Melbourne event
The Melbourne Rabbit Clinic invite you to join them for an
afternoon tea to celebrate all things bunny!
Spot prizes will be awarded if you bring along a plate of
munchies to share that has a bunny theme!
No need to RSVP, just turn up at 2pm at the Melbourne
Rabbit Clinic, 745 Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully
Sydney event
Join bunny lovers to celebrate International Rabbit day at a
garden party in Mosman. Hosted by a bunny loving family
and all are welcome to come along & meet other Sydney
locals to share stories about your bunny!
If you would like to go along, please email Anne Hall on
haolav@yahoo.com.au
Sunday 3 October is
World Animal Day
Come & meet our Radical Rabbit team at Edgar’s Mission
raising awareness of rabbit issues.
Where:
Edgar’s Mission, 365 McHarg’s Road, Willowmavin
www.edgarsmission.org.au
When:
Sunday 3 October 2010
11am – 4pm
Welfare Assessment in
Pet Rabbits
Authors: Schepers, F.;Koene, P.;Beerda, B.
Source: Animal Welfare, Volume 18,Number 4, November
2009 , pp. 477-485(9)
Publisher: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare
Abstract:
One million pet rabbits are kept in The Netherlands, but
there is no data available on their behaviour and welfare.
This study seeks to assess the welfare of pet rabbits in
Dutch households and is a first step in the development of
a welfare assessment system.
In an internet survey, housing systems, general up-keep
and behaviour of pet rabbits were reported by their owners.
The answers of 912 respondents were analysed with
behavioural observations carried out on 66 rabbits in as
many households.
The rabbits were observed in their home cage and during
three fear-related tests: a contact test, a handling test and
an open-field test.
The survey revealed that the average lifespan of the rabbits
is approximately 4.2 years (the maximum potential lifespan
is 13 years) and solitary housing appears to reduce
lifespan.
Close to half of respondents subjected their rabbit(s) to
solitary housing and the majority housed them in relatively
2
small cages (< 5,000 cm ).
Health risks may arise from a failure to inoculate rabbits
and via inappropriate diet.
During the contact test, solitary-housed rabbits made more
contacts with a human than group-housed rabbits and
rabbits in a small housing system made more contacts than
those in a large system.
Observations in the home cage differed greatly compared
with the natural time budget of rabbits, ie displaying
increased stereotypic behaviour and decreased foraging
and, in solitary-housed rabbits, a complete lack of social
behaviour.
Nearly 25% of rabbits displayed strong resistance to being
picked up, indicating socialisation problems.
During the open-field test, solitary-housed rabbits sat up
more than social-housed rabbits suggesting increased
fearfulness.
These findings indicate that the conditions in which pet
rabbits are kept often have a negative impact on their
welfare, further underlining the need to study this in greater
detail.

Adopt me!
Names: Myxie & Mo
Location: Melbourne
Contact person: Adamina Ivcovici
a_ivcovici@hotmail.com
Mo
Myxie
Myxie and Mo are both vaccinated and desexed. They
have a big enclosure (approx 3x2m) which they sleep in at
night but are free to run around the entire backyard from
morning till night. They are now well trained to go back into
their enclosure when it is time for bed.
Myxie was attacked by a fox when she was little and was
lucky to survive so it is extremely important to us that they
go inside at night.
They have a snack of fruit (preferably apple or banana) in
the morning when they are let out, and have plenty of hay
in their enclosure. During the day they eat grass in the
garden, though we need to start encouraging them to eat
more hay as Mo is developing spurs on some teeth. They
have a small handful of pellets and some carrot or similar
when they go back into their enclosure at night time.
They are currently not indoor rabbits but do use their litter
trays in their enclosure so they could be easily trained if
their new owner would like them indoors.
They enjoy lazing about in the afternoon sun and love
playing in the garden and hiding under trees or bits of wood
around the yard.
Myxie does like digging though and we have had to very
diligently bunny-proof the yard as she escaped a couple of
times when she was younger.
They are lovely bunnies who aren't into being picked up but
love a scratch on the head or behind their ears and we will
miss them!
Names: Bounce & Wiggle
Location:
Contact person:
Melbourne
Matt Bathersby 0401 359 322
matt@bathersby.com
Bounce
Wiggle
We have two young female yard rabbits that we need to
find a loving home for. We have just found out that we
need relocate to QLD for work commitments and, as
rabbits are illegal in QLD, obviously we cannot take
them with us. We care about our bunnies a great deal,
so we want to make sure they don't go to just anyone.
They have never been separated, so ideally they would
go to the same home.
Also they have always been free to roam around our
yard as they please, and they often come inside for
cuddles as well. For that reason we don't really want
them to end up living the rest of their lives in a cage.
They aren't desexed, but if someone wanted to take
them on the condition that they were, we would be
happy to pay for the procedure. They are both around
18 months old, and they will be due for a vaccination in
around late December/early January.
We are Melbourne based at the moment and we will be
moving around the 23/24 September
(if anyone can help out quickly, it would be fantastic!
My apologies to the late send out of the newsletter as
we’ve had lots of computer problems!! – BOING)
 We are asking you to help us change this policy by please
Let me on the Train dropping a few lines to
by Anne Hall
http://www.cityrail.info/contact_us/feedback
Unlike Melbourne and most other cities and countries,
and letting them know the effects of this illogical policy. It is
rabbits as well as other small companion animals are not
important that as many as possible do this, as NSW Rail
allowed by NSW Rail to travel on trains with their families.
staff have told me only 3 people have written to them on
the issue in the last two years, so there is no impetus to
We have put in the following very modest request to NSW
review the policy.
Rail .
If you are unable to write, please sign this petition
I suggest that with the following regulations NSW State Rail
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/let-me-on-the-train/ and
would increase their patronage and profit / income:
show your support of rabbits being able to travel with their
families.
• Companion animals are to be charged a child fare
for the journey Thank you for any time you can spare, to help in this
• Initially companion animals are only to be allowed campaign on the behalf of NSW rabbits and other
to travel outside the peak rush hour period companion animals.
• Only non dangerous (eg. non venomous) pets
allowed
• Companion animals must at all times be in a safe,
appropriate and completely enclosed container
• These containers must at no stage block aisles or
egress routes
• Companion animals and their carers must at all
times be physically together
• Companion animals and their carers can only travel
in the last carriage (this means no passengers who
are anti companion animals, for any reason need
to travel with them)
• Only clean animals in wholesome containers are
accepted on public transport

There are a lot fewer shelters than pet shops; therefore this
policy discourages people without cars from adopting
animals, as the shelters are rarely within walking distance.
The policy also discourages people dependent on public
transport from taking their pets to vets, which leads to
fewer animals being de-sexed. Both of these issues will
result in worsening the current oversupply of pets, which
leads directly to tens of thousands of innocent healthy pets
being killed each year in shelters in New South Wales.

Although I personally only have rabbits, I thought my

chances of getting a change in the policy to allow rabbits
on trains, would be greater if I included all small companion
animals.
This is a picture of a passenger travelling with her rabbits
The staff at NSW Rail state on a train in the United States where small animals are
allowed to travel with their carers.
“We need to take into account the safety of all our
passengers, the onboard hygiene from having
multiple animals on board.”

I take offense at the implication that my rabbits are

either unhygienic or dangerous and, under my
proposed policy, no dangerous or unhygienic animal
would be allowed anyway. As an aside, I have been
asked if this policy could also be made to cover the
human as well as non human animals, with many
passengers feeling uncomfortable traveling with
unhygienic or potentially dangerous humans.