We have not suffered a " rodent incident" for a good while now.
The reason for that is the simple fact that Albert eats his kills rather than spending the effort to drag the baby rabbits across the lane and up into the cottage in order to present them to his large extended family.
Young rabbits are saving me a fortune in felix meaty chunks
Yesterday morning, that went all tits up.
I had just sneaked back to bed for a crafty ten minutes after taking Chris to Prestatyn for the early train when I felt Albert jump onto the bed. Some inner sense told me that something was afoot, and so when I opened my eyes I wasn't that surprised to see Albert standing there, with his tail swishing from side to side.
In his mouth was a small struggling rabbit, blood seeping from a large wound on a back leg.
All was calm.......
Then...................
Albert spat the baby out it in the centre of the group of sleeping terriers, and swiped at it with his paw.
The rabbit screamed.
And the dogs hit the ceiling.
I have had years of this sort of thing to cope with, so I would like to think I was cool as a cucumber when hysteria breaks out amid the ranks. As the dogs , with their eyes wide as saucers bounced into action I quickly flipped the corner of the duvet over, and the rabbit effectively disappeared from view.
Now, retrieving an injured rabbit from under a duvet is not as easy as one might think , especially when a pack of dogs are screaming around the floorboards but I finally managed to subdue the little fella by wrapping him up in a pair of discarded underpants before taking him into the bathroom to give him the once over.
Apart from a nasty leg wound, I could see no other injuries, so I cleaned him up, sprayed antibacterial spray into his wound and popped him into a spare hen house with food water and silence.
Wild animals do poorly after a cat attack. Their wounds become infected very quickly and they can die of shock literally minutes after being caught, so when I checked on the baby this morning , I half expected to see a small , hard dead rabbit crouched in the corner of the spare hen house
This is what I saw
The reason for that is the simple fact that Albert eats his kills rather than spending the effort to drag the baby rabbits across the lane and up into the cottage in order to present them to his large extended family.
Young rabbits are saving me a fortune in felix meaty chunks
Yesterday morning, that went all tits up.
I had just sneaked back to bed for a crafty ten minutes after taking Chris to Prestatyn for the early train when I felt Albert jump onto the bed. Some inner sense told me that something was afoot, and so when I opened my eyes I wasn't that surprised to see Albert standing there, with his tail swishing from side to side.
In his mouth was a small struggling rabbit, blood seeping from a large wound on a back leg.
All was calm.......
Then...................
Albert spat the baby out it in the centre of the group of sleeping terriers, and swiped at it with his paw.
The rabbit screamed.
And the dogs hit the ceiling.
I have had years of this sort of thing to cope with, so I would like to think I was cool as a cucumber when hysteria breaks out amid the ranks. As the dogs , with their eyes wide as saucers bounced into action I quickly flipped the corner of the duvet over, and the rabbit effectively disappeared from view.
Now, retrieving an injured rabbit from under a duvet is not as easy as one might think , especially when a pack of dogs are screaming around the floorboards but I finally managed to subdue the little fella by wrapping him up in a pair of discarded underpants before taking him into the bathroom to give him the once over.
Apart from a nasty leg wound, I could see no other injuries, so I cleaned him up, sprayed antibacterial spray into his wound and popped him into a spare hen house with food water and silence.
Wild animals do poorly after a cat attack. Their wounds become infected very quickly and they can die of shock literally minutes after being caught, so when I checked on the baby this morning , I half expected to see a small , hard dead rabbit crouched in the corner of the spare hen house
This is what I saw
His back leg is trailing somewhat , but he's still hanging on in there.
I have nicknamed him Roland.
And now almost part of the family?
ReplyDeleteKnow all about the rescue service-- here its voles, mice and shrews [no rabbits] and the odd bird.
ReplyDeleteOnce a shrew I rescued from the jaws of Shadow promptly bit me!
Smother anything in a pair of my discarded underpants and it would be instantly subdued...
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more!
DeleteY Front Pathway, skids along nicely to subduedom.
LLX
I didn't have any sedation to hand
DeleteRoland looks well at home there. Perhaps the chickens will adopt him.
ReplyDeleteRosezeeta.
Haha, bet that was fun! We rescued a squirrel last week after it fell out of a tree. Sadly, it died :-(
ReplyDeleteP.S. We named the squirrel Maurice!
Maurice! How very gay!
DeleteCute.
ReplyDeleteDon't let him anywhere near your Bosoms though, he'll nibble...
All the best to Roland. Hope he makes it.
ReplyDeleteOh John... how old do you thing the little thing is? Is it as big as your hand? If so, he's old enough to survive on grass, hay and maybe a little piece of stale bread.
ReplyDeleteCould you maybe nip into town and get him some Baytril for his wounds? (Oral antibiotic that is tolerated well by rabbits).
You might know I'm a rabbitperson, so my heart is bleeding a little now. This is a vid. from last year, after I fished an almost drowned (wild) rabbit from a canal; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ja8RR4OfU
Preparez vos mouchoirs...
x
Els from Amsterdam
I have some baytril for the hens, and have already given him some
DeleteHis leg is a. Worry though
Thanks. Wish you wisdom and wise judgement on what to do.
Deletex
Els
PS The vid. is all positive and the little nipper was returned to the wild.
ReplyDeleteIt must be dead and bloody animal day in the U.K. :-/
ReplyDeleteI was already laughing at all the antics, but the discarded underpants just finished me off!
ReplyDeleteGlad he's doing well.
Good luck Roland!
ReplyDeleteLucky for the rabbit to have such a good nurse. We have never had luck with trying to rescue little rabbits as you say, shock.
ReplyDeleteLinda
DeleteYour donations for the open day arrived today
Thank you soooooo much.... Lovely xxxxxx
Of course you named him. Good luck to Roland
ReplyDeleteawwwww...how cut. roland rabbit rescue!
ReplyDeleteA wildlife centre will deal with the leg...give you one less body to worry about.
ReplyDeleteJane x
There is a wildlife centre around 8 miles away
DeleteI phoned them and it was just an answer phone
Do you mean an answering service? If so, it quite likely is checked regularly.
DeleteLeave a message..the staff are tending to critters but they will get back to you.
DeleteJanex
before you let him go, you must make him promise not to come back and nibble your bosoms.
ReplyDeleteRoland is extremely sweet. I'm amazed you kept the army at bay. Might you be holding on to him if he survives???
ReplyDeleteSounds like you might have another addition to the family. I had a similar incident, where I stole a woodpecker from the cat.
ReplyDeleteI doubt he will survive.. But I'll give it a good go
DeleteOh, there's something to be said for city life. My best to Roland.
ReplyDeleteRoland? You mean after Roland Guest of Fine Young Cannibals?...As the young rabbit is a "guest" at your country estate?
ReplyDeleteIt just came to mind
DeleteCouldn't read further than the first few lines. Already concerned that, on top of the sticky nights, it's now going to be even harder to get to sleep this evening. (Wish I had a thicker skin.)
ReplyDeleteAlbert has one heck of a sense of humour.
ReplyDeleteBeing wrapped in any blokes used underpants would probably subdue me too!!!! Glad to see bunny is doing well. The picture this blog formed in my head is priceless :o)
ReplyDeleteYes, off to the wildlife centre with Roland. Your expertise is 'domestic' John.
ReplyDeleteAlbert thought everyone needed some shaking up. Good on you for being able to capture the baby bunny. At my last location, we had loads of rabbits and Grace brought in a baby bunny three days in a row, for which we thanked her and then set him free each time. She was absolutely gentle with it, not a mark on him, and i don't think he was old enough to be scared. Or maybe he was just witless. Finally, on the fourth day, we found him dead. I felt bad as i do whenever i see a dead animal, but i wasn't surprised.
ReplyDeleteI always try to put out of my mind the terror they must feel when having a cat or dog drag them around. Breaks my heart. I'm just a big ole pile of mush when it comes to animals. (oh, and some people) lol
ReplyDeleteWell done John.
It's funny how quickly we give a name to animals. We rescued two dying blackbird chicks this summer and named them Fred and Super-Fred. The latter one was easier to feed and, therefore, got the name upgrade.
ReplyDeleteOhh, and there were no discarded underpants involved in the rescue.
ReplyDeleteAwww, poor little guy! Actually, on second thought, lucky little guy..so sweet of you to help this poor little creature!
ReplyDeleteCheers to you!
I'm glad you gave him a chance. When my Oliver cat brings home his little surprises, I try and praise him to no end, whilst prying the poor victim from his mouth.
ReplyDeleteHe's caught on to me lately, and know's he's not getting it back, so runs off with it...
I hope little Roland makes it.
~Jo
I hope the little fellow survives to live near someone else's garden. Have chased a baby bunny "gift" myself. They are quick.
ReplyDeleteI sure do give a rat's ass, or arse, having read your intriguing posting.
ReplyDeleteA good weekend to you and try to stay cool!
I always say hummmmmmm when I am not sure of what to say
DeleteAh. Roland is beautiful. You could see your used undies at Open Day. I bet they'd be a hit.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I meant sell your used undies.
DeleteMy question is this John - if its back leg doesn't get better are you going to build it a hutch and add it to your menagerie - or haven't you thought that far ahead.
ReplyDeleteI'd say since he has already named it, it is probably there to stay. ;-)
DeleteAlbert does like to start trouble, doesn't he?
Have a great weekend, John!
it's a "cute bunny alert" and we've named him ROLAND. John you are just the sweetest person ever!! I hope he makes it too and is able to return to the wild (not your yard) the wild where bunnies live :)
ReplyDeleteI always think it strange that cats would kill rabbits - they look so much alike they can't be too far apart on Darwin's charts :)
ReplyDeleteExcept for the fact, of course, that they are two completely different species ...
DeletePaybacks a b... as in the dogs discovering Albert's favorite bathtub hiding spot.
ReplyDeleteScore 1 for Albert
See you knew it would be worth leaving 'discarded underpants' all around the place, you never know when they might come in handy!!
ReplyDeleteGlad little Roland is doing well, he should be fighting fit, him being named after a rather famous breakfast time rat!
Hazel and Fiver would have been proud of you 'Brighteyes'! xx
ReplyDelete