Some exciting news for those within the Sydney area – the CRA will be hosting our first event in two weeks’ time on Sunday 27 November: Hoppy Christmas Celebrations!

Hoppy Christmas will include a series of talks comprising of two children story-telling times for the little ones and four rabbit education talks including a Q&A session with expert exotics vet Dr Alex Rosenwax. All talks will take place in the Redfern Oval Community Room. The schedule for the educational talks can now be downloaded as a PDF: Hoppy Christmas Speakers Schedule

The event will be suitable for anyone interested in rabbits and will be a family event as well as for rabbit-enthusiastics. Those who own a bunny of their own are more than welcome to bring along their furry friend (either with a harness or in a carrier) to celebrate with us.

We’re still open for interested parties to set up stalls and who would like to raise awareness about companion rabbits so please do not hesitate to email us an expression of interest.

This event is advertised in:

City of Sydney ‘What’s on’
http://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/12399-hoppy-christmas
WeekendNotes
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On Saturday 10 September, a handful of our CRA members headed out to Ward Park in Surry Hills to participate for the first time in the annual Northcott Pet Day. The CRA group had a great time educating interested members of the public about the proper care of companion rabbits as well as promoting the adoption of homeless shelter rabbits. Thanks to Sydney Cats and Dogs Home, our stall had two beautiful bunny representatives who are still available for adoption.

Northcott Pet Day Stalls (CRA are third from the left)

CRA's stall all set up and looking bunnerific!

Chatting to and educating visitors to our stall

CRA's view from our stall - it was a beautiful day!

Cute bunny cupcakes and bunny biscuits - yum!

One of the adoptable buns from Sydney Cats and Dogs who helped out at CRA's stall

Our second bunny representative for the day and also available for adoption from Sydney Cats and Dogs

Clover Moore, the Mayor of Sydney visiting the CRA Stall

A big thank you to the organisers of Northcott Pet Day for inviting us to participate in such a wonderful event!

This year, we have our very own stall at Sydney Pets and People Day which is run by City of Sydney on Saturday, 10 September. Pets and People Day will be a fun day out to learn more about your companion animal – CRA will be there to answer any of your companion rabbit-related questions. We’re very excited and will be handing out information guides and will hopefully be able to sell some bunny-related things too!

Information on the event:
What:    Pets at Northcott
Where:  Ward Park, Surry Hills (corner of Devonshire Street and Young Street)
When:   Saturday, 10 September 2011 @ 11am to 3pm.
How to get there:
The event location is about a 15 – 20 minute walk (max) from Central Station – just walk up from Chalmers Street or Elizabeth Street and then on Devonshire Street. From the Central, Ward Park will be around 600 metres up Devonshire Street and on your right-hand side.

Hope you come along and if you do make sure to visit us at the CRA stall!

More information about the event can be found here (this is from last year’s event though – seems like City of Sydney has yet to update it for this year): http://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/8840-pets-at-northcott

About Rabbit Run-Away Orphanage:

Rabbit Run-Away Orphanage is a not-for-profit organisation located in Olinda Victoria, which is nestled in the Dandenong Ranges. It is run by Dr Judi Inglis and her husband Bryce. Their few staff members are dedicated and loving volunteers.

The orphanage was established to assist several overflowing animal shelters with re-homing, in order to prevent the unnecessary euthanasia of the increasing numbers of unwanted and abandoned pet rabbits.

Through their sponsor Rabbit Run, they also provide a bunny dating service as well as several formal public education programs regarding appropriate rabbit care on their behalf, as many people do not fully understand and are uneducated on rabbits needs for a happy and healthy life. It has quickly become one of the most successful re-homers of rabbits in Melbourne.

The threat of being forced to close down:

The Yarra Ranges Council ordered the closure of Rabbit Run-Away in December 2010, after refusing to grant a permit to allow them to continue operating the orphanage on their property in Stanley Street, Olinda.

Neighbours objections about extra traffic, limited parking in the street, the odour from the property, and black rabbits seen running loose in adjoining properties, led to the council’s unanimous decision on the refusal of the permit.

These objections, which have been grossly exaggerated, falsified, not proven and poorly investigated by council officials, are the product of a small minority of uneducated, malicious, and slanderous troublemaking neighbours. The decision has also been fuelled by individuals clearly affiliated with anti-rabbit groups contributing to an overly biased outcome.

The Rabbit Run-Away successfully raised funds to appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) about the Council’s decision and the hearing will take place on 26 July 2011. That is in 5 weeks’ time.

How you can help:

Sign this petition: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/saverabbitrunaway to show your support for the Rabbit Run-Away Orphanage. The petition will be evidence at the VCAT hearing of the Australian public’s condemnation of the Yarra Ranges Council’s decision and our support of the continuation of the great work the Rabbit Run-Away has contributed to bettering the lives of abandoned rabbits.

Learn more:

• Rabbit Run-Away Orphanage’s Home Page
• Rabbit Run-Away’s Facebook Page
• Petition to Save Rabbit Run-Away

During the UK’s RWAF Rabbit Awareness Week (23 – 29 May 2011), a fantastic video was made to promote the need for pet rabbits to have more than just an outdoor hutch to live in. Taking on the responsibility of looking after a pet rabbit involves just as much commitment as owning a cat or dog. Rabbits require attention, interaction, and love. They should not be left outside with little to no human contact and, especially in an Australian context, they should not be left outside due to predators and disease (myxomatosis and calicivirus are both used as biological controls on the wild rabbit population but are definitely non-discriminative in which rabbits they kill – pet or not).

Rabbits make fantastic indoor pets – they’re toilet trainable, they’re clean and odourless (and groom themselves), they’re interactive and fun and they’re quiet!

The A Hutch is Not Enough campaign video:

You know that shedding season has arrived when there are loose bits of fur hanging out of your bunny’s bottom and strange patterns appearing on your bunny’s back. During this time, it is important to prevent your rabbit from any excessive ingestion of fur. Unlike cats, rabbits are unable to regurgitate and ‘cough’ up hairballs – so everything needs to come out from the rear end. Evidence that your bun may be swallowing excessive hair is if you see their droppings ‘strung’ together. If a furball develops in the intestinal tract of the rabbit, there is the risk of it being a trapped mass, leading to GI stasis and potentially death.

The best prevention from anything serious occurring to your bun is to brush regularly. Invest in a good brush that effectively combs the loose fur out but is not harsh on your rabbit’s sensitive skin. You may need to experiment with different brushes to see what is best for your bun and you for getting the fur out. The suitability of the brush you pick will also depend on whether your rabbit has long or short fur.

Some popular brushes include:

Slicker brush: these brushes have backward facing wire bristles. If you can find one with bobbled ends, it is preferable over ones without as the hard bristles may be uncomfortable on your rabbit’s skin, making the brushing experience unpleasant for them.

Zoom Groom: this brush is designed for cats or dogs. The wide-set plastic bristles are intended to massage your pet while you brush them. The brush is designed to be gentle and not uncomfortable for the pet and is therefore especially suitable for rabbits who have thin and sensitive skin.

Grooming mitt: these are gloves with one textured side or short bristles. Because they only act on the top layer of the fur, they may not be as effective as other brushes which can brush right through to the underlayer to get loose bits out. However, these may be best for rabbits who do not like to be brushed.

A final method is to have a wetted (not dripping wet) hand or paper towel and ‘pat’ your rabbit with it to get rid of the loosest fur.

Happy grooming this shedding season!