Rabbit fun

Razor61 · #1 (**permalink**) 12-06-2006, 04:59 PM

Taken nearby to Saunton Sands. The rabbits looked like they were infested with something or...they were just playing as three out of the four Rabbits we saw were rolling around itching their backs lots of times....

Pic.2 is that cute or what

Pic.3 is of one of the 'rolling Rabbits'...

Rich

cherrybee · #2 (**permalink**) 12-06-2006, 06:18 PM

Welcome Razor61 lovely bunny photos well done cannot answer your question perhaps they were havind a dry mud bath or they got heat bumps and needed to scratch

very cute piccies definately got the ahhhhh factor

jennyb · #3 (**permalink**) 12-06-2006, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor61

Taken nearby to Saunton Sands. The rabbits looked like they were infested with something or...they were just playing as three out of the four Rabbits we saw were rolling around itching their backs lots of times....
Rich

I would not have liked to be wearing a fur coat during the last few days. Maybe they were suffering from the heat?

Jenny

Razor61 · #4 (**permalink**) 12-06-2006, 06:59 PM

Just to add, they were having a serious bout of twitching of the head after rolling around on their backs, very hyperactive too.... odd! But they looked happy enough, even with a collie dog eyeballing them in the clear from about 10 feet away which was amazing, as they didn't take a bit of notice! (Not my dog by the way!)

Rich

Ollie · #5 (**permalink**) 12-06-2006, 07:11 PM

It is possible that the rabbits were infested with fleas. In my experience with wild rabbits, and I see plenty where I work most of them are pretty heavily flea infested although it does not seem to bother them a lot. The rolling and head twitching could have been an attenpt to get relief from them. Nice photos as well.
Roger

Alan · #6 (**permalink**) 12-06-2006, 07:58 PM

In this heat I'd be scratching, especially with a fur coat on!

May · #7 (**permalink**) 13-06-2006, 07:11 AM

We've had house rabbits for years now and know from experience that that is very common bunny behaviour!

It seems the weather gets to them and Miss Grace, out resident bun has been rolling on to her side a lot just lately, particularly in her litter tray (it's cool in there). It's a way to relax and to cool down. In fact our last house rabbit rolled so far onto her side she ended up on her back and tranced herself!
Gracie also twitches or shakes her ears a lot when she has a scratch or has been in long grass, maybe they're getting tickled by insects or the grass itself?

Beautiful photographs by the way!

nightshade · #8 (**permalink**) 13-06-2006, 09:27 AM

I agree fleas are the most probable,the long grass nearby could also mean ticks,certainly a good stretch and roll could be just for the joy of life but infestation is more likely

spiepie · #9 (**permalink**) 20-06-2006, 10:13 AM

On the rabbit theme
we have a group of rabbits near us and today I walked past a distressed bunny which had some sort of infection. Its eyes where swolen to the point of making it blind. My dog and I could get close enough to touch. I have never seen this before unfortunately I left my camera at home!

does anyone have any experience of this or know what the poor thing was suffering from?

Alan · #10 (**permalink**) 20-06-2006, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiepie

On the rabbit theme
we have a group of rabbits near us and today I walked past a distressed bunny which had some sort of infection. Its eyes where swolen to the point of making it blind. My dog and I could get close enough to touch. I have never seen this before unfortunately I left my camera at home!

does anyone have any experience of this or know what the poor thing was suffering from?

Myxomatosis. It's a contagious desease that is confined to rabbits, but occasionally hares do get it. It's carried by the fleas.