Ethel, a lop-eared rabbit from the UK, lost the use of her hind legs after falling ill. Zoe Holbourne, her owner, decided to give her rabbit another chance at mobility and ordered a custom wheelchair from Dogs to Go, a Texas company that makes carts for disabled pets. It was the first wheelchair the company had shipped to the UK.

According to Holbourne, “At first she struggled to keep her balance and kept tipping over, but she soon got to grips with it, especially on flat surfaces. Now she loves it. The wheelchair is very effective and it stops moving as soon as she wants it to. It doesn’t roll along when she is standing still.”

I have seen disabled bunnies using carts before, but I’m not sure how common it is.  From what I’ve seen, some people have been able to build their own bunny wheelchairs, and there are several companies that can custom build them as well, including:

• Dogs to Go
• K-9 Carts
• Eddie’s Wheels

Here’s a video of Blueberry, a disabled rabbit at the Toronto Humane Society, using a cart.

For more info: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/3483678/NEEDSPICDisabled-rabbit-gets-wheelchair.html

PETCO announced today that it is phasing out its rabbit sales.  Instead, the chain of pet stores is expanding its rabbit adoption efforts across the US.  According to PETCO CEO Jim Myers,  “Rabbits are great companion animals, and we believe PETCO can play a pivotal role in partnering with animal-welfare groups to connect responsible pet parents with happy, healthy neutered rabbits through in-store adoptions nationwide.”

The shift in policy is welcoming news to the thousands of rabbit rescues overrun with abandoned bunnies in need of forever homes.

For more info: http://www.petconews.com/2008/11/petco-moves-to-adoption-only-for.html

A wild rabbit has grown bold and has begun venturing into the rhino habitat at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in New South Wales, Australia (400 km northwest of Sydney).  The rabbit, called Robby, waits for the rhinos to eat their fill and then eats the seeds.

For more info: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1083776/Pictured-The-moment-2lb-rabbit-comes-face-face-2-ton-rhino.html

Once ranging throughout all the states of New England, the New England cottontail population has plummeted in recent years. Their range has dwindled by 75% and they can no longer be found in Vermont.

Researchers believe the decline is caused by the change in environment.  New England cottontails thrive in young forests (forests 25 years old or less) that include a lot of shrubs and thickets.   They also rely on interbreeding between cottontail populations in order to produce healthier, more genetically diverse offspring.

Unfortunately for New England cottontails, forests have been growing for 100 years after the decline of colonial agriculture in 1900, which means the shrubs and thickets have given way to trees. Furthermore, the landscape has been divided by housing development and roads, making it very difficult for the rabbit populations to mix.

For more info:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20081105-LIFE-811050355
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwcotontail.htm