Cute rabbit takes five to scrub behind his ears and groom himself in the sunshine

By OLIVIA WILLIAMS

The rabbit carefully cleaned his long ears in the sunshine at the Minsmere RSPB Reserve

This rabbit looks as though he is enjoying preening himself in the summer sunshine.
The animal, pictured at Minsmere RSPB Reserve, paid particular attention to his distinctive long ears as he gave his fur a spring clean.

Combing his fur with his paws, the rabbit took the time to groom himself from every angle

He spent a particularly long time checking over both sides of his ears

Clearly determined to look his best, the well turned-out mammal spent a long time carefully checking the rest of his fur for any dirt.
Rabbits keep themselves clean by washing regularly and grooming, using their teeth, tongue and claws.

Although very cute, this rabbit is a fully-grown adult as younger rabbits have very little fur when they are born

They often groom each other as a social activity, but it looks as though this one had to do it on his own.
As well as a way of looking smart, careful cleaning is a very important part of a rabbit's health.
In the warmer months they are at risk from attack by maggots, which can eat into their flesh in a condition called fly strike.

Happy with the state of his ears, using his sharp teeth the rabbit moved on to clean the rest of his body

Pleased with a job well done, the rabbit settles back down for a well-deserved rest

The risk is increased by dirty fur which attracts flies, so the rabbits have to take their grooming seriously.
Minismere RSPB Reserve where this rabbit lives is most famous for its unusual birds, such as nightingales, bitterns and avocets, but is home to all sorts of wildlife.
Rabbits in Britain mainly live in meadows and farmland but also occasionally in urban areas.

source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2364103/Cute-rabbit-takes-scrub-ears-groom-sunshine.html
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