I’ve never lived with a bunny before…
..
But after a few months, my Amelia always makes me smile and often, laugh.
She runs to greet me when I come home. Then, and at other times, she wants
to be petted. How could anyone refuse?
Why a rabbit? In case you have not noticed, the cost of a new puppy has
risen dramatically. A puppy used to be priced under $500. That varied
with the breed, of course. With COVID, many worked from home. They were
lonely. A puppy offered affection and unlimited love. So the price
doubled, tripled, and went through the roof. Then there was the issue of my
mobility.
I now get around on a mobility scooter making morning and evening walks
difficult, especially with snow and -30 temperatures. I spend over 90% of my
time at home. I picked out my location to be close to two major shopping
centres, three large grocery stores, Walmart, Canadian Tire, and more. My
doctor is also close by. The only lack is a variety of ethnic restaurants.
I can get downtown in fifteen minutes on my scooter. I live in a very
scooter friendly location
During the day, she has free run of the house. Nighttime and when the
plumbers, renovators, floorers, electricians, and other folks are around, she
is in her hutch, frequently covered by a blacket.
She is a smart bunny. House training took less than a week. I follow the
process described in one bunny book and added some Timothy hay one one side of
the litter box. Rabbits like to eat when they poop and pee, it seems - at
least Amy does. Persistent, I added a four panel room divider to keep her
away from the door when leaving or entering, just to make sure. Next week,
construction permitting, she and I will start “come” training. She has a
wonderful rabbit mix, not pellets, and a fresh salad for meals, augmented often
with banana. She gets a treat when she comes to her hutch for sleep time.
No need to call her then!
Never ending curiosity, Amelia has. Her nose never stops twitching. She
must have sniffed everything in my house. I did try to keep her out of my
bedroom for a time. She won. Up she hops upon my bed for another petting
session.
Rabbits, as all pets, have moods. Once she got mad at me and thumped with
her rear leg. Her sleeping position tells me she is comfortable owning me.
Flat out, rear legs flat against the floor or on her side, totally at peace.
Amongst other unique traits, rabbits can sleep with their eyes open. As
prey animals, they need to be constantly aware of potential threats.
Amelia is a Giant Chinchilla rabbit. Right now she is still growing.
Daddy weighed twenty pounds, mommy 16. So she is one big rabbit. A
typical domestic cat would be ten pounds so Amy is bigger than most cats
already at twelve pounds. She has very long ears and a “cute as pie” nose
which is always twitching. She is a mix of silver, black, and grey fur, not
in patches but all mixed together. A white tummy and yes, a white Cotten
tail.
Looking after a bunny in the house means you take on a daily chore. Cleaning
the litter box. This has been made easier for me by using doggie pee pads.
No mess, no fuss - doing that takes five minutes or less.
I have not yet taken Amy out for a walk although she has an escape-proof halter
and lead. Right now, a terrible disease is spreading amongst wild and
domestic rabbits. Not other animals or people. A rabbit gets the disease and
is dead in less than a day. Whole rabbit colonies have been whipped out.
Home diagnosis is possible and a rabbit may survive if quickly taken to a vet
(within working hours), one who deals with “exotics” (anything other than dogs
and cats and a few others are exotic). Of course, Amy being young and
pretty, a buck rabbit might represent another threat.
Everyone knows that rabbits hop to get around. That is the reason for those
very strong rear legs. But the interrupt basic hopping with a “binky”, a
movement almost impossible to describe. It involves a jump and contorted
twist with rear legs extended. Before and directly after a binky, they run
normally. I don’t know if feral rabbits share this habit.
While Amy is very curious, none of the store bought toys, toilet paper rolls,
and other such items are of any interest whatsoever. Something to eat is far
more wanted. Amy does not, as many domestic rabbits do, chew on electrical
cords. Nor does she have any interest in chewing up a carpet. But books
and book covers - ah yes! And letters, envelopes, and more tempt her.
Occasionally my quilt seems worth a few nibbles.
In many ways, a rabbit is an ideal pet for someone like me - elderly with
mobility issues. No walks are needed, no barking to keep yourself and
neighbours awake, and - after housebreaking, no piddles or poop all about. A
nuisance is that while rabbits are very clean animals- one does not bathe a
rabbit - they can be very messy eaters of hay. I have found that the robot
vacuum does not quite do the job . It needs help.
I recently read an article about “killer rabbits”. In Medieval times, for
reason not fully understood, the gentle rabbit was often depicted as an armed
nasty animal in illuminated manuscripts. A Google on “killer rabbits” will
take you to the many illustrations which depict these nasty rabbits stabbing,
beheading, jousting, and torturing humans. One brief article will introduce
you to this strange phenomena ( https://www.sadanduseless.com/rabbits/ ;).
Thankfully, killer rabbits seem to have all died off with time. I don’t
think Amelia Has any killer instinct.
Rabbits can live five to eight years. Some domestic rabbits can live even
longer. So Amy and I can look forward to years together. That is a very
pleasant thought...
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