I miss my bunny.
A year ago my mum looked after the bunny while we were away somewhere, he never came home. It turned out that he liked it there, more than he liked it here with two small people on the cusp of learning to get around and a propensity for eye-gouging (and shit-eating). I think my mum likes having him too, he's pretty good company. She also looks after him a lot better than we ever did, she bought him a heated pad because she was worried he was cold. And she doesn't cuddle him against his will, tickle his feet or forget to feed him until midday. I hate to admit it but we're those horrible people who had kids and then no time for our pets. I hate those people.
Mostly I've been too busy being overwhelmed by life to miss him terribly, but over the last week I've reallllly wanted one of those unwilling cuddles.
Nye says we're not having any more rabbits. He says the only pet we're having from now on is a dog. He says I was wrong when I came home that day and told him I'd just heard that you could keep rabbits indoors and wasn't that the best thing ever! He says they're outdoor pets. And yet when I suggest having an outdoor one at some point in the future he doesn't seem to keen on that either. I'm not sure he can hold out against three of us though, Ella is already completely obsessed with her stuffed bunny, it can't be long before she's mastered 'daddy, can I have a REAL bunny?' Combine that with Amelia's superior skills with wielding a blunt weapon and he's toast.
I thought writing about missing him would help. It didn't. I really want to stick my finger under that pissed off chin and schnuffle it. Which incidentally, would be one of the reasons why he doesn't miss me at all.
Rabbit shit can't be that bad for you, right?
ReplyDeleteHope not as I just spotted my boy bunny eating something that was attached to girl bunny's backside. I'm hoping it was some neglected bit if parsley.
Delete<3
ReplyDeleteI have a bunny (Bomber) and he lives both indoors (when we are home) and outdoors in a hutch (when we are at work). He is completely free range when indoors and is also completely litter trained. So pedantic about it in fact, that he will pick his litter tray up and drop it on the floor if it needs changing.
ReplyDeleteBomber jumps up on the bed in the morning on weekends for snuggles, and on the couch in the evenings too. Not to settle in but just to get a bit of attention before hopping along with the rest of his day. He does hate it when we touch his back feet or try to scratch his chin or pick him up to carry him around. We do it anyway and sometimes he graces us with a begrudging tolerance. Ear rubs and butt scratches are his favourite.
I grew up with dogs and cats and birds and I never would have guessed that a rabbit would be the most affectionate of the lot - with a personality big enough to match the best of them.
I hope this doesn't make you miss Lupin too much more, but helps to convince Nye that rabbits can totally be indoor pets. I don't know why he'd think otherwise!
Our bunny died, oh, almost ten years ago now (she was 11) and I still miss her. She was an outside bunny but had the run of the little back yard and hopped in and out of the house at whim. She was also joyously tame and affectionate, jumping up on laps for cuddles, nibbling trouser hems for attention, leaping to the back gate when she heard the latch.
ReplyDeleteShe has never been replaced, both because we take loooong trips far away these days and have no carer, and because she's a difficult act to follow. Our first bunny - who also reached the age of 11 - was a total ASO rabbit, a skittery non-cuddler, no matter how gently we approached him.
Ach. This is all just to say that I know exactly how you feel, and I sympathise totally.
This is so great. Exactly how I cuddle my kitty. I am always being told how to properly hold our kitty and how to read her body language? I prefer to force myself onto her.
ReplyDeleteDomestic rabbits are NOT outdoor pets. They can easily get fleas, mites, other diseases, be attacked by animals, etc. And if you couldn't remember to feed your bunny when it lived inside, you'll be even less likely to properly care for it if it's outside. As a former bunny owner, you should know all of this, but visit rabbit.org to learn more if you are unclear on how to properly care for a domestic rabbit.
ReplyDeleteIn the Netherlands they are, and in many other West European countries, too. Ours had a two-story hutch/run in a sheltered part of the garden, was lovingly fed and cared for, and she thrived. Maybe outdoor bunnies are less common in the U.S. because yards are often less contained and secure?
DeleteI'm very clear on how to care for a domestic rabbit, in fact I could recite the entire House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman if anyone ever needed me to. I know that the majority of outdoor rabbits are the most neglected pets imaginable and that the average lifespan of an outdoor rabbit is half that of one kept indoors. But the key words there are 'majority' and 'average', it's perfectly possible to keep a rabbit outdoors well, to give it a safe comfortable home and plenty of love.
DeleteAnd personally I don't think that feeding a rabbit at midday instead of at 9am a couple of times in the haze of having newborn twins constituted not caring for it properly, but I'm sure some would disagree.
Many people do let their rabbits live outside, but that doesn't mean it's an ideal situation for the rabbit. Domestic rabbits and wild rabbits are very different creatures. I have a house rabbit and am involved with a rabbit rescue, and every expert that I have ever spoken to and everything that I have read highly discourages sheltering a rabbit outdoors. There are just too many uncontrollable variables: temperature, wildlife, insects, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think we'll have to agree to disagree on this. My rabbit did not reach the ripe and happy old age of 11 because I kept her in a less-than-ideal situation. :-S
DeleteVariables are everywhere. Not every inside rabbit lives in perfect circumstances, I am sure.
*Waves* I found you via the Tots100 list this morning - you have a lovely blog and your girls are just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI think I must be one of the few people in this world who could never keep a pet rabbit! We have hens, guinea pigs, fish and cats but ever since my Dad bought my sister the most evil rabbit ever (from Rouken Glen garden centre! They probably caught it in the park!) I've just been terrified of them. Cats all the way ;)
oh wow, was this post FOR ME? somewhere between our daughter's birth and now, my aging cat (one of our THREE pets FML) has developed a gnarly inflammation problem. (i will spare you the details) i love him like the dickens, and i know it's not his fault ... but some days it just pisses me off.
ReplyDeleteLoopsy Poopsy says hello. He's grumpy as ever. And wow, you're second on the Tots 100 list!
ReplyDeleteAwww my dear... did I ever tell you that I had a bunny as my first pet? He was a huge, white lab-style bunny (called Snowy or Rabbit as he seemed to prefer!) with red eyes and just the best for snuggling your face/crying into when you were upset. So I totally get bunny cuddles. I'm not sure he ever appreciated getting a damp side from me but hey ho... Pets are totally for unwilling cuddles though (just ask my cats!) x
ReplyDeleteExactly. And for talking to when you don't want a reply, you just need to talk. I try that with Nye but he can't stop himself replying. Damn him.
DeleteBUNNY WARS
ReplyDelete<3
DeleteOh I miss my bunnies too :( We had two (Rusty and Chloe), and had to give them away after 6 yrs when we moved overseas. They were indoor bunnies, and I recall coming home with the same enthusiasm as you when I learnt you could have indoor bunnies. I think my DH would be torn about wanting another, he loved them too, but hated how much one of them chewed on our house (wallboards and carpet mainly). My daughter is keen on having a dog though, and unfortunately dogs and bunnies don't usually mix well - I have a friend who thought her bunny and dog got along excellently until one day they didn't :( so don't want to try it out!
ReplyDeleteoh god. That's my worst nightmare. I've heard of a lot of people keeping rabbits and dogs together and I've hoped that it works, but what if....
DeleteI love bunny but I never have one, but I will!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it!