BlueFrog
Well-Known Member
Hi all!
I've been posting here for a while, but since my introduction to both the forum and rabbit ownership have been a bit backward, I decided to finally try to start at the beginning.
I'm a Chicago area rat lover who, despite all protests to the contrary, is actively involved in rat rescue. Any time I say "I'm a resource, not a rescue," please feel free to ignore me or, better yet, throw bunny-safe vegetables my way. (Cassidy's always hungry).
I have extensive experience with various rodents, both common and not, but I regarded rabbits much the same way I did ferrets: I enjoyed looking at them and was glad that there were people who loved them, but they weren't for me. I had a flesh-eating mixed breed rabbit as a child, as well as a brief experience with a "Yes I'm pretty, now go away" rex, but that was about the limits of my hands-on experience with the critters. There was my neighbor's amazingly cute and sweet and athletic Holland lop, but in my mind rabbitdom consisted of "Riley" and "all other rabbits." As a sculptor, I had learned a few rabbit breeds and developed an inexplicable fondness for Belgian Hares, but by no stretch of the imagination was I (or am I!) bunny knowledgeable.
Then via a node on the rat rescue network, I was put in contact with LoriV to try to save some rabbits. I may have thought rabbits weren't for me, but by all I hold dear, I wasn't going to let anything happen to any critter I could help either. One failed transport due to a no-show rescue later, I found myself with three hay munching New Zealand Whites in my living room who had no place to go.
Cassidy knew immediately that she was home. I, not being as quick as she is, took a little longer to figure that out. She was nothing if not clear about her wishes. Walk anywhere in the vicinity of her cage, and I'd be greeted by the ears-back begging pose made famous by Oberon. She would follow at heel from room to room. If I sat down, she'd rest her paws and chin on my knee, looking up with adoring eyes. If my feet were cold, she would transform into a living bunny slipper by performing the "dead bunny flop" across them. If I stretched out on the sofa, she'd levitate from the floor onto my side or lap for snuggles. If that wasn't enough, she would nuzzle my face and kiss my toes. Subtle, she is not.
I knew bunnies required a lot of work and expense, so even after all these signs of ownership (by her, not of her), I still hesitated. Fortunately, forum members convinced me that I had a real chance at doing right by her, and after enough political negotiation to avert a war between small countries, she officially became a household resident.
I'm still amazed at how smoothly the transition has gone. So far, she has required less time than I expected, not more. Part of that is that she no difficulty in expressing her needs. If she wants something,there is no mistaking it. Food, treats, water (she loves to detach her bottle and fling it around the cage), exercise, snuggles ... she has trained me well to respond to her signals. On those very rare occasions I've been neglectful in my duties, the steady thump-thump-thump of her hind feet reverberates throughout the house until I attend to her royal highness.
We're still feeling our way around each other and each others' needs, but she's building up muscle, her stamina is increasing, and her coat and eyes are bright and shiny, so I must be doing something right.
Most of all, she is loved and happy. And so am I.
I've been posting here for a while, but since my introduction to both the forum and rabbit ownership have been a bit backward, I decided to finally try to start at the beginning.
I'm a Chicago area rat lover who, despite all protests to the contrary, is actively involved in rat rescue. Any time I say "I'm a resource, not a rescue," please feel free to ignore me or, better yet, throw bunny-safe vegetables my way. (Cassidy's always hungry).
I have extensive experience with various rodents, both common and not, but I regarded rabbits much the same way I did ferrets: I enjoyed looking at them and was glad that there were people who loved them, but they weren't for me. I had a flesh-eating mixed breed rabbit as a child, as well as a brief experience with a "Yes I'm pretty, now go away" rex, but that was about the limits of my hands-on experience with the critters. There was my neighbor's amazingly cute and sweet and athletic Holland lop, but in my mind rabbitdom consisted of "Riley" and "all other rabbits." As a sculptor, I had learned a few rabbit breeds and developed an inexplicable fondness for Belgian Hares, but by no stretch of the imagination was I (or am I!) bunny knowledgeable.
Then via a node on the rat rescue network, I was put in contact with LoriV to try to save some rabbits. I may have thought rabbits weren't for me, but by all I hold dear, I wasn't going to let anything happen to any critter I could help either. One failed transport due to a no-show rescue later, I found myself with three hay munching New Zealand Whites in my living room who had no place to go.
Cassidy knew immediately that she was home. I, not being as quick as she is, took a little longer to figure that out. She was nothing if not clear about her wishes. Walk anywhere in the vicinity of her cage, and I'd be greeted by the ears-back begging pose made famous by Oberon. She would follow at heel from room to room. If I sat down, she'd rest her paws and chin on my knee, looking up with adoring eyes. If my feet were cold, she would transform into a living bunny slipper by performing the "dead bunny flop" across them. If I stretched out on the sofa, she'd levitate from the floor onto my side or lap for snuggles. If that wasn't enough, she would nuzzle my face and kiss my toes. Subtle, she is not.
I knew bunnies required a lot of work and expense, so even after all these signs of ownership (by her, not of her), I still hesitated. Fortunately, forum members convinced me that I had a real chance at doing right by her, and after enough political negotiation to avert a war between small countries, she officially became a household resident.
I'm still amazed at how smoothly the transition has gone. So far, she has required less time than I expected, not more. Part of that is that she no difficulty in expressing her needs. If she wants something,there is no mistaking it. Food, treats, water (she loves to detach her bottle and fling it around the cage), exercise, snuggles ... she has trained me well to respond to her signals. On those very rare occasions I've been neglectful in my duties, the steady thump-thump-thump of her hind feet reverberates throughout the house until I attend to her royal highness.
We're still feeling our way around each other and each others' needs, but she's building up muscle, her stamina is increasing, and her coat and eyes are bright and shiny, so I must be doing something right.
Most of all, she is loved and happy. And so am I.
