LionHeadDad
Active Member
This is a long one so get ready...
So my wife Sara and I decided we wanted a pet but at the time lived in an apartment that said no dogs only cats which I'm allergic to. I wanted to get something different so we decided to look into getting a hedgehog as I had seen them in my local pet store a few years back when I worked there. However laws changed and you now need an expensive liscense to sell hedgehogs in NJ so we couldn't find them anywhere without going to a breeder which we didn't really want to do as we didn't want to take the time to research reputable breeders. We for some reason stopped back into my pet store where I had worked and they suggested a rabbit. Not knowing much about rabbits I was a little skeptical but decided to look at them anyway. Well they just had a litter of lionheads in and we fell for a little sandy/caramel colored male instantly. His mane was adorable! I had never seen a lionhead before but we decided he was the pet for us. So we got a rabbit kit(cage litter pan, water bottle, ext) and headed off to show him off to our parents both of which live 10 mins away. Our families loved him(though my father in law will make you have a hare on your shirt jokes to this day(he is aware there is a difference between rabbits and hares) and the occasional Bugs Bunny reference). So we set about naming the little guy and after a long debate settled on Monty in honor of the rabbit in 'Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail' (though ours is much friendlier). Well it was not long before we decided that Monty didn't have enough room in his cage so we got a gate and barred him off so he could go in and out of his cage and hop around the foyer to his hearts content. Though we learned he was an escape artist and hopped onto his cage which was supporting the gate and over and into the main living room(which was not bunny proofed!). After an exhausting 15 mins of chasing a rabbit we stacked stuff on his cage so he couldn't get on and out again. All were happy we Monty had plenty of exercise and even some couch cuddling time. We then moved into a house but didn't have an extended area that would be safe for him to run around. So we bought an exercise pen and attached it to the front of his cage and he could go in and out as he pleased. However he grew steadily more grumpy and started nipping at us(something he hadn't done since we had first gotten him). We then got our dachshund Cheerio who is very interested in him though he is not as interested in her. Monty then progressively got more and more grumpy. I wasn't sure if it was the smaller living space or stress from the dog who tends to go right up to the exercise pen and sniff. We asked the lady at the pet store at our next supply stop and she suggested he wanted a friend. After being assured that my setup was large enough for two rabbits and getting advice on how to introduce them to each other we looked at the rabbits they had. They had new lionheads in again and we picked and black with white splotches female who. Her mane is less prominent than Monty's but still noticable. This one took less time to name as I quickly though of Jessica Rabbit from 'Who Framed Rodger Rabbit?' and so Jessica became her name. After slowly giving them time together we let them live together full time. They became instant buddies and we regretted not getting a second one sooner! They cuddle, clean each other and even chase each other occasionally. Not only are they buddies now but Monty is no longer grumpy! Jessica grew quickly(she's now larger than Monty) and although Jessica never has become that huge a fan of us(she hides every time we approach the pen
) at least Monty will hang out with us again! I'm now in the planning stages of a new home for them made out of neat idea cubes so they have more room. Currently it is just mostly one floor with a small ledge but i'm thinking about adding second bigger ledge! Well I suppose I've rambled enough but it's hard not to when thinking about my little lionheads. I only have a picture of Monty for some reason. This is about a week after we got him at Sara's Mom's house investigating his crinkle tunnel(they're for ferrets but my rabbits love them). I will post pictures of my little lionheads as soon as I can.
So my wife Sara and I decided we wanted a pet but at the time lived in an apartment that said no dogs only cats which I'm allergic to. I wanted to get something different so we decided to look into getting a hedgehog as I had seen them in my local pet store a few years back when I worked there. However laws changed and you now need an expensive liscense to sell hedgehogs in NJ so we couldn't find them anywhere without going to a breeder which we didn't really want to do as we didn't want to take the time to research reputable breeders. We for some reason stopped back into my pet store where I had worked and they suggested a rabbit. Not knowing much about rabbits I was a little skeptical but decided to look at them anyway. Well they just had a litter of lionheads in and we fell for a little sandy/caramel colored male instantly. His mane was adorable! I had never seen a lionhead before but we decided he was the pet for us. So we got a rabbit kit(cage litter pan, water bottle, ext) and headed off to show him off to our parents both of which live 10 mins away. Our families loved him(though my father in law will make you have a hare on your shirt jokes to this day(he is aware there is a difference between rabbits and hares) and the occasional Bugs Bunny reference). So we set about naming the little guy and after a long debate settled on Monty in honor of the rabbit in 'Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail' (though ours is much friendlier). Well it was not long before we decided that Monty didn't have enough room in his cage so we got a gate and barred him off so he could go in and out of his cage and hop around the foyer to his hearts content. Though we learned he was an escape artist and hopped onto his cage which was supporting the gate and over and into the main living room(which was not bunny proofed!). After an exhausting 15 mins of chasing a rabbit we stacked stuff on his cage so he couldn't get on and out again. All were happy we Monty had plenty of exercise and even some couch cuddling time. We then moved into a house but didn't have an extended area that would be safe for him to run around. So we bought an exercise pen and attached it to the front of his cage and he could go in and out as he pleased. However he grew steadily more grumpy and started nipping at us(something he hadn't done since we had first gotten him). We then got our dachshund Cheerio who is very interested in him though he is not as interested in her. Monty then progressively got more and more grumpy. I wasn't sure if it was the smaller living space or stress from the dog who tends to go right up to the exercise pen and sniff. We asked the lady at the pet store at our next supply stop and she suggested he wanted a friend. After being assured that my setup was large enough for two rabbits and getting advice on how to introduce them to each other we looked at the rabbits they had. They had new lionheads in again and we picked and black with white splotches female who. Her mane is less prominent than Monty's but still noticable. This one took less time to name as I quickly though of Jessica Rabbit from 'Who Framed Rodger Rabbit?' and so Jessica became her name. After slowly giving them time together we let them live together full time. They became instant buddies and we regretted not getting a second one sooner! They cuddle, clean each other and even chase each other occasionally. Not only are they buddies now but Monty is no longer grumpy! Jessica grew quickly(she's now larger than Monty) and although Jessica never has become that huge a fan of us(she hides every time we approach the pen
) at least Monty will hang out with us again! I'm now in the planning stages of a new home for them made out of neat idea cubes so they have more room. Currently it is just mostly one floor with a small ledge but i'm thinking about adding second bigger ledge! Well I suppose I've rambled enough but it's hard not to when thinking about my little lionheads. I only have a picture of Monty for some reason. This is about a week after we got him at Sara's Mom's house investigating his crinkle tunnel(they're for ferrets but my rabbits love them). I will post pictures of my little lionheads as soon as I can.
