"How hard could bunny-sitting be?" I thought when a friend posted her request on a rabbit care e-mail list. Because she was heading down to Florida for six months, she offered a considerable sum for someone to look after her rabbit as well as a guinea pig. Being chronically broke, I jumped at the chance to earn a few hundred dollars.The job started off badly when her guinea pig, Cinnamon, died during the first week. Buns, the rabbit, survived the six months but he caused plenty of mischief.
From my When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) memoir, here's a sample of the trouble Buns caused me.
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Buns caused me a new problem in February. His digging in the sandbox was so ardent that the rug became full of grit. Though it pained me, I closed the sandbox lid and wouldn't let my guest inside it anymore. Buns was upset and thumped at first, but he quickly accepted the inevitable. Of course, that didn't stop him from getting into other mischief.
During that time, I vainly tried to make my Mom's vintage radio work on short wave. I attached different antennas to it, but forgot to push the set back against the wall. Later, I went into the living room and couldn't find Buns. Then I noticed the radio.
The sneaky wretch was inside, happily chewing the wires.
Not knowing what else to do, I asked Barry if he knew of a better repair place than the one I'd taken the receiver to a few years previously.
"I could fix it for you," Barry offered. "It's the least I can do, since it was my daughter's rabbit that ruined your radio."
Barry was as good as his word. He picked up the antique receiver the next day and two weeks later, brought it back. When he plugged the set in, it worked just fine.
"I can't believe the mess that repairman made of your radio," he said. "The antenna terminals weren't even connected and there was a wire going from the IF stage to the antenna."
How ironic that a professional had made the radio worse while an amateur had made it better.
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When a Man Loves a Rabbit contains many more fascinating stories of life with house bunnies. These range from the tragic to the hilarious. Click here to read more about this book and to order it. You may also e-mail me directly if the comment form doesn't work.
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