Now that Easter is over, what will happen to all those bunnies which unwise parents bought on a whim for their children? Most likely, many will be surrendered to animal shelters or cruelly dumped outdoors to fend for themselves. Some will be "loved" to death while others will end up exiled to a lonely cage in the back yard.With resources such as The House Rabbit Society website, people lack the excuse that they couldn't find information on house rabbits. In fact, many folks believe they don't need to learn anything about how to care for these mentally-complex creatures.
As I found out, bunnies are like other pets. They get into mischief and some have attitudes. In When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies), I wrote about one little Netherland Dwarf with a big attitude. In this excerpt, I show that not all rabbits retain their litter habits.
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By April, Neutrino's cockiness had surfaced with his increasing freedom and as a result, I locked him away during the nights and mornings. Even so, the naughty boy chewed holes in one runner and urinated several times next to the sink. Caging him after each offense didn't seem to help the situation, so I moved the rectangular rug under the table.
Neutrino retaliated by wetting in the corner behind my chair and he ripped some threads out of the carpet. Chasing him away from under my table where he liked to loaf and getting in the habit of pushing the chair in each night only helped a bit. That bad lad still insisted on peeing in the corner. Eventually, I just gave in, wiped the floor and washed the rug whenever it was
wet.
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When a Man Loves a Rabbit is filled with many more fascinating stories of life with house bunnies. These vignettes range from the tragic to the hilarious. Please click on the link to my books for details about both of my paperbacks. You're also welcome to contact me directly for more information.
Neutrino trained you well Bruce, he whipped you up into the perfect bunny slave in no time.
ReplyDeleteHe sure was a little rascal causing you all those problems, all I could do is laugh because the same happens here with Cinder and Lily bunnies. They trained us well too.
This is why I don't have any pets. I have enough to do to clean up after my husband, partially paralyzed as a result of two strokes. I admire your patience and persistence and wish you continued success in raising these animals.
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