Not many folks know this but rabbits dislike having familiar objects moved around. They mentally map their surroundings in order to know where they can escape to in case of danger.I discovered this resistance to change on the part of bunnies when I decided to do some spring cleaning. Being a bachelor myself, I let the suite I rented become untidy. One day, I decided to clean up my act as well as my kitchen.
From When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies), here is an excerpt which demonstrates the effect of tidying up on my first house rabbit, Gideon.
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Perhaps he was more of a bachelor than I was, but the amount of filth around his cage reached the point where even I was offended by it. In April, I decided that some spring-cleaning was in order and I tidied up the whole area, including the dropping tray.
Poor Gideon looked lost. He hopped into the space where his cage once stood and looked around all perplexed.
"I know my cage should be here, but it isn't."
Everything else seemed to be out of place for the poor lad as he wandered around, examining all those once-familiar objects in his territory. He actually seemed relieved when I finally replaced his cage and put his box and other toys back in their customary spots. It's funny how rabbits can be so traditional and set in their ways?even more than their humans.
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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.
I sympathize with the bunny. I don't like it when objects are moved from one place to another, either. Being visually impaired, this can be a problem, and it usually occurs when well-meaning home health care aides who give Bill his showers and clean the house don't always put things back where they find them. Most of the time, the object in question hasn't been moved too far away from its original location, but there are times when I can't find Bill's urinal, and he needs to pee, that I say, "Darn it! Her parents should have named her Hidey."
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