Did you know that taking care of a rabbit requires more work than caring for a cat or dog? Along with feeding and cleaning litter boxes, rabbits need exercise outside of their pens or cages. They also get into mischief, particularly when you aren't watching them.In my When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living With Bunnies memoir, I wrote about the joys and tribulations of my first bunnysitting job. It was quite the adventure.
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One June morning in 1999, I was listening to my e-mail when a post caught my ear. A woman in Calgary, Alberta, was looking for a bunnysitter. Heather owned two rabbits, Otto and Pandora. She was leaving for Europe for two months, so she could travel and see the total eclipse of the sun.
I volunteered to bunnysit, partly to be of help, but also to have two more bunnies to love.
Heather arrived in Edmonton with her boyfriend Jason. She had brought two cages, pellets and other supplies along with her bunnies.
"Let's put them in the kitchen," I suggested. "I haven't properly rabbit-proofed the living room yet."
Heather agreed and we put Pandora's condo, a Neat Idea Cube or NIC, between the fridge and Gideon's cage. Otto was placed in a white cage with doors on the top. It was not the best kind of housing for a bunny, but it had to do.
"You can keep that cage if you want," Heather offered.
I thanked her, even though the PetBunny folks said such a cage wasn't the best for rabbits.
After Heather gave me the feeding instructions, she kissed her bunnies goodbye and then the three of us humans went for supper at Capital Pizza. Not only was the food good, but I enjoyed chatting with folks who actually thought of rabbits like companions instead of livestock.
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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. Please also visit the House Rabbit Society site for comprehensive rabbit care information.
Bunnies are like dogs in that they require exercise and get into mischief. We had two Irish setters. Maud loved to chew on paper when she was a puppy. To read more about her and Clancy, go to http://abbiescorneroftheworld.blogspot.com/2012/05/Irish-setters-love.html
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