A couple of weeks ago, I had my headphones on and was happily chair dancing to a little Echo and the Bunnymen when all of a sudden the music just stopped. I looked at my ipod and it was still on. I checked the volume on my headphones and it was in the full volume position, carefully set to drown out work distractions. Then it dawned on me… With both hands, I picked up the cord from where it draped down from my desk and it came up in two pieces.
I looked down by my feet to see big brown eyes and a twitching nose staring back up at me. “Oops mommy“, the face seemed to say. Yes, my bunny learning curve is slow and, since I started fostering Hef about 6 weeks ago, I’ve lost a mouse, a keyboard, almost a phone, and now a pair of headphones to the sharp little bunny teeth.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about having a rabbit in my home of 3 cats and 2 large dogs, but Hef had been in the shelter for 4 months and needed a foster. Based on his age, we all assume he was probably an adorable little hippity hoppity Easter gift that had literally outgrown his welcome and was set free to fend for himself. There is a big difference between wild rabbits and domesticated rabbits and he most certainly would have met a sad end had animal control not found him first.
I’ve always fostered puppies and kittens and the occasional caged hamster or rat. Hef is my first bunny foster and, I have to say, I am really digging a house rabbit as a pet. Yeah, the cord thing isn’t so cool but really, that’s about the only down side to having him around. Once I moved cords out of the way of curious teeth, I’ve had no problems. I bring Hef into work and, with the addition of a little gate at my doorway, he has full run of my cubicle. My CPU sits atop my desk and the power cords are blocked by a board and a box. At home, I’ve baby-gated the family room and kitchen as my rabbit proofed room. We hinged together a number of 2×4 boards to block access to all cords at floor level and, quite honestly; it’s kind of nice not to see the monster tangle of cords under my desk anyhow.
Since I first pulled Hef from the shelter, I’ve learned quite a bit about rabbits, both from him and rampant use of Google search. Google knows by now that most of my searches start with “why does my bunny…”. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned:
- Hef is considered a “house rabbit” which means that he has a hutch in my office and in my house but is out of his hutch as much or more than he is in it. He has run of his portion of the house in much the same way as a “house cat” does. He only gets put in his hutch if we are not around to supervise.
Bunnies take a little longer to bond than cats or dogs but do bond with time. At first Hef seemed more indifferent than anything. After a couple of weeks, he seemed to start asking for attention from me so I took that as a good sign. He bumps my leg with his forehead when he wants attention. I’ve learned to really love, even crave, those gentle little bunny bumps.- Rabbits are fairly agile. When I get up from my desk, Hef likes to hop into my chair and relax there until I come back. I need to remember to push my chair back from the desk as he’s also gone from chair to desk and that is where most of my cords are “hiding”.
- Many bunnies don’t especially like being held but will tolerate it if they like you and sometimes even fall asleep in your arms. The first time Hef fell asleep in my arms, I didn’t move a muscle for the 20 minutes he slept because I was so mesmerized.
- Some bunnies like to be petted and others prefer to just be near you but not necessarily touched. Hef likes to be petted on his terms and will nip lightly on my hand if I stop petting him before he’s ready. Once he’s done, he just hops on his way with a little flip of his back paws. He’s not crazy about being pet by people he doesn’t know and it’s been quite the competition in our office by people trying to gain his trust enough so that he hops over to say hi and stays there while they pet him.
- Rabbits like routine. Hef likes his hutch arranged ‘just so’ and will loudly toss things around if I move anything from a familiar spot. I’ve heard of other house rabbits that know when their owners start turning off the lights at night, it’s time for them to hop into their hutch to be shut in for the night and just automatically do it.
Contrary to popular belief and Bugs Bunny brainwashing, bunnies cannot live on carrots alone. All bunnies seem to love carrots but they should be treated more as a dessert than a staple as they are more like candy to them. They also can’t eat lettuce as it will make them sick. Their staple diet should be hay with daily fresh veggies and some fortified rabbit pellets on the side. Hef adores parsley and cilantro and the occasional tiny piece of banana. I try to give him three different varieties of approved fresh veggies each day. I’ve found that with all the additional veggies I’m stocking the fridge with, I’m actually eating a bit better too – bonus!- Rabbits are as easily litter trained as cats.Hef will go into his open hutch to use his box however he gets really irritated when I don’t clean it before the next time he needs to use it. Sometimes he will grab the edge of the box with his teeth and upend it to pour his litter pellets all over. He has me well trained to scoop each time I see him in there.
- Rabbits can get along with cats and dogs with appropriate supervision. Hef’s struck up a cordial relationship with my other pets. The cats are actually a little nervous about him and will maintain a respectful distance while pretending, in typical cat fashion, they actually meant to take the long way to the kitchen so they could check out the bug on the other end of the room. The dogs are curious and Hef and both dogs have a nose touching agreement.
- Rabbits are great communicators. Hef will growl or stomp his foot really hard if he is displeased but will make a gentle chewing noise that is his version of a purr when he is happy. He does his grinding purr that when I scratch right around the base of his ears or on his nose. I’ve come to crave that sound.
- Rabbits can be fairly comical. Hef does a thing that I call the ‘dead bunny’ and have heard others call the ‘dead lop flop’. He will toss himself in the air and land on his side or back and seem to be instantly asleep. He really looks dead but is actually just sleeping. It was very scary the first time I saw it but now, when I hear the thud, I giggle to myself because I know I’ll see a rabbit with all four feet splayed out in every direction when I go to look. Also, when he’s really happy, Hef will do this thing called a binky, which is when he jumps straight up in the air and his front legs go to the left and his back legs to the right and then he takes off like a shot when he lands. It’s very joyous to see.
- For play, rabbits like it best when you come down to their level. At home, I usually lay on the dog bed on the floor and Hef just bumps and climbs all over me. We play a little game where he bumps me and runs just slightly out of reach. I reach out and scratch him for a bit and then pull back so that he has to come to me for a little more attention. He climbs all over me for a couple of minutes and then bumps me and runs back to his “petting spot” and we do the whole routine again. Yep – not anything like a dog or cat would do but that’s because he’s not a dog or cat – he’s a bunny.
Hef also doesn’t like people to put their hands out for him to sniff like he’s a dog.You can almost hear him thinking – “hey dummy, what do you think I am? A dog? Hmphfff”. I’ve learned that, to a rabbit, the hand in front of their face is very confusing. The reason behind this is that rabbits do not see well close-up so your hand is startling to them. He does best if people simply place their hand firmly on top of his head and pet him.- Bunnies love to chew and dig. According to San Diego veterinarian Dr. Jeffrey Jenkins, “The upper and lower incisors (front teeth) of rabbits grow 4 and 5 inches a year. In the normal rabbit mouth, biting and chewing of food continually grinds down the teeth, keeping this growth in check and the teeth at stable lengths.” I make sure Hef has plenty of things to chew and so far (knock on unchewed wood), he has not chewed any of my furniture or inappropriate things – other than the aforementioned 3 cords. The room he’s in is all hard floors so, while he does make a digging motion, he can’t do any damage. I have heard that rabbits kept in carpeted areas can do quite a bit of damage. And I’m sure this results in at least some of the bunnies that end up in shelters.
- As pets go, rabbit toys can be pretty inexpensive. Hef’s favorite toy is actually a toilet paper tube stuffed full of hay. He tosses it about and eats the hay and cardboard. He enjoys chewing on an unfinished wicker tube that I got specifically for him to chew on. He also likes chewing on cardboard boxes and jumping in and out of them while exploring.
- Rabbits can live up to 10 years and longer. I’ve had rats as pets and they only live 2 years so this is a jackpot lifetime for a small companion animal in your home. Hef is only one year old so he’s got many years of making someone really happy.
Unfortunately, rabbits are the third most populous pets in shelters and rescues today, behind cats and dogs. Because of this, PETCO has made the commitment not to sell rabbits in their stores. Many PETCO stores partner with rabbit rescues to provide bunnies for adoption through their stores.
As with Hef, many people buy baby bunnies (or kits) for their children for Easter and then learn that bunnies may not be the best pets for small children and dump them in shelters or release them into the wild, thinking they’d be able to fend for themselves. These poor bun buns often die lingering and painful deaths from predators or cars.
The ASPCA offers the following ideas for people considering a rabbit as a pet at Eastertime:
“If your family’s set on getting a rabbit, start by giving a chocolate bunny or a stuffed toy for Easter and, if your young children are really serious about it, a book on rabbit care. If they’re still begging you for a bun after the holiday has passed, go to your local shelter or rescue group and find out how to adopt the rabbit (or even better, a bonded pair) of your dreams.
You can also help spread the word that rabbits are not disposable pets by getting involved in the Make Mine Chocolate! campaign. Started in 2002 by the Columbus House Rabbit Society, the campaign aims to educate the public about the challenges of owning a rabbit and encourages parents to give chocolate or toy bunnies as Easter gifts instead of live rabbits. Check out the group’s website, MakeMineChocolate.org, for more info.”
This coming weekend (Feb. 12 and 13) is the Rabbit Rally where PETCO stores showcase some of the amazing bunnies for adoption through their store as well as providing ample opportunity for you to research whether a bunny is right for your home. There is also an online community to share your rabbit adoption stories.
In the meantime, while you’re researching whether a rabbit is the right pet for your home, consider making a donation to the PETCO Foundation that will be applied towards the care of shelter rabbits in your area.
The PETCO Foundation has served as a voice for companion animals across the country since 1999. Each year, we help animal-welfare organizations find lifelong, loving homes for millions of orphaned pets, as well as fund spay and neuter efforts, animal assisted therapy programs and humane education.