R is for Rabbit

“Weeks passed, and the little Rabbit grew very old and shabby, but the Boy loved him just as much. He loved him so hard that he loved all his whiskers off, and the pink lining to his ears turned grey, and his brown spots faded. He even began to lose his shape, and he scarcely looked like a rabbit any more, except to the Boy. To him he was always beautiful, and that was all that the little Rabbit cared about. He didn't mind how he looked to other people, because the nursery magic had made him Real, and when you are Real shabbiness doesn't matter.” 

― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit


I love the look on someone's face when I tell them that I have a free roaming house rabbit.  At first incredulous, then suspicious.  "You mean you just let him run around??"  When I inform them that rabbits can easily be liter-box trained "just like a cat" they are bemused.  Most people have no idea.

I love having this conversation.  I like to imagine that I've created a ripple effect - that, just maybe, those people who always felt bad about having to leave Cotton in her cage will continue reading and learning and realize that they can bunny proof their home, or even just a single room, and give their bunny some much needed running and roaming time.

Loki is our Dutch rabbit.  He's pretty well behaved.  But, he's incredibly smart and, for a bunny, that's downright dangerous.

Since we adopted him he's had free range of our little apartment with no problems.  He would still leave a pellet or two around the living room, but such is the way of rabbits - they have to make sure you know that, even though they're using the bathroom in this plastic den you've given them in the corner, this is still their living room - got it?  However, when we took in my mother's cat back in April, he became a little....too friendly with her.  Constant kitty mounting ensued and so Loki has since been banished to the bathroom for a temporary hiatus.

This past week Shane and I have been working on downsizing the apartment.  We're expecting our first baby in August, so we've been trying to make room and get everything organized (easier Pinterested than done).  He and my kickass future mother-in-law carried down a huge couch and love seat we've been meaning to get rid of for months.  So I think the plan is to get the living room cleaned and with minimalist decor, then move Loki from the bathroom to the livingroom.  Which I will be incredibly happy about.  Rabbits are fundamentally social pack animals and do best when bonded with another rabbit or around their human family.  He'll be much happier when he's able to snuggle up for cuddles on the sofa again.