Meet the bunnies

Ever since I was Jacob's age I've had rabbits. Zach and I started our rabbit parenthood six years ago with Valentine, and shortly after came Nutmeg. Then I brought Bart home from the shelter without Zach's approval, and it became three. Most people are surprised how well we treat our rabbits. I think domestic rabbits are very misunderstood. People tend to think they are cage animals, and this couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, our rabbits have cages, but they don't spend all their time in them. The cages are mostly for their own protection.

The bunnies were our first babies. If you think we treat them like gold now, you should have seen the life they had before Jacob came along. They moved down a level after that. Then the dogs entered our life and things got worse for them. Since they're about to get the shit end of the stick even more with the new baby on the way, I thought it was high time I write a post about them.

First was Valentine:


She's a Dutch rabbit, as in her breed. She really sweet when she wants to be, but is also eager to prove that she's the boss. She's the oldest of the rabbits and somehow I think she knows it, and because of that she thinks she should get the best of everything. Valentine's food preferences lay in the middle of the spectrum. She loves her greens, as well as enjoys the occasional sweet treat.

A couple months after Valentine, we brought home Nutmeg. And you'll see how he got his name:



He's the pretty bunny. We actually thought he was a female when we first brought him home. He has these long, beautiful eyelashes and really nice coloring. But like a dumb blond, he is kind of an ofe. He lumbers around being klutzy and is the first to ask for attention. He's the one I show off to the kids when they want to pet one because he's so laid back and mellow. We often compare Nutmeg to Mango, what they lack in smarts they make up for in looks. Nutmeg has one major sweet tooth. His favorite is probably banana. He'll devour anything with sugar in it. When we feed him his pellets he is so eager to get started on them that if you're hand gets in the way of his dish he'll bite you.

At the very end of College I had to stop volunteering at the shelter where I took care of the rabbits and I absolutely could not leave without the sweetest bunny there, Bart. He was a Rex rabbit, which means he had rex fur, the softest fur ever. I have a sweet picture of Bartie with Jacob the day we had to put him to sleep but it's not on my computer and I can't be bothered to go rifling through all my disks looking for it now, so I will have to post his picture another time.

Bartie's demise is ironic in that the rabbit we rescued and brought home to be Bart's mate was in a way the cause of his death. Rabbits are very territorial animals, so even though we were able to get Val and Nutmeg to bond with one another, they never let Bart into their little clique. So when we heard about a nameless rabbit living in a basement under a milk crate with potato skins for her diet we didn't hesitate to bring her home as a friend for Bart. We were never able to get them bonded and one of the attempts led to a fight and a wound from which Bart developed a deathly rabbit illness. I miss Bart more than any other pet we've ever had.

With that said, here is the 4th bunny, we named her Sage:




She's a sweet girl. Mellow at times, but also very skiddish. Sometimes I think of her as similar to Ginger. They are both sort of a mystery to me. You never quite know what to expect. Since Sage doesn't have a friend buddy to snuggle up to she is very needy with the 'skin hunger'. She will sit there and let you pet her all day if you are willing. She's the one I'm most happy to bring upstairs and cuddle with on the couch or in bed because I can feel her just absorbing the love. Sage prefers her greens and will eat just about anything. I think she's just so grateful to be off potato skins that the rest is like dessert to her. Whatever Nutmeg snubs his nose at, Sage will always finish off.

Below is a picture of the newly re-designed outdoor rabbit pen, we call it the play pen. This is the best thing that has happened to the rabbits since before Jacob was born. Below that is a view of the disgusting basement they live in when they're not outdoors. We spend a lot of time keeping it nice and neat but since rabbits are so territorial they waste no time marking (ie, crapping all over the place) it up. The only time they're in their cages is when the others are getting their 'out time'. Valentine and Nutmeg get out together while Sage is in her cage, and then she gets let out by herself. If we let her out with one of the other they would tear each other apart in a fight to the death. That's what I meant up above by "for their own protection."


I wish I could write more, but I guess that's a start. Hopefully now that they've gotten their introductions it will be easier to write about them in the future. If I could leave you with one important thought though, it would be this: If you're considering getting a rabbit, really think about it. Know that they cannot live in only a cage, they are very intelligent and complicated creatures that take a lot of time to maintain. But if you do it right the results are totally worth. And please God if you are going to get a rabbit, go to a shelter!