The Bunny Trail
Written By Ann Hodgman
print
single page
Despite those crowd-pleasing ears, rabbits play hard to get. And therein lies their charm.
Next to dogs, rabbits are my favorite animals. Their shape, their little tails, the way they relax with their legs stretched out, their yawns...I love them so much that when my husband and I registered for wedding presents, I gushed "I love rabbits!" to the lady at the counter, who dutifully wrote "LOVES rabbits" on the registry form. You should have seen the gifts we got. But even a 4-foot-high porcelain rabbit meant as a "bathroom accent" couldn't steer me away from pet rabbits. I've just adopted the sixth bunny of my adult life, a gorgeous silvery female named Lily. Right now, Lily's a little freaked out at the sight of our two other rabbits; there's always a lot of drama when you bring a new bunny into the group. But in a few weeks I hope they'll all have settled down.
Poor rabbits. People always think of them as good starter pets — cheap, easy to care for, and uncomplicated. "No vet visits! No noise! They can live outdoors!" Talk to almost anyone, and you may get the impression that rabbits are so low maintenance they're almost glorified hamsters. But the truth is they need as much care as cats and dogs while being much more sensitive and delicate. They make wonderful companions and they love to play, but you'll need to be in charge of the family bunny if your kids are small. (What else is new?)
I'm not trying to be discouraging, just realistic. Here's a quick rundown of what you should know before we move on to the fun stuff,
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Rabbits need to live inside, which is where they'll be the most fun anyway. How else can they jump up beside your child on the sofa while she's watching TV, or suddenly spring into the air and do a 360 before they land? They're easy to housebreak, though the process may never be 100 percent effective. (Train yourself to think of rabbit droppings as decorations.) They love to chew things like wires and books and chair legs, so you'll have to rabbit-proof the part of the house they're living in and offer chew-toy alternatives. They need a lot of hay as both food and bedding; my three go through half a bale a month. They should be spayed or neutered, even if you own only one, and they need regular vet visits.
Some need extreme vet visits. For three years our rabbit Mojo required quarterly dental work — at $200 a pop — to keep his teeth from growing into his cheeks. And that was after a $500 operation on his jaw. Until I could slim her down, our bunny Crosby needed vet visits every 10 weeks for a hygiene problem. I'm sure Crosby wouldn't want me to go into details, but the word "caked" was part of the diagnosis.
And since rabbits are prey animals in the wild, many are skittish about being picked up. Some don't even like to be touched. This can be a problem for small children, many of whom believe that the perfect pet is one that can be dressed in doll clothes, lugged around, and chased all over the room if it resists. None of that will work with a rabbit, but it does give you the perfect chance to teach your kids what living with an animal should really be about.
The Fun Stuff
The way to make friends with a rabbit is to figure out how the rabbit wants to be treated. To observe the rabbit for a while until you get a sense of its personality. To wait until the rabbit approaches you — say, by yanking on your shoelace when she wants a treat. To put the rabbit's needs first.
Ideally, of course, you establish ground rules before the rabbit comes to live at your house. You explain that rabbits can be shy, just like some people, and that there will be no rabbit touching until you say it's okay. Then, when the rabbit arrives, you make her the focus of a family project. "For a couple of weeks," you say, "we're just going to watch Bun-Bun and get to know her. And she'll like watching us too."
"But I want to play with her!" your child may complain. (At 3, my daughter flew into a rage because we wouldn't let her take her new goldfish out of the tank to play with. "Then I want you to cook them!" she commanded.)
"Not all animals can be played with the way we want," you remind the child. "Puppies and kittens like to play in a different way from rabbits. We need to do what makes the rabbit happy. Let's just sit down on the floor and watch her. Pretend she's a zoo animal and see what she likes to do."
Un-Embraceable You
It may take a few sessions, but even the shyest rabbit will get curious after a while, especially if you have a bit of spinach or kale in your hand or are playing with something on the floorwhere she can investigate. When Bun-Bun finally approaches, you can let your child try gently touching her nose. (My experience is that most rabbits would rather be patted on the face than on the body — again, that prey instinct against being grabbed.) If she runs away, you'll try another time. At some point, the rabbit will stick around to let you pat her. Once that's happened, you'll know that she's approaching you because she wants to — not because you've cowed her out of all resistance.
Rabbits haven't been domesticated for as many centuries as cats and dogs (although, with supervision, they often befriend both cats and dogs), so what you're really doing is taming your bunny. It can take a while, which is why an adult needs to be in charge of the process. Crosby took four years before she'd let me touch her. Luckily, she was fun to watch and liked hanging out with us as long as we didn't get too close. (Also luckily, our rabbit Stumper came lolloping up for head scratches and ear rubs from the minute we got him. He's the kind of bunny who follows you around like a puppy.) But there's nothing like knowing you've gotten a shy animal to like you. It makes you feel like a sorcerer — patient, wise, and tuned in to the ancient secrets of the natural world. That's a feeling most children don't get the chance to experience, and a lesson most children don't get the chance to learn.
Next: Tips for getting your first pet rabbit
