Friday, February 4, 2011

Meet the Bunny

Yesterday marked the celebration of Chinese New Years, and with that we have officially entered the year of the rabbit. Early this morning I found to myself thinking, what more fitting time to introduce our smallest family member. Meet our bunny...


Now, I have to tell you, that when my only son told me that he wanted to get a pet rabbit, I said, "No!" No way, no how, are we going to have a bunny in our already crowded house!

And I backed up this edict with a perfectly good list of valid reasons why it was not a good idea. Figuring principally amongst them, was my feeling that it was just plain cruel to make such a creature spend its entire life in a small cage. After all, bunnies are a hopping, jumping and running sort of animal.

One of his baby bunny pictures

The problem was that my son, who inherited much of my temperament and personality, has inside information on just how to get around me and any objections I might have.

Part one of his bunny acquisition strategy, involved a bout of selective amnesia! He patiently waited for an appropriate period of time to pass, before laying claim to an entirely different memory of our bunny discussion. The conversation, which I clearly recall ending with the firm and fixed determination "no bunny", he recalls ending with a much less negative resolution "no bunny, unless that bunny has a really big cage".

The second phase of my son's clever strategy was easily executed.

Don't ask Mum about having a rabbit a second time, buy the bunny and simply arrive home with him one day completely unannounced. Present the cutest face imaginable and wait for Mum's firm resolve to melt away into mush. My son knows all to well that I have a weakness for anything cute and furry.


And I ask you, wouldn't you have difficulty saying no to this cute, furry face with a big human face pouting right behind it?

And what, might you wonder, was my son's answer to the life in a small cage dilemma? He built a gigantic, do-it-yourself, multi-platform, three story high, bunny penthouse suite.

He met the last of my limp objections with slick phrases like, "Don't worry Mum. We'll clean his cage every few days". Not that I bought that one for even a second!

Honey is much loved by my son and his girlfriend Hanna. Here Honey gives Hanna a kiss on the nose.

A year or so has past. Who now fusses the most over that darn bunny? Me of course! Standing in the vegetable section of the super market, I often find myself inspecting the display of celery to determine which bunch has best assortment of fresh, young leaves at its core, because I know those young shoots are Honey's favorite treat.

When I climb the stairs, Honey usually sees me coming, from his comfortable perch near the doorway of my son's room. He dances a little bunny gig of pleasure, because he knows, soft-hearted person that I am, I will stop by his cage to give him a fruit drop or yogurt bunny treat.

Now, I do have a minor degree of revenge in all this. Bunnies are nocturnal animals. Honey doses during the day and then cavorts around his cage at night, jumping from one level to the next. This noise make it hard for my son to get a good night's sleep.

When he gets too rambunctious though, poor Honey gets evicted from the bedroom and banished to a small cage in the spare room.

Honey in Hanna's arms.

It is in this small cage that I often find him early in the morning. I feel so sorry for him, that of course I have to take a moment to console him with a cuddle. I cradle him in my arms and stroke his long velvet ears. He relaxes and his head drops back. One eye closes, while the other stays partly open, watching me, just in case. Then slowly, he gets warm and comfortable there in the crook of my arm. His nose, which always twitches as he sniffs the air, wiggles less frequently. Then both his eyes shut, as he drifts off into sweet bunny dreams....

Have a great weekend everyone!

25 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, is he adorable. I never knew there was a bunny harness.

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  2. What an absolute cutie pie!!! Terrific addition to your family! :)

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  3. Jennifer, this is the cutest bunny! I am allergic to rabbits and cats, even though I had cats as a child. We have the wild bunnies all over my garden really giving me a challenge, but this bunny is on a leash and will not eat the tops off your tulips.

    I was very impressed by your Prime Minister today doing a joint speech French and English with President Obama.

    Eileen

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  4. I am trying very hard not to like your bunny. If he looked like the bunnies that munch through my garden if would be a lot easier for me. He does look like a nice bunny amidst the scilla.

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  5. It is certainly hard to say no when you already sets your eye on her. My brother also ask for a bunny pet for his birthday as well. Mom end up looking after the bunny more. Honey is so adorable.

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  6. He is positively the most adorable bunny I've ever seen. Mom didn't stand a chance!

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  7. Im a cat lover so my heart just melts looking at your son's cute adorable Honey bunny!

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  8. Bunnies are sure cute. What do the dogs think of the bunny? Bet that is an interesting combination.

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  9. Hi Everyone,
    Thanks for your comments. Buddy and Rusty tend to think the bunny is unworthy of their attention. Scrap loves him. The bunny generally seems to regard the dogs as harmless. When let loose, he feels free to explore and climb all over the disinterested dogs. I never leave the four of them together unattended, just in case...

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  10. He's adorable! Not to mention all the great compost for your garden. Your son is mighty smart and how lucky is your bunny to have a penthouse!

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  11. This is the cutest bunny I have seen. I would have melted too. How did your 3 dogs get used to Honey? I had bunnies but it was very inconvenient with the dogs around. Have given them all away.

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  12. Adorable I have a bunny too however it is running free in my back yard and eating a precious azaela shrub , cute maybe but ...... would you like another one?

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  13. Thanks everyone, for your comments.
    And no thanks, Rosemary I don't need any more bunnies, one in the house is just fine with me! (LOL)
    One: Shelties have their faults, they bark endlessly for one, but they are very smart, easy-to-train dogs. There was little effort involved in getting them to live peacefully with the bunny, other than the odd reminder to be "nice".

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  14. He is so cute! I understand why you had a hard time saying no

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  15. Oh my gosh! Honey is so incredibly cute! I would have melted, too! Adorable pictures! I love the shot of him on his leash. Does he ever go on little trips to the garden?

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  16. Casa Mariposa, Honey is very spoilt with lots of love and attention, just like the all the other four legged family members. He was a little harness and extendable lead that allow him to run around in the yard and get some outdoor exercise. I never allow him to let loose on the flower beds however! Surprisingly enough, he seems to prefer to spend his days on the top level of the cage in my son's room. From there, he has a clear vantage point on all the family coming and goings.

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  17. The definition of cute. In one of those photos he's giving you the melt-your-heart look used by Puss-in-Boots in Shrek. He's got the whole family wrapped around his paw. I am so glad you are keeping him inside. My childhood pet bunnies always got killed by foxes, dogs, raccoons, etc. who seemed to be able to enter their cages no matter how sturdy they were. Not a good memory.

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  18. I don't think I could have said no either! He's is adorable and cuddly ;)

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  19. Aww! Who could resist that little nose and those big eyes. The Easter Bunny better watch out, there's a new cutie in town. :)

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  20. Hi Jennifer,
    Thanks for your comment on my blog.
    Honey looks very lovely...o o o what a sweetheart. I melts when I looked at the photos.
    You have "cathed" Honey very well.
    greetings from Elly

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  21. I just discovered your blog. It is wonderful. Love your photos and stories.
    Ilse

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  22. These are adorable stories of the three dogs in the garden and the addition of Honey the Rabbit. May I have your permission to use the article in one of our Nature Place Journal monthly issues? This is educational and non-profit.
    The Nature Place Journal is on e-mail and Facebook.Thanks for consider. Contact me at shirleymflanagan@aol.com.

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