Cindy on Rabbits

1 - Tell me 3 things about yourself outside of having bunnies.

I love long distance running.

I just got back from hiking in the Great Canadian Rockies, and I am increasingly interesting in taking up rock climbing.

I love a good glass of whiskey.

2 – Who are your bunnies?

We have two bunnies. Furhead is a 9-month-old lionhead, and Ernie is a 2-year-old mix of silver marten and otter, I think. I am not totally sure about Ernie’s breed actually because we adopted him from a local animal shelter.

3 – How long have you had them?

We have had Furhead since November 2011 and Ernie since March 2012

4 – What are they like?

Furhead is a very sweet, cheerful, good-natured, and laid-back rabbit. Ernie is very bossy, demanding, and moody. They are SO different.

5 - Tell me about a great moment you’ve had with them recently. 

My partner and I just got back from five days of hiking in the mountains, and it was so great to come home to these two and hangout with them again. We both missed them a lot while we were away.

6 - How did you come to have bunnies in your life?

I read the book Watership Down last summer. I thought it was the most profound story, and so magical. I really loved the rabbits and I decided I wanted to have some rabbit magic in my own life, so I began to seriously consider getting one as a pet. I spent a long time doing research about rabbits before getting one – there is actually quite a lot to learn about having rabbits as pets, which was kind of surprising. They are not low maintenance animals like most people think. I got Furhead first, last November when he was just six-weeks-old and he could fit in my hands, and then we adopted Ernie from the Winnipeg Humane Society last March. I went there for a volunteer orientation session, and left with a rabbit. We got Ernie to be a partner for Furhead, but that hasn’t worked out just yet. Ernie is very aggressive, so we have to take the process very slowly.

7 - What do you love about these bunnies?

I love them because they are both so different in terms of their personality – Furhead is such a sweetheart and Ernie is such a badass. I love them because they are really fun to hangout with and I am never bored when I am in their company. I love them because they have caused me to make some very serious changes in my life and I am really grateful for that. Also, they are just so cute.

8 – What are some of the difficult parts of having bunnies as pets?

They are very destructive animals and they love to eat our walls, shoes, clothes, furniture, books….pretty much anything they can get their teeth on. Also, they are super bratty sometimes. They can be very naughty animals. If rabbits are not spayed or neutered, they basically go crazy as soon as they reach sexual maturity. (Both our rabbits are neutered, ha)

9 – Have either of your bunnies surprised you lately?

Furhead has chosen some weird sleeping places/positions lately. He likes to sleep with his head inside of his cardboard house with his butt sticking out – it’s almost as though he has the mentality of “if I can’t see you, you can’t see me.” It’s super funny. Also, the extent to which Ernie and my partner, Mark, have become close was initially somewhat surprising, but also really wonderful. Ernie seems to love Mark the most out of anyone. They are bros. It’s really nice.

10 - How have your family and friends responded to you having pet bunnies?

For the most part they’ve been great and very supportive. They know it’s important to me and they’ve responded accordingly. I think there are some who don’t get it, and that’s okay.

11 - Who of your friends and family are the most into them?

Most of my friends are pretty into it, actually. I have really nice and supportive friends.

12 - Do you come across people who are a bit funny about you having bunnies?

Yes, sometimes. People think it’s funny to make jokes about eating rabbits, or they like to tell me about how they ate a rabbit and that bothers me. I don’t want to hear about that. I know it happens but to make a point of telling me a story about how you did it – that’s really insensitive.

13 - What is the best part about having bunnies?

Bunny kisses, binkies, the sound they make when they eat a banana, and big huge bunny feet.

14 - What sort of bunny owner would you describe yourself as?

I am exceedingly responsible, attentive, very loving, and very affectionate. And I probably worry about them more than I need to. Mark says I have developed a ‘bunny voice’, which I use when I talk to either of them, so, I’m one of those people.

15 - If your bunnies could talk, how would they say they feel about you?

I think Furhead would say that I am the greatest bunny mom ever and he really loves me the most. I think Ernie would say that he thinks I am over-bearing and that I need to chill out. They would also both say: “quit moving my stuff and leave my poops alone.” Rabbits hate when you move their stuff and get really protective of their poops so that probably really annoys them and I’m sure they’d have words about that.

 16 - Describe a day in the life of your bunnies.

Both bunnies wake up before I do. Ernie’s room is basically right outside our bedroom door, so he is sure to wake me up as soon as he is hungry. Both rabbits get breakfast, sometimes as early as 5am. They both get some pellets, fresh veggies, and timothy hay. They are usually pretty active for most of the morning, which involves lots of running around and playing. They each have cardboard houses to hang out in, and lots of toys to chew on and throw around. They both typically sleep from around 1pm until about 10pm. It’s really cute because they each go to their specific place when it’s time for bed – Furhead goes to the second floor of his cardboard castle, and Ernie’s favorite place is under the tub. They will wake up every so often to eat and poop and then will go back to sleep. They get lots of attention from my boyfriend and I whenever they are awake. They are pretty spoiled animals.

17 - How do you feel about dogs and cats as pets, as compared to your bunnies?

I am not a cat person. I used to be, but I don’t really like cats that much anymore. I do love dogs though and hope to have one, or ten, someday soon.

18 - What have you learned about yourself from owning bunnies?

I’ve learned that I have a much more nurturing spirit than I was aware of. I’ve learned that it doesn’t bother me to touch rabbit poop. That was a bit surprising, honestly.

19 -  What have you learned about life in general from your bunnies?

I guess I already knew this, but through these rabbits I’ve really observed firsthand that how you treat an animal has such a big impact on how its personality will turn out. As I mentioned, Furhead is very good-natured and laid back. This is because I’ve had him since he was six-weeks-old and I was sure to handle him a lot right from the start and be really good to him all of the time. He has a very nice life with us, and he’s a very cheerful rabbit. Ernie, on the other hand, came from an animal shelter when he was already two years old, so it’s really hard to know what his life was like before coming to live with us. I suspect that he probably spent a lot of time alone in a cage, or in stressful situations. Two years of being moved around from home to home is really hard on a rabbit, and this has caused him to have some behavior issues. He hasn’t had any stability until he came to live with us. We’ve done lots of work with him though, and he’s a lot better now than he was when he first came to live with us. Because of having to work with Ernie in a way that helped him to learn to trust us, I’ve learned about an extended sort of kindness and empathy, and also patience. I can apply this learning to all aspects of my life.

20 - At the end of your life, how might these bunnies have made a difference for you?

Because of these rabbits, I have done a lot of research into animal testing and what happens to animals during this process. Rabbits are one of the most commonly used animals for laboratory testing, whether it’s for cosmetics or household products, etc. The lives these animals live is so, so awful. It’s extremely upsetting. Because of this, our household has changed most of the products we use to be cruelty-free. Further, I began to take animal welfare in general more seriously and have changed my diet to be largely vegan (except I am having a really hard time giving up cheese and I really love a good ceasar). I also now volunteer at a local animal shelter working with surrendered rabbits – this has been such a fascinating and rewarding experience. I know that my rabbits are not people and cannot form opinions about me as a person, but if they could I would want them to be proud of the kind of person I am as their mom. I know that probably makes me sound a bit crazy, but that’s okay. I would say they’ve made a very significant difference in my life.