![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Happy Post: Let's talk about ... BUNNIES!
Mar. 26th, 2021 08:37 pmSo, unless you've been on Neptune recently, you will probably be aware that Mr D and I are embarking on a project to increase our household.
No, I'm 53 years old and post-menopausal, so our household will not be increasing THAT way!
We aim to be welcoming two bunny furbabies into our home sometime in the Summer. But because we want to do our best by them, we're taking our time to bunny-proof parts of the house and all of the garden.
We recently gave away two big chairs that had been in our living room about 20 years to make room for a bunny crate. Next on the shopping list is two door gates to make sure they are corralled into the living room when they're out of their crate.
We have three rolls of chicken wire ready to block off gaps in the garden that would cause problems such as the gap behind the shed. That way, the little guys can have the run of the garden with no need for a pen. Lots of fun and exercise for them!
Mr D is in the process of sorting out some trunking to cover any low-level wires that run around the living room wall.
I've drafted my Dad in to help, and he is cutting some 2.5 inch wide strips of black cardboard for us to block off the bottoms of the living room cabinets so that the little buggers can't squeeze underneath and get stuck - it's amazing how elastic bunnies can be, especially when you don't want them to be - I know this from exasperating experience! I'll be going over to see my Mum and Dad on the 17th May, so I can pick up the strips then, and have the cabinets all sealed off and ready soon after.
Then it will just be a case of looking for the right bunnies to come and join us. We want to rescue, and we have a couple of strict requirements to make sure we can do the absolute best by them, so we can't just grab the first to bunnies that come along. We want a pre-bonded pair so that we know beforehand that they get along. Also, they need to be fairly petite breeds. We don't have a huge sleeping crate for them, and two big bunnies might feel a bit cramped in it, especially on the occasional days when we're not around to let them out. So we're looking at Netherland Dwarves, Polish, Mini-Rex, Mini Lops, Dutch, or any of the small breeds. So for that reason, it may take us a few weeks to find the right furbabies!
This whole project has come out of me missing having a small furry around the house. We lost our last pet rabbit in 2004, and we decided not to get any more for a while because we were doing a lot of travelling at the time, as well as working long hours, and I was just starting to get busy with the dapplegrey art stuff, so we decided to take a bunny break. But I've always missed them.
When I was a kid, we always had rabbits. My Dad doesn't like dogs and my Mum doesn't like cats, so rabbits were the 'compromise' pet. I got my first rabbit, Snowy, when I was eight and he died when I was seventeen. From then, I was hooked! We had 'houserabbits' before they were even a thing. None of our rabbits had a hutch, they all lived in sheds, or in the house, and had plenty of running space. When you invest time and effort into bunnies, you really see what fascinating and intelligent little guys they are. As long as you respect the fact that they are a prey animal, and so instinctively, they are very cautious and skittish, and you don't act in a way that is liable to traumatise them, you'll have a gorgeous, funny and loving little friend for years.
So, here's a little tribute to some of the bunnies that have paved the way for our two new friends (whoever they may be):
( Bunny pics - cuteness warning! )
No, I'm 53 years old and post-menopausal, so our household will not be increasing THAT way!
We aim to be welcoming two bunny furbabies into our home sometime in the Summer. But because we want to do our best by them, we're taking our time to bunny-proof parts of the house and all of the garden.
We recently gave away two big chairs that had been in our living room about 20 years to make room for a bunny crate. Next on the shopping list is two door gates to make sure they are corralled into the living room when they're out of their crate.
We have three rolls of chicken wire ready to block off gaps in the garden that would cause problems such as the gap behind the shed. That way, the little guys can have the run of the garden with no need for a pen. Lots of fun and exercise for them!
Mr D is in the process of sorting out some trunking to cover any low-level wires that run around the living room wall.
I've drafted my Dad in to help, and he is cutting some 2.5 inch wide strips of black cardboard for us to block off the bottoms of the living room cabinets so that the little buggers can't squeeze underneath and get stuck - it's amazing how elastic bunnies can be, especially when you don't want them to be - I know this from exasperating experience! I'll be going over to see my Mum and Dad on the 17th May, so I can pick up the strips then, and have the cabinets all sealed off and ready soon after.
Then it will just be a case of looking for the right bunnies to come and join us. We want to rescue, and we have a couple of strict requirements to make sure we can do the absolute best by them, so we can't just grab the first to bunnies that come along. We want a pre-bonded pair so that we know beforehand that they get along. Also, they need to be fairly petite breeds. We don't have a huge sleeping crate for them, and two big bunnies might feel a bit cramped in it, especially on the occasional days when we're not around to let them out. So we're looking at Netherland Dwarves, Polish, Mini-Rex, Mini Lops, Dutch, or any of the small breeds. So for that reason, it may take us a few weeks to find the right furbabies!
This whole project has come out of me missing having a small furry around the house. We lost our last pet rabbit in 2004, and we decided not to get any more for a while because we were doing a lot of travelling at the time, as well as working long hours, and I was just starting to get busy with the dapplegrey art stuff, so we decided to take a bunny break. But I've always missed them.
When I was a kid, we always had rabbits. My Dad doesn't like dogs and my Mum doesn't like cats, so rabbits were the 'compromise' pet. I got my first rabbit, Snowy, when I was eight and he died when I was seventeen. From then, I was hooked! We had 'houserabbits' before they were even a thing. None of our rabbits had a hutch, they all lived in sheds, or in the house, and had plenty of running space. When you invest time and effort into bunnies, you really see what fascinating and intelligent little guys they are. As long as you respect the fact that they are a prey animal, and so instinctively, they are very cautious and skittish, and you don't act in a way that is liable to traumatise them, you'll have a gorgeous, funny and loving little friend for years.
So, here's a little tribute to some of the bunnies that have paved the way for our two new friends (whoever they may be):
( Bunny pics - cuteness warning! )
