Loving a Houserabbit

Since 2008, my husband and I have been the happy parents of a fluffy and cantankerous houserabbit.  Her name is Cinnabunny Pecan Johnson-Sullivan.  For short we call her bun-bun and fwuffy.  She has written our Christmas letters the past couple of years.  The relatives seem to like reading about her take on the year's events.

When there's a rabbit in your life, there's a constant supply of nutrient-rich compost.  Our little 5'x5' patch of dirt by our front door went from a mess of dense clay to beautiful soil within a year of adding her mix of cedar chips and little round pellets of waste.  She does her business in a litter box, which makes clean-up much easier than cleaning a fall-through cage. 

Don't get me wrong, our houserabbit doesn't have quite as much freedom as a housecat.  When we're off at work during the day she spends most of her time in a rather large pen. Even when we're home and leave her free to roam, she often wanders back into her pen.  Here she has a litter box, has boxes to hide in and hop on top of, phone books to dig, wooden toys to nibble, and piles of hay to consume.  Our schedule works well with her natural clock.  Since rabbits are generally the most active during early mornings before dawn and evenings after dark, she's a great companion during the time we have to spend with her.

Why do we keep her in a pen?  Mainly for her own safety.  Each rabbit has their own quirks, but our Bun-Bun chews through live electrical wires when we're not looking - no matter how careful we are about keeping them out of her way, she always seems to find one that we have missed.  Then there's her love for chewing on anything fabric-like, including carpet. We keep her away from these things so she doesn't destroy her digestive system with blockages.  Under her pen and around the edges of her primary run-around room are pieces of plywood.  We set up a bun-proof room so she can run around freely with a little less interaction and supervision.

Rabbits are much quieter than cats and dogs.  The only sounds Cinnabunny makes are occasional grunts when I get into her space, quiet clicking "purrs" when petted, a quick thump or two when she expresses her discontent, the shifting of boxes, ruffling of paper, and jingles from the bell I have attached to her collar.  I found the bell to be a necessity.  When I let her run freely about the house, it's difficult to track her down if she doesn't jingle with every hop. 

My favorite part of the mornings are when I walk over to Bun-Bun's pen and she sees me heading her way.  She hops on top of a box, stands on her tippie toes, and begs for treats.  How can I refuse?  Usually I give her some dried fruit, then pick her up and cuddle her.  She's wonderful cuddly company while I'm doing homework or watching a movie.  I don't understand why more people don't welcome these wonderful creatures into their families.  Rabbits seem to be the perfect pets for college students, vegetarians, and gardeners.