About two months ago, my daughter began her quest for a pet of her own. She started with wanting a mouse (a real mouse). I didn’t like that idea. We already had a mouse that had taken up residence in our garage. This thing had the annoying habit of stashing dog food inside our hiking boots. Blech! I got rid of the dog food, cleaned out the garage, and we haven’t seen that particular mouse again (fingers crossed).
Then she progressed to wanting a lizard. Shiver! I am on the squeamish side. The thought of having a critter in the home that I can’t pick up just didn’t go over well. So I nixed that idea as well.
Still determined, she decided a chinchilla would be the perfect pet. CHA CHING CHA CHING! The $150.00 price tag from the pet store was enough to change her mind.
Then she started talking about a bunny. YIKES! I know nothing about bunnies and rabbits – except that they have long ears and poop a lot. A bunny in the house? Was it possible? With two dogs? I couldn’t come up with a reason for an immediate no, so I used my next best mom answer – “maybe.”
DOUBLE YIKES! Before I knew it, she was signing out books from the library about rabbits. She was researching rabbits online. She wrote a mini-book all about taking care of rabbits. And she started sticking little notes about rabbits in “inconspicuous places.” I found one on my pillow, one on the bathroom mirror, one on my car keys, and one on my wooden bear by the front door. Even my husband was included in the note giving. He found one taped to the back of his cell phone!
So I had to resort to tough MOM LOGIC!
“Honey, dear,” I said, “Where is the bunny going to live? How are you going to pay for its food, bedding, and vet bills?”
My kids know better than to say, “Mom and dad will pay for it.” So she came up with plan “D” (D for DO instead of B for BUY). She took the wood leftover from our summer shed project and designed and built a hutch from scratch. My husband cut the pieces and she did the rest. Wow! This thing is amazing. From her research, she knew bunnies like to have a dark corner for privacy, that you need a large door for the rabbit to hop through, and a hinged lid on the roof to clean out the litter and the hutch. Two sides have a wire mesh and two sides are wood. I was so proud of her.
But gosh, she wasn’t done yet (she knows it takes a lot of work to convince mom to say “yes” LOL). She also presented a budget for her rabbit. She found a source of bales of hay from one of the acreages nearby and a source of rabbit feed in bulk (much cheaper than the pet stores). She also learned that rabbits do not need vaccinations like dogs, and if she adopts a rabbit from our local SPCA, the first vet visit is included for free.
As for all those poops: no problem. They can be added directly to our flowerbeds. Apparently they make great fertilizer (a new twist on SHOP at home FIRST).
She was set. I ran out of reasons to keep saying "maybe."
I said “yes.”
So, this is “Mouse” – a female dwarf rabbit, 3 months old, adopted from the SPCA. My daughter named her after that first pet she wanted that started this all - a mouse. And Mouse has been so good. She spends part of the day in her indoor hutch and the rest of the time exploring our home or the backyard (it took a couple hours to track down all our power cords and tie them up out of the way!). My daughter has her litter trained already (wahoo!) and I noticed a growing pile of poops showing up in my flowerbed. Mouse has a special "rabbit harness" to wear when she is outside. Honestly, I think we should have called her "Houdini" LOL. She keeps trying to escape through the one spot in our yard where she can fit through. It is easier to catch her with her leash and harness on.
Mouse has already gone to the vet. I was so impressed. My daughter made the appointment herself. When the vet started talking to me about Mouse, I informed him that this was my daughter’s pet (wink wink) and he quickly directly his conversation to my daughter. He told her what to feed Mouse and how to hold Mouse (apparently they have very strong back legs and if you hold them wrong and they kick hard, they can damage their backs). My daughter asked about vet bills (how much they were), so the vet told her what the most common reasons were for rabbits having to go to the vet and how to avoid those problems (mostly related to having enough roughage in their diets). If the rabbit is healthy, there is no need for regular visits to the vet. He also showed her how to clip Mouse’s toenails (can you picture the shudder going through my body). But my daughter was a real pro and followed the vet’s instructions perfectly. I think even the vet was impressed LOL.
At the end of the visit, the vet informed us that Mouse is a very healthy, happy rabbit. And he had more news for us:
Mouse is a HE (not a she). YIKES!
And my daughter - “No problem, I will just call him MISTER Mouse.”
So in conclusion, thank-you everyone who sent in tips about rabbits and caring for rabbits. My daughter thanks you too, because you all helped me see that a rabbit would be a good addition for our family.
And so far – Mr. Mouse has been. Big smile.
Take care!
Cindy
