Bunny Luv

We are proud to announce our newest arrival to what has increasingly become Planet Pets around here. We so enjoyed our first housebunny, a smallish lopeared named Flipflop that we decided to foster Ruby, a one year old New Zealand rabbit who, according to the rabbit rescue organization who originally fostered her, was found wandering around with two other rabbits in someone's back yard. Despite being abandoned in her earlier years, she has a lovely disposition and is almost serene in her mellow, slightly shy demeanor. She's practically regal in bearing and sweet as can be.

Weighing a goodly seven pounds or more, Ruby dwarfs our little Flipflop, but is the more submissive and laidback bunny of the two. Ruby enjoys being cradled in one's arms much like a baby and, unlike her foster sister Flip, who is constantly on the go, exploring and being slightly mischievous (and we thought she was mellow!) Ruby is content to sit on the couch by my side for hours on end, leaving me to wonder "Don't you ever have to go to the bathroom?" (Yes, both bunnies are littertrained. Yes bunnies can be littertrained, much like a cat, and make lovely housepets, provided you bunnyproof your home.)

Our bunnies don't get unsupervised house time because, well, we dread the thought of coming home an Extreme Makeover House Edition courtesy our household lagomorphs (their species having been called, with good reason, "teeth with life support systems." ) I'm wondering about Ruby, though, who seems pretty content to hang out on the couch and less apt than most of her lapine counterparts to go foraging for that ever important t.v. cable/electrical cord/baseboard foodgroup). Being that both ladies are well-mannered and housebroken, we do let them out for supervised evening runs/couch naps, and spend the rest of the day lounging around like princesses in the confines of their roomy indoor cage.

Behold: Miss Ruby.

I know, I know. We're like, Those Crazy Pet People. But who can resist seven pounds of doe-eyed, soft white, sweet cuddly bunniness? We certaintly couldn't. Public service message, though: for those of you wanting a companion animal, please consider adoption through your local shelter or rescue agency, and please spay and neuter your pets to reduce the number of unwanted companion animals who are relinquished yearly and consigned to often overcrowded animal shelters with little chance of a good life. There are literally thousands of wonderful pets abandoned each year, many of whom would make lovely housepets with very little effort, and all of whom deserve a loving home.

I'm sure all one reader currently browsing this site is chomping at the bit to ask what Piper thinks of all this lapine goodwill and cheer. Anamoly of the terrier world that he is, he'd much rather nap off his anaesthesia (he had a dental cleaning today. Why is it the dog's dental cleaning costs more than mine, by the way? And why is it that I've spent more money on my dog in the last month than I have on myself in the past five?) Seriously, on any given day, a lackidasical glance towards the bunnies is about as much latent hunting instinct as he bothers to muster, slacker urbanite canine that he is. (Ed. note: I am much more partial to squirrels, thank you very much. --Piper).

(See, I told you. We are Crazy Pet People.)