Ever since I was 11, what I wanted more than anything was a bunny. I wrote persuasive essays to my parents, printed out pictures of rabbits and hid them around my house, and even cleaned my whole basement to make room for a cage. Naturally, my parents said no. But hey, they got a free basement cleaning. After 10 years of begging, my wish was finally fulfilled; my parents allowed me to get a bunny (maybe because now I actually can pay for it myself and I’m not 11). Her name is Violet and she’s the most adorable thing in the world. Here are some things that you can only understand once you have a bunny:
1. The Plop
If you have a rabbit, you know the plop. One minute they are sitting there normally, and the next, they are plopped down on their side completely stretched out. The first time I saw my bunny do this, I could not stop laughing. Before I got a rabbit, I wasn’t really sure what to expect as far as behaviors. I did not expect her to act like such a dog! You have never seen another animal plop like a bunny; it’s truly one of a kind.
2. Their cage is their house and it will look the way they want it to.
There have been multiple times that I have cleaned Violet’s cage only to watch her mess it up the second I get done. I always keep an even coat of bedding on the bottom of the cage, put her food bowl in the same spot, and keep her toys in the same corner. The minute I turn my back, she will push all of bedding into the corners and stretch out. Then she throws her food bowl across the cage just because. Rabbits want their space the way they want it. You have no choice but to just give up and let them win.
3. Somehow, out of nowhere, they can spring at least a foot in the air.
First of all, the way that rabbits get around is just too funny. Watching them hop around is so adorable; then out of nowhere, they can bounce up a foot high! When my bunny does it, my parents and I call it the ‘vertical jump’ because it is just straight up into the sky. You crack up at the vertical jump and wish that you could get a picture or video of it, but it is so sudden that it never seems to work out.
4. They shed worse than anything.
You are constantly brushing fur off of yourself and your clothes from your rabbit. You just spent 10 minutes cuddling your fur baby and then you can’t help but feel like you have rabbit fur all up in your mouth. There are clumps of fur all over their cage and no matter how much brushing you do, nothing can make it better.
5. You started following rabbit Instagram accounts.
Some people might even do this when they don’t have their own rabbit. You love to look at the cute photos of other people’s bunnies and then you contemplate making your rabbit its own Instagram account.
6. You’ll never go back to any other pet after owning a bunny.
Contrary to popular belief that rabbits smell and all they do is poop, a rabbit is a loving pet that will always be up for a snuggle after you’ve had a long day. My parents think I am crazy because my rabbit attacks my mom and bites her when she tries to move around her food bowl and bedding but she never bites me because she knows that I am her mommy. Rabbits are much smarter than they are given credit for and I do believe that you can form a special bond with one.
