I don’t remember why I wanted a bunny.
But I wanted a bunny.
I had spent my whole life around dogs, I had owned goldfish and guppies, I had fed the wild birds in our yard. But I wanted a bunny.
Maybe I had gotten the idea from a book or a movie, or from looking in the pet store windows?
I remember sneaking out to our garden, where a mama rabbit had tucked her babies away under the carrots, and despite my parents warning, running my fingers across their soft, silky fur.
This is Espresso. He hopped to new adventures with his new family.
Somewhere along the line, I asked my parents if I could get a bunny. I promised to take good care of it and love it and hug it and feed it carrots. But my parents were smart and knew not to give in to my fancies so easily. They told me that I could get a rabbit if I read about them for a year.
A whole year is a very long time to a ten year old, but I agreed, never knowing if they would keep their promise, but always hoping.
They bought me books, and let me collect a pile of toys, tunnels, bowls, water bottles, and food. I spent what seemed like hours researching, all the while dragging around my stuffed bunny companion and dreaming of my real little bunny.
Long before I had seen him, I had a name picked out, Blitz.
Before I knew it, the year was up. I went to my parents and asked, ‘When can I get my bunny?’
They sighed and reluctantly (for them), the search began.
I remember running down the hallway jumping for joy, when we were able to look at our first bunnies. We looked at a few different breeds, before settling on Holland Lops. I had learned (from my year of research) that they were perfect for first time rabbit owners and I loved their floppy ears!
Cap, my little chestnut harlequin bunny.
It wasn’t long before I found the bunny of my dreams.
He was an unwanted Tractor Supply rabbit, that was two hours away. He scratched my mom when she held him, but he was calm in my arms. To me, he wasn’t just a brown, stubborn rabbit, that thumped at me and ran away. He was soft and cuddly. He licked my arms and chewed holes in my shirts. He peed on my bed and nibbled my fingers when they smelled like strawberries. Yes, Blitz, was perfect.
Blitz, my first bunny.
He taught me to love and cherish a relationship with a living creature.
Blitz taught me everything that I know about rabbits. He was patient with my mistakes. He taught me to be quiet when I was around him, to respect his space and leave him alone when he wanted to be alone. He taught me to never walk a rabbit on a leash, because they will slip out and almost run away. He taught me to not hold them for so long on my lap, or he’ll pee on me.
Blue and Tank.
About a year after I got Blitz, we adopted Winston, an American Fuzzy Lop. And then Tank and Blue, Holland lop brothers.
Before we knew it we were forever rabbit owners.
Seven years went by, and Tip and Top were added to our warren. Followed by Kuyper, a Thrianta rabbit, and Nutmeg, my first harlequin Holland lop female.
I had come to love Hollands so much, and was so tired of driving two hours to pick them up, that I wanted to take the next step and breed them. Again I dove into research and emerged with the confidence that I could do it. I mean, how hard could it be? The saying, ‘multiply like rabbits’ must be right, right?
Nutmeg was small and soft when we brought her home.
She lived in a hutch painted with pink flowers and had a little pink bowl. I had great hopes for her. She was going to grow up to be big and give me pretty babies.
My handsome buck, Nuddy.
But I had one little problem. Nutmeg wasn’t a girl! That’s right, my little girl bunny, wasn’t a girl after all. And so Nutmeg became Nuddy. My little soft, handsome boy.
The search began again for a doe, this time to go with Nuddy.
I found Coffee, (still two hours away), a beautiful chestnut doe, who had already had a healthy litter. I breed her and the kits came, seven healthy, chubby, little nuggets.
I treasured watching them grow up so much that I can’t stop now.
In six months, Cap and Tchaikovsky, Coffee’s daughters, and Nightengale, Honeysuckle, Chicory, Weezie and, last but not least, Wilbur were added to our not-so-little warren.
Yes, I’m addicted to bunnies And I’m unashamed.
I’m looking forward to all the new bunnies in my future. If you love bunnies like I do, keep checking our Nest Box for new litters!
A bunny lover,
Emma
This is Wilder. He hopped to a new home with his family.