Life in Stepping Stones

Anyone who knows me or reads my blog enough knows that my husband and I have our own pet rabbit, Willow. Here are some things you should know about Willow: she is loved very much, is happy 95% of the time, and is more than a little spoiled…but if you can’t spoil your pets who can you spoil?

If you are thinking of owning a pet rabbit, here are ten things you probably didn’t know.

1. Rabbits Can be Easily House Trained
We’ve had Willow for over two years now and in those two years, she’s only had three accidents outside of her cage (and one was ironically in our bathroom!). Rabbits are creatures of habit, which is why once they’ve settled on a spot to use the bathroom, they never go anywhere else.

2. Rabbits can have full run of the house (just protect a few things!)
We started Willow off with her cage and a very small corner of the kitchen we gated off. During that time, she learned to use her cage for the bathroom. She also learned to hop to new heights and we would find her lounging on the top of her cage. We put a floor mat on top so her feet wouldn’t be injured from the wires. After a few weeks, we opened up the entire kitchen and hallway to her. A month or so after that, we opened up a segment of the lounge. Before we knew it, we were the ones gated in! So, we covered all of the wires and plug outlets in the lounge, maneuvered objects so she couldn’t get behind the entertainment center, and voila. She had 50% of the house. We slowly let her into our guests rooms. Our bedroom is the only room she is rarely allowed in, which is probably why she scratches underneath the door and sneaks around the hall to get in before we can close the door! The office is gated so she can come in a little but can’t reach the computer area.

3. They Can Run Around When You’re Not Home
When researching rabbits, I’ve read a lot of people say that even if they let their rabbit roam the house, they cage them when they leave. In our experience, this is pretty much unnecessary. Rabbits are most active in the early morning and in the evening. By 11 am, Willow will have found her “spot” for the day and sleep there until about 4 or 5. The rest of the hours, as long as you keep your house rabbit safe, aren’t a problem. The only time we cage Willow up is when we go to sleep. This is mainly because she’d scratch on our bedroom door all night if we didn’t…and it’s always good to have some boundaries and restrictions with your bunny!

4. Watch TV with Them (They May Love It)
When we sit and watch TV, she lays down and watches with us…well, as long as it’s a show she likes! She never missed an episode of our Dawson’s Creek marathon (she loves James van der Beek and nearly boycotted the show when Dawson and Joey broke up; okay, no one’s perfect). She puts her ears down every time there’s a commercial and then brings them back up for the actual show. The weirdest thing may be that she knows what’s a real sound and what’s a TV sound. For example, if there’s a shootout on Castle, she yawns and stretches out further. However, if I cough during the episode, she jumps up and holds still for a moment to make sure there’s no immediate danger!

5. They Are Fiercely Independent
At least our rabbit is! Don’t get me wrong, she loves being snuggled up to on the rug and stroked for an hour but she’s also just as happy prancing around the house and sleeping in her cardboard maze. Her sleeping habits and independence makes it easier for us to have our own life as well. For example, when we traveled to New Zealand, I Skyped the house on a regular basis just to watch her hoping around! I missed her like crazy but she was as happy as could be.

6. No One Can Give the Cold Shoulder Better, But Darn They’re Cute When They Do It!
If you’re thinking of getting a pet rabbit, know one thing: if they’re annoyed at you, they’ll make it clear. Our rabbit doesn’t bite or scratch when she’s angry. No. She flops on her side and flops on her back, continuously. Normally, she does these things when she’s really happy. However, when she’s annoyed, she does it every time we walk within view. I mean, she flops, gets up, and flops again…and repeats, as if to say, “See. I’m happy without you!” The other day, she flopped in every room of the house just to give us a hard time while trying to lead her to her cage for the night. She also refused her treats when we tried to hand them to her but they were all gone the second we left the room.

7. Your Grocery Shopping Is Also Their Dinner
Rabbits eat many things from the vegetable section at the grocery store. For dinner, Willow always has a couple le

aves of green leaf lettuce (never give a rabbit iceberg lettuce, it’s deadly). We then throw in some of her favorite herbs and rotate them, some fennel, and give her a small treat for the night (ex. one blueberry or a tiny baby carrot). Look up various official websites for rabbits to find out exactly what a rabbit can and can’t eat, as well as rotating their diet. For breakfast, Willow eats about 10 individual Oxbow Adult pellets. Rabbits don’t need pellets to survive and can gain a lot of weight from them so be careful. We give her just enough to make her happy without gaining weight. Of course, she’s never completely satisfied and lets us know by nudging her bowl out of the way EVERY morning when she’s done. The best part of her diet is hay. Rabbits need a lifetime supply of hay at their side all day, every day. This comes in handy for us on days we sleep in or arrive home from work late. She’s always grazing and she’ll never go hungry.

8. They Define the Word “Cute”
Until you see a rabbit clean their ears, stretch & yawn, binky, beg, or perform the bunny 500 up and down the hall, you’ve never seen “cute”. Willow keeps us laughing all the time because of all of the silly, adorable things she does.

9. Treat Them Well and They’ll Treat You Well
The one thing our rabbit absolutely hates is being picked up, so we don’t do it. Rabbits like to feel in control and when their feet aren’t firmly on the ground, they freak out. We let her come to us and we lead her to her cage at night. My favorite thing about having a pet rabbit is her kisses. Yes, rabbits lick. After quite a few months of bonding, Willow started grooming me while I stroked her. She would lick me up and down my arms and legs. She doesn’t do it all the time but when she does, it melts my heart. The more you regularly show affection to your rabbit, the more likely they will show affection right back to you.

10. They Are the Most Awesome Pet You Could Ever Own (and They’re Trainable)
Not enough people are aware of just how amazing and fulfilling owning a pet rabbit can be. She greets my husband every time he comes home from work, she snuggles on the couch with me, she’s extremely sweet, and incredibly intelligent. Rabbits are very trainable and they will associate sounds with actions…such as upon walking into the kitchen, Willow will run from anywhere in the house expecting food. She’ll come when called but only if she expects to get something out of it. We like to say that she’s always listening, she just decides when to ignore us. However, when she does come over, she’ll climb our laps and put her little paws all over us.

If you’re thinking about getting a pet rabbit, I strongly encourage you to go to the pound and adopt! When treated correctly, rabbits can live up to 10 or even 12 years. Don’t miss out on one of the greatest pet experiences of your life!