August 13, 2007

• A couple of people have asked about keeping rabbits as pets, so I figured, heck, here’s a chance to brag about my wunderbunny-in-residence, and share some info about the benefits of having a rabbit as a companion animal.

  Rabbits make AWESOME house pets. Because they are naturally inclined towards living in family or group, they quickly adapt to routines and are quite socially intelligent. They can be trained to come when called, will learn & respond to basic vocal commands, they like to play simple games like Chase, Hide, and Pounce (sometimes on your toes when you’re too close to the couch), and also enjoy just sitting on your lap and being petted, much like a cat.  Rabbits can also be litter-trained, and as long as you tuck any stray electrical cables out of reach they are able to free-roam the house with no problem.

  Ours has taken to sleeping under the bed at night, and follows us around the house during the day. We give him an assortment of toys to play with- some small stuffed animals to wrestle, chew toys and cardboard, a big box which serves as his rabbity fortress- but he also is very inquisitive and makes up his own “projects”, or climbs or pokes into things when he’s feeling explorative. I often find him up on tables or high places, surveying his domain. In the morning, he bangs around the house as a way of demanding breakfast, and will jump up on the bed to wake us if we don’t answer. He likes to smooth out the blankets by digging and pushing the comforter with his front paws, or pouncing on our hands and feet. He likes to snuggle in the evenings, and sometimes will sit at the foot of the bed and watch movies with us. We’ve also taught him to sit up at the table with us at meals, and he likes to follow me around the house in the morning to “help” me with projects, and to make sure his dinner is served properly.

  Our Ugmoe, like many rabbits, actually makes a suprising range of vocalizations. When he’s feeling affectionate he will nudge our ankles with his nose and make a mumbling “hmf hmf hmf” sound, until we pick him up or pet him. He also likes to honk and bark at us when we play, and will squawk and loudly complain if we do something that displeases him (like touch his toys or pester him out from under the bed). Sometimes I overhear him and Matt having “conversations” in another room. It often sounds something like this:

  Matt, tousling the rabbit’s ears: What are up to, you little stinker?
  Ugmoe: Umf-umf meh mehr rumf.
  Matt: Be nice. We is being friends.
  Ugmoe. MEHR, ehhr! Reehhr! squawk awk awk.
  Matt: Oh boy, you are grumpies, why so grouchy today?
  Ugmoe: Umf uff meeeehr err err err swawkawk. awk. umf!

  He also responds to things we say to him. For instance, he will intentionally make mischief in order to get our attention and to test limits. When i look up and say “NO”, he stops. This works most of the time. He also knows “Go to your room!”, which is the studio, and this means
  he has misbehaved too much to sit with us. He
  usually barrels off in a hot fuss and  thumps his feet angrily in his
  cardboard box. In the evenings, he will sit in the kitchen until we say “chair”, and then he comes over to be picked up and plunked in a seat where he has a better view. We call all of his meals “dins”, and he will go running to his food dish if i tell him his dins are there. His favorite is “Jumpies”, wherein he  makes a dramatic leap from your arms to plop down on the bed (wheeee!). it’s alot like having a little kid around.

  What else? Feeding rabbits is easy, and a much less smelly affair than cat or dog food. Rabbits primarily eat alfalfa pellets and hay, which can be bought inexpensively in bulk. I also add oats and raisins to his pellet dish, and we give him lettuce, carrots, and frozen broccoli in another dish to round out his diet.  He also gets whatever leftover vegetables I have cut up from our meals, and he’s an absolute fiend for potato chips and cookies. Those we try not to let him have too much of, although when he gets a whiff of oreo frosting he pretty much will do anything to try to steal a cookie from your hand.

  Anyways, he’s a spoiled little spider monkey and one of the most interesting creatures i’ve ever met. I’d definitely consider Ugmoe an important member of our family, and I’d highly recommend a house-rabbit to anyone looking for a critter companion.

  • 3:22 pm
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