(A bit lengthy, I apologize)

When I was maybe 11-12, I had holland lop named ebony, who we rescued from the SPCA when she was around 5/6.  She was going to be euthanized for aggressive behaviour, which to be fair she was a very angry bun, but my parents still let me keep her for about a year. When I think back to how we treated her now, my heart breaks.  She was a big bun, but was kept in a cage.  We didn’t feed her hay because we didn’t know rabbits needed anything other than veggies and pellets! We let her out to play, but because she would bite and growl if we touched her, we didn’t do it often.  Eventually, my parents made me give her up to an animal sanctuary, where she lived in a barn with lots of other un-adopted rabbits.  I can only hope her last few years there were good to her. 

Fast forward to a year ago today, I wouldnt have even thought about adopting another rabbit.  I wanted to adopt a cat to live with me at school.  To me rabbits were like big fuzzy fish which I would feed and take care of, but didnt have a personality or enough intelligence to interact with (no offence fishies!). Alas, my roommate is allergic to cats, and I noticed the amount of bunnies needing to be re-homed on kijiji, or in shelters/rescues.  

And that is how I got Annabelle!  Prior to her arriving I did extensive research on bunnies, and was shocked to find out they could be litter trained, and could roam the house like cats or dogs!  Anyway, Annabelle came to live with me (her previous owner couldn’t keep her as her previous bonded pair would not accept Anna), and with her came her favourite toys. TOYS??? Rabbits played with toys? I immediately fell in love with my bun.  She has a huge personality, is sassy but sweet, and insanely intelligent.  In the almost year I’ve had her I’ve come to learn that bunnies are intelligent, social, and loving pets.  All the bunnies I saw growing up at my friends houses, in cages, and my own bunny ebony, breaks my heart.  I feel so guilty for how we treated her, knowing what I know now.

Everyone who meets Anna is amazed by how smart rabbits are.  They are shocked that she is litter trained and snuggles in bed with me.  There are SO many misconceptions about having bunnies as pets. I know this, because I too would think “its just a rabbit”. So now, when I think of all the people who have never had the eye opening experience of owning and properly caring for a bunny, it makes me so sad, because I know there are still people out there who keep their rabbits in those small cages… There are still people who buy rabbits as a “starter pet” for their kids (when in reality I think cats are easier to take care of than rabbits). 

I can’t imagine my life without my bunny.  As I write this, she is sitting across the room watching me, floppy ears positioned slightly forward, listening to me type. I love that my roommates, and everyone who knows me (and consequently knows my bunny), have learned that rabbits are so much more than made out to be.

I just had to rant to fellow bunny parents, because I’m not crazy for how much I love my bun, none of us are crazy for investing so much time into our rabbits, taking them to the vet, playing with them, considering their needs, or treating them like a member of our family, as people do with dogs or cats.

Rant over, thanks for reading!