February 23, 2010

Just Call Me Dr. Doolittle

What do you do for your little girl who was too sick to have her birthday sleepover?
Postpone it? Rent a movie? Take her for out for ice cream? Rent a clown?

Nope. We buy a bunny. I'm not talkin' about a trip to the Build-a-Bear store to create a stuffed bunny complete with a satin heart tucked inside. Yes, you read it right. We spoke her love language... animal kingdom, aka animalia leporidae, aka the cutest softest velvety black bunny you've ever laid your eyes on.
Meet Luna.

She is a Mini Rex which means that she will only reach about 4.5 lbs. (compared to the lops which reach 9 lbs.) Don't let this little tidbit of information fool you. Most people do their research and then go purchase a pet. Not us. No, we like to make impulse purchases that go something like this:

Mr. NEM: Hey, I'm at the farm store and they just got some really cute bunnies in.
Me: I don't know how to take care of bunnies, but they sure are cute
Mr. NEM: I had rabbits growing up and they are super easy
Me: um... okay, but where will it sleep?
Mr. NEM: I'll build a little hut for it in the backyard.
Me: Sure, as long as it is low maintenance.

So he brings her home in a plastic crate and after getting parents of the year award, we decide to keep the crate in the garage until he can build the hut.

By bedtime I'm thinking it might be wise to do a little research on the internet about our newest family member.
**Note to self: research is usually more beneficial prior to purchase of live animal**

This is when we realize that cute-little-ball-o-fur probably won't survive in our backyard, and said ball of fur needs a leeeetle more than just a plastic crate.
Somehow, Mr. NEM found pure delight in the prospect of building a bunny condo.
He did not disappoint.

Now before you go thinking I've lost my ever-lovin' mind, the bunny condo is not IN our house. She resides very comfortably in our garage complete with heat lamp and softly playing music.
Our birthday girl (and maybe her momma, too) makes sure that Luna gets plenty of playtime...
and snuggle time, too!
One little detail that Mr. NEM forgot to mention was that the rabbits he owned as a child were actually wild rabbits that he caught and kept as pets. Um, hello feral rabbit. Ever heard of rabies?! Just a little sumpin' that he kinda left out when he was expounding his knowledge of rabbit care experience. ;)
But since Luna is so cute and snuggly, I totally forgive him!

Remember our ducks? One of the benefits of owning ducks was the short term commitment. In my little bit of research, I discovered that bunnies live between 8-13 years. Years. That means I'll still be hanging with Luna when Birthday Girl leaves for college. Wowsers.

Any tips on bunny care? Do tell!

19 comments:

L~ said...

OMG! Where do I begin!!!???
Finally an area where I can call myself AN EXPERT! :)

Please email me & we'll nuzzle noses(that's how buns chat w/one another)on the endlessly interesting topic of Lagomorpha!

Proud rabbit "geek" here! :)
L~

Amy Kinser said...

How sweet is this little rabbit! Tell your little girl that my seven year old, Faith, would love this gift. She will have to stick with just chickens and a cat for now though.

Wishing a BIG Tennessee Happy Birthday to your daughter and hope she is feeling better.

Anonymous said...

D& M had a bunny--in fact we had 2 at different times. As with all of our pets, the rabbit, Floppy--is that not original--and the other one that I can not recall the name-- lived the maximum life span which I believe was 7 years. Yes, they were at cheerleading practice and baseball while I sat by the dying rabbit. I do remember that they would bring the rabbit into the house on Sat. mornings. I also remember that we put him with our back door neighbors rabbit for a few minutes and in not too long, Michael ran over one cold morning saying their female rabbit was giving birth to like 8 little bunnies, so do not let Luna near any males! My DH built a hutch for our rabbits and it served well--was up high so dogs could not get to it and very stable with a wire mesh bottom to allow for no poop clean up. That is about all I remember but when you see my two little darlings, you can question them. I think this was THE perfect gift for your animal lover child--precious. Miss Dixie

Carrie said...

ha! At least I'm not the only sucker...

We brought Pepper home 2 years ago now in April. It took like 5 months to get a hutch built. She does live outside but she was born and lived outside initially anyway. She's not a special breed. My BIL raises them so most importantly, she was FREE! lol.

She's basically mine at this point. I'm the only one that feeds her and waters her. When she deems us worthy, I can hold her but no one else. It's all on her terms. I know she loves hay, carrots and lettuce. And her little salt lick circle that I have hanging in her hutch.

They chew on EVERYTHING so don't let her loose in your house when you can't watch her. She ate through a heating pad cord and also chewed on my khakis one night while I was letting her run around in the bathroom while I took a bath!

Have fun!

Joy for the Seasons said...

She's a cutie! We had rabbits growing up (not feral, mind you!), but all of ours lived in hutches outside. Dad built little wooden boxes with straw for them to go inside and cozy up in. Somehow they survived the outdoors. He never would have gone for having a bunny flopping around in the house like so many do these days. Enjoy her!

O Mom said...

You must be the best parents!!!
I remember the ducks! That's when I first started reading here and I would show the pictures to my girls. :)

ashley said...

What a little cutie!! You guys are such fun parents, I love it! It reminds me of when I was 8 and asked for a poodle for my birthday (totally knowing it wouldn't happen) and they actually got me one! She lived for 16 years. Sometimes I guess you just gotta give in. :) I wonder what my boys will be asking for in the next few years?! No snakes, please.

Carpool Queen said...

We had rabbits at boarding school. I'd pet them every day at recess and name them and snuggle with them, and then cry like a baby when they served them to us for lunch.

You're welcome.

Samantha said...

cute. cute. cute. :)

Terri said...

I only have bad bunny stories that I just won't repeat or even want to remember. I would say that things may have gone better for us if we cuddled the bunny more rather then being terrified. Best of luck, I know your story will turn out to be a wonderful experiance. Happy birthday to your little girl!

The Chubby Dove said...

I had a bunny in Jr High that looked like Luna. His name was Roger Rabbit.

Do you still have your ducks?

B. said...

Oh Man! Now I want a bunny....

Mich said...

You do deserve the "mommy of the year" award.

Lucky Luna!

Little Oak Table said...

I was feeling like mother of the year (before I read your post today) because today at Hobby Lobby I let the boys each carry around a stuffed animal in the store but the deal was we weren't buying them-we put them back before we left. One of them had a bunny. But he was blue and stuffed and he lives at Hob Lob.

Anonymous said...

I had rabbits. They like to chew cords and their scratches can leave scars.

Ours were litter box trained.

Rachel said...

Luna is so adorable! I know your girls are in love already! You should totally bring her to Bible Study one night! We can take turns passing her around. :)

Love the new blog header, its so cute!

Richella Parham said...

Well, you know what they say: marry in haste, repent at leisure. Or, in this case, buy bunny in haste.

Looks to me, though, like a small price to pay for being Parents of the Year.

And Luna. What a great name. She's as black as night, when the moon shines, isn't she? Absolutely adorable.

Cathy said...

I have NEVER EVER even CONSIDERED the possibility of owning a bunny until I saw those pictures. Seriously cute.

Sarah said...

I know you can train bunnies to use a litter box just like cats.
We almost bought a bunny, but ended up with a cat.
It sure is cute! What a sucker, I mean GREAT MOMMY, you are! hehehe
Sarah