How I came to adopt a Rabbit
Following
withdrawal from college and during the subsequent meltdown, my friend entered
my apartment to see me crumpled at the base of my stairs
You see, I’d made it a goal
of mine to finish college and as a reward for being so grown up, I’d get a
rabbit. In my free time I was learning about rabbits, researching breeds etc.
My friend, sweet
person that he was, asked one of his female co-workers if she knew of a way
to help or perhaps medicate me. She happened to be a rabbit breeder and a
family had just dropped off a bunny on her door-step due to their children mistreating it.
She
asked if I would come over and meet him, he was black and white and his name
was Ringo. She showed me how to pick him up and I immediately dropped him.
Apparently the bunny didn’t like how nervous I was. It wasn’t really love at first
sight.
I
agreed to take him home to my apartment, to give it a few months and see how it
went. I wasn’t really sure what to do with him…except I knew HAD to re-name
him. I do not agree with naming something after one of The Beatles, unless you
have 4 Fab things to name.
So
while my friend came up with the generic Mr Bunny, I wanted something more original, but Harvey just didn't suit him, then I remembered Calvin and
Hobbs' next door neighbor Suzi Dirkins stuffed animal, Mr Bun.
The
evolution of this happened at the Veterinary office, they wrote down Mr Buns,
and shortly thereafter my friend George suggested giving him a proper first
name.
(in
his Sean Connery accent) Hello, my name is Buns, Harry Buns.
But we just call him Bunzy.
I
looked up every kind of vegetable and fruit he could have and layed it out on a
chopping board and let him decide what was his favorite.
Out
of the 13 items given, his favorites were, Carrot, Apple and Basil. He
didn't TOUCH the radish. I hate them too. I started to like him more.
The
next month (he turned 6 months old) I took him to the neighborhood vet, who
showed me how to check Bunzy’s teeth, clip his nails and...I had him neutered. At this time, he still did not like being held
or picked up, but would roll a ball back and forth with me, chase toys and show
off for my neighbors little niece.
About
two months later, he started urinating at strange times. This little guy is litter
trained (yes like a cat) and he would pee on my lap, couch, carpet…but he
seemed embarrassed by it (if that makes sense) so I made a vet appointment. Buns
rattled his cage 24/7 not wanting to be locked up, so in the meantime I made the mistake of trying this.
 |
| Stupid idea. Don't diaper your rabbit. |
The Vet I took him to was not familiar with rabbits, (I did not know there was such a thing as an exotic vet at that time.) And the medicine he gave him was for dogs. It ate away at Bunzy’s stomach and almost killed him. My friend took him to the vet (I was willing to just put him down, he was bloated and couldn't even walk) where a proper exotic Vet looked him over, the x-ray showed his intestines filled with gas to the point that they were larger than his stomach.
After 4 months of touch and go, 3x daily hand feeding, injections and medication, (and a vet bill my friend should be embarrassed to admit he paid) Bunz was able to eat on his own.
At
this point I was in serious doubt that I should even own an animal, I almost killed
him out of ignorance. The vet (who had 4 rabbits of his own at home) assured me that given the
situation, Bunz should not have made it, but it seemed that his affection for
me was a large reason for his perseverance. Awwww.
This time brought Bunzy and I close together. He will never be
the same, or be able to eat much more than leafy greens, he goes through days
of discomfort, not eating, gas, dramatics (used to scare me and I was sure he was going to
die) He
has gas medicine, and loves the occasional Pedialite in his water. And I guess he’s okay
with life. He loves Cheerios as a treat. (I don’t know why, but he goes NUTS
when he smells me eating a bowl of them.) Kale, Carrot tops and Dandelion are a
favorite too.
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