This week we've had a lot of "pets," which resulted in a really impulsive purchase I hope we don't regret. It all started with Michael's grasshoppers. He had three hoppers in his bug house and kept them by his bed. Sarah was enthralled and he was so pleased to finally have his own pet (Anna has a beta fish named Bubbles) that I felt a little sad he didn't have a pet that he didn't catch by himself.
There are a lot of little cottontail rabbits here. I decided to mow the lawn, which is usually a job Travis does. I felt horrible when I realized I had mowed over a rabbit burrow. Two baby bunnies bounded away, and two more were still in the hole. I didn't know how old they were or if they were okay . . .. I caught the last one before it hopped away because I thought the kids would like to see it. I'm guessing it was no more than three weeks old and very sweet. We kept it for a day but it wouldn't eat anything, so I tucked it back in its burrow and hoped its Mom would find it. I'll cry if I write what ended up happening to this bunny (or to one of its siblings), but nature isn't always pretty. The kids had so much fun with this sweet little bunny that I decided it might be a good time to buy the lop-eared bunny that I always planned to get some day.
We found some on Craigs List--two of nine progeny born to two supposed female bunnies. We're hoping ours are truly sisters. It was pretty impulsive, but we're excited about them. We don't have a cage yet. This weekend they've been living comfortably in a wardrobe box. They are absolutely adorable and very gentle. We met the parents and they were too. They'll live in a cage in our basement but we'll let them get out to hop around. We'll see where we live next--maybe they'll be inside bunnies, maybe outside. We're hoping Uncle Jed isn't allergic!
Sarah has been really cute with them, but she's a little grabby so we have to watch her carefully. She is a little upset that we won't let her eat the little treat balls that they leave behind whenever they hop. We sweep them up and dump them in the garbage and she toddles over to the garbage and howls, sure that we have thrown away chocolate chips or some such yummy chocolate treat. I hope she never discovers that they really aren't treats. And yes, I did forget how much rabbits poop! We're still working on names. We'll post when we can all agree!
We love our bunnies, which we named Tilly and Molly! I'm still determined to believe they're both girls. They were only in this wardrobe box (where Sarah is trying to drop a bag of lettuce because she knows they like lettuce) for a couple of weeks while their hutch arrived. I haven't taken a picture of it, but it's very spacious and happily situated in the basement instead of our living room. Travis and Michael did a great job putting it together. I also built a bunny run in our backyard. It cost only $18 but three trips to Home Depot to get it right. We can easily move it to mow and can even take it with us when we move. The bunnies are very happy in it, and they haven't escaped since we added plastic stakes to keep it close to the ground. We put them outside for a few hours every day as long as it isn't too hot (or too cold in the winter). They love to graze on grass. There is a wild cottontail that likes to come visit whenever Tilly and Molly are outside. We watch from the kitchen window so that we don't frighten it. They are very sweet and fun to play with. I am pleased to say that so far I don't regret this impulsive adoption!
