The Whirly Girls Come Home
My wife loves rabbits. If you had the opportunity to look around our home, you would notice that there is a single predominant theme to the items that decorate it. Carved from wood or soapstone, shaped from steel, cast from iron, sewn from cloth they are unique in their own way, but they all share something in common. Rabbits abound and I have lost count of how many there are to be seen, simply sitting on the living room couch. In July of 2003, the “collection” was made complete with our adoption of two adorable sisters named Bianca and Emily.
Aside from a few fish and a hamster, our home has been devoid of pets. My wife grew up in a household where some family members had pet allergies, so hairy pets were never the norm at her house. She did have a rabbit once when she was four-years-old, but due to the allergies, it had to go live with another family, shortly after its arrival. As for me, my family always had cats running around when I was growing up. After we married, my wife and I spent years thinking about getting a cat or a dog but could never come to a final decision.
Near the beginning of last year, my wife mentioned the possibility of adopting a couple of rabbits, in part because she missed having one as a child and because she finds them so adorable. After my wife did some research on organizations that adopt out rabbits, and after talking to representatives from a couple of organizations in our area, we decided to visit the home of foster mom Cherryl. We chose to visit her, primarily because she was custodian to three lop-eared brothers that we had seen on the House Rabbit Network’s website.
We had decided early on that we wished to adopt at least two bonded rabbits, so they could keep each other company while my wife and I were at work. After seeing the brothers’ photo on the website, we had nearly fallen in love right then and there. We went to visit the brothers and were immediately smitten with them because they were so adorable and affectionate, even to us as strangers. Unfortunately, practicality reared its ugly head, as we found them to be rather large bunnies at 14 lbs. apiece, and we live in a relatively small house. We didn’t feel that we could provide them with the type of home that they deserved.
While we were there, Cherryl showed us all of the rabbits that she was taking care of. We were amazed at the vast number she took care of in her home, and the dedication that she showed to each and every one. In addition to her own pair of rabbits, two birds and a couple of guinea pigs,
Cherryl was caring for three sick rabbits in her first floor living space, and she had an additional 15-20 foster bunnies housed in her basement.
It was during the initial visit to Cherryl’s house that we first saw the two little white bunnies that would eventually steal our hearts. We learned that Cherryl had nicknamed them The Whirly Girls, because each time they were to be fed, the two sisters would start chasing each other around in a little circle, nose to tail, until their food dish was placed on the floor. This is a tradition that they continue to this day, and it is an endearing treat for my wife and me each morning and evening.
As we progressed through the final adoption process, Cherryl was most helpful in giving us information on how to care for rabbits, and pointers on ways to make our home suitable for their arrival. She explained their eating and hygiene habits, as well as behaviors to watch out for, that
might signal a health problem. Cherryl showed us options for building a rabbit cage to help keep them comfortable and safe while we are away during the day.
Having grown up with cats in the house, I never thought I would encounter a pet that is more suited to indoor habitation than a cat. I learned quickly that given the proper “bunny-proofing” to an area of your home, rabbits are more pleasant housemates than any cat I ever encountered.
Before we adopted the rabbits I never would have imagined the difference in personality that each of them displays. While having two white rabbits can make it difficult to tell them apart at a distance, they each possess unique identifying physical characteristics, as well as distinctive personalities.
Emily, who was originally named Lilian, is an adventurous little sprite. She is an explorer and daredevil, and sports a seemingly rebellious little tuft of hair atop her head, that looks remarkably like a Mohawk. She is the first one to look into new areas of the house and the more independent one. She will occasionally submit to being petted, but for the most part, she is content to be off on her own. Surprisingly, despite her expressed distaste for being petted, she is also the only one of the two that will give “Bunny Kisses”, in that she likes to lick any hand that is offered to her.
Bianca is our happy little princess with cute little chubby cheeks. She likes nothing better than to lounge around, be it in the penthouse level of her cage, or on the floor in our dining room or kitchen. She will gladly accept head and back rubs while she reclines in her royal domain, and is most curious only when it seems that Emily has found something, usually a toy or treat, which she has missed. Bianca is also our jumpy bun. She loves the little rug by our back door and spends lots of her free time doing her bucking bronco imitation on it. Even after we purchased a larger section of carpet for her to jump around on and placed it in the middle of the floor, Bianca is still most likely to gravitate to the little rug by the door.
Today, I cannot imagine our home without our two precious and precocious little fluffy white buns. Each moment spent playing with or caring for them makes me glad for the day that the whirly girls came home.
by Ross S. Nichols