A Day In the Life of a House Rabbit
Hi. My name is Cinge. I am a 6 year old chocolate Mini Rex. I live in a house with a two-footer and a bunch of animals. I didn’t used to live here. I spent the first two years of my life outdoors in hutches and was passed to many two-footers before I was adopted and moved indoors. I used to spend my days just sitting or lying down in my hutch with nothing to do all day. I was very lonely. Then, one day I was “adopted” and brought home to my two- footer’s house. I was so excited! The first thing I did was do a new dance my two-footer calls the bunny hop. I loved her so much I sprayed her. Big mistake. A few days later I took yet another car ride and thought I was going to a new home again. Instead, I found myself on a steel table being poked and prodded by a two-footer in a white jacket. I sprayed her, too. Next thing I remember I was waking up feeling groggy. “What the heck happened?”, I wondered. But that was a long time ago and now I just don’t feel like spraying. Go figure.
My two-footer brought home a cute little girl for me to play with. We call her D.J. While in the dating stage DJ snuck into the living room where I live and when the fwo-footer came home she found us snuggling in the same litterbox. We have been partners-in-life ever since. DJ and I spend our days in the lap of luxury. We have all kinds of furniture to climb on and sleep under. My favorite place is on something fluffy kept on the back of the couch. From this vantage point I can track the goings-on in the room. From here I plan surprise attacks on DJ and the kitten. I love playing with the kitten. I chase her around a huge room and then she’ll turn and chase me. Sometimes in the middle of a good chase I have to stop and use my litterbox but the kitten is patient and waits for me to finish.
DJ and I have a cardboard box with rumpled newspapers stuffed inside. Sometimes we like to sleep in there, but mostly we like to dig in the corners and shred the newspaper. We also like to climb inside and be real quiet when our two-footer calls us. DJ and I giggle when we can’t be found and the two- footer’s voice gets all hysterical sounding because she can’t find us. Tee Hee.
DJ and I have a new game. There is a big piece of wood up high and 4 chairs underneath. We like to run around on top of the chairs and chase each other. Then we get tired and take a nap on the soft seats. One day a chair was not in its usual position and ‘Deej climbed up on the big wooden thing and ran around tipping things over. The two-footer was visibly upset; saying something about “getting hurt” and “crystal”, whatever those mean.
Our favorite time of the day is when the two-footer yells “Want Some?” That means it’s time for our favorite veggies to be delivered, or we are about to receive some other type of yummy food. Sometimes ‘Deej and I rip the food out of each other’s mouth, especially if it’s the last piece. Otherwise, I am always the perfect gentlebun. I always clean and groom ‘Deej after we eat, then she will clean me. The two-footer always makes “oooh” and “aaah” noises when we do this and also when we are found snuggling together. We often hear the word “cute” when we flip our toys around, rearrange our food and water dishes and steal a magazine from that willow thing next to the couch.
We often like to go behind that big wall of fabric and sit in the sun. Sometimes we see butterflies and birds. Today I saw a gigantic fluffy thing that scared me so much I ran away real fast and thumped my feet to warn ‘Deej of the danger. ‘Deej ran and hid behind a chair. She and I can run, like, a hundred miles an hour if we have to!
Today the two-footer sat on the couch and unwrapped a banana. I thought that yummy thing should be shared so I jumped onto the couch and grabbed a bite. DJ thought that thing smelled pretty good and joined us in a triple-share. When we finished, the two-footer gave us wonderful rubs and we heard that “cute” word again.
At the end of the day most of the lights are turned out and the two-footer disappears into a room where CC and Gizmo live. We’ve heard stories of those two bunnies torturing the two-footer in the middle of the night by hopping around on the bed, stomping on the pillows, stealing sheets and blankets, and creating other kinds of havoc. If the two-footer only knew what ‘Deej and I do while the lights are out! Tee Hee.
©Cinge Reinhardt