elvit

Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!

Oh, you’re going to regret challenging me to write about my pets! 😉

My pets are two very spoiled house rabbits. They are littermates (I hesitate to say siblings because I think there may be different fathers involved, so half siblings) and they came from a rabbit rescue sanctuary here in the UK. We got them when they were 16 weeks old, and they will be five in March.

They’re free roam in the living room, and out in the back garden when the weather’s nice – that’s because we have to sit out there to supervise them and keep an eye for predators.

My handsome little boy is Nutmeg, he’s a grumpy little ratbag plus he’s a jumper and an explorer. Since we’ve had him, he’s been up on the couch, the windowsill, the coffee table, various boxes we have around the place for them to play in, and on one memorable occasion, up on the dining table.

His beautiful 'sister' is Juniper. She’s much more sedentary than her brother. She’s all about the food and the comfort, a real lady of leisure. She’s very sweet and loving, and will sit around being fussed and loved while her brother squirms away like we’re dirty! Juniper was named in tribute to jj1564 whose name was June. We got the bunnies three months after June’s passing.

I’ve always loved rabbits, and have several throughout my life, but these are my first in the age of Social Media, so these two have their own Insta and their own Youtube channel.

I’ve always been a vocal supporter of rabbit welfare, and even more so now that house rabbits are becoming more of a thing, and knowledge of them and their needs is improving.

Here are just a few pointers as to why rabbits, although the third most popular pet in the UK (may well be similar in other countries), are also the most misunderstood, and as a result many of them live miserable, lonely and unhealthy lives:

• Contrary to popular belief, rabbits are not good starter pets for children. Rabbits generally don’t like being picked up and held (they’re prey animals and picking up is a predation trigger). Children can often be noisy and unpredictable, something else that rabbits don’t do well with.
• Rabbits can live upwards of ten years. I’ve known of rabbits to make it to fourteen years of age.
• They’re active and require a lot of space. A hutch is not sufficient for them.
• They are social animals and do better in pairs or groups than alone.
• They have a level of intelligence similar to a domestic cat so they need attention and stimulation. They require toys and hidey holes, plus an environment gives them security and the freedom to engage in natural behaviours.
• They’re nibblers and that can’t be stopped, so nibblesome stuff has to be kept out of their way, or protected from them
• From a veterinary point of view, they are classed as exotic pets, and so veterinary care may be costly. It’s always best to find a rabbit savvy vet as they have complex needs to keep them healthy including annual vaccinations

And that’s just for starters!

So it anyone you know mentions ‘getting a rabbit for the kids’, please show them my post!

Anyway, that's it from Nutmeg and Juniper...

Signing off!