What’s not to love about Rabbits? They are adorable, you don’t have to take them out on walks or bathe them, and a dose of food and water every day is enough to keep them alive. Seems like a sweet deal, right? Well, as with most things, expectations and reality fail to line up nicely. Having lived with a rabbit for five days, here’s my experience living with the creature.
Just to be clear, I am not the one that wanted the rabbit, or frankly any pets at all. It has always been my little sister, YouYou’s, dream. She originally wanted a dog, which, from interviews with my dog-owning friends, takes a lot of effort. So, when one day my mom brought up the possibility of owning a rabbit instead, I was relieved when YouYou was interested. So, my mom searched far and wide and eventually settled on the one we have right now. The rabbit is yet to be named and is a 4-month-old male with black fur. It is giant compared to other breeds.
On day one (7/31/2023), the rabbit returned home with my parents and my sister from the farm it was born in. Unlike other rabbits that we, or I, have seen, it was not all that scared of people. That night, we just kind of sat there watching the rabbit, seeing if it would do something, but the rabbit just kind of sat there, so we left it alone.
On the morning of day two (8/1/2023), we woke up to a horrendous mess. The rabbit had defecated and urinated all over the place, including inside its own food and water bowl. My dad was not happy since YouYou refused to clean it up herself. My dad ended up cleaning the cage three times that day. By the last time, he said that he will be buying the rabbit a new set of feeding and waste management products. That day we also learned that the rabbit had a taste for fresh dandelion.
My dad had to clean up the rabbit’s mess again the next morning (8/2/2023), and I had a go at it. The experience was not pleasant. My dad then gave me the task of creating a suspended food bowl so that the rabbit wouldn’t be able to defecate in its food anymore. I used a cardboard box and some strings to do just that, and my dad bought a suspended water bottle to replace the water bowl. Later that day, my dad had enough of the rabbit spreading its feces in and around the cage, so he replaced the plate we had been using with a box. It seemed to work, but my dad ordered a proper toilet anyway.
On day four (8/3/2023), we learned that our efforts yesterday had been, for the most part, futile. The rabbit found a way to climb into its food bowl and promptly proceed to defecate inside of it in front of my family. It also chose to use its toilet as a lounge and persisted in defecating on the cage floor. The water bottle seemed to work thankfully, as the rabbit no longer splashed water everywhere. My dad was fairly annoyed, but my little sister insisted that the rabbit’s cuteness was worth all the trouble, and who are we to argue with her?
Today is day five (8/4/2023), and this morning we made an interesting discovery. Apparently, the rabbit thought that everything inside the cage was its home, and while it didn’t mind its feces (it even ate them sometimes), it knows that its urine is downright revolting and doesn’t want any of it near him. Naturally, the rabbit figured out that it could spray its peed outside of the cage through the gaps, and since he is under YouYou’s protection, nothing could be done. He is not entirely correct, after cleaning up that mess, my dad issued an ultimatum to YouYou: If she fails to potty train the rabbit within two weeks of the toilet he ordered being delivered, the rabbit is to be moved outside where the stench of its urine and feces will bother us no more. The toilet should arrive today. Well, I can say that living with a rabbit for 5 days has revealed to me a whole new dimension to these adorable, disgusting furballs.
Just to be clear, I am not the one that wanted the rabbit, or frankly any pets at all. It has always been my little sister, YouYou’s, dream. She originally wanted a dog, which, from interviews with my dog-owning friends, takes a lot of effort. So, when one day my mom brought up the possibility of owning a rabbit instead, I was relieved when YouYou was interested. So, my mom searched far and wide and eventually settled on the one we have right now. The rabbit is yet to be named and is a 4-month-old male with black fur. It is giant compared to other breeds.
On day one (7/31/2023), the rabbit returned home with my parents and my sister from the farm it was born in. Unlike other rabbits that we, or I, have seen, it was not all that scared of people. That night, we just kind of sat there watching the rabbit, seeing if it would do something, but the rabbit just kind of sat there, so we left it alone.
On the morning of day two (8/1/2023), we woke up to a horrendous mess. The rabbit had defecated and urinated all over the place, including inside its own food and water bowl. My dad was not happy since YouYou refused to clean it up herself. My dad ended up cleaning the cage three times that day. By the last time, he said that he will be buying the rabbit a new set of feeding and waste management products. That day we also learned that the rabbit had a taste for fresh dandelion.
My dad had to clean up the rabbit’s mess again the next morning (8/2/2023), and I had a go at it. The experience was not pleasant. My dad then gave me the task of creating a suspended food bowl so that the rabbit wouldn’t be able to defecate in its food anymore. I used a cardboard box and some strings to do just that, and my dad bought a suspended water bottle to replace the water bowl. Later that day, my dad had enough of the rabbit spreading its feces in and around the cage, so he replaced the plate we had been using with a box. It seemed to work, but my dad ordered a proper toilet anyway.
On day four (8/3/2023), we learned that our efforts yesterday had been, for the most part, futile. The rabbit found a way to climb into its food bowl and promptly proceed to defecate inside of it in front of my family. It also chose to use its toilet as a lounge and persisted in defecating on the cage floor. The water bottle seemed to work thankfully, as the rabbit no longer splashed water everywhere. My dad was fairly annoyed, but my little sister insisted that the rabbit’s cuteness was worth all the trouble, and who are we to argue with her?
Today is day five (8/4/2023), and this morning we made an interesting discovery. Apparently, the rabbit thought that everything inside the cage was its home, and while it didn’t mind its feces (it even ate them sometimes), it knows that its urine is downright revolting and doesn’t want any of it near him. Naturally, the rabbit figured out that it could spray its peed outside of the cage through the gaps, and since he is under YouYou’s protection, nothing could be done. He is not entirely correct, after cleaning up that mess, my dad issued an ultimatum to YouYou: If she fails to potty train the rabbit within two weeks of the toilet he ordered being delivered, the rabbit is to be moved outside where the stench of its urine and feces will bother us no more. The toilet should arrive today. Well, I can say that living with a rabbit for 5 days has revealed to me a whole new dimension to these adorable, disgusting furballs.
