Ferocious animals
In many private houses, it’s common to find the warning
about a ferocious dog ready to rip your limbs apart if you try to intrude
uninvited. We all know about the cats’ territoriality and their vicious habit
of aiming straight at the opponents’ eyes.
Yet, there’s a big misconception about what apparently can
look like the quintessential loveliness hidden within a cloud of fluffy fur.
I am talking about Bunnies.
Even the nickname inspires nothing but tenderness, and when
we saw pictures of those adorable little critters, the first thing that comes
to our minds is just… AWWW!
Well, let me introduce you to the world of the most devious
creature nature has ever created. Rabbits are natural prey, so you would expect
them to run and hide when threatened. You would never expect them to punch,
bite and run against whatever they might consider a threat. This, of course,
regardless of whether the threat is real or is just in their imagination.
Yes, Rabbits are big drama queens and have a vivid imagination. I am wondering whether they are a sort of animal representation of Don Quixote.
I had a few rabbits in my life, and I loved them all. Once I
got to understand their needs, we became quite soon best friends. The latest
one, Carolina, is one of a kind. She came to us as a rescue rabbit, and for the
first four years, all she could accept from us was our presence (barely) and
the food offered. Thinking of having her closer than two meters was
unthinkable. Yet, during that period, she’d been studying us, taking notes, and
pondering whether to trust us or not. It was then from one day to another that
she allowed me to come closer and pet her. From that day on, our interactions
had been more friendly, but there’s still a shade behind her eyes. “You know I
started to trust you, don’t make me regret that!”
Written by P. J. Mann
Although rabbits live in my backyard and I watch them from afar as they raise their young, I never had a rabbit as a pet. Wow! It took four years to earn Carolina's trust? But who knows, maybe she had a very bad experience with people before you rescued her, and she's still cautious about people.
ReplyDeleteCarolina was coming from a very difficult background where she couldn't develop any trust toward the humans who raised her mother for business. All Carolina needed was quiet and tenderness, something that obviously was missing and when she came to us, we knew it would have been a mission impossible. It took patience, poor dear.
DeleteJust like humans. Once hurt by one, it takes a long time to trust another
DeleteI had a pet rabbit, Oobie Doobie, and I would take it for walks on a leash. But you are right they are territorial, when my sister joined our walk with her lamb, Oobie made it abundantly clear which clover patches were hers.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to give her another rabbit friend, let's hope for the best LOL
DeleteMy first bunny was Jaffa, we went to the shop to get two guinea pigs and I saw him and it was love at first sight, he'd been in the shop for ages, no one wanted him but he was very tame. He jumped into my arms and snuggled up. That was that. Off home with us he went. He followed me round the house (usually leaving a trail of rabbit raisins....). We found out a little later he was deaf. He was vary tame, totally bonkers and very affectionate. He wouldn't eat grass, vegetables or hay. He lived on bunny kibbles and ginger biscuits. He died at 6 of melanoma and I was heartbroken. My next bunny was grumpy, used to steal socks and hide them and would attack cushions. The one after that - wasn't particularly tame unless it suited her. Poppy could be really stroppy. She didn't like strangers. She used to steal stuff as well. I think we got through at least 2 ethernet cables and various other cables. How she didn't get electricuted I have no idea.
ReplyDeleteI miss all my bunnies, rats and guinea pigs. We have a dog - who is amazing, but I do miss my fluffs.
I laughed out loud at "trail of rabbit raisins" but your Jaffa reminded me of the wild rabbit that raised her babies in the backyard. We put vegetables close to her nest, but she wouldn't touch it, even organically grown carrots or cabbage.
DeleteI can't help it. I think of Monty Python. "What, behind the rabbit?"
ReplyDelete"It isssss the rabbit!"
I start to doubt it was a random choice. LOL
DeleteLove that story. Rabbits are little rascals though never had one myself I have had family that has and they are characters. Theirs hides and jumps out and attacks the dog to make him yep and bark at her. It's hilarious.
ReplyDelete