How to Let Rabbits Take Over Your Home, Part 1: The First Bunneh

In late March 2013, my husband and I decided we needed a change in our lives. We were a family of three: me, him, and our 8-year old Maltese, Wicket. What about being a family of four? We weren't ready to take on another canine kid; Wicket struggles with anxiety, and we weren't sure if he would even enjoy having a puppy brother or sister. But Wicket grew up with rabbits - 2 Dutches, Happy and Cody. We were sure for the first few years of his life he thought he was a rabbit, or maybe he thought the rabbits were dogs? He didn't have a normal puppy socialization, but he knew that rabbits didn't mind him grooming them or relaxing with him.

Squid and her Maltese brother, Wicket.

We browsed the Red Door adoptable buns, and two stood out: Porsche, a pretty Dutch girl, and Alfalfa, a handsome little chinchilla mix boy. When we visited the shelter for the first time, Liz took us around and introduced us to all of the rabbits looking for furever homes. It was a little overwhelming to see all of the rabbits that people had given up on, but they all looked content to be safely housed and cared for at Red Door. Porsche was out being fostered, but we got to spend time with Alfalfa. 

Squid alert! Squid alert! It's Easter 2014!

Liz also suggested a Rex rabbit, Bumblebee, who had been taken in earlier in the month after being abandoned in a trailer park in Des Plaines. She was found overweight with nails that should have been trimmed yesterday. And Bumblebee certainly did seem like a busy little bee; she hopped around us in the pen, checking us out, periscoping to see her surroundings better, and she poked us with her nose a lot. It only took a couple days to decide that she would be our fourth family member.

Squid on her couch that she shares with us

Squid Anemone Bumblebee, or Squiddy Momo as she is most frequently called, came home with us shy and reserved - very different than her shelter personality. We assume she may not have been socialized much/at all at her previous home. In a year she has really come a long way from the shy rabbit we first brought home. Most of the time she is gentle and sweet, she binkies often and runs the Bunny 500 with the best of them. She always eats her cilantro or parsley before the rest of her salad, and she is VERY curious about the closed doors (ie., non-rabbit proofed rooms). She's also very mischievous; she loves to throw remotes and other things off the couch, she digs on our blankets and rearranges them to her liking, and she nips the soft part of your side when she wants to get through a tight space. And most recently she peed repeatedly in the same spot to get us to move her pen back to where she wanted it. We also sometimes think she is plotting our demise.

Squid has a crush on Dexter's Michael C. Hall and thinks he's a super cool murderer.

Squiddy was so predictable and good and easy that when Red Door asked if we could foster a rabbit in the summer of 2013 we thought nothing of it! This was only the beginning of our rabbit journey...