This is my offering for this month’s What I Learned From project hosted by Bob Hruzek over at Middle Zone Musings.

( I was going to entitle this post What I Learned from having a bunny move into live with us - but though it  might attract the wrong sort of traffic.)

Those of you who are parents - or who have been children yourself ( so that covers everyone doesn’t it?) will recognise this story. The youngsters ask for a pet “because everybody else has one” and that makes them the most deprived wee souls. We had thought that taking the school fish/hamster/stick insect for the holidays was meeting the need but it became obvious that that was not enough.

From time to time I got dragged into pet shops  “just to look” and of course the inevitable happened. We came fact to face with the cutest, tineist ball of fluff ever -in the shape of a Dwarf Lop Rabbit  - and somehow he ended up coming home with us. That was a bit of a problem as we had no hutch for him but everybody rallied round and Muffin ( he was the colour of cake) joined the Cameron family. He liked his hutch ( we thought) and was so well behaved that he even had the run of the garden until he escaped through our neighbours’ fence. Access to their garden was through a locked gate so I had to climb that fence to get him. To be fair I think he found the whole new space a bit too scary and he just sat and waited for me ( probably laughing in a rabbit type way).

Muffin managed to pull out his front teeth. This is a very serious thing for a rabbit because if their teeth are not in line then they just keep growing, and growing, and growing. Just like our fingernails. So we had to take him to the vet every few weeks to have them cut. The staff their got to know him and he charmed everyone he met.

The turning point came when he was a bit less “chirpy” than normal and when having his teeth seen to the vet checked him over and said that he had some kidney problems. I had to give him medication ( which involved wrapping him tightly in a towel to “make him feel safe” and get drops into his mouth. No mean feat) and keep him indoors for a while til he got better. So he moved in - and never moved out again.

Rabbits make great indoor pets. They are very sociable and in fact I hate that we ever kept him outside. He must have been so bored. He was quickly trained to use a litter tray and had a “bed” made up beside the washing machine. Any human who visited us instantly became his friend. He spent a little time in their space and when he was happy that they were happy with him he just muscled in. With my Dad it was to sit on his feet when he was standing anywhere. With my husband who liked to lie out reading newspapers Muffin would jump onto his stomach and nose the paper out of the way. When I was sitting talking to someone on the phone he would be on my lap in an instant. When the sun shone he would stretch himself out by the window. He spent an alarming amount of time sitting behind the TV amongst the cables and wires but never chewed them. One time when we had friends over he pinched a shortbread biscuit which was lying just at his height - not the ideal food for a bunny be he loved it.

Sadly though the kidney problems recurred and the vet had to put him to sleep. We all cried - including the vet.

So what did I learn from inviting Muffin to come and live with us? Well apart from how to take care of a sick animal and that no matter what they say the parent will have to do more for the pet than a child will (especially the messy smelly stuff ) I learned that with small adjustments you can move out of your comfort zone into one that is even more comfortable! And if you have a lovable and loving personality - you will get away with almost anything!