Did you know rabbits can become the best friend above all other best friends!
Sadly so many people misunderstand, misjudge & basically ignore everything about these stunning animals, so they will never realise this. Easily classed as boring pets by people that clearly do not spend time or indeed look after them the way they should. Here is my experience of sharing my life with rabbits & how they really do become your best friend…
It’s been over 35 years that I have had rabbits share my life. I am, always have been & will continue to be completely besotted by these amazing animals.
The most upsetting thing is that rabbits have been, for years & years, sadly misunderstood & treated in the most ignorant ways & that still goes on today. When will it change for these angelic, gentle, loving beings? This is what upsets me the most & one reason why I am writing this blog. I want to let people know exactly what it’s like to share your life, the right way, with rabbits and what they give back to you, when they know you care & when they learn to trust you.
Basically in a nutshell, they become your best friend! Not only that, but the best friend above all other best friends! They are gentle, kind, angelic, calming, entertaining, therapeutic, comforting, mischievous, cheeky, funny, entertaining, mesmerising, interesting, intelligent, moody & so energetic.
I could sit & watch their behaviour all day long. A job studying rabbit behaviour would never become boring. Even when they are sleeping, they are amazing to watch.
Rabbits are just like us in so many ways. They have moods & can sulk and they are brilliant at time keeping. They learn & remember so much, which amazes me with rescue rabbits. So many rescue rabbits are so forgiving towards us humans after they have been abandoned by the person they loved. It’s like they are so keen to share their life with you & to show you what a great best friend they can become. Sadly the badly treated rescue rabbits can take much longer to learn to trust us humans again & rightly so! It’s truly amazing that they do learn to trust us again, especially when we are classed as one of their predators.
I find myself constantly talking to them, because just like a dog, they understand. They love company so much & they can sense your mood or what type of day you are having too.
Their behaviour & gentle manner is unbelievable to watch. Entertaining & calming, especially if you have two bonded rabbits.
The way they clean themselves & their partners, so thorough, because it is so important to them to be clean. Which is why it breaks my heart that so many are left to live in filthy unkept cages.
To watch them enjoying their food every day, again so important to them. The way they get so excited when they know it’s dinner time & that look of disgust if you are a little late, maybe throwing a mini tantrum. Again, it breaks my heart that so many rabbits never know when or if they are going to be fed that day and then never get the right food to keep them healthy anyway.
The fact that all rabbits (looked after the right way) have the most amazing personalities, when unlike a dog or cat, they have so many predators to look out for & that includes us humans, truly amazes me.
The fact we can build up such an understanding & a great bond with rabbits even though they hardly make a noise. It’s all in the eyes. Rabbit’s really do speak to you with their eyes & only someone that truly loves rabbits will know that.
Their daily routine is so important to them & it is so important for us to respect that. Maybe this is why they get such a reputation of being a boring pet, because they like to snooze most of the day. But dawn & dusk completely make up for it & for most people that are not aware of this, they will miss it. Observe them like you should, spend time with them, like you should & you will see them at their best, like you should!
I am writing this blog at 3pm, in the garden on a beautiful sunny day. The rabbit enclosures are open for them to have some supervised free range exercise around the garden, but not one has ventured out, not even to sunbathe. Come 4-5pm, they will all be out & it will be hard to get them to go in. All performing binkies, playing games & grazing on grass, even chasing birds. Finding new areas to explore, becoming mischievous & cheeky as they do. And this is when I will sit and watch them & observe their wonderful behaviour. It’s so beautiful to see. Sadly so many bunny owners fail to see this & fail to understand the facsination & the special bond that rabbits give you.
Those people are missing out on the best friend they will never know, even though they are sitting right there waiting for you. That breaks my heart!
Written by Della Smith – Editor of Best4bunny Magazine
