The Rabbits of the Manor

Lofty and the 'Lil Surprises

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From: Marina Chong
Newsgroups: alt.pets.rabbits
Subject: Oh shit, oh dear
Date: Wed, 12 January 2005 05:56:38 +1100
Lines: 45
Message-ID: h788u05uv2v4argi7gvkjq8fh7gp7p8tfs@4ax.com

Three weeks ago I bought, from a pet shop, an 18-month-old fawn-coloured lop rabbit that had been rejected by her owner. Their asking price was $15, and the rabbit looked friendly, outgoing, curious. She interacted well with the other (juvenile) rabbits in the pen. I thought she'd make a good companion for my bonded trio - and I have a soft spot for abandoned rabbits.

They should have tagged ber with a decorative collar with "I growl and bite" on it, for as soon as I brought her home she beat up the three incumbents (dwarf rabbits (desexed)), trashed the place and bit the hell out of me.

I made her a home in the quarantine cage I'd built a long while ago (and used to store junk) and worked with her until she learned to ask for affection. She'd growl when first touched, when I'd stopped stroking her, when I moved an empty hand away after she'd stuffed her face with Craisins. She'd attack the broom with which I was sweeping out her cage. She threw her pellet bowl around the place, making a serious mess. She was often moody and sometimes downright bad tempered.

 lofty02x.jpg
I'd called her Lofty as a joke, because rabbits are anything but - and also because she towered over the others. I should have called her Nightmare. But that's a joke too, because I've done all this before, when I bought Misty from the same place four or five years ago. She, too, beat the others up, and it took two years for them to bond. I expect it'll take about that long for Lofty to turn the Unholy Trio into the Crazy Quartet.

Except...

There was a pile of fur in the corner of Lofty's home when I checked on her about an hour ago.

It was moving.

Alas.

I have inadvertently become a rabbit breeder. The number of kits is unknown, and I probably won't know until I have to move them (eventually) to clean the cage. I *really* don't need to have an unknown number of additions to the household right now, dammit. Miracle of Life, pah.

One good thing has come out of this. Lofty is exceptionally affectionate this morning.

 lofty01x.jpg
14 January 2005
Lofty ran up to greet me yesterday morning and this morning as well; the bitch-on-wheels persona seems to be a thing of the past. The throwing of the food and the trashing of the house have also stopped. I'll miss the evilness, but she remains a joy because she is such a lovely little attention whore.

I have counted four babies. One is either all or mostly black, another has black and white markings, the third is pink and will probably turn out white, and the fourth is fawn and white (and probably other colours as well). There may be more - I was loath to disturb the nest any further, although Lofty didn't object.

Rabbit mothers must have it good - the babies are silent and only require feeding once a day.
kittens01x.jpg kittens03x.jpg
18 January 2005 - day 6 18 January 2005 - day 6
kittens02x.jpg kittens04x.jpg
18 January 2005 - day 6 18 January 2005 - day 6
kittens05x.jpg kittens06x.jpg kittens07x.jpg
19 January 2005 - day 7
The kits are starting to move around in an uncoordinated fashion and are already getting into trouble -- quite a feat for critters with eyes and ears still sealed shut. They crawl over each other, dig at the floor of their home, scratch and groom themselves, and nibble objects with tiny teeth. I handle them for a few minutes every day, in the hope that they'll grow up learning that being lifted off the ground is not a near-death experience.
lofty03x.jpg kittens08x.jpg kittens10x.jpg
20 January 2005 - day 8
Mealtimes are signalled by a brisk entrance into the cage and an imperious stamp of the foot. At this point the kits' ears are beginning to open, although the eyes are still sealed. They are beginning to sit upright for brief periods. There is also some nibbling of furniture and fixtures.
kits-20050122a.jpg kits-20050122b.jpg
22 January 2005 - day 10
Welcome to the sighted world.
When I heard the signature "Feeding Time!" thump and went to watch, a beady eye looked out at me from an unexpected place. Here are the early results.
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Last update: 23 December 2008