Celebrating Easter My Way
Easter long ago stopped being about the usual things and took on a new meaning to me. What I used to look forward to most on Easter was the big chocolate bunny I always used to get. Once I couldn't have that anymore, I didn't feel much like celebrating until I began to think differently. I couldn't have chocolate bunnies anymore, but I still had my real one. Ever since then I had been celebrating having a real bunny every year, but for the last two years I haven't had a rabbit to celebrate with so instead it has become a day of remembrance to me until the day I once again have a rabbit in my life.
So, today I remember and celebrate the fact that all these special bunnies were a part of my life.
Friendly, was a Dutch rabbit that was given to me the summer after 2nd grade as a reward for making my first communion as having both selective mutism and social phobia made it really hard for me to do this. The day I got her I immediately named her Friendly as I had decided that she was going to be my best friend and she proved to be this.
Though our first day was not our best as we didn't yet have rabbit supplies and I had to hold her until my parents came back from the pet store which was more than my new pet's bladder could handle so while even back then I understood she didn't have a choice just as I didn't have a choice but to continue holding her, it was not our best moment together even if it was a memorable one.
My first rabbit lived up to her name every day. She was always there to help me get through the anxiety filled school mornings and never failed to make me feel better after coming home from every stressful day of school, which for me was every day I went to school.
My most memorable moment with Friendly was back in 7th grade when I had to be picked up from school by my sister as I had ended up in the nurse's office after my anxiety got out of control the day I was supposed to join the bowling team at school. I had a friend that said she would join with me, but then ditched me so I ended up waiting for her not knowing she changed her mind and panicked when it was time for the bus to come. I never even made it into the classroom and unfortunately my mom had gone to the bowling alley expecting to see my first day of bowling so I had to talk to my sister on the phone for the first time ever. Luckily, I had a great rabbit to come home to. Friendly was forever patient and always willing to stay with me as long as it took for me to feel better. She loved being petted so this day, she got more of it than ever before.
The most unusual things about Friendly were that she wouldn't eat fresh vegetables and I taught her to play dead.
The summer after that moment in 7th grade was our last one together. I made some mistakes not realizing just how easily rabbits can get sick. I have never let myself forget it was my fault she died and always use that memory to make sure I do better with each rabbit.
When the next year started I had begun life with my next rabbit.
Oreo was a Dutch mix according to the shelter, though to me she appeared to be a purebred. She was my first rescue pet and I admit to falling in love with her the moment she snorted at my sister. Oreo was named at the shelter. Back when I adopted her she had on ear that made it look as if she was part lop eared rabbit as it was bent down, but we found out later she simply had an ear infection. She hated the ear drops, but I think she knew they were helping her as it wasn't long before she had two standing ears.
Oreo was like Friendly and had some unique traits. Oreo proved to be even better with my anxiety then my first rabbit had been as she had this calming presence about her. I fell asleep more than once with her around. We actually started a routine that involved napping together in the afternoon which included my old Toy Poodle and my Chihuahua once Taco became part of my life.
Oreo also enjoyed car rides. She loved going anywhere she could with me. I ended up taking her some places no rabbit had gone before such as, to my Grandmother's house, a car ride to drop a friend's mom off at work, to the barn to be photographed by my equestrian team for our yearly calendar, and she went with me when we had my senior portrait taken. She was one adventurous rabbit. This rabbit would jump into the car herself and was almost dog-like in her enthusiasm and curiosity about where we were going.
When we were outside together the one day, there was an incident that led her to hate squirrels. She was sitting under the big tree in our backyard, just relaxing when two squirrels ran down the tree and ran right over her. Ever since that day if she saw a squirrel she would chase it as far away as she could. Squirrels thought twice about coming down that tree whenever they saw her after that point.
Oreo, like Friendly was a bit short lived. I had let my sister's kids play with her, not knowing they were sick at the time. If I had known I never would have let them anywhere near my rabbit. Unfortunately, to make things worse we had recently had to put Oreo on an all hay diet for her to lose weight and I didn't catch on until it was too late that she was losing too much weight too fast. I always wonder if I could have saved her if I had caught on faster.
Avery & the second Oreo were both bunnies I met at PetSmart's adoption days event. Avery was a Dutch mix and Oreo was a Dutch. I had really wanted a pair of bunnies and thought these could be my first pair. Unfortunately, though I followed all the directions for bonding male bunnies these two just couldn't get along and I couldn't choose between them for anything as they were both great rabbits so I ended up not keeping them.
Chibi and Kojikaki were adopted from a shelter in Pittsburgh. I did a lot of research after deciding I wanted to try out a different breed and chose Mini Rex rabbits. Originally, the shelter wasn't going to let me adopt as I live in a different state, but they were overrun with rabbits at the time and I wanted two of them so they decided to allow it.
Chibi, whose name means small, was named first. I wanted to name him after two of my favorite heroes; the dragon from the Dragon Drive manga and anime, and the wolf from the Okami Den video game. As Chibi's name was Japanese it only felt right to name Kojikaki this way as well. Kojikaki waited several weeks for her name as I wasn't sure what to call her. I eventually decided to name her in honor of my favorite book series, Warriors, so I named her as if I was the clan leader and she had earned her warrior name. I had decided to call her fawn which was kojika in Japanese, but nothing else sounded right until I tried heart which was ki. As ki also means spirit I thought it felt perfect as Kojikaki seemed to be a fairly gentle rabbit I decided her new name would be Kojikaki meaning Fawnheart. I later decided it meant Fawnspirit for reasons you will soon know.
Chibi and Kojikaki were a great pair. Chibi was always taking care of his sister as if he was her big brother rather than the same age. Kojikaki was a timid rabbit in the beginning, always relying on her brother for comfort. She often went so far as to demand it from him. She could be a little rough when she was asking him to groom her and she was known to take the hay from his mouth, deciding she had to have that piece when there was plenty of other pieces to choose from, but Chibi never complained. The only time I ever saw him be anything other than gentle with his sister was whenever he was around and she was being a bully to my Chihuahua who never actually did anything to her. He avoided rabbits as he was scared of them. I had hoped having two babies would help him with this, but this usually nervous rabbit enjoyed having something scared of her for a change and this proved to be a problem.
Kojikaki, after learning Taco was scared of her, took full advantage. If he was anywhere other than the couch, she chased him right back to it. She quickly proved to be the most challenging rabbit I ever had as she learned to scratch and bite when she didn't want to do something. Unfortunately, with Kojikaki she hated being touched and especially having her play time ended. I usually had to chase her all over the house and deal with her snorting all the way back to her cage every night. I would have loved to let them run loose all day and night but it wasn't possible. Kojikaki was a chewer and her brother was a constant pooper, I just couldn't leave them unsupervised for any length of time. Chibi did eventually sort of become litter box trained.
Chibi was an unusual rabbit when it came to bathroom habits. He knew to use the litter box, it just happens he would sit the wrong way in it and nothing actually made it into the box. I had to get a special litter box made for ferrets to solve this problem. Chibi was great after that though Kojikaki later gave me new challenges as after her brother died she decided she wanted the box in the middle of the cage and refused to use it in the corner. I don't know how she always unattached the box from the cage but every day I would find it in the middle of the cage. I eventually got a flatter box for her so she had maximum accessibility to everything once I gave in and allowed her to keep the box in the center of the cage.
Kojikaki also became more of a random groomer after Chibi died. We never really found out why, but he had a weak heart and when he got sick from an illness due to this he never fully recovered and unfortunately his wasn't something I could have done anything to prevent. I don't remember what the vet said he had exactly, but I do remember the feeling of being alone with Kojikaki for the first time. Anyway, after losing her brother Kojikaki wanted to groom anything she could get though she never became an over groomer of her own fur. The first sign was when she began grooming the Easter decorations. I had to take the wind up chick away from her because it was really dirty and I didn't want her to get sick. I never did find out if there was something that I could give her which would be safe not just for letting her groom, but if she chewed on it as well. Luckily, Merveille happened.
Merveille is my Toy Poodle. At first, Kojikaki thought she would scare away this new puppy just as she had Taco. Puppy Merveille just thought she was playing and Kojikaki didn't know what to do with him at first. After a while she began to develop a bit of a reluctant acceptance to this impossible puppy which turned into respect and eventually she started looking forward to when I let him visit her. She actually gave him her own version of a kiss after he came in to give her one and one day even asked him to groom her just as she used to ask her brother though Merveille didn't do this as he had no idea what she wanted him to do.
Unlike every other rabbit I ever had, Kojikaki was long lived. She was over 10 years old when she started showing signs of old age. She did mellow a bit when she got old, but she never fully lost her spirit. She developed an illness due to old age which went undiagnosed as she passed at the vets. Due to her age and the trouble she had breathing the vet wanted me to have her put down which I never had to do with a pet other than Taco before. Kojikaki was so much of a survivor and so independent that I didn't feel right choosing for her so I asked her what she wanted to do and that's when it happened. I don't know if it was just the timing or if she heard me, but whether good or bad she didn't make me have to choose the worst option. You would think with Kojikaki I would have been ready to let her go. She wasn't the best rabbit I ever had, she definitely wasn't the friendliest, but she was still mine and we had been together a long time so it was still hard for me to let her go.
Currently, I don't have a rabbit, but I am always keeping watch on the local shelters waiting for the day one feels right to me. Until then here are two honorable mention bunnies that I met.
This bunny was part of a wild litter I kept watch over after my Grandma accidentally dumped chemicals on them not knowing a wild rabbit decided to give birth in her carrot patch. I kept watch over them until their eyes were open and the first rabbit began exploring. After that I knew they were fine and never saw them again.
This rabbit I met while I still had Kojikaki. He was available for adoption and I really wanted to, but I knew Kojikaki would never accept a new bunny at her age and remembered how hard it was to have two rabbits that didn't get along. I wish I could have adopted him, but I hope he found a great home.
That's all the rabbits I have known in my life and I can't wait to share my life with another in the future.
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