My bunnies went to their new home on Saturday. Even though I won't be going anywhere for some time, and I will mostly be in Australia and only jetting over for visits to Dubai in the second part of the year, I am terrified of driving in the city or on the motorway and we are getting rid of the car in a few days. And so, when a very kind friend of my mum offered to re-home my girls, I had to move fast.

I have been very upset.

The first night with Binky. She spent the day in the shower recess and hated being held from day one.

Binky was so tiny at first that she fit between the leg of the couch and the wall.

And in the runner of the sliding door.

She used to act cute deliberately, to taunt me. She would sit there doing cute shit, and then refuse to let me touch her.

They're only rabbits, I know. They aren't cuddly. They aren't really even friendly. Binky in particular is extremely stand-offish, and Mochi is so timid that I think she is just scared of being alive.

The first day with Mochi, back when she looked like she was actually a 'mini lop'. Hmmmn. Rob was on an overnight, and I sent him a text and said "I think I'm going to get another bunny" and he said "don't do it". And then later I text him with this photo, and in response he said "hmmmmmmn". That night Binky tried to kill Mochi, and I thought I'd made a grave error.

Teeny tiny. When she was this little she didn't mind being snuggled. Once I had her inside my hoodie, and she got so comfy that she piddled on me.

Noms

Bunny in a boot.

Not my fault that she was perfectly boot-sized in those first couple of weeks.

I am a bad person.

Don't believe anything you read on the internet about toilet training a house rabbit (lies). Don't believe that you will ever be able to chew-proof the furniture (all chewed). Don't believe the doom and gloom about feeding them vegetable scraps and pellets from the supermarket (desperate times, desperate measures). But take them for what they are, and you'll get along just fine.

The ill-fated harness. Grand plans I had - Binky was going to be the cutest bunny at the Rabbit Showjumping. Didn't quite work out as planned though...

Rabbits were an exercise in patience for me. A test. Having pets that I couldn't pick up and face-squash, and who were completely uninterested in receiving affection tried me greatly. They weren't dogs, and that was tough. But when our unit sale fell through and it became clear once more that there would be no dog, at least I had my bunnies.

I will kill you.

Please don't hurt me...

They weren't dogs, but they were mine. In fact, that was always a very strict part of the deal. I was responsible for upkeep, and for organising their holidays at BunnyWonderland. For keeping them fed and watered and for devising new things to keep them occupied. And finding funny stuff to photograph them doing...

We used to put these boxes, about the size of a small cereal box, on the floor with some raisins or pellets inside and the hole torn in the bottom. Then we'd just wait and watch....

Bunny in a box.

Probably not meant to eat packing corn, but they loved it sooooo much!!

But I know Rob sometimes talked to them; he liked them secretly. He certainly delighted in telling me that they preferred him to me.

Me? Never! Ellie is my favourite!

I will miss the comforting feeling of having creatures in my space (if you have pets, and they are still at the kennel when you come home from holidays you understand what I mean).

I always loved cuddling Mochi because she was so big and snuggly. I felt bad at the same time because she really really didn't like it, but if I could get hold of her nice and tight she seemed to feel secure and relax a bit. Mochi would let me flip her on her back as well to trance her, which is great because that makes the bunny go a bit unconscious and you can clip their toenails and their dirty bottom fur (Mochi never had wonderful personal hygiene - luckily Binky was fastidious because she hated being tranced and would only stay under for long enough to clip about half a toe nail.) Once they started living on the balcony full-time their nails weren't such an issue because they would wear down on the concrete, but I still loved me some Mochi time.

I probably won't miss the sound of wood being chewed, and cardboard boxes being destroyed with passion by a mouth smaller than a 5 cent piece.

One of her favourite little perches. It had the added benefit of having access to lots of cables to chew on. That was way back when I thought that putting a single piece of wood or plastic to block the way to a cable would prevent a rabbit from getting to it. Not a snowflake's chance. If there is a gap, no matter the size, and a cable behind it, that cable will be eaten.

But I will miss the pitter-patter of their feet across the carpet....

For a little while Binky was bigger than Mochi!

And then suddenly Mochi was massive - we went to the vet once and she clocked the scales at 3.2kg just before a pomeranian puppy which weighed about 900gm put her to shame.

But they still loved to sit on this little shelf I made in their cage out of an old corkboard. When they ate the cork it started to sag in the middle and I decided to take it down before something unfortunate happened.

...followed by the loss of the internet approximately 10 seconds later when Binky sliced through the cable in one clean bite. Again. She really had an affinity for that blue cable.


❤