I was 16 when I adopted my rabbit from a local pet store. This is the second rabbit I’ve had as a pet; my last one died unexpectedly a couple of years ago. When I lost my first rabbit, I was devastated. I didn’t know much I would grow to love her and how strong our bond would be.
Every rabbit has a different personality, just like people or dogs. My first rabbit, Daisy, was independent. She liked to do her own thing, explore the house and never wanted to be put back in her cage, even after she chewed all the wires to the stereo. She wasn’t very affectionate, but she did like to nudge you to get petted, and she loved her family. She was a great pet, and she should’ve lived much longer, but since rabbits are so easily susceptible to heart attacks, their lives can be cut way too short unfortunately.
Buttercup is my rabbit now, and she’s a Mini Lop. She’s a chunky girl; her favorite thing in the world is eating and being petted. A super-affectionate, cuddly and loving ball of joy is not what I was expecting when I got Buttercup. She had to be separated from the other rabbits when she was a baby because she was so aggressive toward them. I didn’t understand this, as the very reason I adopted her is because she was so sweet! She gave me kisses, something Daisy never did­­­—I thought we were meant to be.
I couldn’t have been more right. Buttercup is three and a half years old now, and she’ll be moving with me into my apartment in August. I had to leave her when I moved into the dorms, and we were both pretty upset. She didn’t eat for a couple days, a sign of sadness due to loss. Bunnies can die of a broken heart if their companion dies, so it worried me to leave her because I knew she wouldn’t understand that I would be back for her.
Buttercup is my sidekick. Everywhere I go, she follows. She is constantly circling my feet and scratching at my leg to pick her up. She kisses me every single time she sees me, a great sign of affection from rabbits, as they actually don’t particularly like the taste of humans. It’s natural for them to clean the ones they love by licking, so she really does it to “groom” me because I’m her family; she wants to take care of me.
Buttercup is litter box–trained and can easily run around the house without any issues. We do have to either keep a close eye on her or bunny-proof the house beforehand. She loves to chew wires just like Daisy did (which is the worst part of having a bunny for a pet). We let her out as often as possible, but she will chew holes through every item of clothing you’ve ever loved and anything else that’s possibly edible.
Though it can be frustrating when expensive things get ruined, I think of it as basically having a puppy forever. They ruin everything, but they’re super-cute, loving, small and cuddly so you can’t stay mad at them. That’s exactly how it is having a rabbit, and I wouldn’t trade her for the world.