Bad Bunny Mom

This is Demeter

 

AKA: Urban Bunny; Saber-tooth Rabbit; !@#$%*&! Animal

 

who, along with paranoid/schizophrenic Violet the cat, came into our household when my daughter moved out of her last residence to destinations unknown. He has spent the majority of his life indoors, in his cage, though he was given occasional free range of Jessica’s apartment. This situation, of course, was not going to fly in my house- not only do I have four indoor cats that the little thumper tries to, well, hump- I do not buy into my daughter’s assertion that rabbit urine doesn’t smell.

 

 

So outside goes the rabbit & we have taken great pains to provide for his comfort & amusement. He lives in our backyard, snug & cozy in his cage, which is liberally lined with straw & mats to protect his little feet, & set on a Chris-made raised hardwood stand. We provide him vet-approved food & treats, plenty of timothy hay & chew toys, & let him out in our small backyard a couple times a day, to leap, dig, & frolic to him little lapin-heart’s content.

 

 

Herein lies the problem- Demeter is a rabbit. A very small, fast, rabbit, with a penchant for nipping when he’s picked up. Getting him back into his cage before he is ready often presents some difficulties. So, I purchased these,

 

 

a few weeks ago, when Chris & I went up to Colombia; besides being great for working around my roses & cucumbers, they offer nominal protection to my delicate forearms when holding Mr. D.

Saturday afternoon, when I took Demeter out of his cage, I noticed that his paws had become rather grubby from digging & he was throwing off a lot of fur, so I went inside to get a washcloth & brush to clean him up. Imagine my surprise when he hopped right up to me when I came back out, instead of the normal chase & herding routine we go through; I quickly picked him up before he took off again, & reached for the washcloth. This is when I remembered that I’d best put my gloves on again before going any further.

Instead of dropping him in his cage, closing the door, putting on my gauntlets, & then picking him up again, I decided to just pull the gloves on while holding him. I slid one hand into the glove, but found I couldn’t get it fully on; I started to reach over with my other hand - the one holding Mr. D- to pull it up tight, & changed my mind when his little mouth opened to take a hunk out. So, I raised my arm & bent my head to tug the glove on with my teeth… & proceeded to bite my own arm. Hard.

 

 

(Please disregard the multitude on black hair- it really is the arm of a gentile, delicate lady)

 

The guys heard me yelp & came out to see if I was okay; immediately seeing the raised welt on my arm, they became very solicitous towards me, offering to take over, & indignant towards Demeter for inflicting injury on their beloved Queen. I am suitably ashamed to admit that I did nothing to disabuse them of this notion, & let Demeter take the wrap; after being chastised by Chris for not having my gauntlets on beforehand, I wasn’t about to admit that my injury was self-inflicted & endure the laughter that would follow.

Yes, I am really that petty.