What Do Rabbits Do?

Dear Blogosphere,

Today, for about the third time, I was asked, "What do rabbits do?" Each time I've been asked this I've been taken aback. What do rabbits do? What do dogs do? What do fish do? What do potbellied pigs do? For the most part, don't they all just hang out and eat? Isn't that pretty much what humans do too?

So, I thought I would actually describe what Ben does for the blogosphere. Enjoy!

*Ben sleeps from about 2-6 AM and then from 2-6 PM everyday. These restful periods are disrupted by short snacking breaks. You can tell if a rabbit is actually sleeping by looking at his nose. If he is asleep, it will not be moving. He may or may not have his eyes closed.

*Ben does not like to be held. In fact, most rabbits don't like to be held. This makes sense as I would probably not like to be held by an animal famous for eating me.

*Ben eats. A lot. He loves dandelions, roses, trumpet vines, bind weed, cilantro, romaine lettuce, carrots, apples, bananas, Trix, timothy hay, and other things. Coupled with fresh veg, I also feed him "rabbit food" of which he is quite picky and sticks mostly to the seeds and dried carrot.

*If Ben was not neutered, he would be quite territorial. No one would be allowed in his cage or in his corner.

*Ben is house-trained just like a cat! Rabbits are actually very smart. He also has a hearty sense of humor.

*Ben loves to be petted. But hates the smell of human, so quickly after being groomed he will hop away and clean himself up.

*Ben loves to check out any projects I'm up to. If I'm focused on something, he'll get right in the middle of it. Working on a paper? He'll grab sheets of my draft or research articles and playfully steal them. Digging a hole, he'll hop right in unafraid of the shovel. Mowing the lawn? He will actually follow you. If I am just laying about, he will sometimes come try to get a massage from me, but will usually keep himself entertained.

*Rabbits' teeth never stop growing, which means they must grind them down. Unfortunately, Ben has ignored or not figured out, rather, what the toys I got for him are for. He grinds his teeth down on the fence... or on our deck... or on shovels... or on rocks... seems a little painful to me!

*Rabbits have very good hearing. As such, he doesn't enjoy loud music. Soft or moderate music I do think he enjoys. But maybe that's just me projecting. :-)

*Ben is very friendly. Many rabbits don't like children, but Ben loves them. He doesn't bite, scratch, "box," or grunt. He is pretty darn chill. He also likes other rabbits. He loved Hufflepuff.

*Just like humans, Ben is preoccupied with things he cannot have or places he's not allowed, but once those options are opened to him he becomes disinterested. He only cared about my mom's law office when it was closed off to him. And he continues to make bee-lines towards the bedrooms upstairs once he gets inside, in hopes of the doors being open.

*Finally, Ben was adopted from the Humane Society. I saw a listing for him online and fell in love with him at first sight! It took him about a month to get used to our home and finally let his personality out. The owner had to give him and another rabbit up for adoption because of their landlord. Sadness. The next rabbit I adopt I will get at the Humane Society. If you adopt after Easter, they cut the adoption fee in half. Neutering/spaying is free, as well.

Hope you learned something interesting and new about the cutest organisms in the world!

-Nat