Hoppy Easter

Easter Day reminds me of the pet rabbits I've had in my life. Lucky arrived when I was in high school and Bailey came when I was just about 40.

Lucky was a beautiful black rabbit who tipped the scale at 20 pounds. He was appropriately named because he was the only bunny in his litter to survive. Lucky was a fun, curious fellow. I missed him when I went off to college so returned home one weekend to get him. Of course, rabbits couldn't live in the dorm so I had to sneak Lucky into High Rise in a suitcase! Once in, Lucky was fine because he was housebroke and we had lots of room to let him roam. Everything went smoothly until Lucky ate my roommate's shamrock. The shamrock plant had been brought to America by my roommate's family who immigrated from Ireland. After eating the shamrock Lucky wasn't welcome to stay and he had to return to my parent's home.

Daughter Molly chose a darling minature lop-earred bunny for her 13th birthday. He was a darling bunny who fit in your palm and grew to only 3 pounds. Bailey was also housebroke so he got to live inside most of the time. Bailey loved teasing our cocker spaniel Tickles. He was able to hop into places Tickles couldn't go and it drove him crazy to be outsmarted by a rodent!

Rabbits make great pets. Rabbits are smart, easily housetrained and personable. They are natural chewers and have to have things to chew in order to keep their teeth filed. They'll chew almost anything so you have to protect rabbits from electrical cords and other hazards. And, spay or neuter pet rabbits or they will reproduce very quickly.