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October 20, 2003
Lifeless
My office has a weird vibe. The ill-timed departure of Meda combined with the death of both Cagney and Lacey (the mice) a few months ago means that I have no more pets living in here. Lukas the cat still wanders through, of course, and Bun Bun is in the next room. However, it feels like a dead space. There is no feeling of life anymore, no feeling that I'm sharing the space with other souls.
I've started to pack up Meda's things, partly because I can't take the look on the cat's face when he stares at the cage, looking for his playmate, and partly because I want to stop looking back over my shoulder for her. My evening routine is all messed up - that's when I fed her and gave her treats. Brian says that he felt better when he put away Castor's cage, but it feels so final to me. Maybe this is the denial stage they talk about.
Someday soon I will get another rabbit, or a pair. I think I would prefer a bonded pair because rabbits are truly social creatures, and they usually like to have a companion. Trying to bring two rabbits together and have them bond is surprisingly problematic. Rabbits are highly territorial and live in a stringent heirarchy in the wild. Dominance and submission is important here. When the top bunny demands grooming, they better get it. Most humans don't realize that when they pet a bunny they are in fact being the submissive one in the relationship, because the bottom bun is the one who does the grooming.
Given all of that, I would definitely prefer a pair who already have all of those dynamics worked out. Pairs are often harder to adopt out because people don't want two bunnies, even though they occupy the same space and eat the same food, so it is really not any more trouble.
I will make a plug for the MN House Rabbit Society here. If you live in MN and have any interest in rabbits as pets, you should look these gals up. They are putting a tribute to Meda in the next newsletter.
I don't think that wanting to adopt another animal means that I am going to forget Meda. She was my first bunny. I cut my teeth on her. I like to think that I made her life better too. She went from a 1X3 wire-floored cage where she couldn't even stretch out, to a 2X3 foot cage with three levels, and a room she could explore whenever she wanted. I did my best, and I hope she understood that.
Posted by Laura at October 20, 2003 11:17 PM