Ain't too proud to beg, for rabbit attention

At the risk of losing all my street cred, I am a Rabbit Owner. As in a HOUSE RABBIT. As in a Free Roam House rabbit owner.

Now, had you told me a year ago that I would have become the human slave to a not-quite-four pound Dutch Rabbit named Coco, I would have laughed you out of the room.

I will spare you the dramatic, made-for-tv movie that is our rescue of Coco ( and it was grim) to simply tell you that she now lives in my bedroom. 

Yes, She has a litterbox. Yes, she uses it 99% of the time.

In many ways, she is just like a cat. Aloof. Bossy. Hopelessly soft looking.

Seriously, if rabbits weren't so tasty to a majority of the worlds predators, they would have taken over. They are some bad mamma-jammas. If you've been growled at and charged by a rabbit, it is a truly terrifying moment. Like "Monty Python Attack Rabbit" moment. I think, in fact, that the person who wrote that scene WAS a house rabbit owner and had witnessed something similar.

But, to quote Shakespeare, here is the rub.

Because I was the prime "rescuer" of Coco ( over the protestations of my husband who Did NOT want a rabbit), I became prime caregiver. This statement, to any mother in the audience, is a huge joke. I am the prime caregiver to ALL creatures in the house. Child, Husband,  Former Cat and current rabbit. Plants, fish, toilet paper, state of underwear - it is all under my domain.

I do not mind being prime caregiver. I was happy to do for the rabbit. Who is, by the way, considered an "exotic" by the vets. This means any vet care is twelve billion times more expensive because you have to find a vet who "specializes" in rabbits. And did I mention the special rabbit diet? I shop three times a week to buy fresh greens for the rabbit. And the Hay - did I mention the Hay? Has to be Timothy based. Could be Brome or Orchard, but never Alfalfa for an adult rabbit. Oh and the special litter the rabbit needs because after you have sunk 500 bucks in medical care and spay for the rabbit, you sure as heck do not want her getting a lung infection from pine litter. 

So here I am. Prime litter shopper and cleaner, Salad buyer and maker, carting to and from the vet (and paying out of my personal, not house account), toy and environment arranger and rotater. If we go on vacation, I arrange for her to be boarded...because UNLIKE cats, rabbits can't simply be left alone for a week.

There is now a significant part of my brain devoted to rabbit care and feeding.

Now, back to the rub. She no longer "likes" me. Nope. All about the Husband. You should see her dance around his feet, leaping and cavorting for his attention. For me? Nothing.
When he walks in with food, you would have thought the rabbit equivalent to the Messiah had strolled in...with me, complete disinterest.

Terrance thinks I am being oversensitive. To prove my point, I sat on the floor yesterday and tapped in front of her. This is the international "I will offer you nose rubs and grooming" signal. She hopped over. Leaned out, sniffed me, then turned and hopped away. THREE TIMES.

"Shes playing with you", he said. "She's flipping me off", I responded.

"That's it - You can clean her litter and buy her food and worry about her poop and if she is overproducing cecals, I'm DONE ", I announced.

"I can't help it if she likes me", he giggled.

"Don't lie, you are secretly happy deep down inside that ALL the pets prefer you. You get to be TREAT MAN and pretend you hate it, but you LOVE it. I do all the work and Nothing." I stop. I am truly upset.

"Do you have rabbit envy?", he asks.

"Maybe."

And there is the shame of it. I DO have rabbit envy.  I WANT her to love me more. To Prefer me. But she doesn't.

And now I need to clean her litter.
I am a rabbit martyr.

Original post to Canada Moms Blog. Dawn also blog at "I am Doing the Best I can", herds the group at "True Wife Confessions" and recently started "Please Don't Friend Me", tales of social networking gone bad.. Dawn also photoblogs  as one of the group of 33 women from around the world at "Envisage365" ( which is now recruiting for Year 2!)