Bunny Surprises

Some of you who know me know my EXTREME reluctance to own pets. I like other people's pets, but to my mind I have enough mess to clean up and people to feed without adding someone furry to the list, because everyone knows that no matter whose pet the animal is supposed to be, MOM ends up caring for it. This December, however, after seeing some unmistakable signs of responsibility from the girls, I finally caved to the pressure, and we got a rabbit. Our rational was that rabbits are fuzzy and fill the cuddling need, but unlike dogs, they stay in a cage so they don't ruin the plants or leave surprises in the yard! Also, given the cage, it is much easier to find "bunny sitters" when we are back in the US for a time. Plus, Heidi isn't allergic to them like she is to cats. Since our coworkers were the ones with the baby bunnies, the price was right too.

The whole family trooped over to pick one out. One of them hopped right up to us and acted very friendly, so we decided this bunny was the one for us. We were told the rabbit was a boy, another plus in our minds: no babies possible! After much debate, the kids named him Cuddles, (much to Ian's chegrin, he was routing for Peter or Jack.)

This vacation we agreed to "bunny sit" another male rabbit for a family while they were on vacation. After seeing the two bunnies frolic in the yard, I told Ian, "Either that is one dumb bunny, or he knows something we don't..." Sure enough, upon further investigation, we discovered that Cuddles was a girl AND now, soon to be a mom! (Ian felt that Cuddles was a much more suitable name given our new knowledge.) Ian and Heidi worked together to make a new bigger cage for the soon to be mama. Kay suggested they paint it green, so Cuddles would think she was in the grass :) The girls have done a great job of caring for the bunny. They remember to give her food and water each day without being prompted, and Heidi frequently takes the bunny out of her cage to cuddle with and give her free running and digging time in our enclosed yard.

Since December, I have caved even farther. Tom is now the proud owner of a VERY small, mostly transparent fish named Little Squeek.