# Rorschach's Journal



## galinfla (Aug 25, 2011)

_"Watermelon rind in cage this morning. The carrot is afraid of me. I have seen its true face."_

There were tons of chickens at the farm swap that morning. I was disheartened, because I'd just learned that a city ordinance prevents me from having chickens at my house. I had them as a kid, and they were such a fun pet. Fresh eggs would have been a real treat.

My daughter and I went from table to truck, checking out produce and petting various animals. We got fresh pork rinds to crunch on while I talked about hydroponics with a gentleman whose youtube videos I 'd watched. We continued walking, and suddenly, she stopped.

There was this hay filled trailer with a half dozen bouncing critters in it. A Mexican family stood on the outside, the mother looking hopeful. A little girl cradled a grey and white ball of fur in her arms. My daughter was peering in at the fluffiest little ball of white with black polka dots. Her eyes did that thing, where they get really big and shiny, and I heard her, "Awwww! Mommmmmy..."

We had pets: Rats. They're small, low maintenance, friendly, and intelligent. Rats, however, do not cuddle and snuggle. They scamper and scurry. They play with your hair and get tangled up behind your neck. They're too small to let out of the cage without concern that they'll get injured or lost. We adore our rats, but my daughter practically swooned at the idea of snuggling her face into this puffball.

A half hour later, I was paying the relieved lady for the ball of fluff. "His name is Lucky," they said. Apparently, the litter had been large... too large for the mother, whom they described as small. "He was the only one who lived."

I just nodded and asked how big he would get. I like animals, really. The story was, indeed, neat. It's just that pets are a lot of work, and at the ancient age of ten, my kid was likely to forget to take care of her little friend sometimes. You know. Memory is the first thing to go and all of that. They pointed to a black and white speckled rabbit. "That's the daddy. Mommy is smaller than he is. Lucky will be small."

Lucky was in the trailer, snuggling with his father. I was informed that Mommy was at home, making more bunnies. I watched them a minute. They seemed very attached to each other. I didn't know a thing about rabbits, but I knew that rats can get depressed if you have just the one. I could hear myself shouting, "No way!" in my head as I paid for Lucky's father.

I compromised with the voice by saying that my kid was mostly into Lucky. This other one was just kind of along for the ride. If he turned out to be too much work, I'd sell him. I was told his name was a Spanish word that meant "fluffy" or "soft", or some such thing. On the way home, I struggled in vain to remember the name. My kid and I came up with all sorts of things that sounded similar, but not quite right. I only knew it was a word that reminded me of "Chalupa".

During the long drive home, the voice urged me to get rid of Chalupa. "Chalupa" sounded too ridiculous to me, so he just became, "That Other One". When I got home, I went to Craigslist. Some local person was looking for a rabbit. I sent an email describing his good qualities and offered to sell him.

The cage was set up in the bedroom. The following morning, the smell of boy rabbit pee had filled the room like some tangible thing, pushing me out of the doorway. "Sweetie, I don't think we can keep either one of these rabbits." I was ready to give them and the cage away, right then... but the kid was looking very sad. 

Compromise. I told her that we would give the rabbits a week during which we'd try very hard to get this odor thing handled. If we couldn't do it, they had to go.
Later that day, I was checking on their water bowl. Chalupa- Lafucha- That Other One rushed over to me and put a paw on my arm. He turned and tilted his head so he could look me in the eye. Casting Voodoo spells in bunny language, no doubt. As we made eye contact, I realized the spots on one side of his face were almost an exact mirror image of the other side of his face. The name, "Rorschach" clicked into place.

Not Rorschach, the ink blot test psychiatrists use. That would have been easier for me to forget. Easier for me to dismiss later. No. This rabbit became my idea of the bunny form of Walter Kovacs- a character from a graphic novel turned movie. I even started imagining him with a little bunny fedora.

"Darn it!" I actually muttered this out loud. My kid looked up. "He has a name. How can I get rid of him now?"


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## plasticbunny (Aug 25, 2011)

Brilliant. Like reading a good novel.


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## MrBoejyngles (Aug 25, 2011)

That was amazing. Your writing skills are awesome. Isnt it amazing how easily these bunnies suck us into their lives? I'm glad you're starting to realize how much love you can get from your little guys. Good luck!


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## galinfla (Aug 25, 2011)

_"Slept all day. Awoken around 2. Girl home from school. Her mother complaining about smell."_

My daughter and I assembled various products around us. "Shouldn't we just use vinegar and baking soda on the rabbit cage, too?"

I'd recently begun switching to a solution of half vinegar and half water for most cleaning around the house. Anything stubborn gets a paste of water with baking soda before being sprayed with the vinegar. "Yea, that's what I'm thinking. If anything has the ability to slay this beast, it's the vinegar."

"Mom, you're so weird." came the usual comment.

"That's why you love me," came the usual response. Hey, I know better than to argue with obvious facts.

She sighed, a tremendous long-suffering sigh, scooping up the bottle of vinegar-water. Sighing about cleaning? Sighing about my response? Probably both. I carried the bottom of the cage out to her and we let the rabbits bounce around on the porch. 

Rorschach quickly realized he could hop up on a ledge and gaze longingly into freedom that teased him from the other side of the screen enclosure. At least, in his head, it was a beautiful freedom. Honestly, I live right next to the intersection of two incredibly busy streets. If he ever got all of the way over there, he'd be rabbit pancakes.

"Ugh!" It's a funny thing how a child will be oblivious to something like the Worst Smell Ever to Befall Man, Harbinger of the Dark Lord of Zombie Rabbits... as long as there are cute little bunnies right in her face. Remove the bunnies and leave the child with the foul empty cage, and she suddenly will quiver with the respectful fear it deserves.

"Exactly. They've been smelling that all day, waiting for you to clean them up." I'd felt a twinge of guilt for not cleaning it for them, but this is her chore. She wants the pleasure of cuddly wabbits, she accepts the price.

"I wonder. Do you think they know they stink?" My kid ponders a lot of unanswerable questions.

"Maybe. Or maybe, since they're boy bunnies, and they're not neutered, they think they smell manly. And sexy."

"Eww! Rabbits can't be sexy. What's neutered?"

"Surgery. Vet removes the testicles."

"Eww! Don't say testicles! Why remove... those things?"

"Well, no babies is a big one. Then, there's health. Pets seem to get sick easier if they aren't fixed. Also, they won't pee everywhere to say, "I'm the man!" and they'll be nicer to each other."

"So why don't we do that? Get them neutered, I mean. Not pee everywhere."

"Remember how I couldn't afford to get you a Wii?" she nods. "This costs more. Also, if we don't get control of this smelly situation, they're not staying."


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## galinfla (Aug 26, 2011)

So, Tuesday came along, the way it always does after a Monday. Big surprise, right? 

The smell of the rabbits was still strong enough that you couldn't say, "OMG! That smells so bad!" When people smell this smell, they will not say, "OMG" for it will cause even the most devout Christian to believe there is no God.

Complain as I might, it was not as bad as it had been on Sunday morning. My daughter took her shower while I put the finishing touches on her bento. This was her first week back in school, and I was giving all of her lunches a school theme. Monday, it was a quesadilla in the shape of an apple. This time, pancakes that look like school buses. Sausage meatballs on the side, and a cute little container holding syrup on the side.

She sat at the table and took a bite of cereal. Our rats eyed her hopefully, and she gave them each a flake. My rat, Radish, snatched hers and clambered up to her preferred level. Juliet, my daughter's rat, accepted hers gracefully and hopped down to eat at the bottom of the cage. It's fun to observe them and to get to know their little routines.

I took the rabbits each a little parsley. Rorschach swiped his and turned, so that I would have to look at his rump. Lucky Bun-bun nibbled his from my hand, not even trying to take it. I waited impatiently and ended up putting it on the floor.

"How does that happen, Mom?"

"If you can talk, your mouth is empty. Need to finish breakfast or you'll be late. Eat. You mean how do we keep getting pets with similar personalities? And they kind of act like us?" She nodded, her jaw working as she crunched her cereal. I shrugged. "No clue."

Across the room, Radish was eying me, her teeth chomping on the bars of the cage. I tapped her nose to get her to stop chewing. She stopped and looked up at me expectantly. "Jealous little thing. Don't you know I like you more? I haven't even decided on if this boy gets to stay. You're family. I'll hold you when I get back." We hurried and got my kid off to school.

On my return, I considered my daughter's question. I'm kind of asocial and I'm only really friendly with some people- and only some of the time. My daughter is outgoing and affectionate. Each of us balances the other out. I think we're good for each other. How we manage to wind up with pets who act like us is a mystery. I might understand if these were traits that developed after being with us for a while, but with both the rats and the rabbits, these were already parts of their personalities.


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 26, 2011)

Your blog is spectacular! Lots of hay and parsley should help the smell eventually, but neutering is a key. My boy smelled SO BAD I would gag cleaning his box until the hormones drained. Why is it always the boys that smell bad and have bad litter habits- across species. I wonder if I neutered my husband if it would help his aim?


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## Anaira (Aug 27, 2011)

Loved reading your blog!

I would just like to point out boy rats can be the most snuggliest, squishiest, cuddliest pets.  Girls do tend to be a bit more flighty.


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## galinfla (Aug 31, 2011)

_Now the whole garden stands on the brink, staring down into my mouth, all those parsley leaves and bits of kale and apple peels...and all of a sudden nobody can think of anything to say._

When I say the smell was better, I should clarify. After picking my kid up from school Tuesday, I stood on the porch, finding the key to the house. Beyond this door, there is the kitchen. Beyond that door is the room with the rabbits, who are on the far side of the room, directly beside an open window. Before I inserted the key, I could smell the funk of rabbits.

I suspect it isn't just jealousy making the rats feel so unhappy. They're sharing the room. It occurs to me that I've allowed males to invade what was previously all female territory. I moved to Florida after splitting up with the ex. Since then, I've only had one relationship, and the guy lived in Connecticut. My home has always had the slightly sweet scent of clean girlishness: soap, perfume, make-up. It is a tremendous contrast to these very manly bunnies who are stinking up the joint. Perhaps they feel outnumbered, here in this room with its hot pink curtains.

"That's it." I stopped what I was doing and grabbed my car key, instead. My daughter looked at me questioningly. "We're going to Lowe's." I'd read about wood stove pellets, which were compressed wood, that would absorb urine and hold the odors. Sounded perfect to me. So we drove up to Lowe's. 

A pet store is on the way, so we stopped by and grabbed a bag of hay. As always, their rabbits smelled just fine. On my way out, I asked the manager what his secret was. He just said they cleaned their rabbits every day. I told him we did, too, but they always smell. 

Originally, he was somewhat guarded. He probably thought they'd been bought there. I asked if their rabbits were fixed, since I knew that contributes to smell. He said they weren't. I think this was when he started to realize these were not his bunnies. I asked if they use some sort of product that lowered smell, and he said it was just a regular non-toxic cleaning solution. Then, he said that it might be their diet. I told him what I'd fed the rabbits. He nodded approval, then said it could be the food they'd eaten before coming to my house. He said that kind of thing could take up to a couple of weeks to get out of their systems. Good grief.

After thanking him, I headed to Lowe's. I wandered about for a while, trying to figure out where they'd keep such a thing. You know how the stereotype is about men not asking directions? I'm like that in stores. It doesn't help that I've been friends with people who worked in stores, who complain that people always ask where stuff is, when it's so easy to find if they just look.

After maybe forty minutes of pushing my kid on one of those huge flat cart things, I went to customer service and asked. The woman stopped smiling and furrowed her brow. "Wood... stove... pellets?"

I nodded. Her face looked progressively more blank, until I was starting to wonder if it was possible to lose your facial features. I explained what they were, and what I wanted to use them for. Nothing. She asked somebody else, who did the same thing. I decided to leave before I'd turned the whole store into some sort of strange zombie mannequins.

So then I drove to Home Depot. Why are they always so close to each other? Is there something about zoning that forces them to be neighbors? We went directly to customer service this time. Everybody was busy, though it looked as though they were all busy doing the same task just to have something to do. 

They didn't notice me, and were all caught up in conversation. We went to the bathroom, wandered a bit, sampled the chairs in the patio furniture area. Then, I went back to customer service and just stood there until somebody realized there was a customer there. Who needed service.

A woman approached, and I told her what I was looking for. She had the blank look for just a moment before turning to somebody else and asking her. Neither of them had ever heard of them. I said that online, I saw they sell the pellet stove. "Would it be possible to have them ship pellets to the store?"

Apparently, having the company send an item to the store to be picked up by the customer is something only Walmart would consider. For free, anyway. They said I could probably pay to have it sent to my house if I ordered the pellets online... but, of course, I hadn't seen the pellets online. Just the stoves. I'd assumed it was one of those things that needs to be purchased in the store. I surrendered and said, "I guess I'd have to buy them up north."

I returned home, shorter on gas and temper. Grumbling to myself, I went online while my daughter did her homework. After reading a while, I was reminded that they were the same thing as horse bedding pellets. Doh. The Guardian website indicated that the closest store was about forty minutes from me. 

Ugh. Well, at least that store sold hay. A bale of hay from a store that sells feed would be much cheaper than that little 20 oz bag I bought at the pet store. After dinner, I cuddled with my rat. She normally likes to hang out on my shoulder while I do stuff on the computer or watch a movie. Being all girly and hyper, she'll go from shoulder to shoulder, climb up on top of my head, and repeat the process. Here and there, she'll pause to snuggle. Not this time. Radish marched her little body back and forth, trailed up and down my arms, and around my neck- even the front, her little claws digging slightly into my chest... peeing. 

By the time she was finished, there was no doubt about it. She was jealous and marking her territory for the world to sniff. I guiltily let her do her thing for about five minutes. Thinking back and actually saying that I let her pee on me for a few minutes sounds crazy... but whether it had happened in one long session or a dozen little ones, it was going to happen. Once she seemed satisfied, I gave her a light scratching and told her she was a silly possessive thing. Then, I put her into her cage and took a shower.

An hour or so after going to sleep, it happened again. I woke up in the middle of the night because suddenly, the rabbits smelled awful again. I think it's that soft poo they do- the ones they eat. They smell more, right? I did note the smell wasn't as bad this time. I stayed in bed, waiting to fall back asleep. In their cage, Radish and Juliet were crunching cubes. 

It's funny the things you think of when you're just staring at the ceiling fan, waiting for its spin to hypnotize you into a sleep. I realized I had two pets now with names that start with R. It hadn't been on purpose. The Latin word for "rat" is "rattus", and I liked the play on words by naming her "Radish". Rorschach's name, of course, came from a graphic novel on my shelf. I then realized both pets are animals that start with R. I was starting to feel like an episode of Sesame Street.

In the morning, the rabbit cage was still much better. Not pleasant, but nothing that seemed lethal. I am unwilling to live with unpleasant. I didn't have any appointments set up, so I cleaned the cage. My daughter and I took the rather long drive to Mims in the afternoon, playing car games as we went along. We made up a new one in which we each had to take a letter of the alphabet and create long sentences with as much alliteration as possible. I think my best one was something like, "Crazy crocodile couples calmly crunch cool cucumbers, crispy chicken, and corn cobs, cozily cuddling by candlelight. (I have crazy ninja alliteration skills, you see.)

They were out of timothy hay. She asked if I'd like some alfalfa with timothy, but I know it has too much calcium. So I just got the 40 pound bag of horse bedding pellets. When we got home, I ripped a corner of the bag open and took a sniff. Nice wood smell; not super strong, but just enough. Using a little plastic food container as a scoop, I put about two inches of the stuff into the rabbits' litter pan. They hopped in and pawed at it, nosed it, nibbled it. After chomping on two or three, they realized the stuff was not tasty.

That night, I wasn't awakened by the smell of nasty rabbits. Now, I cannot imagine that was the pellets (or, at least, _just _the pellets)... but this was their sixth night with us. If it was, indeed, the food they'd eaten before, maybe it was almost out of their systems. 

The following morning, the smell was almost tolerable. I'd put the hay in on one end and scooped the poo up from the cage floor and put it into the other end. They, of course, had poo all over the cage and the litter pan, and had scattered the hay. Donning my gloves, I did the process again. "Guys, you put your butts here. You eat the hay here." 

The rats made a clamor in their cage. They thought I was giving the rabbits treats, and they felt left out. I took them each a piece of timothy. They accepted in their usual fashion, went to their usual perches, sniffed the hay, and returned to me. You could almost hear them thinking, "Hey, lady. Is this a joke?"


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## galinfla (Sep 14, 2011)

Meh. Since Lucky died, it's been sad and rough to write. I was originally writing about a few days of the past in each post with the intention of finally catching up to the present. Now I'm all behind and forgetting things, which makes me feel guilty. Hate it when pets die.


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## aquamoonbeam (Oct 16, 2011)

Sorry for your loss! I love your blog though!


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## MiniLopHop (Oct 17, 2011)

Hi. Just wanted to stop by and see how Rorshach's doing? Is the smell getting any better? I understand that it can be tough to write after a loss. I have been avoiding my blog since Indy died. :hugs:


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## galinfla (Oct 18, 2011)

_A rabbit died in Florida. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows. _


Somebody on rabbitsonline.net told me that parsley might help out with the smell, so I picked up some parsley. We were now doing a daily cleaning, wood pellets, and parsley. The smell was much better, but still not acceptable. I noticed it was gradually fading- but was it really? Or was I getting used to it?

Then, my family decided they were going to visit. Everybody was at my motherâs house, and then they wanted to come to my house. Iâm not sure if I mentioned this, but the house was small, and we had rabbit smells. This is an especially big deal because this is family I hadnât seen since I was nine, because they live overseas. So I got in touch with a local pet sitter. I took the bunnies to her house while my daughter was at school.

I opened up the windows and started tidying up. When she got home, my daughter helped wipe down every surface with vinegar water or bleach water. Youâd never know we had rabbits. That evening, my family arrived. We went to watch my daughterâs soccer game together. Then, I took them to the beach for a walk. After that, we sat at the docks. Late the following morning, they all headed back up to my motherâs house.

We picked up our rabbits. Two days later, Lucky was dead. Iâm not going into detail here, because Iâd rather it be a blurry haze. I was on the phone, calling local emergency vets while my daughter huddled on the bed, petting Lucky as he lay on the mattress. Suddenly, he did that little shuddering stretch animals tend to do as they pass, repositioning himself to face her and nuzzle her hand. As I heard the words, âWe donât see rabbits here,â Lucky left us.

After taking some time to grieve, I put him in a Ziploc bag in the fridge, because she couldnât decide what to do with him. She wanted to bury him. She wanted to cremate him. She wanted a taxidermist to preserve his hide. I wanted to do whatever it was going to take to help her through this. Ultimately, I called the taxidermist, who suggested I wrap him in an old towel and put him back in the Ziploc bag and freeze him. This way, she could take her time to decide what she wanted to do. So thatâs what we did.

When friends found out, they said, âWhat?? Are you going to eat him?â 

âYes, I replied sarcastically. I froze him because I always freeze stuff I plan to eat. Mmm, raw meat Popsicle.â

A few days passed, and a friend asked, âStill got the rabbit in the freezer?â

âYes.â

âRabbit stew?â

âBite me.â

Iâm not sure why people found it so bizarre that Iâd done exactly what the taxidermist recommended. My pet died. I didnât have a good place in the yard to bury him without concern that some animal would dig him up, and I didnât want to throw him in the trash. My daughter was still very emotional, and I didnât want to pester her to keep thinking about what to do with his body. Sure, I got a little freaked out every time I got near the freezer, but if it helped my daughter to have a little more time to think everything over, I was fine with that.

As for Rorschachâ¦ the first few days, he was obviously looking for Lucky. Iâd read that it might be good to let him see the body, so he could acknowledge the death and mourn. I didnât want that. 

Frankly, Rorschach had seen several of his children die. Heâd seen his children and friends be sold off. He hadnât been with us very long, so it wasnât like heâd already adapted to this new life. Already forgotten what it was like for his companions to vanish. I preferred he just look around a few days and dismiss the situation. I figured if he kept looking for more than a few days, I'd let him see Lucky's body. Within two days, Rorschach seemed fine, so I let it go.


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## galinfla (Nov 17, 2011)

_Soon there will be dinner. Cilantro will be digested. Millions of leaves will perish in my mouth and belly._

My daughter didn't really pay attention to Rorschach for a few days. I gave her some time, then told her that she could choose: We could keep Rorschach, and he'd be both of ours, or I would try and find him a new home. I didn't want to keep him if being with him made her unhappy.

She wanted to keep him. So I had her help take care of him. He drinks like a fish, so she fills his water bottle in the afternoons. She goes out on the porch and plays with him after school, making little mazes for him involving cardboard boxes and pellets.

We treat pellets almost like treats around here. Do all rabbits love pellets, or is he a little different? We always have hay available, and I give him parsley, but he attacks his pellets with gusto. I have a little snack sized container that I use to measure them out. He gets half of a container full daily.

I felt guilty for giving the rabbit fresh greens and not offering any to the rats, so we tried it with them. They hate parsley and will shove it out of their cage, their little paws grasping the stems with derision. We taught Rorschach to stand for his parsley or cilantro, whichever I happened to buy. Walmart had nice fat bunches of parsley for 55 cents, so I'd get him some each week. Then, they raised the price.

With the wood pellets in his litter box, parsley in his belly, daily cage cleanings, and spending half of the day out on the porch, the room smelled like a normal room again. Thank goodness! I started working on developing a habit every morning.
Take kid to school, come home
Open the windows
Let rats play on the bed while I clean their cage
Let the rabbit on the porch while I clean his cage
Put the rats into their cage on the porch
Sweep random bits of hay off of my floor
Writing it out, it seems like a lot, but it only takes about fifteen minutes. That's just long enough for whatever crud is on the breakfast dishes to soften up.
I let the animals stay out on the porch until my daughter comes home from school. Then, the rats come in. Rorschach is outside until the sky is golden. That way, he gets to stretch out those legs.

One day, I went outside to find a rabbit on my table. He was eating a potato. I'd completely forgotten that I'd bought a sack of potatoes and left them on the porch. I carefully gathered Rorschach into my arms and set him onto the floor. He immediately tried to hop back up to get back to the potatoes. It had never even occurred to me that he could make his way onto the table.

I took the potatoes into the house and looked online to see how concerned I needed to be. I was a little worried about the things I'd read and decided to keep an eye on him just in case. I went to get the potato so I could cut off the part he'd eaten and use the rest for dinner. I remembered it was a nice big potato. "Ah, here it is." I put it into a pot. I picked up a few more so we'd have enough to fill the pot. 

"No, maybe it was this one," I muttered as I found a nibbled off bit. Then, it happened again... but this time, the potato had obviously been attacked over a day before. In all, he'd nibbled on a good half dozen potatoes over the past few days.
"Ugh." I don't buy potatoes very often, so it wasn't so odd for me to forget I'd bought these. I went over to the screen door to make a face at my bunny. "I guess that you're not gonna die or anything from that potato you stole today."

From his perch on the table, Rorschach just looked at me. I think he was giving me a rabbit smirk.


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## galinfla (Nov 25, 2011)

_There is timothy and there is alfalfa, and the alfalfa must be uneaten. Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise in this. But there are so many deserving of retribution...and there is so little time. _


Clank. Clank. Clank. In the interrupted silence, I opened my eyes, groggy. The room was still dark. Clank. Clank.

â*Ror*schach,â I muttered. He was banging his water bottle, his signal that it was empty, and he was displeased. He hadnât even known how to use a water bottle when we got him. Now heâd mastered its use to the point that it was both a vessel for his water _and _a means of summoning me. Greaaat.

For the first day or so, weâd given him and Lucky a little plastic bowl to drink from. It was spilled frequently, but I didnât want to buy a water bottle. I already had one, somewhere.

Iâd like to visit Somewhere Land one day. It seems like the things I need always end up thereâ¦ socks, keys, purses, sometimes even people. I was very happy when the water bottle returned from its trip to that mystic land, and appeared in a place Iâd surely looked a half dozen times already.

I washed the water bottle, filled it up, and put it on the side of the cage. The rabbits eyed it suspiciously. Then, they looked at me expectantly. Lucky licked my hand. I patted him on the head and closed the cage. A couple of hours passed, and they hadnât touched the bottle. They normally drink quite a bit, so I was surprised. I placed a bowl of water in the cage, and they shoved each other out of the way as they rushed for it.

âHnh.â For the rest of the day, I left the bottle in the cage and also gave them the bowl. I waited to see if curiosity would eventually get them to approach the bottle. Nothing. The following day, we did this again. Still nothing. After cleaning and refilling the bottle on the third day, I put it in. They completely ignored it and eyed me, waiting for the bowl I didn't put in. I watched them watching me with a frown. This was _not _part of my plan. I headed for the kitchen.

âMom, whatâcha doing?â I guess it did look strange that I was putting corn syrup on my hand.

âMaking my fingers taste good.â

âUhmâ¦ why?â She had that tone that said I was obviously insane.

âTo make the rabbits lick me.â

âAww, can I have some? I want them to lick me, too!"

âNo. Maybe later.â She pouted. âJust wait. Iâm doing this for a reason.â

I put my hand in the cage, putting a fingertip immediately before one adorable wiggly nose. Sniff, sniff, lick. I slowly moved my hand, and Lucky didnât follow. I put my finger back, waggling it in his face. He took a tiny bunny step forward and licked. I let him lick that finger clean, then offered another sweet finger. This time, there was no problem getting him to follow me. I rubbed the stuff on the tip of the water bottle and slowly got him to lick that, instead. When he discovered the bottle had water in it, he seemed pretty happy. He licked it even more than he had when he was only after the syrup.

âAwesome.â

âHuh?â

âLuckyâs drinking from the bottle now.â

âOh! Great!â My daughter hurried over to look. âNow they wonât keep spilling it and getting wet.â

âYep. And we can give them more at a time.â

âSo we wonât have to keep putting more water in there so much!â

I set about coaxing Rorschach. He didnât respond as well. He licked my finger, and I moved it away. He didnât follow. I put it back, and he just stared at me. I rubbed his nose, and he licked it. Then, he licked my finger again. I tried moving it away , and once again, he wouldnât follow. We did this quite a few times before he finally followed my finger. Then, he refused to try licking the bottle. I had to get more syrup and practically rub his nose with the tip of the bottle. Finally, he figured out what I was trying to show him. He assaulted the bottle the way Lucky had.

Sometime after Lucky had died, Rorschach had figured out that if he tucked his head under the bottle and flipped his head âjust soâ, it would bounce and clank against the bars. It was noisy and got our attention. It was the perfect way to let us know he needed more water. Or was getting close. Or he wanted to try and coax us into giving him treats.

Now, he was doing it in the middle of the night. I stayed in bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it did its lazy spin. Clank. Clank. Get up and check the freaking thing to get him to stop or stay in bed? "Not gonna happen, buddy."

I rolled over and forced myself to return to sleep. The last thing I needed was for some tiny cute creature to get the idea that he could boss me around in the middle of the night. Clank. Clank. I'd check it when I woke up to go to the bathroom. I was so going back to sleep now. Clank.

"You're lucky I have to pee." I went to the bathroom first, then checked the bottle. It was empty. I rinsed the tip and refilled the bottle, bringing it back to him. He nuzzled my hand a moment before lapping eagerly at his water. I pet his back. "You're welcome... but you've got to try not to drink so much at night. I'm only going to check it when I have to go potty. I swear it."

Interestingly, he hasn't done this since. I guess he figured I meant it. Smart rabbit.


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## Kipcha (Nov 25, 2011)

Man, your blog is probably my favorite to read, your writing is fantastic! I always look forward to seeing a new post in it


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## funnybunnymummy (Nov 26, 2011)

Love your blog. 

You're not a writer, are you? If not, you should be. 

Rue


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## galinfla (Nov 27, 2011)

Ah, thanks. I've always entertained the notion of writing professionally. I just don't think I'd get enough fans to put the bread on the table.


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## JjGoesBounce (Nov 28, 2011)

'Kay when you publish a book if you see at one of your book-signings a random girl jumping up and down with a poster that says Rorschach... that will be me.


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## funnybunnymummy (Nov 28, 2011)

Hey, you'd be surprised how many fans you might get. 

Rue


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## Kipcha (Nov 29, 2011)

Looks like you would have at least some fans right here! You never know unless you try


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## galinfla (Nov 30, 2011)

Aww, thanks. Maybe I'll consider putting some actual work into one of my little stories I've been playing with... y'all like fantasy?


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## JjGoesBounce (Nov 30, 2011)

Heck yeah. That's pretty much all I read.

Jj


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## MiniLopHop (Nov 30, 2011)

woo hoo! I would buy your books 

Rorshach could be a super hero!


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## galinfla (Dec 1, 2011)

[flash=425,344]http://youtu.be/nCMU-bvv/&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]

I might have had a little too much time on my hands this afternoon... but here's a video of my pets showing just how patient they are with me!


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## galinfla (Dec 1, 2011)

Uhm... does that video work for other people? 'Cause it doesn't show up over here. If it isn't just me... the link is

http://youtu.be/nCMU-bvu0fI


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## JjGoesBounce (Dec 1, 2011)

Wow! Is that you singing? Gorgeous!
Oh and you to galinfla!

jj


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## galinfla (Dec 1, 2011)

It's the bunny singing! Err... no, wait. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate it if people assumed he had a girl voice. I have such patient pets, but I doubt he'd remain quite as patient if I spread such rumors about him.


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## JjGoesBounce (Dec 1, 2011)

Well hey! Tell him you're the next Justin Bieber! He has a girl voice if I ever heard one. (Sorry JB fans)
*sigh*
no one's reading my bloggy....
???leaseplease::bow

Jj


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## galinfla (Dec 26, 2011)

Every morning, I let Rorschach out onto my porch. This way, he can stretch out those long bunny legs and get some fresh air. It also allows me to air out the room. It doesn't have the really icky smell anymore, but the house still smells a little like I have a pet.

When I'm on my way to my office, I take a little distraction so he won't keep jumping on my legs or rubbing at my feet. He did this from the first time that I took him out, and I spent the first couple of days walking very slowly so I wouldn't accidentally injure him. It's amazing how talented this bunny is at training his humans.

A few days ago, I was on my way to the office and grabbed a cabbage leaf. There was no little ball of fluff at my feet. Instead, I saw a blur of black and white outside, in my side yard. Oh, no.

I called my daughter and told her to get out there ASAP. With a client on the way, my time was limited. I know some people will disagree, but work comes before pets. I'm a single mom getting zero child support. While she was getting some shoes on, I rushed over to the side yard.

I called to him softly and approached slowly, offering him the leaf. He was nibbling at some bit of weeds in the yard. As I got near, I could see him tense up. I reached for him and he bolted the moment my hands got onto him. Afraid of injuring him, I'd been far too gentle, and he escaped easily. I recently started working on cutting down a tree. He was unable to keep going the direction he headed because its branches were blocking his way. He ran back, passing me and heading for the parking lot. Crap.

He hesitated, sniffing at the weed he'd been eating before I'd come. I tossed down the cabbage leaf, a little closer to me (and farther from the parking lot). He stopped and began munching the leaf. I spoke softly and petted him, then picked him up. He squirmed a bit, but he was ultimately more interested in eating the cabbage than getting away from me.

My daughter grabbed the cage and once I was in the house, she put the cage beside me. We put him in and I hurried to my office to clean up. I had bits of fur and dirt on my top and I prayed silently that I didn't smell as dirty as I looked. On my way to the office, I brushed at my clothing, plucking at stubborn rabbit hairs.

That evening, he honked for the first time. We were in a huge panic, because we'd never heard that kind of noise. We thought perhaps he'd gotten sick from something he ate while he was out in the yard. Then, I found some videos on youtube with bunnies making the same sounds. He did it while eating some salad I'd prepared for him, so we were pretty tickled when we realized it was his basically his equivalent of, "This is pretty good grub! I'm so glad I didn't actually run away, because those weeds aren't as tasty as this!"

This was the day before Christmas Eve. I couldn't take the time to examine the porch, as this was my busiest day in months. Everybody and their uncles wanted to come in for gift certificates or for their own sessions.

I spent my entire weekend thinking about what had happened. I plan to try and figure out how he got out of the enclosed porch, and I will attempt to repair it. However, this whole situation made me very aware that this home is less than ideal for a pet rabbit. I'm not in a rush to re-home him, but I do believe he should go somewhere more suitable.

When he escaped, he refused to come to me and squirmed away the moment I put a hand on him. If not for those branches I've procrastinated about dragging to the curb, I would never have caught him. I cannot leave him in his cage all of the time, but I really don't have anywhere in the house that is safe for him to run around. 

I keep thinking of how horrific it would be if he made it all of the way over to the street. I live at the intersection of two of the busiest streets in town and my house is completely surrounded by commercial buildings. There is no safe place for him to head.

This is especially true because I'm currently studying to be a pet groomer. Owning a day spa has been a lot more stress than I ever imagined it would be. I intend to convert my office into a spa for dogs, instead. Perhaps working with pets instead of owning one would be easier for me. If Rorschach escaped with a dog in my parking lot, it's quite possible that the dog would chase him and we'd have two animals in the middle of a busy intersection.

It makes us sad to consider placing Rorschach in another home, but my daughter agrees with me that he needs someplace more rabbit-friendly. If any of you are looking for, or know somebody looking for, a rabbit in the Daytona Beach area... please let me know. As I said, I'm not in a hurry to get this done, but I do believe it's best for him.

He is not neutered, but hasn't had the behavioral issues I hear about so often. He doesn't bite or scratch. He flicked pee at me when we first got him, but hasn't since. The only time he's ever nipped at me was when he needed to relieve himself, but I kept trying to cuddle him on my lap. He learned to use his litter box within a couple of weeks and only "goes" outside of it if it isn't clean enough for him. As long as I change it once a day or every other day, he's a happy camper. He's not super snuggly, but he enjoys getting his cheeks massaged and for his ears to be stroked. He loves cilantro and pellets more than anything else, but he isn't picky.

I was contemplating putting him on Craigslist, but I'm concerned that he won't find a good home there. So for now, I'm just going to have this blog post and something in the category set aside for rabbits needing forever homes.


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## Nancy McClelland (Dec 26, 2011)

ray:


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## LakeCondo (Dec 26, 2011)

Hardly any home is ideal. Another home could turn out to be no better than yours, but the people not as conscientious. But if he must move on, Adoptapet or petfinder should lead you to a no-kill shelter that can find a new home. Ideally, you could be his foster family until then. An xpen on the porch should keep him contained. If he's a climber, a covered pen would do the job.


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## galinfla (Dec 26, 2011)

I realize a lot of places will not be ideal, but he really does deserve somewhere that he won't be stuck in a cage all of the time. That's no way for a rabbit to live.


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## galinfla (Apr 23, 2012)

Re-homing Rorschach...

It's been forever since I posted here. Sorry about that! I've had a lot going on.

I've done some volunteer work as a dog walker for a no-kill shelter. I've been studying dog grooming to change my day spa to a pet spa. Now, I've enrolled in college to get a degree as a vet tech.

I've started a podcast, and I've done guest appearances on other podcasts. I've been writing articles/ blogs for the various podcasts.

My daughter has been playing more sports, which means more involvement from me. So now my evenings are as busy as my mornings.

We've had a pet rat cross the rainbow bridge. The rats were getting old, and we knew this was coming... but that didn't make it any easier. Her cage mate was grieving so much that we almost lost her, too. I only slept a few hours because I was awake all night, cuddling with our remaining rat and coaxing her to eat. My daughter kept crying in her sleep and waking up.

I've relocated. Unfortunately, my current place is small and there's just no suitable area to let Rorschach run around. Rorschach is pretty much always in the cage. He gets to hang out on my bed sometimes, but a couple of hops and he's reached the edge... where he looks very tempted to jump off. Actually, he has, and then we have to hurry and catch him before he either gets hurt or does some sort of damage.

So, I finally went a route I've dreaded- I made a post on Craigslist. We've received a few letters from interested parties, but I hadn't found anybody who seems as though they'd be able to provide him with a better home. I finally heard from somebody who is moving into an apartment and wants a pet for company. My post on Craigslist specifically states I'm looking for somebody with room for Rorschach to run around, and I've just sent an email that follows up on that, making sure to warn her she'll want to rabbit proof her place. Hopefully, they will make a good match. If he can have more attention and more space, that would be great.

If she adopts Rorschach, I will ask her to come to Rabbits Online. I know it was incredibly helpful for me to have a community to learn from and to share stories. If Rorschach is adopted, I probably won't be around anymore (no point, really, unless you want to hear about my adventures at school). I wanted to leave this post to say that you guys are awesome, and I'm glad this site is here.


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## LakeCondo (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks for the update. I hope this potential owner will work out. Maybe sometime you'll be able to have another rabbit & will come back to RO.


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## galinfla (Apr 25, 2012)

I'm actually pretty excited for Rorschach. Assuming this adoption works out, he's totally upgrading.

The person wants to come on May 4th. She intends to let him have the run of the apartment. I did warn her to put him in the cage if she's going out, and to watch out because he's a climber. She's asked twice about his favorite things to eat, so I have a feeling he's going to be a pampered boy!

Meanwhile, I just took my first two tests yesterday. I got A's on both. Woohoo!


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## ZRabbits (Apr 25, 2012)

Sounds like he will have the pampered life. Good for him. 

And congratulations to you for those two A's. Your hard work studying paid off! Wishing you continued success! 

K


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## LakeCondo (Apr 25, 2012)

Congratulations to you both.


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## galinfla (Jun 4, 2012)

The person who was going to adopt him didn't contact me on the day she said she wanted him. A few days later, she emailed to say she wasn't going to get him (gee, really?). I think one of the lousy things about trying to re-home on Craigslist is that you get these unreliable folks. But then, I don't know any other way to do this.

Both of my rats have passed away now. Radish went first. She had pneumonia. It was a terrible time. Juliet grieved pretty hard. She seemed to recover, but I think that it was too much for her little body. She became pretty sick, too. After a couple of weeks of antibiotics, it was clear that she wasn't going to win that battle. So I took her to the vet and had her pts.

We're still trying to re-home Rorschach. One person contacted me, saying she wanted a pet to put into her girls' room. The way she said it made me feel a little uncertain... so I decided to keep him. Then, I was contacted by a woman who free ranges her rabbits... outside. I'm very nervous about this idea. She said she has two dogs to keep the predators away, and I guess she also has chickens. Does anybody here know how well outdoor free-ranging works? Since this is a blog, I'm going to post the question elsewhere, too. More likely to get responses, and I'd really appreciate the input.


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## MiniLopHop (Jun 4, 2012)

I have heard of free-ranging out side, but it would make me very nervous. Dogs can't keep all preditors away- snakes, hawks, when they aren't around etc. I wouldn't let my bun go into that sort of situation personally.

Have you tried contacting a rescue to see if they would be willing to do a posting for you on petfinder? I would think you would have better luck there.

Good luck ray:


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## galinfla (Jun 16, 2012)

_This relentless world: there is only one sane response to it. The car was hot and muggy. My things were where I'd left them. Waiting for me. Hopping into my cage, I abandoned my disguise and became myself, free from fear or weakness or lust. My ledge, my litter box, my flavored salt. My water bottle.

_"I feel a little sad, but not," my kid said, gazing up at the ceiling. We were lying in my bed, a few hours before we were due to get up and drive.

"You mean about Rorschach?"

"Yea." She kind of sighed. "I know he's probably going to be happier, but I'm going to miss him."

"Me too. This guy seems really nice, though."

"Yea, but it will be weird." I grunted in agreement. From his cage, Rorschach just stared at us. It was if he sensed something was up.

Around 12, I started gathering his stuff. I'd gathered up what supplies I had for him: about a half of a bag of food pellets, almost a full bag of horse bedding pellets, a little bag of cilantro I bought him on Monday, the last salt in the package I'd bought when I first set out to re-home him, and of course his cage.

I cleaned up his cage so he could make a good impression. Even as I cleaned his cage, he was looking at me suspiciously, and didn't even nibble at the cilantro or grapevine I gave him. I opened the car doors to get the heat out and glanced at the time. I was late and hadn't even showered yet. So I texted the guy who was going to adopt him to let him know.

Before leaving, I glanced around my room, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything. I'm one of those people who always feels like she's forgetting things. The spot where his cage had been before looked so empty. My room looked forlorn. Something was missing. It was going to feel weird to come back home.

We put the cage into the car and hopped in. Rorschach's little face peered out at us; his tension was obvious in his pose and expression. We drove along roads we didn't know. I kept expecting my turns to be impossible to find, but they weren't that bad. Honestly, the hardest part was on his street.

The house was... well, the kind of place you tell your kids the dog went when in reality... well, you know. Huge yard with lush green grass. A barn with a rabbit hutch waiting for its new occupant. A pretty house with a big screened in porch. Two friendly dogs- one elderly and one young happy fella.

The guy who came out looked friendly, and we stayed to talk for a while. While we shared stories, Rorschach adjusted to his new environment. Once he calmed down enough to actually nibble at his food, I knew it was probably safe to go.

Of course, then we came home to the empty spot in my room, with bits of hay scattered around it. We both looked at the spot with a sense of loss and relief. I'd said that we would be willing to take Rorschach back, but I do hope that things work out there.


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## LakeCondo (Jun 16, 2012)

Very mixed feelings, of course, but it was for the best & his new home will be great.


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