Lu and I had a bit of a run-in today. The scratches actually look worse now. The story is as follows: I read online and in "Rabbits for Dummies" that the Holland Lop rabbit is a long-haired breed and therefore needs to be brushed daily. I have had Lulu for about two weeks now and I have not been able to brush her. She will now accept being petted for a bit while she sits next to me but will still freak if picked up. So I decided today was the day. I picked her up (without too much difficulty) and put her on my bed. I managed to get some brushes in while she was sitting beside me and dared to let thoughts of victory tiptoe into my mind until I saw her kind of hunch and scoot back (telltale pee signs), then everything went into slow motion I saw my hands move out to move her away but I couldn't get there in time. I saw the yellow puddle spreading through my light blue comforter. Really its my fault because obviously I don't learn from my mistakes. She peed on my last comforter as well.. She doesn't like being taken and forced into a new place that she hasn't explored on her own first (like my bed). She couldn't jump off (it's too high for a baby dwarf rabbit) and had only been up there once (too long ago for her baby attention span). So I tried to pick her up to put her back on the ground but I had already put it in her mind that me picking her up results in strange and terrifying situations so she struggled like mad; fur and nails and skin flying. And that is how I learned to wear a shirt whenever trying to get a rabbit to do something she doesn't want to do.
On the bright side I have discovered that she likes blankets and cardboard obstacle courses (free) as ideal playthings. Failed toys include: ping pong balls, hollow wooden ball, and carrot chew toy (all bought from the pet store). I guess she's low maintenance; I just wish I had figured that out before my Petco shopping spree.
Word of the Day
naughty: guilty of disobedience or misbehavior
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