Trouble in Rabbit Land

You know I am beginning to think that I am just not meant to have pets. It's not that anything is wrong with the pets. But at the sight of the slightest bit of trouble I panic. I've had these rabbits for three weeks today and it amazes me how much I've grown to love these two balls of fluff. So what's happening now is actually hurting.

When we first got these rabbits, we were told that they were both female (it is extremely hard to tell when they are so young). But when I brought them home, I immediately started to feel suspicious about the one. The other day I decided to check- not really knowing what I was supposed to be seeing. But even to my very inexperienced eye it was clear- Cornflower is a Basil. Yup..."she" is a HE.


Now this presents a HUGE problem...Buttercup, the other one is and always has been female. Ever heard the phrase "They breed like rabbits"?. If the world were ever to come to an end to due nuclear war they say that cockroaches will somehow survive. I am convinced that rabbits will still be here with them after the apocalypse. Rabbits gestation period only lasts 28-30 days and they can get pregnant again just a few days after giving birth. In fact there is just a couple of days a month when females aren't fertile. Now as Basil and Buttercup are actually brother and sister, they should not breed together- due to the risk of birth defects (besides that it's weird). The real kicker? they can start breeding at 10 - 12 weeks old. They are now 8 weeks old.

So the only  choice I have right now is to separate them. This is very hard because they are very attached to each other- one won't go where the other won't go, they are constantly playing and cleaning each other. And they sleep curled up together. But we cannot have a hundred bunnies with possible disabilities running around and I can only get them neutered and spayed in a few months. That alone is stressing me out- rabbits are known to not do so well under anesthetic.

On Friday they somehow got out of their pen in the garden and went off to explore the big wide world. It took my Mom and I and hour to find them ( it's a BIG mountain garden) and another hour to catch them. I eventually got hold of Buttercup but she started to panic and wriggle I caught her leg very roughly and I was terrified that I had either broken or dislocated it ( that can happen very easily with their back legs). When my Mom found us,  I was sitting in the dirt, with bloody scratches all over me, cradling her and crying because I thought I had hurt her. She was fine, but it made me think that maybe I'm to sensitive to have animals.

Anyway I realise that in the grand scheme of things and compared to the huge problems that everyone is facing- compared the huge problems I am facing- this is nothing. But to me this is a huge deal. They are my babies.

Here are some new pictures of my babies: Buttercup and the newly re- gendered Basil:

Buttercup thinks her bro need a good clean

Giving each other  some love

Playing peek-a-boo with my sister

This cabbage leaf was GONE in less than 5 minutes!

This is the pic that made me so suspicious of Basil that I decided to check him. They look like a real Mr and Mrs here. Surprise, surprise.