Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Bunny


I came home from work on Monday and found Daughter #2 looking at the grass very, very closely. The picture above is what she found: Bunny.

We looked around for the nest with no luck. We figured that a wild bunny (not one of the three we keep in pens as pets) was moving the baby from one spot to the next, got startled, and dropped this creature. Daughter #2 was warned not to touch it too much in case Mama Bunny returned, but no sooner had I gone in the house when I looked out the window and she had Bunny in her hands, gently stroking its tiny body with her finger.

When Mr. Fix got home, I let him handle the situation (he is the animal lover of the two of us). It was decided that Mama Bunny wasn't coming back, and Daughter #2 could bring Bunny inside, kept warm in a shoebox lined with dried grass and soft cotton balls. Bunny was fed lukewarm milk through a medicine dropper. Daughter #2 knew from the outset that Bunny surviving was a long shot, but she insisted she'd like to try to take care of things.

Monday night brought severe thunderstorms with horrible sheets of rain. Poor Bunny would never have survived the night. Tuesday morning, and Bunny was still breathing, still taking milk by the dropper-full every hour or so. Tuesday when I returned home from work, Bunny was still hanging tough.

Today I stopped home on my way to Marquette for work, and yes, Bunny was still okay. Daughter #2 was very cautious and gentle with Bunny, not handling too much except for feedings.

On my way back from Marquette, I called home to check in, and Mr. Fix informed me that Bunny was gone. *sniff* Daughter #2 was understandably sad and took to bed to sort things out. Mr. Fix buried Bunny in the back garden.

Upon further investigation, Mr. Fix found out that one of our rabbits, Eliza Doolittle, had babies, and that Bunny was probably one of hers that had been dropped through the bottom of the cage. We suspect the dog, F*#!@ Jackson, picked up the fallen Bunny with his soft mouth, and dropped it by Daughter #2's feet. For the record, this is Eliza's second litter, and she doesn't know a damn thing. None of her babies have survived as she basically ignores them. Doolittle, indeed.

Cue Sir Elton's "Circle of Life"...have a great week.

8 comments:

The Redhead said...

"From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to be seen than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done

Some say eat or be eaten
Some say live and let live
But all are agreed as they join the stampede
You should never take more than you give

(Chorus)
In the Circle of Life
It's the wheel of fortune
It's the leap of faith
It's the band of hope
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle, the Circle of Life

Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with the scars

There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps the great and small on the endless round

(Chorus repeats)

On the path unwinding
In the Circle, the Circle of Life."

R.I.P. Bunny

Ms. Fix said...

I'm sure you can imagine the sadness that filled that girl's sweet heart. Devastated. Overcome, sobbing with no noise sadness. I'll give her a hug for you.

The Redhead said...

Please do--she's such a lover.

nora said...

Oh why those dang things got to be so cute? Huge Q-tip found a nest with two babies in our front yard this spring. Neither survived and we had to lie to poor little Nora Jr.

kizatikat said...

Ohhh he was so tiny and cute!!! BTW did you see Project Runway last night????

John Sadowski said...

We have a million bunnies here. It's a rodent wonderland.

Ms. Fix said...

Lying about your bunny population to fit in won't get you anywhere, Senor Sadowski.

John Sadowski said...

Ah but I have photographic evidences!