I tried to put a box in with Maggie's rabbit to offer it some temporary shelter until we get a better hutch built for it. While I was pushing the box in, the rabbit high-tailed it out of the cage. It would jump three or four times, then stop. Just as I was about to grab it, it would jump away again. So here I was looking like a fool while I chased Maggie's rabbit around the yard. To make matters worse, Duchess was hissing at the rabbit and Duke was barking at all the commotion. ALL of our neighbors just happened to be outside at the time and I'm sure they were enjoying the show.
It gets worse. I kept chasing the rabbit for at lease two minutes. I know that doesn't sound like a long time, but it IS a long time when your neighbors are watching you chase your daughter's rabbit around the yard. It was the awkward kind of watching, where you know they're watching you, but they are trying to act nonchalant about it. The kind of watching where every time you look in their direction they turn their heads as if they weren't watching.
I was desperately trying to corral it back into the shed so I could at least be out of the public's view, but Duke would bark at it every time I almost had it in and it would take off again. Just as I about had it through the door of the shed, it pivoted 180 degrees and b-lined it to the step by the sliding door. I finally had it cornered as long as it didn't jump up and over the step.
You know when you were little and you learned your animal sounds? And how every time a rabbit was mentioned it was either "crunch crunch" for the carrot they were munching, or "wiggle wiggle" for the movement of their nose? Well, I am here to tell you that rabbits do make a noise. It sounds like this:
YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Text might not do it justice. Imagine a police siren, a screaming child, and the sound cats make when they fight, all mixed together. The imagine it loud enough to make EVERY neighbor to turn their heads to see what in the world was happening. Forget the nonchalantness, they were full on watching me at that point. So I picked the rabbit back up and carried it to its cage and tried to act like nothing happened.
I'm not sure why it made that noise, besides I guess it was terrified that it cornered itself. I don't think I stepped on it anywhere, but I might have. Everything happened so fast. Regardless, the rabbit is back in its cage and acting fine. I'll be a little more cautious next time I have to open its cage.
1 comment:
I totally feel for you. Just be glad you weren't still pregnant. That would have made it more awkward. And yes, they do certainly screech/squall, whatever the word is that captures the sound--I'm not sure there is one. We had rabbits growing up and you didn't even have to hurt them, if you just surprised them by catching them they would start shrieking. Ever heard a coyote call? That's what they are mimicking--the distress sound of a rabbit. Rather morbid, I think.
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