A Day in the Life of Trouble deRosier

Happy International Rabbit Day! Technically it's tomorrow, but there's no reason not to start celebrating early. Last year, I posted a game of Find the Rabbit, which to this day remains Trevor's very favorite of all my blog posts. This year, I thought it would be fun to show you a day in the life of the beloved 4th member of our family, Trouble.

Trouble's morning begins when I get out of bed, usually in the 5:00 hour. The very first thing I do when I get up is to open the door to Trouble's cage. He usually zips right out and slams his chin down near my hand, which is how rabbits ask to be petted. When he feels I've groomed him sufficiently he'll return the favor by licking my hand, then zooms back in his cage and hops around his food dish. I fill it with pellets and give him fresh water. He has free run of the living room, dining room, hallway, entryway and stairs.

I head upstairs, get ready, and then work until Trevor gets up, usually sometime between 6:30 and 7:00. We head downstairs and open the baby gates. Now Trouble can get into the family room and the kitchen. 

He'll usually spend some time playing with us in there, or do a Super Run or two. This morning, he played for a bit, then noticed that Steve had left his office door slightly ajar. Trouble is obsessed with trying to get into Steve's office. I took this quick picture before Steve shooed him out and shut the door firmly. You can just see a cottontail sticking out.

Trouble likes to follow Trevor into the bathroom when he brushes his teeth.

Trevor and I leave for school around 7:40. Steve's home, but in his office with the door closed. So with no one to supervise, the baby gates to the family room and kitchen are closed again. Sometimes Trouble accepts this; other times, he chews on the gate and rattles it to express his displeasure with being locked out. 

Trouble has trained us that when I return from school dropoff, he gets a piece of broccoli, which is one of his absolute favorite foods. Here he is, dancing at the gate to the kitchen lest Steve or I forget to broccoli him. (We use 'broccoli' as a verb, as in "I already broccolied Trouble this morning, so don't let him tell you he hasn't had any.")

After his daily broccoli, he took a quick potty break. His litterbox is in the corner of his cage. He has never once had an accident. 

I headed upstairs to start work. Around 9:00, I had a visitor at the upstairs baby gate. 

I petted him and played with him for about 10 minutes, then he hopped down the stairs and sprawled out on the hardwood floor. I went back to work. 

After resting for a bit, he gnawed on some apple branches, ate some hay, and played in his tubes and boxes. Around 11:30, he headed into his favorite napping spot, an upside-down pear box.

He stayed in the pear box for about five hours, then he came out, got a drink, went potty, and curled up on his carpet runway for a snooze. 

That didn't last long. He wasn't thrilled that I was disturbing his nap, so he went into his digging box to work shredding the old phone book we put inside. That kept him occupied for about 15 minutes.  

When I started making our dinner, I gave Trouble a large handful of mixed greens, which he ate enthusiastically. 

With a full tummy, he relaxed inside his cage and dozed.

Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. It's very convenient for people who work or go to school during the day, because their pet rabbit sleeps the bulk of those hours anyway. Trouble usually gets up from his last nap of the day around 6:45 and joins us in the family room. Here he is helping Trevor open his latest Little Passports package that had come in the mail. 

Around 7:45, Trouble put his chin down asking me to pet him. He loves having his ears stroked. 

Bunny Dinnertime is around 8:00 pm. First, I clean Trouble's litterbox. Then I give him fresh hay and water and his evening pellets.

Then I close his cage door and wish him good night.

After a good night's sleep, it will be time for another exciting day in the life of Trouble deRosier!