BMo (left) and Penelope, our white and caramel princess
Written by Anmar Kotzee
Professional photography by @Strike a Pose Photo / Video
In January 2021, Magriet was gifted a dwarf rabbit as a thank-you gift for caring for a friend’s rabbit over the festive season. She was prepared – she’d watched hundreds of videos on feeding, litter box training, housing, and caring for a new friend.
BMo and Magriet became fast friends and spent hours cuddling. Magriet spent every cent of her pocket money ensuring that BMo had the best life! BMo travelled with the family, ate like a king, and walked about in his carrier, but it soon became evident that he needed a friend.
We contacted Critter Rescue SA, passed the test, and two weeks before Magriet’s 11th birthday, Penelope joined our family. (Watch this sweet video from Critter Rescue’s website showing the first moments of their meeting). Although Magriet was prepared, she wished she’d done more: Karien van Wyk from Critter Rescue SA quickly named BMo the Jealous Dwarf, and indeed, our little man wasn’t impressed with his new friend. Penelope was quiet and demure but got in a slap or two to set the stage for a rough three weeks of “homing in”.
Magriet researched and read and found a bunny lifestyle YouTuber who offered guidance on this very process: initial short periods of exposure, phasing into longer time together. Magriet often slept on the floor with them, cuddling both equally. Treats and positive reinforcement training were the order of the day. Penelope and BMo would be snuggling the one moment and fighting the next, with tufts of hair scattered around the room.
These two destroyed a carpet, caused their loving human much loss of sleep, and many tears flowed, but the reward makes it so worthwhile! The pictures show the wonderful bond that’s developed between the bunnies and their patient and loving human, Magriet.
This is Magriet’s daily routine:
Mornings
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Wake up at 5:30.
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Top up the bunnies’ hay and feed them: a large plate of kale, lettuce, rocket, spinach, and grass with a tablespoon of pellets each. Variety is the key here, and we slip in mint, lavender, coriander, and rosemary in small quantities too.
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Snuggle time from 5:40 to 6:05.
Afternoons and evenings
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Hugs, kisses, and treats after school. Slivers of apple and carrot work well, and there are wonderful bunny treats on the market too.
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Quick room clean-up: 17:00.
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Dinner is served at 19:00 sharp. Again, variety is key, with Swiss chard, kale, and spinach on the menu.
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Cuddle time from 20:00 to 21:00.
The large litter box gets a quick clean daily and a total clean once a week. Magriet believes in free-roaming: she shares her room with the two bunny friends. She’s responsible for cleaning her own room and does so with care and diligence. The bunnies’ nails are trimmed often, and the scent gland cleaning has become a project of note!
Although it’s often mentioned that rabbits don’t travel well, both BMo and Penelope travel with the family often (their supplies take up an entire boot!). Magriet is a wonderful caretaker and has learnt responsibility, patience, and love for her two four-legged friends.
