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'The biggest surprises I've had since adopting my rabbit and becoming a bun-mum'

By Natalie Oliveri|

If someone told me five years ago that I would plan my days around the needs of my pet rabbit (including living with my husband part-time), and that I would love him more than anything else, I would have been quite sceptical.

But that is where I am today จC this little, cheeky bunny is boss and he's changed my life so drastically, I live in a constant state of worry about the day when he will eventually leave me.

My rabbit, Peter, is quite ill. So every day with him is a gift.

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Natalie Oliveri and her pet rabbit Peter. (Natalie Oliveri)

Don't get me wrong จC he lives a very, very full life, but he has chronic health issues I never even thought possible for rabbits.

That is just one of the many things I have learnt since becoming a bun-mum. It's been a surprising adventure.

Watch the video above.?

There are so many misconceptions around rabbits and what having one as a pet actually means, and I feel a huge responsibility to help change the perceptions of rabbits as pets, as they desperately need it.

Rabbits make the most adorable companions

Dogs and cats remain the most popular pets of choice for Australians, mainly because people enjoy the interaction they can give จC particularly dogs. But what many people don't realise is that rabbits can be just as fun as dogs or cats.

I'm sick of people saying they are "boring" or they "don't do anything". If that is what you think about your own pet rabbit, then you're not looking after it correctly.?

Peter is a free-roaming house bunny and loves jumping onto the lounge. (Natalie Oliveri)

They each have their own little personality, which can only be fully understood if they are allowed to live as companion animals inside and not locked outside in a cage.

My bunny Peter will run around the house, zooming from one room the other, jumping onto the lounge, bed and onto my lap.

I'll often find him upstairs making new adventures after climbing the 16 steps to the stop, quite a feat for a little bunny!

He'll grunt or stomp to show his disapproval, push his head into my hands for more rubs and then give lots and lots of licks, happily doing this for hours (how his little tongue does not get tired, I do not know).

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Peter will hop onto my lap to watch television, where he can sit for hours getting pats, or onto the lounge, where he will happily lay on the seat next to me. He even sleeps on the bed occasionally, otherwise he'll sleep underneath.

All too often he stubbornly refuses to eat his hay, preferring treats of blueberries and banana, and will hide when it is time for his twice-daily medication.

Peter loves to eat fresh herbs that I grow in our garden, including coriander and sage. (Natalie Oliveri)

But once he is caught, he takes his medication via mouth syringe without any further protests.

Rabbits don't love being picked up, but they can learn to tolerate it and come to enjoy being cuddled. One of my favourite memories of Peter is having him sleep on my chest, getting cuddles, as we watched Forrest Gump.

Rabbits twitch and often poke their tongue out when they sleep, so it always is very hard not to burst into laughter when this happens, which just wakes him up.

Rabbits don't belong in a cage outside

One of the cruelest things anyone can do to their pet rabbit is to keep him or her locked in a cage outside.

But sadly, that is the reality for thousands of rabbits across Australia, partly due to the way pet stores market rabbits as cheap and easy pets to care for.

Rabbits need lots of space to run and jump, which is why putting them in small cages for hours on end is wrong.

"If you keep the rabbit with you in the home as a companion house pet, then, and only then, will you see the rabbit's true personality come through," founder of The Rabbit Sanctuary Kim Cooney told me earlier this year.

I'll often find Peter upstairs and on my bed, a big achievement for a little bunny! (Natalie Oliveri)

"Because a rabbit that is locked in a cage, permanently in a yard, how on earth can it possibly show its true personality?"

My rabbit, who I have had since July 2017, is a free-roaming companion house bunny without a cage.

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He has the entire house that he can run around in and explore.

I often get asked whether than means there are poops everywhere. Absolutely not. Rabbits are surprisingly easy to litter train and use their tray just like a cat would, only with rabbits, there is no horrid smell.

It took me about two days to train Peter on how to use his litter tray.

They are very clean animals and, apart from throwing his hay around when he eats, Peter does not make a mess.

We regularly take Peter to our holiday home in Port Stephens where he loves to sleep on the bed. (Natalie Oliveri)

The misconception that rabbits should live in cages is also helping the fuel the cruel practice of rabbit abandonment, which is a huge problem across the country.

Sadly, before rabbits are "discarded like unwanted products" into the wild they are often neglected when parents and children have "lost interest", Cooney says.

"Children don't want to go out and service the rabbit when it's raining, so that day it doesn't get any food or water. The rabbit is just something to look at, something to poke food at, maybe grab the rabbit out and carry it around for a bit and then throw it back in the cage.

"The pet industry is perpetuating this cruelty to rabbits, it's creating this cruelty by having those small cages and telling people they can keep rabbits in a cage in a yard."

Setting a rabbit "free" into the wild will not help them. Instead, they are usually hit by a car or killed by a predator soon after, or they die of thirst when they cannot find fresh water.?

Rabbits are easy pets, but they can be high-maintenance

Rabbits don't always enjoy being picked up but once they trust you, they can come to love cuddle time. (Natalie Oliveri)

For the first year or two of having Peter, I used to boast he was the most low-maintenance animal I'd ever had. Growing up we had dogs, cats, birds, fish and even a chicken.

Peter, being a rabbit, eats hay, fresh grass from the backyard and a variety of vegetables, including Asian greens and the occasional fruit treat. He was always easy to look after and no-fuss.

But then Peter developed a number of health issues and everything changed.

I need to stress that not all rabbits have such problems, but they are more delicate than most people realise and need specialised vet treatment, which in some cases can get very expensive.

Dental disease is common in rabbits and the removal of the front teeth can help.

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Peter, with one of his mouth syringes that I use to give him medication twice a day. (Natalie Oliveri)

Peter has had all his front teeth removed, so has the cutest little gummy pout now and when he eats his tongue often pokes out. And when he dreams, his tongue will pop out, giving me endless hours of laughs.

In terms of how his teeth removal affects his diet, it doesn't really but I make sure his food is cut up smaller than I used to.

But he requires regular visits to the vet, where they will put him under anaesthetic to ground down his back teeth, which grow irregularly due to the condition and his dislike for hay (hay is a vital part of a rabbit's diet as it helps to keep their constantly-growing teeth under control).

These dental procedures are not cheap and they are also come with some risk due to the anaesthesia.

Peter's most recent surgery on his mouth was last week. I spent hours working in my car on my laptop as I awaited news on whether he had woken up from the procedure, rather than going home as I normally would.

Peter is the most spoilt member of our family and is treated like a little king. (Natalie Oliveri)

Thankfully he was fine and I took him home later that night, but this time the risk was greater due to Peter's other condition จC kidney stones. These are managed daily with pain medication.

I often joke that Peter is my little Aussie battler because of everything he's had done in his short life. I have lost count of the times he's had dental procedures, or has been to the vet.

I don't even want to think about how much money I have spent on him. It is well into the thousands, and that's just in the past few months.

But I would not change one moment of it, and every dollar I have spent has meant he is able to live a happy and healthy life.

The biggest thing to remember when getting a rabbit as a pet is that you must be able to give them proper vet care if they get sick. This means an exotic vet, which are specialised vets, and are expensive.

Peter is roughly five years old and was rescued after being found on the street. (Natalie Oliveri)

But the benefits Peter brings to my life จC and that of my mum and teenage brother, who also live with Peter and help with medicine time and his daily care จC ?is indescribable.

Peter, hands down, is the best animal I've ever had.

Yes, I consider him to be my baby and will do anything I can to keep him safe and healthy.

Although I life in constant fear and anxiety that his health issues will eventually get too much, every moment I have with my boy is worth it.?

They say pets choose you, and the day Peter wandered into our front yard was the luckiest day of his life จC and of mine.

We found each other, and now I hope other families will look to adopting their own rabbit if they want endless days filled with companion and love.

To find out more about adopting a rabbit in need of a loving home, visit The Rabbit Sanctuary online or on Instagram.

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