Oh, My Darlin'

We are a family full of bunnies.

I've had a pet bunny (or two) since I was 11 years old. Even in college, where it is forbidden in the dorms, I had a pet bunny (I did eventually get permission from the dorm's RD)...

So when Stuart and I married, he knew I came with a bunny (or two).

At present, we have six bunnies. The current group started with Bonny and Clyde, the two Himalayan Netherland Dwarf bunnies I bought at the Reading Fair three years ago. (I couldn't decide which one to purchase...so in the end I bought both of them. Oops. *grin*)

We bred them a year later and got Bubble and Squeak, our two girls. Then about six months later, we bred them again for Emily to have a 4-H project and got Earl Grey and Clementine, the boys.

Since all the kits were born in a Clementine box, I wanted to call one of them Clementine. Bubble and Squeak fit their names from the start. Enter the second litter -- both boys. Hmm...I didn't really consider it a boy's name (Think: the "Clementine" song...) until I read the history of the fruit. So we used it, but since Emily named his brother Earl Grey (after her favorite tea) we decided Clemmie needed a more noble name so he's officially Sir Clement of the River Tyne.

Clemmie is a veritable "lovebug." He often reminds me of other bunnies I had in the past. He gives kisses and has a very docile personality, loving to cuddle and be petted.

Until...

He's around other bunnies.

Then he a real boss!

We recently had a 4-H trip to a mental hospital. We took the younger boys. There Clemmie hopped around the table, nudging the other bunnies and even a guinea pig. Then he mounted Earl Grey.

I'd recently read that when an animal does this to another of the same gender, he/she is trying to show dominance. I've explained that to the kids, thus avoiding a rehashing of the "birds and the bees" chat which one has had and the other is too young for, but I hadn't tested it out on the public yet.

One of the patients who was mildly retarded seemingly knew all about the "birds and the bees" and began shouting at Clementine, "No sex! No sex, Clementine!"

About six pairs of eyes widened as the younger 4-H kids thought about what he said.

I quickly explained to the man that Clementine was just dominating -- or trying to boss -- Earl Grey...not make babies.

To which he then shouted, "No bossing, Clementine! No bossing!"

Clementine paid him no heed, and by the time we got home was his quiet, demure self again.