Roman can be a bad bunny, as I have blogged many a time. We have tried lots of ways to discipline him – all humanely, of course. This afternoon, we found a trick which might just work…
When in his run, Roman loves to bite his toys. Most of these are made from wood or cardboard, so not a problem. He also has a long tunnel, made from plastic.
Roman loves his tunnel. He will run through it at great speed, over and over again, before skipping in the air with delight. The problem is, he also nibbles this tunnel. The issue is not the damage caused – we would happily buy Roman a new one. We are concerned that by biting his toy, he could injest plastic; potentially making him very ill, or worse.
Speaking to him sternly, or clapping, sometimes stops this destruction, but not always. We therefore decided to exploit Roman’s weakness – the front door.
Since bringing Roman home in April, he has grown in character and confidence. The bunny who would once cower in his bed, whenever a stranger entered the room, now runs towards the side of his cage or run, whenever he hears somebody entering the house. He’s basically a dog.
One of the triggers, which sets of this bunny greeting, is our front doorbell. We had a look on YouTube and found this – a chime, which is almost identical to our own doorbell!
We tested our trick. While Roman was happily munching on plastic, we played the video. He immediately stopped. He knew something wasn’t right. For added effect, I shouted “Come in”, to our imaginary guest. Roman walked away from the plastic tube and hopped towards the end of his run, closest to the entrace to our living room. Of course, nobody entered. He must have been left confused and disappointed. We don’t like teasing our rabbit, but at least he doesn’t have a belly full of nasty plastic!
So, because of yesterday’s scary spider discovery, I took drastic action. Before bed, I sprayed bug killer in the area that the dead body and legs were found. This was more of a preventative method, than anything else – a deterrent for any other spider, thinking of moving in.
I know some of you will still find this hypocritical, after my recent veggie revelation, but I was spraying a can of Raid – it wasn’t like I had shot Cecil the Lion’s mother.
Upon coming downstairs this morning, I saw this in exactly the same place as the previous day’s carcass…
After much shouting, screaming, and me trying to escape upstairs, leaving Claire to face the horror alone; my brave wife got out her trusty Dyson again, and sucked up the dead arachnid. That Dyson is fast becoming as useful as those guns used to capture ghosts on Ghostbusters.
Just look how it contained the beast (and tore its legs off).
The whole ordeal left Claire and I shaken. We then discovered that Roman was equally as scared – my girly shrieks must have startled him. Either that, or he suffers from arachnophobia too!
I made a very disturbing discovery this morning… In our porch, just outside the front room, I saw a pair of legs on the floor. Before you all worry, Oscar Pistorius hasn’t escaped to Bath from his South African jail. These limbs belonged to a creature – a creature that I can only guess is a spider!
Claire is very house-proud, so as soon as I informed her of the gruesome discovery, she grabbed her beloved Dyson and sucked up the legs. Along with the legs, Claire also managed to find the dead body of a big, hairy spider. Despite being very much deceased, it went up the vacuum cleaner.
I am sure that you are all wondering what the problem is. Yes, we found a spider, but it was dead and is now surrounded by fluff, Rice Krispies and anything else that went up the Dyson’s tube. What’s more, it can’t even escape from the dusty grave, as it is minus two legs, oh and it’s dead!
The problem, my friends, is this – what the hell maimed and killed the huge spider? Whatever it was, is still alive and at large…
Pray for me.
I have decided to stop eating meat. While I haven’t gone officially “veggie” (yet), I have been avoiding the stuff for a few weeks now.
I can’t see myself missing it. I have never been a big carnivore – growing up with a Mum and now living with a wife who are both vegetarians certainly helped with this. To her credit, Claire has never had an issue with cooking meat for me; although more often than not, I eat what she eats, including veggie burgers and Quorn sausages. I even went for the veggie option at my wedding!
Strangely, the only thing I will miss, if I do go all-out vegetarian, is not meat at all – it is sweets and desserts. It is amazing how much confectionery and puddings contain pork or beef gelatin. It is no surprise that jelly-based sweets, like Haribo, are unsuitable. However, veggies also have to avoid most types of mousse – the pudding, not the large Canadian deer, which coincidentally, they also cannot eat.
I am yet to explain my recent change in attitude towards meat. The reason is Roman, my pet rabbit. I have NEVER eaten rabbit. I couldn’t. Growing up with the cute creatures, I grew so attached, that I would rather eat my left arm than a bunny burger.
Since getting Roman, my feelings towards rabbits have grown even stronger. I’ve seen him grow from a timid little ball of fluff, to a cheeky, excitable, loving member of our family, who demonstrates levels of intelligence that I didn’t think rabbits could reach.
I don’t believe that Roman is any more clever than other rabbits. I just think that, as a child, I was oblivious to just how smart my pet bunnies were.
Roman has made me realise that if rabbits can show a degree of intelligence, so can other animals, like pigs and cows. Roman would be petrified if he thought he was going to be killed. Who am I to deprive some poor piggy of their life, in order for me to enjoy a Walls sausage, anyway?
If you know me, or regularly read this blog, please don’t worry – I am not going to start preaching that “meat is murder”. One of my hates in life is when people try to force their beliefs – religious or otherwise – onto others. Although, if I do see you eating a Big Mac, I will be throwing a bucket of cow’s blood over you…
About Me
So you stumbled across my blog. No doubt after searching for something bizarre on Google. Before you hit that 'Back Button', why not stay and have a read for a few minutes?
If you are after a website which gives advice on how to hack an iPhone X, download the latest Steven Seagal movie, or view nudy ladies, you've come to the wrong place and may now press 'Back'.
However, if you would like a lifestyle blog, written by a 30-something chap, living in Bath (England), feast your eyes on this.
You won't discover how to copy PlayStation 4 games. What you will find is a blog, covering life in the West Country, the highs and lows of supporting two unsuccessful football teams, while sharing a house with a wife and rabbit.
All written by a man, somewhere on the sanity-scale between normal and eccentric.
