Chelsea Pike loves her bunny-rabbit “Lola.” Having a pet that needs love and gives love without being too demanding is perfect for this busy mom.
“She is just the best pet ever!” Chelsea enthused about her fluffy friend.
Lola is a beautiful rabbit, unique because she has one blue eye and one half brown, half blue eye. She is sweet natured, affectionate and loves being held.
Chelsea says she enjoys looking after her, feeding her, making sure she has fresh water and plenty of fresh vegetables but that having a rabbit does not make her feel pressured to find time or energy for her pet.
Chelsea has other small animals too.
“When I got Lola I knew that she would be kept as an outdoor pet, so I wanted to get her a companion so that she had someone to snuggle with in the winter. I decided on a guinea pig,” she told me, and now guinea pig Clover and Lola are friends.
“What we didn’t know was that when we bought Clover, she was pregnant! So, on Dec. 22 of last year when I went out to feed and water the two of them, you can imagine how surprised I was to see three little baby guinea pigs scurrying behind their mumma!” Chelsea’s kids got really attached to the three little boys and so now they also have Patches, Marshmallow Crusher, and Cocoa Nibs, aka Nubbs.
Taking care of a small animal is a big responsibility. The rabbits and guinea pigs eat pellets, hay, grass, dandelions and other weeds.
They are also a big help with the kitchen scraps because they eat most vegetables and fruits. In the summer, the guinea pigs have a pen to go out in and graze on the grass and Lola has a harness with leash so Chelsea can take her out for a “hop-about” to get some exercise and eat good grass.
Rabbits are often bought as a novelty pet and then neglected. Chelsea’s decision to get Lola was not taken lightly. The pet was not for her kids said Chelsea: “I got Lola for myself, as a birthday present. She is just the right kind pet for me… a quiet one!
“When I am having busy days, or when the kids are driving me nuts, I go outside for a visit and she hops up to me and gets blissed-out with a few moments of pets and kisses, and in turn what she brings to me in life are snippets through my day of quiet-filled peace.”
On another note, I may have a new passion. While showing in New York, I met an interesting little cat in the home of a fellow Toller breeder.
Little is the word. This cat is a lovely tabby, normal in every way but she has short legs like a Corgi! Called a Munchkin cat, the short legs are caused by a dominant gene which when bred to a normal-legged cat will give about 50 per cent short-legged kittens. Crossed with any purebred cat the Munchkin babies will have the traits of the purebred with short legs so a breeder could create kittens that look like a Siamese or a Persian, for instance, except that the cats will be dwarfed.
My friend’s cat is a Munchkin-Scottish Fold with the heavy bone, slightly tipped ears and soft short coat of the Fold. It is said the short legs will “keep the cats off the counters” but she says her cat is normal in every way and just as agile and healthy.
In spite of being controversial – some cat lovers protest that the trait will lead to health problems – the registering body for this new breed has noted no health problems from this natural mutation. Heaven help me! I would truly love to buy one of these cats!
