I had wanted a rabbit for many years, and my parents finally decided to allow me to buy one when I was a freshman in high school.  This was only after I researched pet rabbits in order to know how to take care of one.

   My mom and I went out on Easter Monday (1999) to all the big pet stores in the area.  Some of the pet stores had no rabbits left, but finally we came to a chain store where all the baby bunnies were in a big glass tank with guinea pigs.  I held so many of them, all different colors, wanting to buy them all.  My mom and I took particular notice of a butterscotch colored bunny who seemed to be very alert and eager to make friends.  The pet store worker told us that the bunny was 4-6 weeks old, and that it would grow to be no more than four pounds.  The worker could not tell whether the bunny was male or female.

   I thought about many names: Caramel, Butterscotch, Bunny, Flopsey, Sandy...I finally decided on Flopsey so that my pets could have matching names.  (I have a cat named Fluffy).

   Flopsey's first house was a 20-gallon aquarium.  She was only 11 ounces, so this tank actually gave her plenty of room.  She couldn't walk that well yet, but she enjoyed the outdoors and eating dandelions.  My yard is fenced in, but I leashed her just to be safe.

   Flopsey went to the vet's the next day for a check-up and they told me she was a healthy baby BOY.  In fact, she had already gained an ounce since the day before!  She grew quickly and soon learned to walk and jump out of her tank.  We started using a lid for the tank, but soon she needed to be moved into an even larger one.  The new tank (50 gallon, I believe) had higher sides and she could not jump out for awhile.  But it wasn't long before we had to put boards over the top of this one.

   In the meantime, we purchased a gigantic wood-and-wire "mansion" of a rabbit hutch so that Flopsey could start living outdoors.  She has lived in her hutch for two years now, though she is let out for playtime and exercise (both indoor and outdoor).  After she went through a heat cycle, the vet determined that she was a girl, not a boy.  She also grew to eight pounds, twice as much as the pet store predicted!  She also has a roommate now: Mopsey.  Their photos can be found on the photo page.

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