Apollo wasn't the first rabbit in my life. That honour is reserved for "Snuffles" whom I cared for when I was around 8 years old. Although Snuffles died a long time ago, my heart still aches for one more pet, one more ear scratch even now. I think it's like that with pets, isn't it? They become family so easily and live in your heart forever.
Fast forward 15 years. Just before I met Apollo, I was days away from starting my third year of university in 2017 and was in a relationship that wasn't so great. Long story short, my then-boyfriend took me to Pets at Home one day and, as a surprise, bought me Apollo as a gift to 'make me feel happier'. Spoiler: we broke up about a month after this 😂.
Side note: Although Apollo was technically bought for me, I really don't condone buying animals as gifts unless the person has expressed genuine interest in having the pet in the immediate future. A person should fully understand the responsibilities of rabbit (or any pet) ownership, and should also be physically and financially able to care for them. Prior to buying Apollo, I would go on and on about wanting a bunny and did all sorts of research. I was also there at the time of getting him, so could have very easily said 'no, I'm not ready' etc.
My final year at uni was mostly self-guided work, so that meant I only had about 3 lectures a week. On top of that, student life leaves you flat broke and I didn't want to dip into my savings. This meant I was home pretty much all the time! Being at home and studying meant that I got my best grades that year. I was also my absolute happiest and had gained a furry new best friend.
Apollo eventually outgrew his baby-cage (I still cringe at it) and I made the decision to let him free-roam around my room. I'd often wake up in the night to find him sleeping on my chest and he'd
sometimes lick my nose while I was
sleeping (sooo cute). His favourite spot to chill out was on my windowsill
where he could watch the world - and still be safe from the neighbours cats!
Before long, university ended and I moved back home in June 2018. Apollo wasn't used to being without me and I knew my freelance work from home wouldn't continue forever, so I'd started applying for full-time jobs. Full-time meant hardly being at home and, knowing that Apollo would be lonely, my heart sank.
Realistically, he needed a friend of his own kind to hang out with. I researched the best way to bond rabbit pairs and found out that male-female pairs tend to work best. I then found out that rabbits can get severely depressed and even die from sadness if their bonded partner dies before them, so I decided it would be best to get a female that was around the same age, so they could live out their lives together, hopefully into old age.
I started looking for rabbit rescues somewhat close to my area and was surprised at how difficult it was to find a female rabbit in rescue, let alone find one that was only a year old. Eventually, I found South Coast Rabbit Rescue and adopted a gorgeous English spot / lionhead mix named 'Roxy' - her name has since been changed to Athena!
As far as her history goes, she had been to South Coast Rabbit Rescue twice before I got her. The lady who had her before me was elderly and apparently couldn't look after her any more (although I'm not sure why she had her in the first place if this was the case, considering the bun was only a year old). On the plus side, she at least looked well cared for and the previous owner supposedly got her spayed before surrendering her.
Athena seemed to be a very nervous bunny, and I soon came to realise that her jittery personality wasn't just because she was new to my strange smelling household - It's just the way she is. I figure she probably wasn't socialised very much in the first year of her life so is very nervous around people. Over the first year that I had her, she improved a lot!
I didn't want to ruin any chances of bonding Athena and Apollo, so opted for the slow-route. Over the next 2 months, they lived side-by-side in their pens and had gradual, supervised play-dates. They adore each other now and I've definitely moved down the pecking order!
I've now cared for Apollo for 7 years and Athena for 6 and I can't imagine what life would be like without them. They bring me so much joy, so much purpose.
Athena is still shy and hates being stroked after all this time, but that's ok. Our quirks are what make us... us! I try to remember this in myself every day.
So anyway, that's the story of how I met my two bunnies! How did you meet yours?