Adopting a Bunny Amid COVID-19 Has Been Such an Unexpected Source of Joy

When people say all bunnies do is poop and eat, they're not wrong. But I just got one and — stick with me here — I think they are the pet you never knew you needed.

A few weeks ago (about a week before social-distancing measures were established), my mother called me to tell me her friend's rabbit gave birth to three furry little bunnies. My first thought was, "When can I go get mine?" In my lifetime I'd had two bunnies; the one I recently adopted and named Sunny is the third. While it is somewhat of an inopportune time for me to get a new pet — mostly because my income has decreased due to COVID-19 and my apartment lease is up at the end of the month, which means I'll have to take him to my mother's house — it's also hugely beneficial that I've been able to tend to him and see him grow day by day.

Bunnies are extremely social creatures. In fact, it's recommended you don't have a bunny if you're going to be out of the house the majority of the time. That's never been an issue for me because I work remotely, but especially not now. Social distancing has helped me and Sunny develop a relationship much quicker than we would have if I had to commute to a 9-to-5 job. It has also helped him develop some sort of respect for me when I tell him not to poop on the couch — though I use the word "respect" loosely.

However, having Sunny at home hasn't been as easy as it looks in the cute photos. Admittedly, it hasn't been too difficult, but I remember bunnies being much more low-maintenance (maybe because I was in my early teens when I had my last furry friends and wasn't the one maintaining them).

For one, they poop everywhere and it's almost impossible to potty-train them if they haven't been fixed . . . and it's equally impossible to find a veterinarian who operates on "exotics" during a pandemic. For some reason, bunnies are exotic animals. What potty-training looks like for me is quite literally sweeping and mopping every day, a true Cinderella dream. I'm hoping to get him fixed soon. The only other downside is that toys, bedding, and food have all been added expenses for me. I was gifted a dog crate, which has proven somewhat useless for now because Sunny is too small and escapes from it every time I lock him in — it's actually really funny to watch.

Those hurdles aside, having a bunny during a pandemic has been a beautiful source of joy and unexpected laughter. He's a total lap bunny, so he'll let me cuddle him for hours, which has also taught me to be more present since I can't do much else while I pet him. He also consistently urinates on my male friend (who is isolating with me) to mark his territory — this beats all the other sources of laughter.

It has been a true pleasure taking care of a little creature during self-isolation. Even though it's a dark time for the world, there's never a wrong time to see the Sunny side of life.