Seoulscapade

There’s never a dull moment in the wonderland of Seoul. The unexpected is always around the corner to amuse. That happened the other day when we came upon this white rabbit.

Sunah and I were on campus, heading home after work, when we saw at the edge of the forested hill near where we live, a fluffy white rabbit frolicking on grasses. People were passing by the rabbit with surprise, but all just left it be and moved on. No owner was to be seen. The bunny didn’t seem to mind, running with abandon from one patch of grass to another, perhaps never having seen so much grass in its life.

We reflected on its plight: it had either become lost or was abandoned, and if it wasn’t run over by traffic, it would be prey to cats by nightfall. Deciding to save it, then work out what to do later, I stood by the road to prevent it from getting run over and Sunah snuck up behind and caught it. We put it in a plastic bag to carry home.

We ordered in pizza for dinner (the rabbit wasn’t enough for two), and while having that we decided to keep the critter as a pet. After that, we set out to look for a pet shop that might still be open. On the way, the taxi driver was giving us all kinds of advice on rabbits. He was an expert because he’d kept them in the past. I became somewhat alarmed, however, at his insistence that you keep rabbits in bird cages. I can only imagine the wretch and dull lives his tortured pets had led.

Apart from lunatic taxi drivers, the great thing about Seoul is that even though it might be after 9pm, searching for a rabbit cage (as opposed to a bird cage) is not a vain endeavour. In fact, there was a pet shop still open not far from where we live. It had an excellent fold-out, metal cage of a good size, including a pull-out droppings tray, plus rabbit food, all for a cheap price.

Since then, two days ago, the bunny seems to have settled in and is starting to recognize and accept us. I still don’t know if it’s a he or a she, but let’s say it’s a he. He’s very inquisitive, and when let free on the balcony predictably eats some of our plants, and when free in the apartment predictably leaves little surprises and gnaws Internet cabling.

I guess while we’re at work, he’ll just have to spend the day in the cage, although I don’t like having to do that. But he can get some exercise at night.

I’ve never kept a rabbit before, but he seems like a cross between a dog and a cat, only a tad dumber.

Postscript:

I take that back. As an experiment, we decided to leave him on the balcony during the day, and set his cage with it’s door open cross the gap of the sliding door, inset but barricading access inside. This allowed him to run free but still get in the cage.

Because he had gone to the toilet in his cage over the first weekend, that’s where he returned to do his business, when free to roam. In only a few days, he’s been toilet trained. We’ve had no little surprises anywhere since starting the experiment, and things are going so well that we might even progress him to indoor status. (This will depend on the chewing of cables.) We probably won’t change the night ritual, keeping him in the cage, as he seems quite content with that.

Altogether, he’s been surprisingly easy to keep and has adapted very well, the introduction of broccoli and other treats adding to his luxuries.