Seoulscapade

A week or two back when my wife asked me if we could look after her co-worker’s rabbit for a week, I immediately said no. However, as any married person can attest, sometimes matters aren’t settled and things just seem to happen before you know it.

Last Saturday, it was brought to my attention that the day had arrived for us to take charge of Charles, my wife’s coworker’s rabbit. Obviously, I had not said a big enough no. The reason I had been against it was because I had read of rabbits fighting when they first met and needing around two weeks to adjust to one another.

I get the sense that my wife imagined Panda, Monty and Charles gamboling together on a sunlit balcony, swapping rabbit tales, offering each other tufts of alfalfa, and then cheerfully playing tag before passing the afternoon away in carefree slumber. Not even close.

The coworker arrive and Charles was set down in our lounge room in a playpen, which you can see above, minus the cage. Panda and Monty were allowed in, and although slow to recognize a stranger in their midst, when they did, chaos reigned. Monty attacked Charles through the playpen fencing, biting out chunks of hair. Panda attacked Monty at any slight movement. Monty attacked Panda whenever she went near Charles. Charles sat quietly, demonstrating impeccable good manners.

The coworker left us to it. We soon realized that the only solution to ensure sanity for the coming week was to keep Charles separate from the ill-bred ruffians, Panda and Monty. That meant putting him in the study, as you see above, the only place in the apartment with a bit of room. It is hardly convenient.

But what a polite, well-mannered, calm and friendly rabbit is Charles! What a contrast to our pair of back-street brawlers. Actually, we both joke now how nice it would be if we could swap Monty, the school dropout, for Charles, the Harvard graduate. Charles isn’t much trouble; nonetheless, I have made it more than clear to my wife that we will never again be looking after other people’s pets.