Walter Surveys the Apartment

It’s official: Walter loves the new apartment.  I let the rabbit explore for a few hours yesterday, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him jump, binky, or run so much in one three-hour span as he did last night.

He helped me identify one particular trouble spot during his adventures, though.  The space between the refrigerator and the wall was just large enough for a rabbit to squeeze his way behind the appliance.  After a few frantic minutes of trying to first figure out where the bunny went, and then trying to lure him out from behind the fridge before he got hurt, I had to slightly move the fridge to prevent future sneak-ins.

Other than the refrigerator misstep, Walter behaved really well in the new apartment.  He spent some time darting from one end of the unit to the other, turning the path of unpacked boxes into an obstacle course.  He searched for a new hideout spot, since my couch sits lower to the ground than the couch at Paul’s apartment and Walter can no longer fit underneath.  He, of course, dug at the doors to both the bedroom and the bathroom, pleading to be allowed to enter.  And he sought out all miscellaneous wires and cords left around the apartment in an attempt to satisfy his urge to chew.

This brings me to a really exciting realization:  Walter learned the word “no.”  Whenever the rabbit hopped over to any exposed cord that hadn’t yet been bunny-proofed, I sternly told him no.  Walter would stop immediately and hop away.  I was one proud mama!

But, with any progress comes a few drawbacks.  Walter also learned that I can’t see what he’s doing when my back is turned.  As I was unpacking my kitchen, I saw that he hopped up onto my ottoman to reach the wires coming from my cable box.  I told him no and he hopped off with his best look of innocence.  The minute I turned back to my unpacking, the rabbit hopped back up onto the ottoman.  After four repeat instances of this, I finally had to lock the mischievous rabbit in his playpen.

I’m glad to see that Walter is handling this housing transition so well, but more than that, I’m glad to notice the changes in the rabbit’s behavior and maturity.  He’s one step closer to my ultimate goal of never needing to lock him in his cage at all.  But he’s still got a long way to go.