Ready to run ...

Rabbits are fast.  Think animal world race car fast, out run a predator fast.  In fun terms, someone coined the phrase “Bunny 500” to signal a rabbit racing around, usually in laps around a room or house (see yesterday’s blog for a video example).  Sometimes they are pure unadulterated motion and speed and sometimes they take the turns on two legs, clip the wall or crash into each other. 

I have read cottontail rabbits can reach speeds up to 35 mph and jackrabbits can reach 45 mph.  I would say our rabbits easily reached 25 mph in their youth.  We would see them sitting across a twenty-foot room and feel it was safe for us to move.  In just one footstep, we  would have a rabbit underfoot.  I cannot tell you how many times we almost drop kicked a bunny.  We had to learn that when they were out running around, we absolutely could not move without watching our feet as we moved and being ready to quickly side step or dance out of a running rabbit’s path. 

Even at 10 years old, they are still incredibly fast.  Recently, I was walking down a flight of stairs.  I was about to put my foot down on the next step down when Shadow appeared out of nowhere flying up the stairs, landing right where my foot was going.  I ended up doing a one foot hop on the stairs trying not to step on him or fall down the stairs myself.  Thankfully, we both came out of the encounter safely.  

Living with roaming rabbits, means always having human eyes and ears open for where they might suddenly appear .  We also take our shoes off at the door, so that we can more easily feel them as they come close to our feet and ankles.

Later today, I will blog about binkies.