Since I first put this page up, Sonic has sadly died. After suffering from a degenerative back problem for several weeks he was finally put to sleep in October 99. He was my friend and I miss him.

Sonic was born into this world in about July 1994 and has been seriously fluffy ever since. I brought him from a pet shop in a mental state that I've never been entirely certain of, but he hopped into our hearts and has been chillin' there ever since.

A friend of mine from the dim and distant past (Nigel Foulkes-Nock if you ever read this, it's your fault) had a house bunny called Cocoa. He convinced me that a house rabbit was the pet to have and so young Sonic was raised as such. House bunnies have most of the advantage of other pets without requiring quiet as much time or worry. They don't need the attention that dogs demand and they don't get run over on the road or go missing for weeks at a time as cats are known to do.

House training the little fiend proved slightly problematical for the first few months and he tended to live a split existence between a hutch in the house and we let him out whenever we were home. Eventually he became more of a full time house bunny, but was still a bit erratic until he had been with us for nearly a year. The house rabbit society recommend neutering bunnies at the earliest practical age for both ethical and behavioural reasons, but unfortunately we discovered this info too late to be of real use to us. However after a particularly vigorous pooing session, Sonic got booked into the vets to have the dreaded deed performed upon him. When the morning of the operation arrived, I came downstairs to discover the litter tray neatly used and not an errant pellet to be seen. I took pity on the poor beast (being male myself) and cancelled the OP. He has behaved perfectly since that morning!

He spends most of his life in one his many preferred positions. Of which he has five variants. Chillin', Teacosy, Sphinx, Flat, Coy. Rabbits are intensely social creatures and Sonic is no exception. They are used to living in large social groups and Sonic likes to spend time wherever anything is going on. He doesn't often require actual attention, just likes to be lying wherever you are. Unfortunately he's also a bit dim at times and if you are dashing up and down stairs to get ready in the morning or going out, then he will follow you up just as you are coming down and vice versa. This does however serve to keep him fit.

In the evenings we get down to serious socialising. We have an agreement, I groom him (pull his ears for half an hour) then he grooms me (nibbles my hair for a few minutes) The only variation on this is when he is moulting (which he does twice a year Spring and Autumn) in which case you have to pin him down and vacuum him as he produces prodigious quantities of fluff. Fortunately he tolerates and possibly even enjoys this process.

He likes to spend as much time as possible in the back garden although this causes absolute havoc amongst the bedding plants. It only takes one curious nibble to fell your latest pride and joy and a certain amount of bunny proofing has had to go on. As I result of this I have learned that Sonic can jump a three foot fence from a standing start. At about the point of this discovery I gave up on armour and started looking for rabbit proof plants. He absolutely detests mint which took care of a decent sized patch of border (perfect for Pimms and lemonade in the Summer) Unfortunately the guinea pigs absolutely love it. They felled a whole forest of mint in three days. The garden quest continues......

Sonic is now 5 years old which is about middle aged for a rabbit. He could easily live to 10 years or older. He is an absolute pleasure to have about the place - in fact the house seems really empty without him. He is warm, fluffy, affectionate and smells nice (stick your nose in a rabbits fur if you don't believe me) and I love him. It is practically criminal to take such loving social creatures and stick them in a cage on their own in a garden. Do a bit of legwork and check out the house rabbit society they have all the information you need on these beasties and it is well worth adjusting your perception of what kind of pet a rabbit really is.

Being a great political thinker and activist (when not asleep on the sofa,) Sonic would just like to remind you of the words of Gandhi

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated..... I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man."
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)