Learning from a rabbit

I have this kind of rule in life: if it breaks I get to get rid of it. This rule works pretty well on just about anything that I own from frames to ornaments, electronics to vases. There are a couple exceptions if it breaks and it's really sentimental then we'll keep it and try to fix it. Which is why I let Alex keep a stone plaque from one of the temples he visited when he was younger. And if it gets ruined but is still usable, we'll keep it. This last exception is one that Alex and I have had to work on with our bunny, Myla.

Myla is honestly the perfect pet for us except she chews on everything! Excluding for our tv stand, which is weird, it may be because we have that blocked off or because it's black and doesn't look like wood, a blessing in disguise either way! Myla has chewed on everything from pillows, cords, plastic buttons, furniture wood and fabric, my easel, our toes and blankets. I even caught her yesterday trying to eat this little plastic Halloween parachute toy that Alex got from school. 

Some of Myla's first handy work.

You would think that we'd get very aggravated at her and get rid of her or at least keep her in her cage! We do sometimes get mad at her, like the time I had just finished crocheting my granny square afghan that I was very proud of because I had finally made something personal for me and then within two days little Myla had chewed right through the stitches. I was livid! Mostly because I had just finished it and really hadn't even "broken it in" before she got to it and because she somehow got it off the back of the couch which is usually a safe area (that's where we hide our cords).

Sad day when this happened, but  it's fixable!

I then put her in timeout in her cage. If any of you know anything about training birds putting them in their cage after they've been bad is a bad idea because they'll just be bad to get back in the cage where they'd rather be than playing with you. So why would I put my bunny in her cage when she's been bad? If you know anything about rabbits they don't respond to emotional situations like dogs and parrots might, so when they've been bad they don't associate being punished with what they did- and in the case of Myla chewing everything, she's not doing anything wrong, she naturally has to chew things to keep her teeth trimmed. And most of the time Alex and I understand this, even when she chewed through three of my sister in law's computer cords (she was not as understanding). So we don't put her in her cage because we're punishing her, we put her in her cage to get a break from finding newly chewed things!

This one's kind of funny- This tag was on my bag for eight years and
was almost in perfect condition until Myla got a hold of it!

Yup. She's chewed through two of these gates!
Guess we'll have to invest in a metal gate next time!

Myla is part of our family even though she's a rabbit. She's like a family dog (who has the attitude of a cat and the personality of a puppy), so we put up with her misdemeanors and her quirks because we love her. I like to think that God brought her in our lives to prepare us for kids! If I've learned anything from having a rabbit it is simply not to be worldly of our possessions because they aren't going to last forever and when I have kids loving them is much more important than getting upset over something that's broken or ruined. And last but not least- if you don't want it ruined, broken, ripped, chewed on or otherwise destroyed you'd better hide it!

Myla's handy work from last night. At this point this is like
taking pictures of a child's scribbles on the wall!