Gotcha day June 16, 2001
ATB January 5, 2005

a.k.a. Captain Squishybums
a.k.a. Hey, Gimme That!!
This is Trapper. Six pounds of trouble. He chews everything. He's not yet housebroken (almost, though). He drinks iced water right out of my glass. He chases the hamsters around when they're in their exercise balls, and he harasses the guinea pigs whenever they're out for exercise. Oh, and lately he's been romancing the feather duster and shredding it. But isn't he cuuuuute? Whenever I walk around the house, he likes to run alongside and between my feet, and then he darts in front of me and stops. People tell me he's playing tag, but I think it's more like "kick the bunny, trip the human". If I stand still, he just runs circles around me.

Trapper is extremely affectionate, very curious, and very playful. I often wake up in the middle of the night to find him perched on my pillows, grooming me or licking my nose, and I always wake up in the morning to find him on his pad at the foot of the bed, or on the floor right next to me (under a dangling arm).

Trapper got his name because he was trapped by a licensed trapper at a park on Trapelo Road here in Waltham. Someone didn't want him anymore, so they just dumped him off at the park. I hate people like that. Luckily, someone who cares about animals noticed that he was new to the park and that he was domesticated, and rescued him (after spending a couple days chasing him around with a net). He kept Trapper at his home while he looked for a good home for him, and he finally found me through my vet after my last rabbit, Q-Tip, passed away.

Trapper loves banana yogurt dips, and I have the bandages on my fingers to prove it (gotta be quick to get one out - he gets really excited). He knows where I keep them, and he knows to throw the bag at me if he wants one. Luckily, he doesn't know that he can bite right through the bag and get one without my help. I hope he never discovers that. I really do...

Addendum:
A year after getting Trapper, I decided it was time to get him a playmate. I checked with all the local shelters and rescues, and asked them for a female rabbit to bond with Trapper. I didn't care what kind of rabbit, how old, what her background was, or anything like that - I only cared about finding a rabbit who really really needed to be adopted and fast. A rabbit whose adoption chances were not that good. The MSPCA helped put me in touch with the House Rabbit Connection who happened to have just such a bunny. Her name is Tamari.

Epilogue:
Jan 5, 2005 - Trapper went to the Rainbow Bridge while he was in the hospital being treated for bladder sludge. The vet had just called to tell me I could pick them up (Tamari was there with him, for support), and shortly after that, she called back to tell me he had passed away. He put his head down on Tamari's side and just slipped away. They noticed almost immediately, and they intubated him, did CPR, and pushed emergency drugs for 30 minutes - but his time had come. This time Tamari would share her broken heart with me.

Trapper was a wonderful bunny, a wonderful companion, a wonderful friend. He helped me save Tamari from loneliness and took away her sorrow better than I ever could. He was always there for me, always playful and affectionate, always doing rabbity things. I'll always treasure the memory of all the times I woke up to find him perched on my pillows, grooming my face. He has joined Q-Tip and I'm sure he'll make Q-Tip quite happy too.

This is Trapper's goodbye letter to those that tried to help him.

I had always hoped that Trapper would outlive Tamari - she had already lost a mate (her son) and her home at the same time, and I didn't want her to have another broken heart. But sometimes life has other plans. Because she outlived Trapper as well, she came to learn how much I love her and that her home with me was secure, and she finally bonded with me. A month after Trapper left, I introduced Flopsy into our home.



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