A blogger and a hopper

ONCE upon a time, a blogger and a rabbit lived under one roof. Almost four years have passed and the two, still together, shared their adventures exclusively online until one day when they stepped out of their cyber hole to visit a fair.

Wendy Cheng, alias Xiaxue, is a popular blogger from Singapore who owns a pet rabbit named Igloo. She occasionally blogs about Igloo, a Holland lop bunny, who leapt to online stardom by virtue of her cuteness.

They were among the VIP guests at last month's second Singapore Pet Expo where Xiaxue talked about Igloo and the life they share.

IN BOTH PHOTOS, XIAXUE CRADLES IGLOO IN HER HANDS. SHE SAID PET RABBITS ARE VERY CLEAN, SWEET AND SMART. (Images from Xiaxue's blog)

In her early blog posts, Xiaxue tried to correct misconceptions about bunnies based on her experiences with Igloo. The petite lady with colorful hair (last month it was like periwinkle) didn't look like the kind who would get her hands too dirty (literally) to raise a pet, but she seemed pretty hands on with Igloo.

“Do you know that bunnies can be toilet trained?” Xiaxue said in front of a crowd of pet lovers. “I was able to train Igloo to hop back to her litter box inside her cage when she needs to eliminate, and since then I could trust her enough to let her roam around the room.”

Xiaxue said Igloo enjoys being out of her cage regularly. For Igloo's safety, Xiaxue said they fenced up half of her room so the little bunny can't go near and bite electrical wires and cables.

Unlike cats and dogs' waste, bunnies' are not smelly at all, Xiaxue said, adding that she sometimes just use her own hands to pick up Igloo's excrement, which looks like tiny hard pellets.

XIAXUE SHARES SOME TIPS AND ADVICE ON HOW TO CARE FOR PET RABBITS WHILE HER BUNNY, IGLOO, PEEKS OUT FROM HER CARRIER TO THE DELIGHT OF THE BIG AUDIENCE THAT TURNED UP TO SEE THEM. (Photo by MetroPets)

Igloo has the shape of an igloo, hence the name, said Xiaxue.

She finds her little hopper smart after successfully training Igloo to come when called and to stand up when she clicks her tongue.

“Igloo is very sweet. She loves to snuggle and sleep next to me. She likes it a lot when we scratch her ears. If I'm using the computer for too long and ignoring her, she'd nudge my feet with her nose or paws,” she said.

After a failed dog ownership, Xiaxue is happy to have found the right pet in Igloo.

“If I knew bunnies could be awesome I would have bought one long ago. I suppose different species of animals suit different people, and my character/lifestyle is just more suited for bunnies,” she wrote in her blog.

At the Pet Expo, Xiaxue went on to say that bunnies are good pets because they are very clean by nature and love to wash themselves all the time.

The intrepid blogger also gives rabbits a thumbs up for not making too much of a racket. She also loves the fact that bunnies can be trained to do “tricks” and do acrobatic binkies.

“Before I got a bunny I never knew they do something called binkies when they are happy. Binkies are like hopping and sprinting and sometimes they twist their body in midair. Igloo always does it when we bring her out,” she said.

IGLOO EATING STRAWBERRY, LEAVES AND ALL. (Photo by Xiaxue)

Binkies are purring to cats and tail wagging to dogs. Xiaxue said that rabbits can also be very expressive.

“If you have won over your bun's love, he will groom you with licks, which will not be readily given to any stranger. When getting scratched/pet, they sometimes grind their teeth softly in contentment and close their eyes,” Xiaxue added.

But she admits bunnies can also be naughty and destructive when bored. To stop them from biting, digging and chewing at your personal belongings, Xiaxue suggests giving them a cardboard box to tear apart.

She noted, too, that rabbits are unlike cats and dogs that could be at ease in public places. Rabbits can be awkward when being walked on a leash and they are quite fearful of a lot of things new to them, she added.

“But all these I don't mind because I love Igloo so much,” said Xiaxue who finished her outing with Igloo by judging the search for Singapore's fluffiest rabbit.