Spring Break was a blast, but the fun doesn’t just stop there. Spring is my favorite season, so I planned to make the most of it. For Easter, my father’s ʻohana got to visit us from Oʻahu. This included my grandparents, aunty and uncle, as well as my two younger cousins. With all of us together, we definitely had an action-packed couple of days together.

And since it was Easter, we, of course, had to spend a lot of time with my rabbits, Fred Nicholas and Shaggy.

They are Holland Lop rabbits who are almost a year old. They’re brothers, and I got them when they were just babies. Fred’s on the more sophisticated side, while Shaggy is pretty goofy, and they both hold very special places in my heart.

The only previous experience I’ve had with rabbits are from my aunty, as she is an avid leporiphile (rabbit lover). Other than that, everything I know about their care and needs are from my own research. This includes the hay I’m supposed to give them, the transitioning between different pellets and veggies, and even possible diseases they can have and how to prevent them as much.

Since I got them when they were still very young, I had to train them. They needed to learn how to use the litter box, how to get used to being groomed, and even how to socialize. They were fast learners and were very aware of their environment.

In the beginning of their time with me, it was great. They were relaxed and would cuddle and show lots of love. But when they started to mature, things got a little hectic. They tried to assert dominance not only on each other, but also on their pen. This resulted in separation and a lot of cleaning a lot of cleaning, but once we got them neutered, they started to calm down, and they finally started to use their litter box correctly, which I am very grateful for.

Overall though, this journey as their caretaker has been great, and I learned a lot about their species, but I’m not the only one who loves them; my family loves them too.

They did surprisingly well with the kids at Easter. I thought they would be more timid since they’re only really used to me, but they did great and socialized. They got some bright sunlight and a lot of attention, and it got spring off to a great start!

And what else is in season? Strawberries! We were able to go up to Kula Country Farms and attempt to pick strawberries for the first time. I say attempt because there were hardly any left that were ripe and ready for picking. Don’t worry though, we still bought strawberries, so we didn’t leave empty handed. We were ultimately there for the experience, and it was a fun one.

I think my favorite part was seeing Shamrock the tortoise. Fun Fact: My dream pet in middle school was a tortoise. I used to be obsessed with them. I don’t think that dream will ever come true, but seeing one once in a while is enough for me.

Not only were we able to go out, but also do some arts and crafts, something I love doing. This ranged from egg decorating, painting wooden cutouts, and coloring in
Pokémon pictures.

It was not only relaxing, but incredibly refreshing. I got to wind down and enjoy the nice weather, as well as spend some quality time with my family.