Radiator Rabbit

For the past two weeks, on a warm days, it has been about 40 degrees F and the heater in my apartment is broken. This is very unpleasant. The maintenance man has been unable to fix it, promising me each day the a technician would be out "tomorrow". So, he lent me two portable radiators until such time that my heater is working. They are warmish, but only really effective when sitting in very close proximity to the cold human.

So, I was sitting in my bedroom floor next to the radiator and who hops up but my rabbit Rukia. He is a notorious cable-chewer and ruiner of electronics so I was keeping a very close eye on him as he investigated the temporary addition to my room. He picked up the cord with his teeth and I clapped my hands together and made a quick movement. Startled, he hopped away from the cord and closer to me. "I'm sorry, but you can't chew that. I'll get into big trouble and will have to buy new heaters," I told him gently.

I went back to my computer, keeping Rukia in my periphery. He hopped around the radiator a couple times, measuring it's height and width with bunny feet. He settled down a little bit and sat next to the heater, sniffing at the metal slats that were heating my room. I turned my head to watch his exploration and as soon as I did, I saw his little tongue flick out of his mouth and lick the hot radiator.

I made an empathetic "Aw" sound since I was sure he had just learned his lesson. I didn't shoo him away from the heater for this very reason, I figured he would hop away on his own. I watched him as he sniffed the heater some more. And again he licked it! "Rukia?!" He looked at me like I was crazy and that radiator-licking was a rabbit past-time. "Rukia, get away from there."

He took a couple extra licks as I shooed him and then he hopped away. He and I are combatting his radiator-licking addiction in our own ways; he licks the radiator and I shoo him away. I can't wait until my heater is fixed.