Rider Pets: Artemis the rabbit hops into Rider’s heart

By Sofia Santiago

Among all the residents living in Wright Hall, one stands out: Artemis the rabbit. She has a masters in snoozing and cuddles and is earning a PhD in tomfoolery, according to Sela McMullen, senior voice performance major and Artemis’ caretaker. 

Artemis, a 12.9 pound, 8-year-old New Zealand white rabbit, came to live at Rider as an emotional support animal for McMullen in 2023, following a recommendation by McMullen’s doctor. 

The pair first met at a shelter three years ago. “Artemis was in a cage when I went to go meet her … As soon as I picked her up, she nuzzled right between my neck, and I knew that was my girl. When I put her down, she thumped because she didn’t appreciate me picking her up,” McMullen explained. “Before the shelter, Artemis was used as a breeder rabbit for meat and was found in a garbage can outside a restaurant. So I don’t blame her for not liking humans.”

Jasmine White, a senior journalism major and a friend of McMullen’s, described meeting Artemis for the first time.

“I wasn’t expecting to see this huge bunny … It took a while for Artemis to warm up to me, but after a little bit she was letting me pet her head and was sniffing my hands,” White said.

To get permission for Artemis to live at Rider, McMullen had to contact Student Accessibility and Support Services and have them approve the rabbit. 

“Since she’s supposed to be my emotional support animal, she’s not really allowed to leave the dorm unless it’s to go outside, and we want to be as allergy friendly as possible,” McMullen said. “She’s fine with zooming around in here. I like to take her out when it snows because mosquitoes are dead, so there’s no diseases being spread by their bites.”

Despite her limitations, Artemis still finds ways to stay active. She has a set of stacking cups, a drawer, carrot toys and paper bags in which McMullen will hide treats and foraging activity food that will stimulate the rabbit’s brain. 

“The foraging mat is her favorite, especially with dried up dandelions. She also loves chewing cardboard,” she explained.

McMullen commented on the misconception that taking care of a rabbit is easy. 

“They are very intelligent,” she said. “I had a snack drawer, and this little fluffer figured out how to open it no matter what.”

Even after McMullen used baby-proof magnets on the inside and outside of the drawer, Artemis would find a way to get in and eat uncooked popcorn kernels. 

“That didn’t happen once. That didn’t happen twice. It happened five times,” McMullen recounted.

Each time, McMullen had to spend the whole day with Artemis making sure she passed every single popcorn kernel, or else Artemis would need an emergency vet visit. 

“That is why we have enrichment activities to keep her little bunny brain busy while I’m in class or while I sleep, so that she’s not constantly trying to open these drawers,” she said.

McMullen takes many precautions to keep Artemis safe and healthy. The room is kept at 68 degrees so that Artemis can stay at a cool temperature, and the cable-fence and bedframes that surround the enclosure are laced with peppermint oil to dissuade Artemis from chewing on them. 

“Any wires where Artemis lives, for example her water fountain, have a non-bite deterrent. That’s a cable protector with a chemical aspect that is safe for pets, but gives them a taste of a really bitter thing, making them spit it out immediately,” she said.

As a testament to McMullen’s efforts, White commented, “Sela’s creativity is beautiful. A lot of people tend to keep their animals in small cages … but the fact that [Artemis] has her own little sanctuary under the dorm beds, I would’ve never thought to do something like that.”

Additionally, Artemis gets hay around the clock to increase fiber and make sure she is digesting correctly. Her diet consists of pellets with essential vitamins and minerals during the daytime, kale and other leafy greens at night, along with some blueberries to help with her immune system. 

“If you have a banana, she can smell it from right outside the door and probably outside the building. And she’ll be at the fence, rattling it at the gate because she smells it,” McMullen explained. 

McMullen stated that Artemis’ determination was part of how she came up with Artemis’ name. 

 “Her breed is supposed to be docile, but she’s not. Nobody informed her of that. I noticed that her behavior was very independent and strong, and I wanted her name to have a meaning,” she said. “I looked at Greek mythology, and sure enough, Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and the moon. She’s white like the moon, and she’s independent and strong just like Artemis.”