Easter Bunnies

Easter Bunnies

EASTER BUNNIES
What Really Happens To Rabbits At Easter

Bunnies. They are cute and tiny and cuddly and silly and you want to put one in little Sally’s Easter basket. But did you know that rabbits do not make good pets for young children? It’s true. They also need to be spayed or neutered for health issues, as well as to help prevent the hormone-related aggressiveness that often accompanies sexual maturity, and they will live longer, healthier, happier lives if kept inside the home as a part of the family.

According to the ASPCA, 80% of all rabbits bought at Easter end up dead or abandoned within the first six months of their lives. That is 8 of every 10 rabbits! Most of the others end up alone or forgotten in someone’s backyard hutch, or running unsupervised around the backyard, both lonely and terrible fates for an animal as social and vulnerable as a domestic rabbit!

Before you go out and purchase a rabbit for little Sally’s Easter Basket, please take some time to learn the facts:

Rabbits Do Not Make Good Pets for Young Children: Children like hands-on pets that they can hold and play with. Most rabbits, as ground dwelling prey animals, prefer not to be held, but instead want to lie next to you for cuddling and patting. When children try to hold a rabbit, the rabbit often struggles because it is insecure and frightened, and it can very easily break it’s delicate spine. Also, because rabbits cannot sheath their claws like cats, the child is often scratched. While this is not the rabbit’s fault, it still hurts, and we often hear, “Our rabbit was mean, didn’t like our daughter to hold it and he scratched her, so we got rid of it...” The poor rabbit is punished just for having feet!

Rabbits Are Social Creatures: In the wild, rabbits live in large groups for social reasons, as well as for breeding reasons. Our domestic rabbits cannot survive in the wild (parks, etc.), but like their wild cousins, they are very social and need to interact with their people on a consistent daily basis. They think we are ‘one of them’ and expect to be a part of the family just like our dogs, cats, hamsters, et al. This is why they need to live in our homes with us, as a part of the family, privy to all of our daily goings-on. Rabbits are even happier in pairs (both rabbits being fixed, of course!) and will be no less social with their humans.

Here are a few more facts to help you make an informed decision about whether or not you are the right family for a pet rabbit:

Baby bunnies grow up into adult rabbits, often weighing 7 to 11 pounds..
Adult rabbits need to be spayed or neutered to prevent marking of territory with urine or feces, and to prevent hormone-related aggressive behavior.
Rabbits can live 8-13 years and require as much work as a dog and more work than a cat. They need a minimum of 3-5 hours of out-of-pen play time – every day!
Rabbits should live in the home with you – as house pets - not in cages, and not in a dank and lonely garage or outside in the heat and cold, where they are subject to predators, which can kill them or scare them to death.
Rabbits can be litter box trained (yes, like a cat!) – but, like all young creatures human and otherwise, they NEED TO BE TAUGHT!
Rabbits chew. This is a natural and necessary behavior. You can protect your rabbit AND your home from those busy teeth by a few simple Bunny Proofing tactics and by offering the rabbit ways to re-direct the behavior!
Rabbits are playful and like toys! They like rattles and chew toys, fling toys and digging toys; they love to dig, chew, jump on things - and to run through tunnels.
Adult rabbits, not babies, make better pets. They are easier to handle and less excitable.
Rabbits need to see vets, just like other animals; at the very least for annual health check-ups and of course in cases of emergency. Not all vets see rabbits, it is a specialty (contact us for a referral).

“Easter Bunnies” are often bought for all the wrong reasons, even if the intentions are good. After the fun of Easter has worn off, or when they little babies become bigger adults, rabbits are all too often relegated to backyard hutches or “free run” of a back yard, where they are largely ignored except for at feeding time, or when the human sees fit. We know this is not what people intend, yet overwhelmingly, this is what occurs. We know. We get the “dump calls” as soon as the DAY of Easter…and they never stop.

Charlotte.
Just one of last year's many "Easter Bunnies" who needs a loving, permanent
home. If you would like to meet lovely Charlotte, email alex@mybunny.org

Please don’t make a bunny pay for its cuteness with a lifetime of loneliness: Consider stuffed bunnies for your Easter basket - and if you really want to see a bunny – call us and make an appointment, or visit one of our adoption/education events. If you are not local to Zooh Corner, contact your local humane society, or look for a local rabbit rescue to help you find the perfect rabbit for your family.

We encourage everyone to think before getting any animal; know its needs & expected life span, be sure it will fit in with your lifestyle.

For more information about rabbits, or to adopt a house rabbit, please contact us! Our website has a lot of great care information, as well as pictures of many of our adoptable rabbits, plus a great on-line store where you can buy hays, toys and other goodies and help support the rescued rabbits.

Zooh Corner will be holding an Adoption/Education day at the Pasadena PetCo on Arroyo Parkway, this Saturday, April 19th - from 11AM to 4PM, as well as at the Brea PETCO on Imperial. Please come by and learn about rabbits. You are also welcome to bring in your pet rabbits for free nail trims, light grooming and educational demonstrations. See our on-line calendar for more information on local monthly events.