Today is A Very Special Edition of Monday Bunny Blogging. Sunday is Easter, and Easter is a disaster for rabbits. People buy cute baby bunnies as Easter presents, thinking rabbits are easy to take care of.
RABBITS ARE NOT LOW MAINTENANCE PETS!
They are mischievous and you never know what they’ll get into next.
Rabbits require constant access to hay for optimal health. Once you bring hay inside, your home (and you) will never be clean again. Trust me on this. If you don’t mind looking down and seeing hay on your ankle when you’re at a job interview, you might be a good candidate for a rabbit.
People also object to the fact that rabbits are required to eat one type of poop they produce. They catch it right from the anus! Aren’t you glad I didn’t provide a picture of this?
So, for these and other reasons (unaltered young rabbits are holy terrors), a few weeks or months after Easter, countless rabbits get abandoned. A “lucky” few get taken to an animal shelter, where they will ultimately be euthanized due to lack of room. Many people dump their rabbit outside, claiming they’re doing the rabbit a favor by setting it “free”.
What happens to abandoned rabbits? The get killed by birds, cats, dogs, teenagers, cars, or starvation. Domestic rabbits do not do well running loose outside. Setting a domestic rabbit free means finally giving her access to the living room, not pretending you have a wild rabbit on your hands.
Enough preaching and scolding. Rabbits can obviously make wonderful pets (hence, Monday Bunny Blogging). The single hardest thing for me is that most rabbits HATE being picked up. One of the cuddliest-looking and cuddliest-acting animals can’t be picked up and hugged? You can get around this by lying on the floor next to them and hugging them there. You might even be rewarded with a loud, contented tooth-purr. So please, if you’ve carefully thought about it, by all means adopt a needy rabbit (or two!). But please don’t buy the kids a rabbit for Easter the same way you’d buy their Easter basket.
For Easter, please consider buying plush rabbits, and of course, chocolate rabbits!
The Bipolar View 
Amen. Well said. I had rabbits when I was growing up and to my eternal shame they were kept in cages, not let free to roam the house. My albino baby (originally named snowball?!!) used to sit on my lap and lick my arms for ages at a time…
A house rabbit is obviously a wonderful companion, but hard work. You obviously have huge respect for your bunny, giving him dignity, care and affection. I’m jealous! Pippa x
eeeeewww. i used the word obviously twice in consecutive sentences. Yuk.
“So, for these and other reasons (unaltered young rabbits are holy terrors), a few weeks or months after Easter, countless rabbits get abandoned.”
This happens all too often with so many pets. Getting a pet of any type is usually a huge commitment. It can’t be stressed enough that people should research a pet well before purchasing or adopting. Never, ever buy an animal as a gift for a person without checking with them first or on impulse…pleeeaassse.
(comment not directed at you, S.E., only at people in general.)
Pippa-Those rabbits had a good life-getting regular care and love. I’m so jealous of snowball sitting on your lap! And the only time Bumble has licked me was accidentally, when he was trying to grab a piece of apple or banana. 🙂
Faith-Yes, so many people treat pets as possessions, and that includes throwing them away. It makes me sick. Last year I posted a picture of a rabbit who’d been abandoned after Easter, then attacked by a dog. She died because some asshole couldn’t be bothered to take her to a shelter.
But people seemed traumatized by her picture, so I skipped it this year.
tooth-purr?
The tooth-purr is the coolest thing ever! Rabbits don’t purr like cats, but when they’re contented or really happy, they click their teeth together.
Now, I know that doesn’t sound so great, 😉 but it’s really sweet. Sometimes you get a lout CLICK CLICK CLICK, and sometimes you just see their little jaw moving up and down. They do it when they’re petted, sometimes when you sit down by them, and my favorite-when they’ve just settled down for a nap. It slays me.
Bumble is one handsome young man in that top portrait.
I don’t know of any pet that is low maintenance–one of those air ferns maybe? The cats make me nuts with their completely opposed food needs and their complete refusal to eat out of their own frickin bowls. The dust from the litter box goes everywhere. And I can’t even imagine having a dog–picking up hot poop in a baggie? No THANK you. I wish people would think the WHOLE THING through, no matter what species of critter they’re thinking of taking on. Spend time with people who already live with said critters. Talk to them. See what their lives are like. Be realistic about whether you can accept those conditions. If not, DON’T DO IT.
That goes for human babies too, IMHO.
Pets and babies-better be careful if you have one (or more). I bet even those air ferns can be a PITA.
As I type this, Bumble is attempting to chew through my file box for reasons unknown (he was asleep a few minutes ago).
If only rabbits hadn’t been associated with Easter, they’d be much better off.
Thanks for that reminder! But bumble was lucky to have found you.
Amy, picking up a dog’s poo in a baggy may not appeal to everyone, but it’s OK. the only thing is that it is a bit cruel to the dog, who has carefully chosen a place for it in order to leave a message for other dogs.
“That goes for human babies too, IMHO.”
I work at a kid’s clothing store, and about 3 times a week I hear: “OMG this dress is so cute it makes me want to have a baby.”
Every time I have to look her right in the eye and say: Don’t. Seriously, don’t.
I got an Easter bunny one year, I was about 10. The pet-store guy told my mom she was a “dwarf rabbit” and wouldn’t get much bigger than she was at the time of purchase – at which time she fit in the palm of my hand.
I loved her very much and she was well cared for by my incredibly animal-loving family, but alas, she grew to be very large and had a decided dislike for all people. We kept her for a couple of years, but she was just plain unhappy and started biting anyone who got within striking distance. My parents were lucky to find a rabbit sanctuary for her, and they took me to visit her a few times and she was a new bunny, so much happier.
I guess the moral of this story is don’t believe what the pet store clerk says.
PS – I didn’t mean to imply that my bunny getting larger was a problem in and of itself, but it did require the construction of a much larger hutch and we had to rethink her exercise needs.
Ok, I’ll stop now. 🙂
Freaking pet store people LIE LIE LIE about their animals. Beansa, you’re lucky your girl lived-there’s a huge mortality rate for rabbits sold in pet stores, largely because they sell BABIES who are too young to be away from mom yet. “She won’t get much larger” yeah-whatever would cement the deal. But your parents did the right thing-taking her to a sanctuary. Some buns really do hate people, but are happy when they’re with other rabbits. And some are the other way around-they hate other rabbits.
Big hugs to you for reminding people that cute clothing is a bad idea to have a child.
Firstly – Bumble looks fabulous in that first pic.
“Gee I’m cute but I don’t brag about it”
Yes! The tooth purr—I always call it a ‘chatter’ because it sounds as though they are clicking their teeth AWWWW
And happy spring! (don’t go for that xian malarkey)
Years ago I came across two rabbits sat in the open in the middle of a field, one black one white. Obviously dumped pets, and they just sat there, so I phoned the animal rescue people. Poor things.
Tooth click purr. Magic. I take it you are not allergic to hay !
Sparkle-He is a good-looking bunny, isn’t he! Tooth chatter describes it perfectly. Happy Spring right back at you!
Sally-Good for you for calling for those rabbits! I am very allergic to hay, and I’m also allergic to rabbits (my allergist looked at me funny when I said I wanted rabbit added to the skin tests). I take allergy shots, and inhalers, and I’m fine.
Sweet thread, your bunny is a lucky man.
My Rabbit is called Ruben, he does the tooth-purr thing. He also likes playing this game where if we leave the back door open and he’s in the garden; he will tip-toe into the front room until we see him and then giddily run off back to the garden. as if to say ‘ hehehehe i wasn’t in the front room if that’s what you were thinking’ .
and having just three legs doesn’t make him any less mischevious.
X
I have many rabbits that i raise and i will say that if you are not ready to take care of an animal, do not get one. they eat alot and you do have to clean there cage every other day, but they are awesome animals to have, very friendly and cuddly but you must constantly handle them, so if you do get one, please get them young so they can get to know you, also clip there nails, they are like razors. but yes they are wonderful.