Rabbits are not Easter Toys
By: Keith
The linkage of rabbits to Easter must have something to do with fertility. Or maybe it’s just the cute factor of putting a rabbit in a basket. Either way it’s wrong to gift one to a kid on Easter. We have a rabbit as our family pet. He’s 6 pounds of furry cuteness, and he’s also a valued part of our family. He does not live in a cage outside or otherwise get ignored like most rabbits who are misunderstood by their owners – owners who see them as simply cute play things to gawk at and not smart animals desiring affection. No, our rabbit has free reign of the house and has a litter box where he does his business. When we eat lunch and dinner Mr. B (that’s his name) comes hopping to the table, and we give him a small bowl of pellets and veggies to munch while we eat. He comes when he’s called, and he’ll run around in circles when he’s happy – then he’ll plop down to be pet when he gets tired. Rabbits have feelings and they’re smart (as animals go). They shouldn’t be toys at Easter then set loose in the backyard when the kids get bored of abusing them.
Domesticated Rabbits can’t Survive in the Wild:
A domestic rabbit is not a wild rabbit. They’re bred to be pets and wouldn’t know the first thing about surviving outside. My friend found Mr. B three years ago hopping around in his yard near death because a neighbor didn’t want him anymore and set him free thinking (or perhaps not thinking at all) he’d be happier that way. Mr. B didn’t know how to find food and he didn’t know how to hide from predators. It was a miracle he made it. When my friend found him he was missing most of his fur and he was nearly starved to death. It took many trips to the vet and a lot of TLC to bring him back. He’s one lucky bunny, and now he’s been given a second chance with us.
Rabbits Live a Long Time:
Rabbits can live up to 15 years (average between 8 and 11). They require a commitment just like other long lived pets. And they aren’t rodents so don’t start thinking they’re just like a rat or some other animal that can be left in a cage and forgotten. Buying a rabbit because it’s Easter and it makes a nice decoration is extremely short sighted and ignorant.
Rabbits are Social:
Bunnies enjoy human interaction and to be a part of things. Our rabbit, when he wants to be pet, will lick my hand. That means I have to pet him. After a few minutes I put my hand down and let him lick me some more. It goes back and forth like that for 30 minutes or so before he hops away satisfied (it’s mutual grooming and it’s what bunnies do). I’ve fallen asleep on the couch before and woken up to find Mr. B on my chest licking me. Unlike most other small pets, rabbits actually seem to care about their owners and get satisfaction out of interacting with them. Like I said before, they are genuine family pets. We even take Mr. B on vacations with us (It’s really easy to sneak a rabbit into a hotel room).
Rabbits are Fragile:
It’s easy to kill a rabbit as they have weak necks and long backbones. They are, after all, at the bottom of the food chain. Their only two defenses are the art of concealment and evasion. Thus, they’re extremely quiet animals, and most of their mass is in their butt for hopping away if need be (leaving their top halves weak). Caged bunnies can’t hide or hop away. It leaves them completely vulnerable. They’ll cower, or sometimes bite, if they see a hand come at them. Rabbits are frequently under valued members of the family and not given the space to feel comfortable; thus they become mentally ill, misunderstood animals. A caged and ignored bunny is a neurotic and unhappy bunny. If you aren’t willing to make it a true family pet and teach the kids how to handle it gently then you shouldn’t have one at all.
snuffle bunny song
~MOMMY TO BE~ | Myspace Video
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This is a great article about bunnies! I think the House Rabbit Society would be proud.
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Thanks Dennis. You would know since you’re the bunny expert around here
I am sooooooo glad you wrote this article!
And am seriously interested in a rabbit for my kids.
My younger son is highly allergic to cats and we can’t have a dog.
But I have some questions for you. Does Mr. B eat your cords and wires?
And how do you train him to use a litter box? I’d love a free range bunny!
I think one might be what my pet starved kids would handle well too. Though
19 month old? Not so sure. Does Mr. B sleep with you guys? I know my kids would bicker over that one, but maybe they’re too delicate for it.
Mitzi: Great questions. Mr. B does eat chords. But, they sell these chord covers that are coated in some substance (I think it’s cinnamon flavor) that prevents rabbits for chewing. My solution to the chewing issue was to give the bunny my guitar chord. He knows it’s his and he chews to his little heart’s delight. He’s been working on it for several months now. Bunnies are naturally skittish so they don’t stay long sleeping in bed with you (when you turn over they’ll bolt). They’re crepuscular animals as well. They’re awake in the morning and in the evening but asleep during the day and at night. When we’re asleep, MR. B is frequently out playing. with a 19 month old you’d have to be really careful because rabbits are scared of quick movements, and toddlers have a hard time regulating the force with which they “love” things
You can train a Rabbit to use a litter box. You keep him in a confined area for a while and watch where he likes to do his business. you put the litter box right in that spot and put some timothy hay (what they eat) in the litter box. The bunny will go to the box to do his thing and to eat the hay. After a few days he’ll know that’s where to go. They sell this stuff, Nature’s Miracle, which you can use if said bunny forgets and marks somewhere on your carpet. The spray prevents him from going in the same spot twice. Also, their poops are really clean so they don’t stain anything. They’re just hard little pellets. Rabbits are extremely clean animals if they’re taught correctly. Mr. B makes a mistake once in a while, but he’s 99% accurate with the litter box. Hope that helps!
Yes!! The poor little ducks and chicks that await a similar fate this holiday, it’s shameful!. Hey, what’s wrong with rodents? They are very smart and loving too!
Mom: I considered talking about the chicks too. It’s a shame that cute things seem to get the ax at easter. Wonder why. I don’t mind rodents, but they aren’t quite as friendly as bunnies. Must be a species specific thing.
One of the things people should remember if they decide to get a house-bunny is that it needs to be spayed/neutered. Since rabbits are considered an exotic pet it is more costly to do this procedure and not all veterinarians are rabbit savvy. Please consider adopting vs. buying a rabbit. Most rabbit rescue groups will spay/neuter the bunny before adopting out.
Marcy: That’s a good suggestion. But, I’m not sure it’s totally necessary. Mr. B is not neutered and I he’s been a great buns for us
Definitely adopt. Yeah, I completely agree with that. Pet store bunnies are routinely abused and subjected to people who don’t understand them. There are reputable breeders of course, or there are also the Rabbit rescue people who know what they’re doing.
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Pet store bunnies are routinely abused and subjected to people who don’t understand them[/quote]
Unless you’ve worked in a petshop and abused the bunnies, what evidence have you on this?
I’m sick and tired of so called do-gooders tarring all pet shops in this way.
Yes, I’ll agree, there have been instances of bad shop owners. But there has also been countless number of people who abuse their pets/kids/wives and anything else that moves. Does that mean that no-one should own/live with anything. We might as all well just commit suicide now because we are all abusers.
Back to abuse in pet shops. Pet Shops are granted a licence to sell specific pets. They are routinely checked by the authorities as well as random checks by RSPCA and Joe Public. If at any time they fail to come up to standard, their licence is taken away.
Can this be said of private breeders? erm …. nope.
And where do you think Pet Shops get their rabbits from? They sure as heck don’t breed them themselves (at least the great majority) So these lovely breeders that are much better than pet shops are selling to ….. PET SHOPS! How two faced and dishonest of them.
Do the breeders also sell everything that is necessary to give your bunny a happy life? Food / Playtime Accessories / Water Bottles / Bedding
Lets just get to the nub of the arguement shall we? Do-gooders don’t like to see people making profit from animals. And Pet Shops are an easy target.
What they forget to take into consideration is that Pet Shops are licenced and have to pay huge amounts in costs relating to running a shop.
Breeders have no such overheads. So when you see an animal in a pet shop for sale at twice the price of a breeder, just take time to think that maybe the pet shop has trained it’s staff, paid it’s business rates (keeping your council tax down), quaranteened the animal to ensure it’s health, de-flea’d, de-wormed , fed and homed the animal from the time it was bought from the breeder.
Lets all be grown up and just get on with letting people do the best job they can and stop demonizing pet shops.
Sorry, just thought it was worth venting my spleen.
PS. I was only here to find a cute bunny picture, sorry to have woken you all up
Andrew: Evidence? The first thing I see when I walk into my local pet shop is the bunny enclosure. It’s almost always surrounded by a dozen or so children who are reaching in and fondling the bunnies. Anybody who knows anything about bunnies knows that they should be undisturbed during the day as they are crepuscular animals. They also are naturally timid animals and should not be handled by children who are not given any guidance about how to treat them. Heck, when’s the last time you saw a bunny enclosure in a pet shop with any place for a bunny to hide? What do you suppose bunnies do all day in the wild? They hide! But, pet shops have them sitting out in the open for random kids and adults who know nothing about them to come and pet. Bunnies treated like that routinely become neurotic and fearful of humans. The kid working at my pet shop even thought, when I started talking to him, that a rabbit was a rodent. Trained, you say? Um, hardly.
Kudos to you Keith. I really didn’t think you’d post that verbatum.
Anyway, after posting, I realised you are in the States, so probably wondered who the heck the RSPCA were. I’m from UK so really, I shouldn’t have gone quite so mad
It’s different here in the UK, we are still the easy target, but I’m not qualified to coment on the shops Stateside, so I’ll bow out.
Andrew: Well, I have to proclaim ignorance about UK pet stores. I’ve been to Scotland once and England once, and did not get the urge, in either instance, to check out the local pet shops.
Although, now that you mention it, I’ll bet there is a difference between the shops over there and here, probably a rather dramatic difference.
Very good article! When we got our Merlin, he was about 9 months old and had spent the entirety of his short little life standing in his own filth in an 18″ X 30″ cage, isolated in a spare room with the door closed all day while his owner worked 8-hour days and spent all her free time away from home, hanging out with her friends. He was EXTREMELY fearful of us, and EXTREMELY cranky when I had to refill his food bowl every day. (ouch!)
But after some majorly intense one-on-one “bunny therapy,” he is now a happy, healthy, funny, social 2 year-old, and a member of our family. He sleeps in his cage at night (for his own safety), but shakes his door at 7:30 every morning to be let out and fed his breakfast — our daughter’s job, which she diligently remembers to do every day. He hangs out with me most of the morning, then goes to the kid’s playroom and relaxes in his little hidey-hole behind her book chair all day (she’s a VERY mature, responsible, well-disciplined 5 year old who understands the rules of bunnydom and doesn’t pester him, so I have no doubts about his safety in her care). In the evenings, after the kiddo goes to bed, he snuggles me and hubby on the couch while we all share a few raisins, and then he and the cat chase each other up and down the hall ’til bed time.
Bunnies are such sweet little pets, and it’s such a shame so many people treat them as conversation pieces instead of members of the family. I can’t imagine having him stay in a hutch in the back yard or anything.
Toni, sounds like Merlin is a sweet bunny! Do you have pictures, perhaps on your Facebook?
Great Article!
If you’re serious about living with a rabbit (the best pet I’ve ever had by far) check out the House Rabbit Society for more info and places to adopt (don’t breed or buy while other die):
http://www.rabbit.org
If your wife is still a PM for a construction company, she can probably find scrap flexible electrical conduit at job sites. I pull the heavy-duty wiring out, slip it over lamp/TV cable/extension cords, and secure with electrical tape and wrap the tape with wire. This is extreme, but works great in areas hard for me to reach, but within easy bunny reach.
It’s Mister B’s birthday! Go wish him happy birthday!
http://www.facebook.com/blitzbun
what kind of bunny is MR. B? I’m looking into getting a bunny in a few months and they’re all so cute its hard to choose
Kaylee: He’s a mix. We’re not sure exactly what he’s a mix of. My friend found him outside (someone abandoned him) almost starved to death and nursed him back. He’s a great buns! Good luck in your search.
hola, me parece un comentario muy bueno. Acabamos de recibir un conejo y quisiera educarlo para que viva dentro de la casa. Como se hace para que aprendan a hacer sus necesidades biológicas en un lugar determinado?