As Easter approaches once again many youngsters are hoping that a sweet, fluffy rabbit will be their new best friend.
READ ALSO: Rabbit rescues prepare for peak season, expecting Easter bunnies to be abandoned
Rabbits are great pets that are social and very intelligent but they require more work than a cat or a dog. Rabbits won’t fetch a ball nor will they curl up on your lap and purr.
A few comments about rabbits. They should not be kept in a cage. It is like a prison. They need to get out and stretch like we all need to do. Rabbits can be litter box trained.
Rabbits have sensitive stomachs and despite what Elmer Fudd says, rabbits should not eat carrots, although a small piece daily is considered a treat. Rabbits like green leaf plants including dandelions but never iceberg lettuce. Fresh hay should be the staple of their diet and they should have as much as they want. Like horses, rabbits graze and hay is good for their insides and their teeth.
Rabbits are more fragile than a cat or a dog. They dislike being held and can easily injure themselves twisting to get free. If they fall they won’t land on their feet and could get seriously injured.
Rabbits need to have their cages cleaned regularly, a job a young child may promise to do but, like anything, will tire of doing it. That job is now given to the already overworked parent. The parent will find it is just another chore and eventually give it up.
What happens to the rabbit? It goes to the vet to be put down or taken to a field where somebody once saw other rabbits and is dumped. That can be a sure death for your bunny as rabbits can be territorial and won’t welcome your little furry friend into the area.
READ ALSO: Herds of feral rabbits at threat in Greater Victoria
Think it over seriously before obtaining a rabbit. Young children are not the best rabbit owners. Read books, talk to rabbit owners you may know, and if you have to let him go then please take the bunny to the SPCA.
William Jesse
Oak Bay
