With Easter not far off, many children start thinking of the Easter bunny and seeing them in TV ads and toy bunnies in shops may get the idea that they want a cuddly little bunny of their own.
Please give this decision some serious thought before you adopt.
Rabbits are timid creatures that do not like being held. If they fall they do not land on their feet as does a cat and many serious injuries can happen. They are sociable creatures and should not be kept in a small cage. Consider it the same as solitary confinement.
As a rabbit owner, I can attest that they are sweet intelligent creatures, but a lot of work. Their habitats need cleaning every day and their food and water bottles must be washed. Young children infatuated with owning a bunny will quickly tire of that chore when other social activity takes over.
The rabbits will be ignored and their housing left unkempt and the onus will fall to the parent to take over those chores – a parent who is too busy already. How long will that last?
A rabbit is a long-term commitment, one which must be taken seriously. Too many families faced with this extra responsibility see no option but to dispose of the rabbit. Unfortunately, too many times it is dumped in an area with other no-longer-wanted rabbits, which in itself is a death sentence, if not carried out by a predator or a vehicle, then sometimes by another rabbit defending its turf.
Humane societies will be happy to have the bunny. And those toy bunnies mentioned above may make better pets all around.
William Jesse
Victoria