That’s the message from Knollwood volunteer and House Rabbit Society member Tami Johnson. Tami has volunteered with our hospital for many years. She's an experienced bunny owner and she reminds us that even the gentlest toddler or young child is too rambunctious and exuberant for a rabbit.
While pet bunnies are gentle, very social and loving animals, most do not enjoy being held and cuddled in the way most of us often hold and cuddle pet dogs and cats. Children, especially, should never be allowed to handle pet bunnies in this manner. Most bunnies interpret being held and confined as a threat and generally try frantically to escape, often injuring themselves badly - we've even seen broken backs and legs result from children being allowed to hold rabbits. And at the least, the child could be injured, too - frantic bunnies often bite and claw in their attempts to escape handling.
Rabbits are wonderful pets with unique personalities all their own - but they definitely are not "low-maintenance" pets! Pet bunnies are not like wild bunnies. They cannot live outdoors and they require lots of time and attention. A healthy bunny can live as long as a large dog. All bunnies require special indoor housing to prevent electrical cords from being chewed, and both males and females require neutering or spaying.
A healthy bunny requires enormous amounts of fresh vegetables and hay on a daily basis. A pelleted or "rabbit feed" diet is simply not appropriate as a major food source - in fact, pelleted diets were developed for one reason only - to bring the animal eating it up to slaughter weight as quickly as possible! Pelleted diets have never been recommended to be fed alone as a long-term diet for ANY bunny or pocket pet such as a mouse, rat, or guinea pig. All of these small pets need, deserve, and thrive upon fresh food as a regular part of their diet. Bunnies also drink more water for their size than nearly any other animal, so it is crucial to provide fresh water and to change the water supply at least twice daily.
The sad fact is that most of the bunnies purchased as Easter gifts often never live to see their first birthday. They live and die, completely neglected, all alone in a cramped cage without proper food or adequate water. Those who don't die of neglect often are abandoned in forest preserves (where they die, unable to fend for themselves) or are dumped at animal shelters. Sadly, unwanted former Easter rabbits are a problem for virtually all rabbit rescues, humane societies, and animal welfare organizations.
Several bunny groups have partnered to make sure that anyone interested in a pet bunny receives all the information they need to know - before they buy one. The Chicago branch of the House Rabbit Society is an excellent resource: visit www.hrschicago.org. At their website, you can find a checklist of information to consider before bringing a bunny into your home. They also have a listing of adoptable rabbits and local approved veterinary hospitals that care for bunnies (we're proud to say that we've been a HRS-approved hospital since we opened in 1993!).
Another great resource is the website of the HRS branch in Columbus, which features an interactive program to encourage the purchase of a chocolate rabbit rather than a real one. The goal of the "Make Mine Chocolate" campaign is to address the problem at its source: to reduce the number of uninformed, impulse purchases by changing the public's attitude towards rabbits. On their site, you'll find the interactive link "The Interactive Bun" which you can use to decide if a pet rabbit is the right companion for you and your family.
All of us at Knollwood are bunny lovers and bunny care-givers...but we'd be the first to say that for many people, making your Easter bunny a chocolate one is probably the best choice!
