Posted on: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
EXPERT ADVICE
Before you buy a bunny
By Sandy de Oliveira
The Hawaii All-Breed Rabbit Club
This is the time of the year when The Hawai'i All-Breed Rabbit Club is really hopping. This week, we rabbit raising folks are always swamped with last-minute requests for a baby bunny to be given as an Easter gift for a child.
Since our founding in 1986, chartered with the American Rabbit Breeders Association, we have been dedicated to promoting all aspects and purposes of proper rabbit husbandry. We also strive to educate the community through public displays at diverse venues around O'ahu on bunny care. Before you go out and get that little rabbit, do your homework and know what you are getting yourself into.
Here are a few frequent questions and comments our members field at "bunny talks."
Q: "How long do rabbits live?"
A: Generally, neutered pets live longer than non-neutered, with less chance of developing reproductive tract problems. The longest-lived rabbit we've heard of locally was a Dwarf Hotot that made it to 17 years.
Q: "I heard it's easy to keep a rabbit in the house and train it to use a litter box like a cat. Is that true?"
A: It can be very easy if recommended procedures are followed consistently. Rabbits are creatures of habit that concentrate their droppings and urine in one place. As you would baby-proof your home for a toddler child, learn how to rabbit-proof it as well.
Comments: "We bought a bunny that they said was a dwarf but it grew really big." "At the pet store they said the two bunnies we bought were both girls but they had babies and all of them died." "Our rabbit's teeth started growing so long it looked like Dracula! It stopped eating and died."
A: If you purchase from a reputable breeder you should:
Comment: "Our kids lost interest in the rabbit after it got big. I'm tired of taking care of it."
A: Be prepared to care for a rabbit for at least seven years. It is against State laws to abandon a rabbit or any other animal to leave it to fend for itself. There are numerous spots on Oahu and the neighbor Islands where feral colonies of domestic rabbits have become pests, reproducing uncontrollably and falling prey to mongoose, owls, feral dogs and cats.
Comment: "I had a rabbit once but it died. I don't know why."
A: In the food chain, rabbits are food for all carnivores. Sick prey animals mask any symptoms of ailments very well and by the time obvious symptoms appear, veterinary treatment is the only avenue, and at that stage, too late.
Comment: "Our house rabbit has to have his banana and bunny treats or he gets mad at us." "I just fill up the feed dish with pellets every few days and he eats whenever."
Q: "Is it OK. to just feed them lettuce and carrots?"
A: A balanced, fresh, commercial rabbit feed, given in the correct proportion to its stage in life and size, along with constant fresh water and roughage (grass hay or green ti leaves), are all most rabbits need to stay healthy. Salt spools are unnecessary since pellets contain sodium. Most pet owners overfeed them and obese rabbits are short-lived.
Q: "We have a female and sometimes she grunts and hits us when we try to feed her." "I thought my rabbit was lonely so I bought another one to keep her company but she beat it up when I put them together." "Which one makes a better pet, male or female?"
A: A doe rabbit goes into heat (estrus) about every 17 days. Depending on individual temperament, she can get a type of grouchy "Bunny PMS." Does are also territorial and may attack "intruders." Neutering the pet rabbit eliminates the reproductive cycle and the exhibition of other gender-specific behaviors humans find offensive such as spraying or mounting.
A rabbit is a fragile creature and not a child's toy. Do NOT make an impulse buy. One should learn as much as possible about domestic rabbit behavior, habits, breeds, their expected size, feeding and care. There is much to learn from many schools of thought on rabbit rearing.
Some helpful websites:
http://hawaiiallbreedrabbitclub.bravehost.com
http://www.arba.net — American Rabbit Breeders Assn. http://www.rabbit.org — House Rabbit Society http://www.rabbitweb.net — links to various informational sites on rabbits
Without fail from late spring through early fall every year countless rabbits are euthanized at veterinary clinics for broken backs or legs from being grabbed or dropped by little kids. Those that survive are turned in to animal shelters and to our club members after the novelty of the Easter Bunny wears off. Adults need to be the primary caretaker as children can not be realistically expected to be consistent in the daily care of a pet. Inevitably, too many calls come in asking us to place pet rabbits for adoption.
If this column helps reduce the amount of such cries for help this year, we will truly have a "Happy, Hoppy Easter".
Sandy de Oliveira is vice-president of The Hawaii All-Breed Rabbit Club and has bred a variety of rabbit breeds for show and commercial purposes since 1985.
