A Rabbit is a Ten Year Commitment!

As Christmas draws closer you may be seeing more ads in the paper advertising 'cute baby bunnies just in time for Christmas!'. Now granted baby bunnies are absolutely adorable, but there are several things wrong with those advertisements. Rabbits do not stay babies forever and soon after they become adolescents they will no longer be cuddly, they will be hormonal, and will not have that much interest in sitting calmly in a cage. This is the stage where inexperienced rabbit owners will throw in the towel either leaving the rabbit in a hutch, bringing them to a shelter, or in the worst case scenario dumping them outside. The breeders rarely give out correct information and few will take back a rabbit that is no longer wanted. If you want a rabbit it is best to consider getting one from a local shelter as they will provide you with correct information regarding the care of your rabbit and most will take a rabbit back.

No matter where you get a rabbit from you should be prepared to

• Take care of him/her for at least ten years, rabbits can live up to fourteen.
• Neuter/Spay your rabbit. This will stop unwanted babies, cut down on hormones, decrease the chance of uterine cancer by almost 100%, and allow your rabbit to have a bond-mate.
• If you live in Europe or Australia you will need to have your rabbit vaccinated.
• Pay for any medical expenses that come up.
• Feed your rabbit the proper food.
• Brush them at least once a week, more during shedding season.
• Bond them to another rabbit if they have workable temperaments.
• Keep him/her indoors in comfortable, clean, roomy housing.
• Provide emotional enrichment.
• Spend at least three hours a day with them.

If the above list is too much to ask, then you should reconsider getting a rabbit. A rabbit who is not provided with those things will suffer from depression, cage aggression, varying medical problems, and more.

Now have a picture of two happy, much loved bunnies!

As many of you may know, some people dump rabbits. These people think that their rabbits can survive in the wild. This is not an okay way to give up a domesticated animal, once domesticated any animal looses its survival instincts. It becomes easy prey or perhaps it will suffer a long, slow death from hunger. If you cannot take care of your animal the only acceptable option is a shelter or a trusted friend who knows how to take care of a rabbit.

Please share the below picture on your social networking site, blog, etc.

Get Involved!

As Election Day draws near most of us (Americans anyway) are preoccupied with some of the issues frequenting our country. However even if you are Democratic or Republican or even a smaller party, chances are you have at some point or another owned a rabbit. Now maybe this is a broad assumption, but since you are reading a blog about rabbits... If you have not owned a rabbit insert any other animal instead. As you may have noticed some people have rather odd conceptions about rabbits, what rabbit owner hasn't heard,"Oh it's just a bunny." or "Yum rabbit stew!"?

The only way that way of thinking will change is if you educate people. Tell people that rabbits aren't stupid and give examples. When you talk to people respectfully they'll often be delighted to learn something new.

There are many companies that sell unhealthy products that can harm or even potentially kill your rabbit. Write letters to those companies, talk to the pet stores that stock their products, and warn people against buying their products.

If you just think, "Oh I can't change it.." Well then congratulations, you just proved yourself right. Animal cruelty laws are in place because people worked together and there is no reason we cannot change the incorrect view of rabbits.

I would love to hear your experiences doing this via the comments. Thank you!

Reminder!

Everyone please brush your bunnies! You need to do this on a frequent basis because of the how often rabbits clean themselves- they can't throw up (like cats) so instead the fur gets stuck in their digestive tract. This can lead to GI stasis, which is often fatal.

If your rabbit doesn't like to be held gently wrap him/her up in a towel and do a little bit at a time. Also when choosing a brush DO NOT choose one without plastic tips, the other kinds are much too pointy and hurt their skin.

Just for perspective I just brushed this much fluff from Joshua and I have been brushing him every day:

Edit (12/9/12): As mentioned in the comments, rubber brushes are also perfectly fine. I'm sorry for the omission.

Spread the Word!

As you might be able to tell from reading this blog, The Bunniverse is a pet rabbit blog. In other words we don't discuss meat rabbits, breeding, etc. But I'd like to think that this blog doesn't feel judgmental because if you're a breeder or a rabbit farmer you still own rabbits and a rabbit is a rabbit is a rabbit. Just because you don't view them as pets doesn't mean they're any different from my bunnies or the bunnies sitting in shelters. I talked to one man (he worked at my shelter!) who tried to justify meat rabbits by saying,"We didn't think of them as pets."

So where am I going with this? RWAF (Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund) in Europe has redone their informational pamphlets. This is what they'll look like: http://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pdfs/RWAbrochuremaster.pdf They cost €1 and I'd strongly suggest buying some, which you can do at http://www.bunnybazaar.com/RBLBKLT/Books-and-Free-Leaflets/Hop-To-It--A-comprehensive-guide-to-rabbit-care

If you live anywhere else in the world The House Rabbit Society (http://www.rabbit.org/index.html) is a very good resource. You can order pamphlets from them and the site itself has a lot of good info.

So what does this all have to do with the first paragraph? My point is that you don't have to have house rabbits to read these pamphlets. Every rabbit needs social interaction, proper food, and shelter. These sort of things are non-negotiable, I can think of no reason why they shouldn't have these those basic fundamentals.

If you know someone who is keeping a rabbit in a less then habitable situation, I'd suggest giving them a booklet or pointing them to a good website. Most cases of rabbits in neglect stem from lack of information, not cruelty. And if you're feeling inspired how about buying some of those booklets and writing a company that tests on rabbits? There is a lot you can do with these pamphlets- take advantage of it.

And once you're done find a good book, your bunny, and curl up on the nearest comfy surface!

International Day of the Rabbit

Today is the International Day of the Rabbit :) Make sure to spend some quality time with your bunny and/or consider donating to a rabbit rescue.

Community Service

Earlier this week I took Toshi and Paige to a local assisted living facility for people suffering from dementia. Unfortunately Toshi was rather nervous about the new environment and hid behind a chair for most of the time. Paige however was thrilled at all the attention, petting, and cooing.

Both of them made everyone so happy and it was a joy to see their faces light up as they petted Paige. As we left one of the men said to me,"You make sure your pets never change." and one of the women urged me to bring my rabbits back soon.

I think that if your rabbit is gentle enough, then you should consider looking into doing community service with them. It can be great for everyone involved: the rabbits get more attention and can become less afraid of car rides, you can do a good deed, and the people on the receiving end will be delighted.

However before you start taking your rabbit/s places, you should consider some important details.

1. Does your rabbit like to be held?
If your rabbit doesn't like to be held I wouldn't recommend then for service.

2. Has your rabbit ever bit anyone? Under what circumstances?
Well this is not a major breaking point, it is something to think about. My rabbits have all nipped me, but do it so infrequently (and only under circumstances not present in a nursing home) that it isn't a problem.

3. How does your rabbit react to sudden noises or movement?
If your rabbit leaps out of your arms, kicks, or bites when scared I'd ask the people at your potential place of service about how noisy it is there.

4. Is your rabbit litter-box trained?
You don't have to bring a litter box, but if your rabbit marks his/her territory with pee when they don't have a litter box I'd recommend bringing one. My rabbits often don't go the bathroom in places they don't know so I don't worry about this as much.

4a. If yes, does your rabbit dig its litter?
The last thing you want is your rabbit digging feces and litter all over a nice clean room. If your rabbit is a digger, they sell covered litter boxes to prevent that.

5. How big is your bunny?
Well all sizes of rabbits are wonderful, you have to consider sone important factors. If you have the rabbit loose in the room, then you don't want it to be so tiny you loose track of it. But if you have a large rabbit loose in the room you don't want it to accidentally break something or hurt someone by jumping on things.

6. Does your rabbit wear a harness?
If your rabbit will wear a harness, then it makes service much easier. You can stop the rabbit from running under things and have better control. However if you opt to use a harness, I'd practice with your rabbit inside your own house to see how the rabbit will react. Toshi has managed to worm his way out of harnesses and some rabbits freak out when you try to put it on them.

Best of luck!