Pet Rabbit Facts: 6 Things To Know About Bunnies

From Networx's Cris Carl:

"Rabbits are very social animals and bond well with their owners," said Candy Lash, Director of Community and Media Relations for the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society in western Massachusetts. I interviewed her to get some facts about rabbits for the many parents who are thinking of buying an Easter bunny this year. If you are planning to get a rabbit for any reason (Easter or otherwise), it is best to have the facts about rabbits.

List and captions courtesy of Networx

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Comments

[cqdeed]

05:40 PM on 04/14/2012

When my kids were pre-teens someone gave them a pet rabbit. Their mom, being soft-hearted about pets said they could keep it. My opinion was not solicited even though I have much more experience with a varity of animals besides dogs, cats, and tropical fish. The rabbit (I forget it's name) was confined to the laundry room at night and with the addition of the kitchen in the day as they were the only connecting hard floored rooms. He was allowed outside each day if he was accompanied. During the day he hovered around my wife in the kitchen, always underfoot. Amazing to me, she put up with it and totally disregarded my attempts to provide her with a delicious recipe. He was full grown when we got him and efforts to get him to use the litter box failed as he would drop a pellet randomly about 50 times a day as he was hopping around. When his bladder was full there would be a gush of urine with no prior warning. His toilet habits are what finally convinced my wife that a rabbit was not for her. Within a week of her decision she had found some sucker...I mean someone to provide our rabbit with a new home.

[Rex Devious]

01:25 PM on 04/07/2012

They probably left this tip off because they figured no one was stupid enough to need it (a notion that is easily dispelled by spending more than 30 seconds in most comments sections):

#8: There are rabbits bred to be pets, and rabbits bred to be food. Do NOT try to make a pet out of the ones bred to be food, even if the livestock store is 20 minutes closer than the pet store. Food rabbits look the same when they are young, but when they are older quickly begin to resemble the rabbit in the "It's a Good Life" episode of the Twilight Zone movie.

http://www.deathsdoorprods.com/wp-content/uploads/twlight.jpg

And I mean that in terms of both appearance and temperament. There's a *reason* people don't have problem with using these particular creatures for food.

And as long as I'm addressing people with the same critical thinking skills as *my* pop had...

#9. If you ignore tip #8, for Gawd's sake don't buy six of the d@mn things.

[The Dominion]

12:48 PM on 04/06/2012

The best place I've found about rabbits as companions:

http://www.rabbit.org/

It's the web site for the House Rabbit Society. Important information, and cute pictures too!

[Sue V Grisham]

11:57 AM on 04/06/2012

I find this more harmful than helpful. And I'm disappointed that this article in the Green section doesn't discourage people from getting "a rabbit for any reason (Easter or otherwise)", unless they are promoting adoption of unwanted Easter bunnies from shelters next week.

[inkongirl]

10:21 AM on 04/06/2012

We have rabbits that live in the back yard. They're not from a store, they just showed up.

[jmndodge]

09:09 AM on 04/06/2012

Obviously you are raising them for Labor Day Picnic lunch...

[SamKnause]

07:47 AM on 04/06/2012

My two rabbits love bananas.

[karen lyons kalmenson]

05:15 AM on 04/06/2012

wabbits are wonderful
never give them short
shrift,
they are living creatures
they are not easter
gifts!!!

[evecaren]

08:05 AM on 04/09/2012

What's up doc ? ; )

[karen lyons kalmenson]

08:35 AM on 04/09/2012

carrot and schtick;-D

[PapaRocky]

03:45 AM on 04/06/2012

My tomcat Beauford (pictured with my mini-bio) informs me that while rabbits may look pretty and be very nice animals, I am sticking with cats ...

[TheHandyman]

02:57 AM on 04/06/2012

As someone who has has house rabbits, mostly lops, and only one of them came from a pet store, everything stated in the six things is true. Another thing to know. Rabbits produce a soft stool, usually at night that they eat to regenerate the bacteria in their stomach to help digest their food. So they must have access to their poop. Check your rabbits teeth frequently as their teeth grow continuously. That's why they need to chew on things to keep their teeth sharp and worn down. Be warned that a rabbit will let you know that it wants down if you are holding it by nipping you. It will only bite if you don't get the message the first dozen times. They should never be put anywhere there are chickens. Be warned that if you break a rabbits leg it can only be amputated as fractures will not heal. I had a 3 legged rabbit that was one of the best and most affectionate rabbits I ever had. Each rabbit has its own personality and letting them run free in a large yard for an hour or so is a wonderful thing to see. They love to run and jump. I once took one of my rabbits, Spot, over to my Mother's. She had 4 Yorkies. At first they chased Spot around the yard. Then Spot chased them and bite one of them and they came in the house and wanted nothing to do with Spot. I also had a female rabbit that killed every cat that dare put foot in her yard. They are very surprising animals.

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

01:46 AM on 04/06/2012

The Romans raised rabbits in stone walled gardens. They introduced rabbits to most of western Europe, having picked them up in Spain. There were no rabbits in Britain before the Romans brought them, the wild ones are all descended from the ones that got away.

In Valdez, Alaska, there are dozens, perhaps hundreds of feral rabbits, in all the domestic rabbit colors, black, white, mixed, gray, brown. These are also descended from escaped domestic rabbits, about 20 - 30 years ago. No one hunts them or bothers them so they are quite tame, hopping around anywhere there is grass, all over the "downtown" area.

I wonder how long they will last and whether they will ever make it across the mountains into the rest of Alaska. I think the mountains are too cold and high for the bunnies to survive.

[kooldalai]

01:32 AM on 04/06/2012

When I was a kid my siblings and I got a bunny from a pet store. We eventually figured out that rabbits pretty much just eat and poop. After about 2 month of cleaning poop and endless feeding, we took "Twitchy" back to the pet store....then got a dog.

[TheHandyman]

03:03 AM on 04/06/2012

If you keep anything in a cage that is all it will ever do, even humans. As the article pointed out, rabbits make as good a house pet as a dog or a cat. You just have to realize they don't behave like either of the other two. They don't bark or make noises like a cat but they do thump whenever they feel threatened, usually at night while you are sleeping. They will make the most horrifying scream when injured or being given a bath. They also make little grunting noises when you scratch the right place. Rabbits are a different kind of animal but can be just as good for the soul as a companion as any other animal.

[SamKnause]

07:50 AM on 04/06/2012

My rabbits never scream when I give them a bath.

I guess they are all quite different.

[kooldalai]

09:06 AM on 04/06/2012

The rabbit was never in a cage...we didn't have one. ....it just liked to eat a poop. I didn't say there was anything wrong with the rabbit....we just wanted to play and run with a dog instead.

[Debbie338]

11:15 PM on 04/05/2012

Thank you so much for warning people about caring for the living creatures they buy little children. So many Easter bunnies die or are dumped into rescue groups because people just didn't think or didn't care.

[DSevere]

12:59 AM on 04/06/2012

Yes, it's awful. And even if you're getting one intending to be responsible and keep them as a pet, I'm not sure if a rabbit is such a good choice for a small child. I know a girl who has one, and he's cute, but kind of grumpy and stubborn. And he bites.

[TheHandyman]

03:08 AM on 04/06/2012

I work with the local Rabbit rescue group. 2 years ago some woman bought her children a couple of rabbits. They got out of their cages. they burrowed under the fence. Within a year of their escape we had to take traps to her neighborhood and we caught 296 rabbits. A rabbit can produce a litter every 30 days once they are 5 to 6 weeks old. It took us a long time to find homes for all of them. And thanks to a lot of generous people each one got spayed and checked out by a local vet who charged our group only for out of pocket expenses.

[Dr Juan]

09:08 PM on 04/06/2012

A rabbit in every pot!

The same thing happened with fancy breed chickens that got away in east of Bethlehem Pa

[Jan Hoadley]

02:59 PM on 04/25/2012

Rabbits DO NOT breed at 5-6 weeks old. Months yes they can - not weeks! Accuracy makes a difference.

[Hlynn]

11:10 PM on 04/05/2012

I had a rabbit when I lived in a boarding house as a teenager; just came back with it one day and walked by the landlady with the baby rabbit and a cage. She looked surprised, but never said a word about it. He was a sweet rabbit; I named him Eli. Then, when I moved, I gave him to some neighborhood children who visited him often and were convinced he was the Easter Bunny. I kept in touch with the mom of the kids and Eli lived a long, happy, well-fed, and well-loved life.

[GWChimpzilla]

08:31 PM on 04/05/2012

We don't keep our rabbits in hutches, they have free of the house. Our electric cords have been bunny proofed! They go out into the yard in the morning and early evening and spend the rest of the time mostly sleeping. There's a cat-litter tray in our bathroom that they use. When they're a lot younger, they might dig in the carpets, chew on rugs and furniture, pee in corners, etc. Big rabbits like French Lops and Flemish Giants are safer when they're outside than little rabbits are.

[Greg Hastings]

09:50 PM on 04/05/2012

Do you have a fenced yard? Ours have the run of the house but I've been afraid of what they'd do if I took them outside.

[TheHandyman]

03:20 AM on 04/06/2012

I had a rabbit when I lived in a cabin up in the mountains near LA. Spot loved to go run in the yard every morning and their was no fence. Whenever a dog showed up he made a run for the house. He once led a German Shepherd on a merry chase around the yard and then ran full speed under my Triumph Spitfire and the dog ran full speed into the car and knocked himself out. Put a big dent in the car door. I also had 3 rabbits when I lived in North Hollywood. I lived in a house with a big backyard and a block walled fence. I would take them out in the front yard from time to time but they would just run down the drive way and crawl under the gate. Rabbits are territorial and if they feel safe that is where they will stay. They will burrow since rabbits aren't like hares and live underground. I had a rabbit when I lived on a boat. She once attacked a friend's Dalmatian when it came on board. The dog jumped overboard to get away from the rabbit. They are a lot different than most people imagine them to be.

[JEdgarH]

11:32 PM on 04/05/2012

Please tell me about bunny proofing the electrical cords. I only had one rabbit when I was young who didn't try to nibble on the electrical cords. I appreciate your advice since we have a big fat bunny gir who likes to nibblel.

[ittybittykitty]

03:13 AM on 04/06/2012

I always put plastic tubing around cords. You can slice it with a razor and slip the cord inside. Not the most attractive thing in the world, but it does work.

[TheHandyman]

03:20 AM on 04/06/2012

The best thing to do is make them inaccessible but you can go to an electric supply house and they have a special wrap around plastic cover for organizing and protecting electrical cords. Woven baskets and pieces of untreated pine make good chewing substitutes.