Everyone wants “somebunny” to love for Easter weekend, but it is essential to know just what a bunny needs to live a long, healthy and happy life. This vet has all the tips!
South Africa (12 April 2022) – Live baby chickens and bunnies seem to be common animals gifted or purchased around Easter time and while they are super cute, it is vitally important to understand their needs. Another important thing to adopt instead of shop.
The Craig View Veterinary Clinic shared a valuable Facebook post to discuss what it means when bringing a bunny into the home.
Previously, the Veterinary Clinic’s Dr Clifford Bull, also known as Dr Cliff, shared breed insight after the Malinois dog breed started trending on social media. The spike in popularity is due to the breed co-starring in a movie with Hollywood heartthrob Channing Tatum.
The vet clinic uses its page to raise awareness about various animal welfare issues, and the Easter Bunny is a big one! This is a beneficial post from the vet below. You can check out the Facebook page here for more info. They call it the tragedy of the Easter Bunny.
The vet clinic shared that most bunnies or rabbits gifted during easter don’t make it to their 1st birthday. Considering they can live up to 15 years, one has to feel deeply saddened by the statistic.
“Please take a moment to consider your gift of a live animal carefully. Stuffed toys may be a far more ethical option or the chocolate variety of bunnies.
A rabbit is a 10-year commitment and should not be considered a toy. Seen as an ideal “pet” for young children many people do not realise that they are high maintenance pets.
Rabbits are the third most popular pets after dogs and cats and also the third most abandoned.
As Veterinarians who welcome many bunnies into our practice and treat many privileged rabbits, we don’t mean to discourage anyone from loving rabbits, quite the contrary.
To love and want to care for these unique animals is to understand them as a species.
They chew, they dig, they make a mess – they’re rabbits.”
These are the Craig View Veterinary Clinic’s top tips.
- Rabbits live 10-15 years – this is a long commitment. They need food, water, hay and regular medical care, including spaying and neutering.
- They’re not ideal pets for children – the curiosity and high energy of children are terrifying to most bunnies. Rabbits are prey animals and take a long time before they tolerate being picked up.
- When your children tire of the bunny, he or she cannot live “in the wild”. Domesticated rabbits usually last 1-2 days if left in a park or the woods before they suffer a terrible death from a predator or nearby traffic.
- Rabbits’ teeth never stop growing, so they always look for something to chew on. Electrical cords look like roots. They will gnaw on furniture, shoes, rugs, drywall, skirtings and anything they can reach.
- As prey animals, they are genetically programmed to maintain a normal appearance, even if they are very sick. They don’t whine like a dog or meow like a cat. They can become critically ill without your realising it. You need to spend time observing and getting to know your bunny in order to detect the least deviation from “normal” and get him or her to a vet quickly!
- Rabbits gestation period is 31 to 33 days, and that they can fall pregnant within a few days after giving birth – they can reproduce hundreds of offspring within just a few years.
- A balanced diet is imperative, and the illusion that bunnies require only carrots is misleading – a variety of vegetables, hay and even herbs is vital to a healthy diet.
- Lastly, if you are wanting a bunny, please consider visiting rescue centres that can not only provide adoption of sterilised bunnies but educate and make recommendations too.
The vet clinic recommends adopting a rabbit should you wish to add the pet to your home. They recommend Critter Rescue SA, which adopts out its rabbits already sterilised. They follow the same procedures as if you would adopt a cat or dog. So prepare for a home inspection and learn all you can about their care.
You can find out more about Critter Rescue SA here; we featured the organisation in mid-February 2022.
by 