Happy Easter! And...
By Pigglies
@Pigglies (9329)
United States
April 12, 2009 12:31pm CST
I hope you did not get a rabbit for Easter!
Every year thousands of rabbits are purchased as Easter presents. Most of these rabbits will never see their first birthday. Several will be dumped in animal shelters after the novelty wears off.
If you're thinking about getting a rabbit, remember that rabbits live 10+ years so they are a commitment. Look at www.rabbit.org and see if you are really ready to care for a rabbit. If you are ready, look to your local shelters to adopt!
1 person likes this
3 responses
@flyinglove (167)
• United States
13 Apr 09
yes, i did get two 8 week old angora bunnies for easter. however, this was a well planned, much thought out decision by a responsible adult (i am almost 41). the timing was a coincidence. my bunnies won't be "forgotten" as they get older, nor will they be allowed to breed. i was told they are both boys, but they are getting neutered anyway.
i agree with what you say. getting animals for easter (or any time)is a big decision. they are living beings, not toys that one can put away when done playing.
the only reason i didn't adopt from a rescue or the humane society is because i specifically wanted angora rabbits and have had little luck finding any up for adoption. i wanted angoras because besides being much loved pets, they are fiber producers for my spinning, knitting, and crocheting projects.
note to anyone considering an angora rabbit.........you have no idea how much grooming you will need to do. unless you just LOVE to brush bunnies, go with a short coated rabbit. to me, the brushing is not an issue, but i can see how others could get tired of it.
shel
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
14 Apr 09
I'm glad to hear it was a well thought out decision and that they'll be getting neutered. Males will sometimes fight if not neutered. When I used to work at an animal hospital we had a few emergency neuters to do because one male would half neuter the other. So definitely best to get that done when they're old enough.
Around this area we do see angora rabbits and jersey woolly rabbits too, but I know those aren't in every area. That is cool that you do spinning, I used to know someone who did that. Although unfortunately he kept the rabbits in tiny cages and didn't feed them properly (he wouldn't give them hay because he didn't want it to stick in their fur).
My short haired rabbits shed like golden retrievers sometimes I swear! But at least it is only during certain seasons for the most part.
1 person likes this
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
15 Apr 09
Exactly!
Well, I'm sure it stuck more because the rabbits could barely turn around in that cage. Argh, it made me so mad!
Rabbits need room to run around. I know people with angoras and they have tons of space (all the angoras I know are free roaming house bunnies) and I never see bunches of hay stuck to them. That is definitely too much hair for me though! But I could see why people like it if spinning is their hobby. And as long as the rabbits are properly cared for then it's all good.
1 person likes this
@flyinglove (167)
• United States
14 Apr 09
he wouldn't give them hay because it stuck in their fur?!?!?!?!
well, yes, it does, but if they are groomed properly and frequently it really isn't that hard to remove. i pick bits of hay and poo and whatever out of their fur on a daily basis and it is not a problem.
the guy you are talking about sounds like a real jerk. i feel sorry for his bunnies.
shel
@freak369 (5112)
• United States
12 Apr 09
You are, sadly, oh so true about this topic. I know that within the next month I will have two or three of them dumped on my porch in a cardboard box. They were never trained so they will chew on everything and that makes it so hard to get them adopted out. Worse, people will put adverts in the paper for them and people will offer them a good home and they'll end up on the dinner table or as snake food (or in a lab). I wish people would stop getting ducklings and rabbits at Easter, it is cruel for the animals when they are no longer cute and cuddly.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
13 Apr 09
I didn't know you could really train them not to chew. One of mine (the 13 year old) has always been a chewer. But the other one that I found on the streets, she only rarely chews. She chewed my jewelry cabinet and she'll chew on metal to get my attention. But she won't chew clothes, carpets, most furniture, toys, etc. My 13 year old rabbit used to destroy any wicker baskets he found within an hour. And shoes, it was crazy! But I always just thought the chewing was part of their personality.
But definitely, people should stop getting both bunnies and ducklings for Easter gifts.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
13 Apr 09
my parents never got us little animals for Easter, and I don't think we ever asked for them - I know other people did, the people next door got ducks every year and after they were pretty well grown then were released to the creek - but they did continue to feed them, there was quite a flock on the creek, even an injured wild one that settled down in the flock.
