Animal Aid & Advice - The great rabbit myth

INFORMATION » THE GREAT RABBIT MYTH

As rabbits grow in popularity as pets, rescue groups are inundated with calls from responsible families desperate to re-home the cheap and cheerful animal bought, often on impulse, as an easy pet for the youngest member of the family.

For those in rabbit rescue it is all too apparent that the increasing number of rabbits being bought has resulted in an explosion in the number of rabbits being given up for rehoming or abandoned to fend for themselves.

The rehoming requests increase, in part, because people are more aware of the option of rehoming. The popularity of animal rescue programmes coupled with the increase in the number of rescue centres operating has given people a false impression of the number of suitable homes eagerly waiting to take possession of the animal that they find too difficult or unrewarding to look after.

For many people in animal rescue there is a growing uneasiness that our ever increasing attempts to rehome on demand exacerbates, rather than eases, the problem. In an increasingly disposable society pets, too, are taken on lightly, secure in the knowledge that they can be responsibly rearmed when the need arises. A pet does not have to be for life anymore.

Maybe, just maybe, we should be making it more difficult for people to abdicate their responsibilities and shift the emphasis away from re-homing the already owned (apart, of course, from those at risk or those where circumstances have changed beyond anyone's control) to supporting those who try to dissuade potential owners from the initial purchase. If people really realised what they were taking on, and understood how truly difficult it can be to rehome, would they still make the initial commitment?

This is true, of course, of all pets so why are rabbits different? One reason is that, although they are a traditional pet, they have for many years been a misunderstood one. Many people have fond memories of a childhood bunny who lived happily for years on his own in a hutch at the bottom of the garden, fed table scraps and the odd dandelion when someone passed the cage. The truth is probably that few of these animals were happy and many of them had short, unhealthy lives. Just as childhood summers were always long and hot, childhood bunnies were cheap, easy and lived forever.

So what are the great rabbits myths?

They make great children's pets

Rabbits are prey animals and this defines almost everything about them. It also makes them, in the opinion of many rehomers, totally unsuitable as pets for small children. Being a prey animal they respond badly to loud noises and sudden movements and dislike being picked up and held above the ground. A child's squeal, to a rabbit, is reminiscent of a fellow rabbit in distress; a child swooping down on a rabbit and snatching it up, feels to the rabbit like an attack by a predator. Small hands and little fingers digging in to the rabbit trigger a kicking, biting response and this leads, potentially, to a dropped and injured rabbit and, almost certainly, to a deterioration of the relationship.

A pet rabbit is a good way to teach children responsibility

Children do not have the judgement or skills to have overall responsibility for an animal and attempts to force them to clean out hutches, feed, water and entertain are more likely to breed resentment of the animal and increasing reluctance to look after it or spend time with it. Since rabbits tend to be silent victims, designed by nature to hide any distress, they can be severely neglected before a responsible adult notices a problem.

They are cheap

Rabbits are not cheap. Neutering costs are high and they require annual vaccinations. With their complicated digestive system and the increase in problems arising from inbreeding, such as those with teeth, the costs of keeping them healthy can be high and insurance is always recommended.

They are uncomplicated, low maintenance and content to live their lives confined in a small hutch.

One of the most inquisitive and socially gregarious of animals, designed physically for an active lifestyle, long periods of confinement in isolation are guaranteed to produce behavioural, and physical, problems. They need a stimulating environment, companionship and the opportunity for plenty of exercise.

They are easy to bring into the home and keep as house rabbits

This is only partly a myth. Most can make excellent house rabbits, some are easy to litter train and most can be litter trained to an acceptable level with a certain amount of application but results are varied. However, rabbits need to chew to stop their teeth from overgrowing and, although they can be very intelligent they don't distinguish between a piece of wood and a chair leg. Many owners of house rabbits have had cables chewed and power or telephone lines cut off after an afternoon of unsupervised munching and some have had curtains chewed half way up the walls. It is necessary to "bunny proof" the areas of your home where they are to roam free and this can be time consuming, expensive and not always 100% effective. Some damage may be the price to pay for a happy house rabbit.

It must also be said that most house rabbits have an infinitely superior life to some less fortunate, hutched brothers where it can be "out of sight out of mind".

They are unaggressive

If feeling threatened, territorial or just plain grumpy they can be very aggressive. Neutering reduces the tendency but some rabbits will always have a tendency to nip if handled incorrectly.

They are cute, affectionate, funny, and fascinating and once you have shared your life with them, on their terms, you would never be without them.

Actually, this is true.

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Fozzie says, "More rabbits like me need homes."

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