Bunnies as Pets

Lucky was an albino Holland Lop Ear – a snow white rabbit with pink eyes and a huge lop ears.

Newtown resident Jackie Scaringella purchased Lucky for her daughter Kayleigh about 12 years ago from a small agricultural fair in Connecticut.  

“As soon as I saw Lucky I knew I wanted him,” Jackie said, “especially since Lucky and Kayleigh shared a birthday. They were both born on July 9th.”

Because Kayleigh and Jackie shared a special love for animals, Lucky was a very lucky house rabbit. He was a house rabbit.

“There was never a question about where Lucky would live.  Kayleigh and I would take him out and play with him,” said Jackie, adding that she very clearly remembered Lucky’s adolescent years where he would circle their feet biting at their ankles.  

He continued this behavior until he was neutered. As he matured, Lucky became the proverbial lap rabbit. He would sit on their laps and watch TV.

“That's when I had my ‘Lucky wardrobe’ consisting of sweats with holes everywhere that he had bitten through the material,” Jackie said. “It seemed to comfort and soothe him to chew holes in material – and since that kept him away from the wires in the house – it was a good thing.“

Lucky turned 12 this year, which is the typical life expectancy of a rabbit.

“This Easter, Lucky will be heaven’s Easter Bunny,” Jackie said. “When I think of him it always makes me smile. We were all lucky to have Lucky in our lives.”

The moral of this story is that with the right environment, the right family, the right rabbit “homework” and lots of love and patience, rabbits can be great pets and companions.

Buying a baby bunny this time of year may seem like a great idea but for most people, Easter and bunnies do not mix.

In three months, a baby bunny adopted at Easter will “reach rabbit adolescence with its inherent destruction behavior; chewing, nipping and urine spraying,” according to Linda Thibault of Connecticut’s Hop-a Long Hollow Rabbit Rescue.

Depending on the breed, they may also have tripled in size and weight – no longer that cute, tiny ball of fur with the big ears. Unsupervised, they will chew through electric cords – hopefully not plugged-in, or bye-bye bunny – destroy door frames and baseboards, actually anything made of wood, or plastic too, leaving a trail of expelled pellets behind.

“An adult rabbit is naturally active and mischievous,” Linda said. “They don't not like to be held, and are not the cuddly, lap pet most people expect.”

Once you realize that this is not what you bargained for, the poor rabbit is often permanently “housed” in an outdoor hutch just big enough to walk around a foot or two.

Even with part of the hutch enclosed at one end, rabbits are defenseless. A ground hunter needing lots of space to escape predators, the rabbit is now exposed and frightened by predators. The rabbit is left exhausted and traumatized.

Rabbits are companion animals are meant to have love and attention. Most rabbits left in outdoor hutches die at an early age from neglect or become aggressive or overly anxious, behaviors they develop as a result of these outdoor, predatory visits.

“About 90-percent of the rabbits purchased for children at Easter are either euthanized, dropped at shelters and or dropped outside to fend for themselves,” according to Mona Reopel, the co-founder of 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue, Inc.  “Do your homework before you adopt.  Educate yourself about rabbits before you impulsively pick one up as a pet.”

Just like any other pet, owning a rabbit is a commitment, and that commitment can last as long as 12 years.

Instead, this Easter, buy a chocolate bunny from www.rescuechocolate.com. They will donate all of their profits to the House Rabbit Society as their April 2011 beneficiary.

Or place an order at The Animal Rescue website. They will donate food and care to a rescued bunny

And, when you are ready to adopt your perfect bunny, contact 3 Bunnies, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that rescues unwanted domestic rabbits and educates the public on rabbit care. The group has a network of foster homes in New England and New York and adopts to indoor homes only.

Another organization is HopaLong Hollow Rabbit Rescue, a non-profit incorporated in 2004 which spays and neuters all of their rabbits before putting them out for adoption.

For additional information about adopting or owning a rabbit, go to The House Rabbit Connection.