The wht guide to raising and loving rabbits
Important message from we heart this: If you are thinking of purchasing a rabbit (or a chick) for the upcoming Easter holiday; Stop and read this column from wht member Susan first! Bringing an animal into your home deserves careful consideration. Our resident bun expert (rabbit lover shorthand for bunny), is offering her knowledge on the delicate art of raising rabbits.
During this time of year, it is common for animal shelters to become overwhelmed with unwanted rabbits. If you or someone you know is thinking of adopting or purchasing a fluffy bunny for a child or themselves for Easter, please, ensure you thoroughly research this choice. Time and time again people purchase a pet based only on the cuteness factor without thinking ahead to the lifetime of care the animal needs. Also, please do not purchase or adopt a bunny for a child. I do not recommend purchasing a rabbit for any house that has a child under 8. Rabbits need careful handling and can easily become injured; often time these injuries are life threatening.
I am the proud parent of 3 bunnies; 5 year old Winslow, 6 month old Wednesday and our latest addition, Zoey (we think she’s about 5 years old too). Winslow was our first bun; we purchased him from a pet store when he was a baby. We did our research on bunny ownership first. This is always key for any animal you intend on making a part of your family. Every breed of animal has different needs, from food, medical, social interaction, exercise and grooming. We decided a rabbit was the perfect animal for us. A bunny would work well in our small house; they do not bark, they clean themselves and they can be easily litter trained. For us, a rabbit represented the best of both the cat and dog world and we were so excited to welcome a bunny into our home.
On that note, I absolutely do not advocate keeping a rabbit in a cage outside or in a garage. Such conditions and isolation can lead to illness, obesity, loneliness and aggressiveness (not to mention the threat from wild animals and predators) and pretty much guarantees the bunny a sad, lonely life, as well as expensive vet bills for you.
All of our buns are what are called House Rabbits. They are caged while we sleep and while we are at work. Then, they are out getting exercise and lounging about while we are home. Warning: rabbits love to chew wires (and many more things) so keep a careful eye on them or you will have unnecessary vet visits. Within weeks of becoming proud new bun parents we had been to the vet three times and had to replace our telephone and some speaker wire. Rabbits have very sensitive digestive systems and they cannot throw up or pass gas and can quickly die if they stop eating or develop diarrhea. Winslow has some sort of digestive issue that he was born with, probably from poor breeding standards and we have to monitor his food intake closely.
We have had all 3 of our buns fixed. Yes, fixed. For health reasons (just like you would for cat or dog) this must be done. Our buns eat fresh veggies, they are litter trained and they LOVE to cuddle. For those of you who hear that buns are smelly and mean, this most likely means that a bun was not cared for properly. Rabbits love to cuddle as much as any other domesticated animal. They just aren’t as forward about it as other types of animals because they are animals of prey. If you take the time to get to know your pet and spend some time in their world, you will soon be receiving bunny kisses and being nuzzed to have a snuggle. Additionally, rabbits by nature are very very clean and with good husbandry there is no odor from a “litter” pan.
I love our buns and wouldn’t trade them for the world. They each have a different personality and have burrowed into our lives and hearts and we almost can’t remember what it was like before we had them.
If you are considering adopting a bun, please, browse the websites listed here to educate yourself on their care, the types of breeds as well as read fun tips on toys, housing and clicker training. Also please note that rabbits are considered Exotic animals, so you should be sure to research that you have a vet near you that specializes in exotics (or be willing to drive the distance you need to have your bunny get check-ups). Before you adopt, make sure you ask the vet if they are accepting new patients.
If you find that you have any pet and can no longer care for it for any reason, please do not abandon your pet. Take the animal to a foster home, a no-kill shelter or if you must, your local rescue. Your pet stands a fighting chance of finding a home if you do this. Two of my favorite rabbit rescue organizations are the House Rabbit Society and the House Rabbit Network, who work tirelessly to save unwanted rabbits. Their sites are filled with helpful information on caring for and raising rabbits, and, of course, are filled with adorable photographs.
Finally, if adopting a bun isn’t right for your family, please donate to a shelter this holiday. With the economy the way it is, many shelters are inundated with incoming animals, while facing rapidly depleting funds. Both sites listed above accept online donations or drop one off at a local rescues (here in L.A., The Rescue Train does amazing work, hint, hint ~T) Oh, and if you already own a bun (or two or three) hop on over to www.busybunny.com for some great toys, treats and tchochkies.
If you have any questions on owning a rabbit please feel free to ask, I’ll be happy to help in any way I can. Just leave me a message on my we heart this wire. By the way, I am not a trained vet or animal nurse, I’m just a rabbit lover!
Filed in: pets & kids
17 responses so far ↓
I had no idea you could litter train a rabbit. How cool is that! I always wanted a rabbit growing up, but my parents always said no. I think it was a big fad in the 80’s to have a pet rabbit because all my friends had one. Looking back, my parents were smart for saying no. I would of tired of the rabbit just like my friends did.
My son’s kinder class is hatching baby chicks this week…so far they have 8. Luckily, they already have a ranch to send them to and the teacher is not trying to pawn them off on parents. Great advice Susan. I know too many people who got a pet for the wrong reason and lived to regret it.
We lived in a subdivision that had common ground ponds and canals and as I kid we “nursed” some baby ducklings a couple times and it was so much fun – and we could put them back in the pond after a couple weeks and watch them grow!
Nice article Suzan. I wish everyone would do the homework before getting a new animal, no matter what it is. It breaks my heart to think about all the poor buns and chicks that will suffer this Easter. Hats off to you for spreading the news.
Wow, I never knew rabbits were so delicate. Thanks so much for this article, I never understand when people give chick and/or “buns” to kids for Easter. Especially when they have them dyed pink or blue (do they still do that?) Stick with the chocolate rabbits!
Rabbits in the wild only poo and pee in one spot in an warren somehow that instinct sticks with domestic buns. You may struggle to train prior to being fixed but after that it’s pretty much a natural thing. Winslow actually has a schedule, at 9:30 every night he hops in his cage, waits for me to give him a treat and then he goes potty and hops back out. It’s a riot how timely he is.
Joan- I agree anyone who is going to buy an animal should research it first. I know so many people who put weeks into searching for a new car or even a new handbag but just fly off an buy an animal on a whim.
Susan is THE rabbit authority everyone (well, maybe second only to Amy Sedaris). I once spent a fun and slightly boozy night with her at a casino, only to be woken in the morning (after only 3 hours of sleep) to her other sis saying “there’s a bunny in the hot tub!”
Well, our casita had a private hot tub and turns out a little bun fell in and was swimming around for god knows how long. Susan jumped into the (now cold) tub in her pjs without hesitation to save the bunny. She was kinda my hero that day!
Susan, there was a lady selling bunnies today outside of my supermarket. I wanted to tell all the people looking to keep walking!
I want a bunny!! I grew up with them, & my bun buns I had as a kid were so loving and sweet!
Great bunny info Susan!!! I want to see pix of your trio of cuteness!
Awww. I love the way you call them ‘buns’ <3
Great write-up, Susan! Can I just say I have bunny envy? I so want one, but I’m afraid Bindhi doesn’t play well with others. I had a grey dwarf rabbit when I was growing up named Smokey (Really original, I know.). She was the balls. She’d sit on my shoulder like a parrot and would growl at people she didn’t like. We also had a smelly hamster named Mr. Hamster (again, with the startling originality) and when I’d clean their cages, I’d sit them together and she’d bathe him because I think she thought he was her baby(and he stunk). She really loved that hamster. I love that you named the one Winslow. I imagine a bunny with a monacle. I have no idea why.
Nicole has 2 buns, Piper and Bella. Piper is a big love bug and I think Bella has some issues. She just sits there and Care Bear stares at you. She creeps me out a bit.
Haha yeah. I think Bella may be autistic. It’s been a struggle with her. She is almost 4 and just recently she’s learned to hop over to me when I call her name. Piper on the other hand is almost 7 and she is seriously the best pet ever. Her newest thing is sprawling out next to me when I’m on the floor to recieve lots of pets. I got them both at a pet store but now that I found out about Houserabbit Society I would go there for my next one. They charge a lot more but their buns are fixed (Which is an absolute must!) and they encourge you to visit and find the best match. Rabbits can be the greatest pets in the world if you just take a little time and get down to their level!
That’s a great article! From doing rescue work myself i hear all the time about bunnies in the shelters. They do take such special care and all too often they’re put in a cage outside. I hate that! A woman i know through rescue has 26 bunnies! Her and her husband foster them through the Pasadena Humane Society. But most of them she keeps. So cool! Keep up the good rabbit work!
Bronwen kudos to you for your rescue work as well as the woman who is a foster mom.
For all animal lovers check out this other site. So darn cute.
http://www.bunsnroses.com/
Hello fellow bunny lovers! Looking for your input, I started a rabbit cage store (you can get to it by clicking the link in my name, and was wanting feedback as to the kinds of products we offer. Any and all comments/suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Welcome Andrew! I’m just the “Aunt” to three bunnies – but I’m sure the we heart this rabbit owners will be by soon to check out your site and offer some suggestions.
Thanks Tyna, any suggestions and feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks again!
Hi Andrew, welcome to WHT! I’ll shoot you an e-mail with some feedback for you to review. I love sites dedicated to buns!
Great Post. I’m a big time animal lover, and have raised rabbits for almost 30 years. I appreciate your site and how it attempts to help our small furry friends.
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