February is National Adopt a Rescued Bunny month and we’ve celebrated by adopting a bunny from our local SPCA shelter. For the Sacramento area it is not advisable to have rabbits housed outdoors since it gets way too hot in the summer and way too cold in the winter. Therefore, our new bunny has taken up residency in our home office!
Our new bunny, who we’ve named Belle Bunneh, is a 2 year old mini rex rabbit who was dropped off at the shelter because her owner’s kids no longer wanted to take care of her. As much as people think rabbits make great pets for kids, they actually don’t! Yet people buy their kids rabbits for Easter every year, and a large majority of them end up in shelters, or worse, released into the wild. Rabbits can be social, but they really don’t like being picked up, so the thrill of owning a bunny for a kid quickly wears off once they realize the rabbit is nothing like a cat or dog. Your interaction with them will usually be you lying on the ground and they hop all over you- no joke!
Here’s some interesting facts to consider before getting a pet bunny:
* Did you know you can train them to use a litter box? Generally it takes only a week to teach a rabbit how to use a litter box (filled with organic, natural matter- not cat litter). It’s also easier to litter box train an older bunny instead of a young bunny (another reason to adopt!).
* Rabbits can live with cats and dogs- they actually enjoy their interaction with them (provided they are well-behaved animals!). However, you should still never leave your bunny unsupervised with a dog or cat. It doesn't matter how sweet you think they are!
* Rabbits love toys! Actually- they need them or they will start looking for other things to chew! Fruit tree branches that have been able to dry for a month is one of their favorite things to snack on and play with. They also like things that make sounds, and balls that they can chase around.
* House rabbits can live to be over ten years old- provided they are fed a healthy diet of hay and fresh leafy greens and vegetables- DAILY! Fruit and pellets should be given to rabbits in limited quantities.
* Cages with wire bottoms are bad for their feet! Yes, I know it makes it easier to clean their cage, but if you litter box train them it doesn’t matter!
* Please spay or neuter your rabbits! Not only because of the whole “breed like rabbits” thing, but because they’ll live longer, be less aggressive, and easier to litter box train if they are! All rabbits at shelters are “fixed”, that’s included in your adoption fee (oh look- another reason to ADOPT a bunny!).
So, if you’ve read this post and are still considering adopting a bunny- here’s a few helpful links I’ve found to help you with your research:
PetFinder - great site for looking for animals in local shelters! You can view by location, breed, age, etc to find the perfect animals for you. I admit, I like to browse this site regularly just to see pictures of cute fuzzy animals!
SaveaBunny They have a great list of resources- including their own Yahoo Group, plus you can also find them on Twitter as @SaveaBunny !
Bunny Lovers Unite - this is a Flickr group that has TONS of cute bunny pictures! Sorry- not really a resource, unless you count putting a smile on your face!
Sacramento SPCA - this is where we adopted Belle from. They have a gorgeous facility, and the staff there were extremely helpful! They are also on Twitter at @SacramentoSPCA
House Rabbit Society - everything you need to know about taking care of your house rabbit! Tons of articles on how to litter box train your rabbit, introducing them to the other animals in your household, what to feed them, etc. You can find them on Twitter as @HouseRabbit
Disapproving Rabbits - another silly blog filled with a bunch of cuteness! Thanks Elayne for the link!
