Due to the approaching of Easter and the influx of people who see rabbits on television and suddenly feel the need to go out and get one for either themselves, their loved one, or even their children, I’m going to make this message. If you could reblog it to help me spread this information around and get it to as many people as I can, that would be really beneficial to both me and very many bunnies.
It is known to rabbit breeders all around that Easter is a very commercialized concept that can bring a great pact of income. Now, I know most people don’t care about that on here, how many of you guys are breeders, why does this even matter to you? Well, because of this commercialized concept, breeders take it upon themselves to basically produce as many young rabbits as they can. Let me tell you why this is really bad.
Often times around Easter, breeders will pawn the young rabbits they breed out before they are ready to go. In the eyes of the customer, smaller and cuter is better and the breeders know this. In some cases they will take a young rabbit away from their mothers at the age of three weeks-four weeks. This is really, really bad. Around that time for the rabbit, that is where they start developing their immunity systems and natural body protection. They /NEED/ their mothers during that age span, I can’t even verbally express on here how much they need her when they are that young. If you get a rabbit that is too young they will die. I’m not even kidding with you, I’m not dramatizing this, I’m serious when I say they will die. They are not ready for the world at such a young age, they don’t have immunity to anything and they will get sick, keel over and perish.
Second reason why this is really bad. Because of the commercializing rabbits during Easter, people want them by demand. They think, wow a cute rabbit my son/daughter would love this, not knowing how hard it is to take care of a rabbit or how unlike more people friendly animals they really are. A rabbit isn’t going to give your child or you loving licks on the face when you pick them up. It isn’t going to want to sleep with you during the night. It’s going to want to stay in its cage and away from the possible threats of consumption. In a rabbit’s eyes, you are a predator, you are a threat. Until it gets used to you and knows it can trust you (which this can take years to happen depending on the breed and personality of the rabbit), it will refuse to sit in your lap, love on you, or get anywhere near you. People don’t know this when they buy a rabbit and when said rabbit doesn’t do what they expected, they ditch it. They. Ditch. It. Some people have more of a heart than others. They will take it to a rabbit rescue facility and hand it to people who know what they’re doing. Some don’t have much of a heart and will just get a hutch for it outside, leave it there and only communicate when its feeding/cleaning time. Some don’t have a heart at all and will literally throw it away out into the woods, on the street, or anywhere that they can get rid of it at.
To me, this is all very important, because I love rabbits. I love them so much and I do not want to see a bunch of them in the shelter, I don’t want to hear about someone finding one on the street with its face torn apart because some asshole thought it’d be a good idea to get a rabbit for whoever, didn’t like it and just tossed it out. That’s heartbreaking to me, and heartbreaking to very many people I know who do have rabbits.
That being said, if you do want to get a rabbit sometime soon and you are positive you are going to keep them and take care of them, then here is a bit of advice for you when getting your bunbun.
Ask whoever you are getting your rabbit from how old they are. If they are not older than 7-8 weeks, you either wait for them to age, or you go find another rabbit you can take into your home. Getting a rabbit at a young age is only going to hurt them and hurt you. Escherichia coli is a very dangerous parasite to young rabbits and if they are too young, handled too much as a baby, then chances are they have this. I recently lost two of my rabbits due to what I think is this because we didn’t get them from a good breeder. They didn’t start showing signs of this until a week after we got them too, so when you do get a rabbit, even if it is 7-8 weeks be sure to watch them and watch them closely. If they convulse, have what you think are seizures or diarrhea, get them to a vet.
Check your new bunny out. If you’re getting them from a breeder, head out to meet the breeder and the bunny before you get them. Check for cataracts, unusual breathing habits, increase in saliva, an underweight body structure and anything else that does not look like a healthy baby bun. If you have any concerns, you need to tell your breeder about them. It is THEIR job as the producer to make sure their rabbits are in top shape and perfectly healthy before sending them out to the consumer. If you feel the bunny you want, or any of his/her litter mates are not as healthy as they should be, you must vocalize this. Don’t be scared. Don’t be nervous. If the breeder does nothing to benefit them, then call the local animal protection services and give them the breeder’s information. If your breeder cannot help their rabbits, then they do not deserve to be breeding them.
If you’re thinking about getting a certain breed and not the typical rabbits you see in pet stores (which are usually Californian Rabbits, Hotots, Mini Rexs, and English Lops) then I’ve provided a link here to research on them. Like different breeds of dogs or cats, different breeds of rabbits need different types of things. For example: Lionheads are more prone to epilepsy. You don’t want to get a Lionhead if you have flashy lights in your house or anything that could trigger them into a seizure. Check up on them. It will be very beneficial to you and your bunny.
This is a bit important, so try to bear with me. I understand store bunnies are great and all, but please do not get a rabbit from petsmart/petco or any of the other big companies. Their rabbits are known for being sick and though you may want to save them, please don’t do it. It will only end it heartbreak for you and unless you can give your full support to them, then don’t even try it. Get a breeder or a family owned pet store (they usually have great breeders who they get their babies from), and stay along that path.
Lastly! ADOPT! There are so many rabbits who are in shelters who don’t have homes! I know the cute baby bunnies are really cute and I don’t blame you if you want to raise one on your own, but there are some really gorgeous gals and pals in the shelters who are just waiting to meet a friendly face that will love on them. If you want two rabbits, then hey- you can get a baby and a shelter bunny! Those work great together because you have your older rabbit who knows how to work life and your younger rabbit who the older can teach. Not only that, but they won’t be lonely.
I hope this all made sense and thank you to those who have read or reblogged this, it means a lot to me. Have a Happy Easter to all of you and if you have any questions or concerns about getting a rabbit, how to take care of a rabbit, or anything of the sort; feel free to shoot me a message.
theartofmadeline
blakekathryn
