pet connection

I hate to waste an audience. That’s why I want to pick up some information from an earlier PetConnection newspaper column about rabbits, Easter being right around the corner and all. From the Pet Connection archives, March 2002:

Lops, longhairs and miniatures — rabbits come in a gorgeous variety of body types, fur lengths and coat markings, all united by their potential to be wonderful pets. At this time of year, baby bunnies are everywhere, with many pet stores stocking up on what has been a traditional child’s gift for Easter.

But before you pick up one of these baby beauties for your child, those in the business of caring for yesterday’s impulsive pet purchases would like you to consider the varieties of rabbit that sadly seem most common of all:

Homeless. Unwanted. Abandoned.

Which is why shelter and rescue groups implore you: If you’re considering giving a child a pet for Easter, please think and think again.

To be sure, things have improved. Not long ago, it was easy to find baby chicks and ducks dyed in the pastel colors of the season, bought and sold without the slightest regard for their care or their suitability to a city environment. The babies grew up and died in short order, either from improper care or abandonment. Thank heavens people have more sense and compassion these days, so far fewer chicks and ducks are sold as pets.

But the problem of rabbits remains. The biggest concern? Contrary to popular belief, rabbits really aren’t suitable as a pets for young children. Rabbits are delicate and can be fatally injured if improperly held. If not handled gently and with respect, they can become nippy in self-defense or fear.

For older children, though, and especially for adults, these quiet, gentle animals are excellent pets. But they do require more than a little cage outside, a water bottle and some food. You’ll get a lot more out of a pet rabbit if you bring the animal into your house and your life.

Here’s the rest.

I’m rather personally involved with this, since among my wide-ranging crew of critters here are rabbits Velocity (pictured, handed to me in a pet-store parking lot — a Christmas gift dumped) and Annie (adopted from the Sacramento SPCA). Until I got my first rabbit (Turbo, R.I.P) from the Sacramento SPCA, I truly had no idea what lovely, fun and affectionate pets they could be. Now, I’m totally hooked.

Sites you gotta visit:

• The House Rabbit Society. Best bunny resources anywhere.
• Dr. Susan Brown’s Small Animal Health Series, on VeterinaryPartner.com. What to feed, what they need, how to tell when they’re sick.

As the House Rabbit Society folks say, if you’re truly not prepared to care for a rabbit properly for the next decade, the only thing you should be saying now is, “Bunny? Make mine chocolate.”