Help spread the word about rabbits & Easter
Tostitos (left) was recently transferred to House Rabbit Society from a local shelter and is currently available for fostering or adopting!
Please don't impulsively get a rabbit for Easter before you're ready for the commitment! This spring, House Rabbit Society is urging parents not to get their children a rabbit for Easter unless they’re willing to make a commitment to care for a rabbit for the rabbit’s lifetime. With good care and barring unforeseen illness, rabbits can live 8-14 years.
Each year, it’s estimated that hundreds of baby rabbits are impulsively purchased as Easter gifts only to be abandoned outside or left at shelters in the days, weeks, and months following the holiday. Many people are under the incorrect assumption that rabbits are good “starter pets” for children while they actually require as much care, if not more, than cats and dogs. (There is no such thing as a “starter pet.”) Rabbits are not a temporary pet; they are companions for the duration of the rabbit’s life.
Abandoned rabbits end up at overcrowded shelters or even dumped outside, where they are ill-equipped to survive. With Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type-2 (RHDV2), a deadly virus that impacts rabbits, spreading across the United States, abandoned rabbits face even greater dangers.
This Easter, we’re calling on you to help end Easter rabbit sales by adopting a rabbit, rather than buying one. Make the commitment that your next rabbit companion will be adopted from a shelter, rescue, or someone unable to keep their rabbit. When rabbits are purchased on impulse, with little education on rabbit care, many of them become unwanted.
While it’s true rabbits are adorable and can fill your heart and your home with joy, they also require special care. It can take longer to bond with them since they are prey animals and can be more fearful. They require a diet of hay, pellets, and fresh vegetables, and specialized veterinary care from a rabbit-savvy veterinarian. They need to be spayed/neutered to prevent uterine cancer and unwanted litters. They need to live inside the home for their safety and health, with exercise time in a bunny-proofed environment.
Fortune Cookie (left) was found hopping the streets of the East Bay after being dumped outside when someone didn’t want him anymore. Now, he’s in a loving home.
By adopting your next rabbit companion, you’re saving the life of a rabbit who needs a second chance and helping to stop the sale of Easter rabbits. Help us spread the word to anyone you know who is considering buying a rabbit. Ask them to consider adoption and encourage them to do their homework and visit our website to see whether a rabbit is the right fit for them.
Another possibility for concerns about the rabbit being lonely, consider acquiring a second rabbit and engaging in the bonding procedure. This can be a short, simple process, or a lengthy one. Many rabbit rescues can help with this. House Rabbit Society even has remote 1:1 meet-ups to help with bonding, along with a free Zoom class that covers the basics of introducing rabbits.
Visit houserabbit.org/classes to learn more and to sign up for a free Zoom session. At houserabbit.org/shelter-assistance, we have educational handouts in both English and Spanish that can be downloaded, printed, and shared to help others learn about caring for a rabbit. Please share these resources with anyone you know who may be considering bringing home a new rabbit.
For families and adults who have thoroughly educated themselves about rabbit care and have decided to share their home with a rabbit, House Rabbit Society recommends adopting and not purchasing a rabbit from a pet store or breeder. There are many rabbits in shelters and rescues waiting for a loving, indoor home!
Anyone considering bringing home a rabbit should know:
Rabbits have an average lifespan of 8-14 years.
Rabbits must have an adult as their primary caregiver.
Children often lose interest in a live rabbit after only a few weeks.
Rabbits need to be spayed/neutered to prevent cancer and unwanted litters. Up to 80% of female rabbits will develop uterine cancer by age 4-6 if not spayed.
Rabbits require a daily diet of hay, pellets, and fresh vegetables.
Rabbits need to live inside the home for their safety and health, with 2-4 hours of exercise time in a bunny-proofed environment each day.
Rabbits need regular veterinary care by a vet with additional training in exotics.
Rabbits need to be vaccinated against RHDV2 annually.
Rabbits are not “low-maintenance” pets — they need as much care and attention as dogs and cats. It can take longer to bond with them since they are prey animals and can be more fearful.
According to an ASPCA study, rabbits are more expensive to own than cats or guinea pigs — coming just after dogs in expense.
Rabbits are thought to be the third most frequently surrendered animal at shelters, and the third most euthanized.
Relay (left) was adopted from House Rabbit Society earlier this year and is thriving in her new home.
For anyone who isn't quite sure if they're ready to make a lifetime commitment to a rabbit, we encourage you to explore fostering a rabbit instead.
Fostering is a great opportunity for someone new to rabbits to decide whether rabbits are really the right pet for them long-term.
The goal of fostering is to provide a rabbit with a safe, loving environment until they’re adopted. It also helps make room at shelters and rescue facilities so more rabbits can be brought in and saved, so it’s a big help, even if you can only foster short-term.
Helping rabbits anywhere helps rabbits everywhere!
For those living in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit houserabbit.org/foster to learn more about fostering with HRS. We only ask for a 2-week commitment and we’ll send you with all the supplies you need to get started.
To help get the word out about rabbits and Easter, and to encourage anyone interested in a rabbit as a pet to do their research before bringing one home, download our Easter graphics at houserabbit.org/shelter-assistance to share on your own social media. Your sphere of influence and network of family, friends, and coworkers is much different than ours, so hopefully, with all of us working together, we can spread the word that Easter and rabbits don’t mix.
