Pet Rabbits-Nabisco
With Easter right around the corner, we think of the Resurrection of Christ and all he suffered, but for many children and adults, too, the focus becomes Easter Baskets and Easter Bunnies. For those who know me, yes, I had bunnies as pets and had them in the classroom. Most folks look at those long, sometimes floppy ears, huge back feet and twitchy noses and fall in love. What a lot of these people don’t realize is that rabbits are intelligent animals that require quite a bit of care and responsibility. Unlike with cats and dogs, the public in general does not know a lot about being “pet parents” to a rabbit. We see them in pet stores in cages with water bottles and food bowls and think that’s all there is to owning a rabbit. Not true!
Owning a rabbit can be a joyous experience, so if you are considering getting a bunny for a pet, please consider the following facts about rabbits.
They are very intelligent and require more room than the pet store cages illustrate. Rabbits can be taught obedience just like dogs, and just like dogs, their training must be consistent and conscientious.
Rabbits can live for ten to twelve years or even longer.
If you are buying for a toddler, stop. Rabbits are not great pets for small children. Rabbits are prey animals meaning they are easily startled by loud noises and quick movements. Picking up rabbits and whishing them into the air is also not good as they think a predator has grabbed them and react accordingly…OUCHY, pull out the Band-Aids.
Rabbits like being with other rabbits for the most part. I’ve found that neutered males are the best cage mates.
Rabbits need a lot of room to roam. The ideal setting for an indoor rabbit is a room just for bunnies with food, water, toys, litter box and bed. If a whole room is out of the question, a large cage with plenty of room to run, hop, jump and just be, can work especially if you harness train your bunny and walk him daily like you would a dog. I had a large fenced in area using the sides of a large play pen for children.
You may need to rabbit-proof your home if you allow him to roam free. A rabbit’s teeth continue to grow throughout his life, so he chews. This includes cords, furniture, cardboard, carpet.
Rabbits need more than just carrots. According to the folks that know, the bulk of their diet should be hay or grass.
Not all vets treat rabbits. Most of our local vets do but that might not be true everywhere.
They enjoy cuddling but only when they want to cuddle.
They are neither nocturnal or diurnal. In other words, they sleep when they want to and play when they want.
My experience with rabbits goes way back but not with indoor pet rabbits. When my girls were in elementary school, I purchased two rabbits. Keebler was a mini lop and his partner was Nabisco who was a mini rex lionhead cross. Keebie was colored like a chocolate chip cookie and Bisco looked like a graham cracker, thus the names. Keebie unfortunately had a genetic disorder that only shows itself after six months. It causes death by heart attack. This was a heartbreaking experience as he died in my daughter’s arms, and nothing could be done to help. It was heart wrenching for our whole family.
Bisco on the other hand went on to live to a ripe old age of 22. Yes, I said 22. He was a mini and was neutered. He was quite the character. He only weighed between 2 and 3 pounds and was the color of a graham cracker. He had a mini mane around his neck that resulted in his two little ears having tuffs of hair beside them as they stood erect on his head.
Nabisco may have been tiny, but he made up for it in personality. When we first got him, he would squeeze between the slats of the cage to come and find us wherever we were. He enjoyed being with people. To start with, I would take him into our bathroom and close the door. That way he was safe from our other pets, mainly our hundred pound labs. In the bathroom, I’d lie on the floor and just let him hop around me investigating. He eventually would climb up my legs onto my back and stick his little wiggly nose against my cheek. He’d often jump from my back up onto the commode lid and then back down again. On one occasion, I was careless and didn’t close the lid. When he jumped, he landed right smack in the middle of the commode water! Rabbits can swim, and I can tell you they can jump straight out of a commode. Luckily, the water was clean, but he was one ticked off rabbit!
He enjoyed cuddling for a while, but when he was done, he would let you know. He’d nip you right on the neck. Often, he wanted down to go use his litter box.
I remember when my father passed, I cuddled with Biskers and fell asleep with him on my chest. He slept there all night and didn’t once nip me. He understood I needed him.
Our favorite game to play was bulldozer. I would sit on the floor with my legs spread wide, and he would sit right up against me. Ronnie or the girls would take a sheet of paper and wad it into a loose ball then place it inside the circle of my legs. When the paper hit the floor, Nabisco went into action. He’d hop right up to that paper, pick it up and push it until it was out of “our circle” then turn around and hop right back to his spot. The paper was bigger than he was but that didn’t matter. He gave our family lots of joy.
May you have a Blessed Easter!
Stay Paw-sa-tive
Cammie
