Hare Care

Hare Care
Having a hoppy Easter? Here's what you need to know.
By RAY ROUTHIER
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald

Sometimes, cuteness can be misleading.

The bunny is a prime example. Especially today, Easter, when pictures of Thumper and the Easter Bunny are everywhere. A snapshot of a furry little bunny with his nose twitching is enough to make any child beg for a rabbit of his or her own.

And the parents, especially if they are bunny novices, would likely give in. After all, how much work could a tiny little bunny be?

"They need four to five hours of exercise a day, outside of their cage. They need stimulation, and if they don't have it, they'll shred and chew things," said Justine Higgins, a small animal specialist at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland in Westbrook.

"They're really fragile, but with strong legs," Higgins said. "So if you hold them improperly, and they struggle, they can hurt themselves."

And, by the way, rabbits scare easily. Some have been known to die of fright-induced heart attacks, Higgins said. So small children chasing them around the house will not be ideal.

And many rabbits don't like to be held. So don't count on tons of cuddling.

Still, they are cute, right?

Yes, but before people fall in love with that little fur ball, area animal shelters say they should know what they are getting into. Shelters get quite a few bunnies dropped off each year, largely because people didn't understand how much work a rabbit was when they decided to get one.

"There seems to a number of people every year who get rabbits after seeing them at the fair in the fall. Then a couple months later, we start seeing them here," said Kathleen Fobear, humane educator at the Animal Refuge League. "A lot of people think you just put them in a cage and they'll be easy pets."

Shelter workers say the first thing to consider when thinking about a pet rabbit is getting one from a shelter, since those bunnies are in need of homes and are spayed and neutered. Last week, the Animal Refuge League had about 25 rabbits on hand.

The second thing to consider is that domesticated rabbits, or pet rabbits, are really indoor animals. Farm rabbits or rabbits being bred for show are different, but pet rabbits will usually be healthier and happier indoors.

And here's another thing a lot of people don't know – a healthy pet rabbit could live to age 10 or older. So it's not a short-term commitment.

Like any pet, they should be spayed or neutered (which shelters will do) and need to see a veterinarian at least once a year.

They also need a special kind of fresh hay, Timothy hay, for optimum health, plus rabbit food and salad greens.

"I think the first thing I would tell someone considering a rabbit is, don't get one if you have allergies, because they need lots of fresh hay," said Dr. Ann Barksdale, a veterinarian at Pine Point Animal Hospital in Scarborough, who regularly treats rabbits. "And they chew everything – wires, woodwork, everything."

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Photos By Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer