Forwarded message - for info, please visit http://pressofatlanticcity.com:80/news/story/7374767p-7270888c.html
Easter's impulse pet
Rabbits purchased for holiday often end up homeless
By COURTNEY McCANN Staff Writer, (609) 272-7219
Published: Monday, April 2, 2007
Todd Gittings usually keeps two or three rabbits on hand at Bob's Pet Shop in Rio Grande. With Easter less than a week away, he expects to bump that number up and have as many as eight or 10 rabbits for sale.
“Basically it's like everyone wants a rabbit for Easter,” Gittings says. “We try to fill as many special orders as we can. They like the white ones, they like the lop ears, they like the miniatures.”
But animal-rights organizations urge well-meaning customers to think beyond how cute that bunny will look nestled in a child's basket Easter morning. While buying rabbits as Easter gifts is a popular trend, many of these animals end up homeless in the weeks following the holiday.
“It's the holiday, and everyone thinks, ‘Oh, an Easter bunny, how cute. I'll get one for my kids,'” says Stephanie Dixon, an employee with the Atlantic County Animal Shelter in Pleasantville. “A lot of time, the kids end up being allergic to the rabbits, or (the rabbits) get bigger and it's not such a cute little baby bunny anymore.”
Each year, animal shelters see a surge of unwanted Easter gifts that are given up after the holiday has ended and owners have lost interest. Adam Goldfarb, issues specialist with the United States Humane Society, says the flood of owners looking to get rid of rabbits starts almost as soon as Easter is over.
“It starts anywhere from a week or two after Easter until the summer,” Goldfarb says. “Unfortunately, it reaches a point where the kids get tired of (the rabbits).”
Local animal shelters, including the Atlantic County Animal Shelter, are preparing for rabbit donations even though most of them can only take cats and dogs.
“We do receive a lot of phone calls from people wanting to drop rabbits off here. Or people will dump the rabbits at the front door before we open,” Dixon admits. “We try to find somebody to at least take them to foster (care) until we can find some kind of place for them.”
What few people realize, Goldfarb says, is that rabbit care can be time-consuming.
“Rabbits are seen as these easy-to-care-for starter pets, you know, great for kids,” Goldfarb says. “Totally not true. Rabbits require very careful handling. They see the world very differently from cats and dogs.”
Rabbits need to have their cages cleaned several times each week. They need to have special outdoor hutches with plenty of bedding to keep out the cold. They need to have plenty of food and water — and that means special rabbit food, not just a few baby carrots tossed into the cage. Gittings estimates that an entire setup — including the rabbit — can cost just less than $120. An outdoor hutch adds to that price.
“I let (customers) know what's involved (with caring for a rabbit),” Gittings says. “I tell them all the good and the bad points up front. I don't talk them into it or out of it.”
But sometimes no amount of talking can make up for experience, and a few weeks' experience with a pet rabbit can be enough to make a new rabbit owner regret the impulse buy.
Unfortunately there aren't many options for a rabbit that has worn out its welcome. A common misconception is that unwanted rabbits can be “set free” in a wooded area. But this seemingly humane method is actually a death sentence for a domesticated rabbit.
“Domestic rabbits are not the same species as other wild rabbits,” Goldfarb warns. “They are not well-suited to life outdoors. If they don't get eaten by a predator, they will probably die from exposure.”
One option is to return the rabbit to the pet store that it came from. Gittings says he has had customers return rabbits because they didn't have time to look after it. He can't resell them, but he does try to find homes for them.
While most animal shelters can't accept rabbits, there are organizations that specialize in the long-eared critters, including the New Jersey chapter of the House Rabbit Society in Matawan and the South Jersey Rabbit Rescue in Woodbury. But with rabbits multiplying as quickly as they do, these shelters often fill up fast. Goldfarb recommends that those who have their hearts set on buying a rabbit for Easter look into adopting one from a rescue shelter rather than buying one at a pet store.
“When (people) choose to add a rabbit into the family, they don't think of rescue groups, they go right to the pet store,” Goldfarb says. “If shelters take rabbits, they almost always have a lot of them (to choose from).”
To e-mail Courtney McCann at The Press:
CMcCann@pressofac.com
Posted on SHARE Yahoo group - Apr. 3, 2007