Abandoned bunnies: Easter a bad time for rabbits

[marmar]

from the Toronto Star:



Olivia Upshur, 20, and her sister Sara, 12, at their Beaches home with Bubsie, a lucky grey rabbit.
Tannis Toohey/Toronto Star


By Mary Ormsby
Feature Writer


He had probably ridden the subway, at least for a while, before being abandoned. That was Olivia Upshur’s suspicion when she investigated the odd-looking box between a bank of stairs at the Main Street station. When she lifted the blue-and-white floral sheet covering the box she saw the rabbit.

“I was afraid he was going to die, freeze to death, if he was left there,’’ Upshur recalls. “He wasn’t moving. I was pretty much in tears.”

Upshur took the rabbit to TTC collection-booth operator Nizam Damji, who called Toronto Animal Services. Twenty minutes and counting, there was no sign of TAS. So Upshur called her parents and told them she was bringing home a pet that someone had discarded. Damji gave Upshur $10 to take a cab, not a bus, to her parents’ home in the Beaches.

Bubsie — as he is now known — is one lucky bunny. Upshur, 20, knows her rabbits. She and her sister, Sara, 12, have raised Stripe for nearly 12 years. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/living/article/973086--abandoned-bunnies-easter-a-bad-time-for-rabbits?bn=1

[Lyric]

1. I used to be a member of the House Rabbit Society.

I love bunnies. They really are fantastic pets, and so much smarter than people give them credit for. Ours were litter-trained and loved to play with our cats. We "rescued" (ahem) ours from a local farm where the owner was breeding them willy-nilly to use as training fodder for his pack of beagles. We got them as babies. When they grew up, we discovered that the smallest one was actually a dwarf rabbit, while the bigger one was a Flemish Giant. I miss them terribly; since they came from such poor and unhealthy beginnings, even the best care in the world couldn't give them the lifespans they should have had, but the time they DID have was wonderful.

If you want a quiet pet that won't jump up onto the counters or scratch the furniture, I highly recommend a rabbit, but understand that they require a lot more attention and work than a cat. They have extremely delicate digestive systems and can easily die from a gastrointestinal flora disruption, so you have to micromanage every bite that they eat and be VERY careful to never let even a small wound get infected. Antibiotics for rabbits can cause more health problems than they cure. You also have to feed them right. Those alfalfa pellets are really not very good for bunnies older than a year--too many calories and too much calcium. Timothy hay and pellets are best for adult bunnies, with fresh veggies and greens as a treat, and a handful of alfalfa hay now and then. If you use a cage, make sure you avoid the wood-shaving bedding (it can make them sick) and use CareFresh or some other type of cellulose litter. It's soft, comfy, absorbent, safe, and MUCH better for the environment than the wood shaving stuff.

Bunnies also LOVE toys, even simple ones! One of those cardboard toilet paper or paper towel tubes can keep them entertained for hours. They love chew blocks and things they can toss around in the air, like smalled stuffed toys and balls. They tend to do acrobatics when playing, and can even be trained to do simple tricks. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8brUgAdWGJ4

[Mojorabbit]

5. Thank you for this

I love rabbits. I had a house rabbit for years who was totally litter box trained and got on well with my cats and doge.
I have three now, one who is 13 and nearing the end. I also do wildlife rehab and always have a housefull of cottontails and marsh rabbits in various stages of growth rotating thru from birth or injury to release. They are very smart.
I use vintage fisher price hang on the side of the crib toys in my cages and they love banging them around.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. Live animals don't make good gifts for small children. A stuffed toy is much

more appropriate. Too many Easter bunnies, chicks and ducklings meet a horrible fate from being given to small children as playthings.

[HughBeaumont]

3. We had a bunny as a pet for a few years. Lovable little guy.

Unfortunately, the closeness was not the best way to find out your kid's pretty allergic to rabbits.

He went to a good home, though. We got a second dog instead.

[WatsonT]

4. People who think of animals as toys

to be discarded when no longer interesting have a special place in hell.

Consider the average lifespan of any animal you are thinking of getting. If you aren't prepared to look after it (financially, emotionally, etc) for at least that long then don't get it.

[SidDithers]

6. ...

http://www.food.com/recipes/rabbit

Sid

[geardaddy]

7. K and R