Why rabbits shouldn’t be an Easter gift: N.S. bunny rescue

Crystal Garrett speaks with 10,000 Carrots Rabbit Rescue about why bunnies don't make good Easter gifts.

A rabbit rescue organization in Nova Scotia wants people to think twice before adding a bunny to their family this Easter weekend.

“Probably a month or six weeks after Easter we get a lot of contact from people who didn’t realize exactly what it took to take care of it, what their needs were,” says Tammy MacDonald-Flatt with 10,000 Carrots Rabbit Rescue. “And unfortunately, that’s what sort of leads people to putting them outside. Abandoning them outside is a sure fate for death.”

MacDonald-Flatt says purchased rabbits are domestic, so they don’t know what to do when they’re released.

“They don’t know where to get food or shelter,” she says. “They don’t know what’s a friend or what’s a foe. They’re not wild, so they don’t understand.”

If someone finds a rabbit outside that they think is domestic or in distress, MacDonald-Flatt says 10,000 Carrots wants to know.

If it’s a hare, we’ll say leave it there, but when it’s a domestic, we want to know,” she says. “We do come out; we help catch them and trap them.”

Recovered rabbits will enter 10,000 Carrots’ rescue, or a foster home. Volunteers with the rescue say rabbits make great pets, as long as people do their research.

“They’re basically a little horse,” says Darla Reive, who works with the rescue and owns four rabbits. “You feed them hay, give them water and supplement pellets.”

Domestic rabbits are very social and come housetrained, says Reive.

“They litter train from birth when they’re with their mom,” she says. “They’re a very clean animal. They go in one spot. I’ve done this since 1992, and I’ve never had an issue with litter training – ever.”

Rabbits do best if they’re inside and living as cage-free as possible as long as the space is “bunny proofed”.

“They can chew wires,” adds MacDonald-Flatt.

If they’re well cared for, 10,000 Carrots say rabbits can live between 10 to 15 years, a commitment that lasts beyond spring Easter celebrations.

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