BLACK RABBIT WITH ATTITUDE.

Why does Easter make me feel sad? Many adults buy bunnies for their children for Easter without realizing what they're getting into.  Most likely, many once-loved bunnies will be surrendered to animal shelters or cruelly dumped outdoors to fend for themselves. Some will be "loved" to death while others will end up exiled to a lonely cage in the back yard.

With resources such as The House Rabbit Society website, people lack the excuse that they couldn't find information on house rabbits. In fact, many folks believe they don't need to learn anything about how to care for these mentally-complex creatures.

As I found out, bunnies are like other pets. They get into mischief and some have attitudes. In When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies), I wrote about one little Netherland Dwarf with a big ego.

Because he was small and black, I named him Neutrino. It was partly because he was so hard to see in semi-darkness but also because of my favourite Klaatu song, The Little Neutrino

My little fur friend had a stubborn streak. One of his bad habits was to pee in front of places he thought needed marking. Though Neutrino had been neutered, he still defied the usual bunny stereotype of being perfectly litter trained. When I placed litter boxes where he wet, he nosed them aside and peed on the same spot. No amount of cleaning and spraying with strong-smelling cologne detered him.

I should add that most rabbits are better behaved than Neutrino was. Even so, some are strong-willed and, as a result, are surrendered to shelters or dumped outside. Many otherwise-loveable bunnies die or are euthanized as a result of feckless humans who should have done their homework.

When a Man Loves a Rabbit is filled with many more fascinating stories of life with house bunnies. These vignettes range from the tragic to the hilarious. Please click on the link to my books for details about both of my paperbacks. You're also welcome to contact me directly for more information.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

Easter Sunday is on April 5th this year but chocolate bunnies and Easter candy is already appearing in stores across the land. One store I went to before Christmas even had those Cadburry Mini Eggs on sale.

As much as I love those chocolates, as well as all the bunny-themed items on sale, one aspect of Easter gets me down. Far too many under-aged rabbits are sold to gullible parents who have no clue how to look after these creatures.

The scenario is almost exactly the same in households across North America. The parents buy a bunny from a breeder or pet store. Then the kids won't look after him or her. The rabbit soon is put in the back yard in a tiny hutch. The parents quickly tire of caring for the one-time kids pet. Either the defenseless animal is dumped in the park or surrendered to an over-crowded animal shelter. Often times, the family dog or some passing predator frightens the bunny to death. Next year, many of the brainless parents will buy another hapless animal for their whining brood.

In the past decade or two, animal welfare proponents have advocated for rabbits to be treated with the care that dogs and cats receive. They spend considerable time and effort reaching out to people through the media. Often times, they set up booths at pet shops to warn potential bunny owners of what they need to do to have a long and happy experience with their rabbit.

But to the warnings from many worthy causes, some folks are just stuck on stupid. They hear all the public service announcements on such important matters as drunk driving and distracted motoring, yet they figure that's for other people. The same sadly holds true for warnings about rabbits at Easter.

If you feel tempted by breeders or pet shops to buy that cute little bunny, STOP! Visit House Rabbit Society and study all the information you'll need to decide if a bunny is for you and your family. As with any animal, rabbits need to be spayed and neutered. They require a special diet that will prolong their lives and keep them healthy. They can also be litter trained. Furthermore, bunnies aren't treated by every veterinarian but by the ones specializing in exotic animals.

I also have written a memoir of my experience with rabbits in my home. The paperback is filled with humorous stories and surprising facts about these long-eared companions. Check out When a Man Loves a Rabbit at Bruce Atchison's books page.

UNDERSTANDING RABBITS.

After all the publicity in the media about bunnies being a poor choice for children, why do parents still purchase them for their offspring? Any thinking person would realize that these animals are different from cats and dogs. Therefore, they have different needs and exhibit different behaviours.

My mother was one of many unthinking parents who bought a rabbit on a whim. Though it was 1968 and few people even knew that bunnies could be kept as house pets, she should have known that we wouldn't be interested in caring for the poor animal once the novelty wore off.

From my When a Man Loves a Rabbitmemoir, here's how my lack of knowledge about bunnies caused me to misunderstand our long-eared pet.

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As I was attending Jericho Hill School for the Blind in Vancouver, I was only able to be with Samantha over the Easter holidays. Sent home at the end of June, I discovered that she was kept in a large wooden hutch in the backyard. When I asked Mom why, she said that the mess the rabbit made had become too much for her to bear.

I visited Samantha the first evening of my summer vacation and when I knelt and looked in on her, she hopped from the main part of her cage to her private quarters. I opened the door on the side and she glared at me with large brown eyes?as if I were intruding.

I felt rejected by her.

Besides, it was boring watching a bunny through the wire.

I soon lost interest and the poor animal ended up alone most of the time as we went about our daily activities.

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When a Man Loves a Rabbit is filled with many more fascinating stories of life with house bunnies. These vignettes range from the tragic to the hilarious. Please click on the link to my books for details about both of my paperbacks. You're also welcome to contact me directly for more information. Please also visit the House Rabbit Society site for comprehensive rabbit care information.

WHY I DREAD EASTER.

This is supposed to be a happy time of year, right? Spring arrives, the days lengthen, and Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ while Jews celebrate Passover. What's not to be happy about?

For rabbits, Easter means turmoil. Certain unscrupulous breeders remove young bunnies too early from their mothers and sell them as dwarf rabbits. A few months later, purchasers realize that their supposedly small rabbit has grown large. Others sell the small breeds to pet stores. The clerks at these businesses know little about proper bunny health. This sometimes results in ill bunnies not receiving proper vet care. Worse yet, rabbits tend to hide their illnesses until they become life-threatening.

People tend to assume that rabbits are for children and that they eat only lettuce and carrots. This is far from the truth. Rabbits need good grass hay to wear down their ever-growing teeth. They also require leaf lettuce and other greens, not iceberg lettuce. Carrots have far too much sugar in them. The digestive system of a rabbit isn't geared to use large amounts of carbohydrates. The wrong sort of bacteria grow explosively when bunnies eat too much carrot and the toxins these microbes release can kill the host animal.

Additionally, commercially-manufactured rabbit food tends to be filled with seeds and other inappropriate foods. Corn and seeds can cause impactions in the intestine and eventually kill rabbits. Even alfalfa pellets can be bad for bunnies if given exclusively.

Rabbits are shy creatures with delicate bone structure. Children play too rough with them, sometimes causing their beloved pet to die. Dogs are far better for kids since they can withstand rough play.

Conscientious parents also have a problem finding good information on rabbit care since far too many ill-informed authors have written misleading books on the subject. Many of these publications are meant for breeders, not for those who want to have pet rabbits.

Where can a person turn for proper information? The House Rabbit Society is thee place to go for correct and abundant information on the care of house bunnies. The site is packed with tips on every aspect of care for these unique animals.

My When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) memoir contains good rabbit care information as well as examples of good and bad practices. Check out the book links on the left side of this page for details.