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.

WHERE CAN YOU FIND AN ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR ALL THINGS RABBIT?

Have you noticed that "how to" books can be tedious to read? One encyclopedic book is actually enjoyable to study. Along with scientific facts, it has plenty of humorous anecdotes.


David L. Fisher has written a brand new e-book called Encyclopedia Rabbitica, A thorough, informative, and fun book on understanding your pet rabbit.  The helpful information in this e-book will assist you in making  the most out of your relationship with all of your companion animals. If you have pets, this book can teach you a lot, and it will amuse you too. Fisher's book  explains their behaviors, the reasons behind them, and helps people and animals understand each other to the benefit of both.


Because rabbits are prey animals, they need to have their instincts understood by humans. Unlike dogs and cats, the trust of bunnies must be won. Fisher's book will guide you through the process of winning your rabbit's affection. His advice will transform your long-eared companion from a cowering ball of fur into a dynamic creature, full of curiosity and charm.


In addition to the knowledgeable advice and factual content, Fisher has included many excellent photographs of his rabbits. Having had bunnies in his home for more than a decade, he knows their behaviours intimately


Additionally, Encyclopedia Rabbitica is priced at only $2.01, a price anybody can afford. Visit LuLu to purchase this comprehensive book on rabbit behaviour and how to have the best possible relationship with your pet bunny.


When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living With Bunnies would make a great companion to Fisher's Encyclopedia Rabbitica. It verifies what he wrote and has many hilarious vignettes of bunny mischief. Though there are sad moments in my eight-year memoir of living with house rabbits, all pet owners realize that they must face the departure of their companions. For more information on When a Man Loves a Rabbit, visit the Bruce Atchison's books link at the top of this page.

THE PERFECT SITE FOR GOOD RABBIT CARE INFORMATION The Internet is an amazing source of information. The problem is that some of it is inaccurate or completely wrong. This fact makes it hard for casual researchers to know if the information they're reading or hearing is correct.

From my experience with having bunnies living in my home, The House Rabbit Society web site is the best place to learn about these long-eared pets. Because this organization is made up of volunteers who live with house rabbits, they know much more about the behaviour and care of these creatures than most people.

Moreover, The HRS rescues unwanted and abandoned rabbits and finds them good homes. Each summer, the population of rabbits at animal shelters swells because naive parents bought baby bunnies at Easter. The novelty soon wears off and the poor animals end up in shelters or dumped in the woods. The HRS works tirelessly to educate the public regarding the joys and difficulties of having house rabbits.

Additionally, this rescue organization has a veterinary listing so people can find clinics which know about bunnies and can give them expert care. Most vets consider rabbits to be exotic animals so they only treat dogs and cats.

The HRS also has an activist Corner for those who want to do more than feel sorry for abandoned or abused bunnies.

As a service to animal shelters, they provide a page For Rescue page. It has a wealth of information on how to rescue rabbits and how to care for them. Grants for rescue groups are also available from this non-profit organization to deserving organizations.

For those who wish to help out with educating the public and rehoming bunnies, visit the support HRS page. On it is information on becoming a member of the society or just donating to help them out. They accept cheques and PayPal.

One excellent page for additional information on bunnies is The Rabbit Reading Room. Along with The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman, the page features a good variety of bunny-related paperbacks. It even has a link to my memoir, When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living with Bunnies It's also available from this page.

My new book, How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual Bookworm Publishers.

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.