bunnies – Pootaint

BUNNIES ARE NOT FOR EASTER!

Easter is right around the corner, and as a rabbit owner I am sickened by the way these beautiful creatures are mistreated – especially around this time of the year. This is going to be a long educational lecture, and I beg that you do not ignore this and please SHARE! The rest will be under the cut.

Rabbits are not temporary pets. Rabbits are not toys. Rabbits are not animals that can be caged up for their entire life.

I’m going to be covering A LOT of things in this post – things that desperately need to be shared. This is going to be a long one, so sit back and take in what I’m about to inform you.

Rabbits are very social creatures, much like dogs. They require a lot of attention, exercise and money. It disgusts me that people buy them just to keep them in a cage all day every day and ignore them. Why get a pet if you’re just going to lock them up? Exercise is dire for bunnies. They need at least a few hours EVERY day to run and play. Depression in rabbits is REAL. A rabbit that doesn’t get the exercise it needs is more likely to develop a disease called GI Stasis.

They would be more prone to suffering from gastro-intestinal issues too A rabbit’s digestive system is very sensitive, which is something I will explain in the next paragraph as it NEEDS to be said. An overweight rabbit can also develop problems such as Urinary-Tract Infections and a weak bladder that will develop bladder stones. Not fun at all. This’ll only cost you more money in vet visits, which is something you also need to consider when purchasing a rabbit. THEY’RE EXPENSIVE. Not only do they need to be regularly taken to the vet like your dogs or cats, but they need food, a cage, UNLIMITED timothy hay, a water bottle, bedding (especially if you want to litter-train your rabbit, they poop a lot and are actually very easy to potty train) and plenty of toys to keep them entertained otherwise they’re probably going to chew on your wires and furniture. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION!

Something else I would like to mention is that you CANNOT feed your rabbit just anything. My first rabbit was bought by my mother ( who had not a single idea of what owning a rabbit was like) and he was alive for maybe a week before he died. This was my fault, and my mother’s and sister’s. My mother bought this sweet little bunny who I named Ghost, and purchased nothing but a litterbox and litter for him. No food, no cage, no water, nothing. We all thought he would be fine living off lettuce and veggies but I was VERY mistaken. PLEASE DO NOT FEED YOUR RABBIT WHATEVER FRUIT AND VEGGIES YOU THINK THEY CAN HAVE! One day, I expected my little buddy to just be hopping around, perhaps asleep somewhere in my bed with me since he was fully free-roam (which is also something you should consider if you have the room and time!) but I was devastated by how I found him. A day before, he had been having poop issues. His poop was runny and I had to clean his bottom a dozen times an hour, it was that bad. I quickly realized that it was from what he’d been fed, so I begged my mother to buy him pellets but we unfortunately could not afford his food. Anyway, continuing where we left off: I looked over the edge of my bed and saw him, seizing ontop of a pile of clothes. When I say seizing, I mean convulsing and shaking and dying. I don’t think I’ve ever bawled so much in my entire life, holding my little Ghost in my arms as I screamed for my parents to help him. But there was nothing I could do, I had been uneducated and unfortunately my ignorance towards owning a rabbit had caused his death. I know that story was VERY graphic but it just needs to be said because I don’t want this happening to anyone or any bunny ever. I take full responsibility and I’m very informed when it comes to feeding your bunnies treats. I was only ten, so I probably shouldn’t have been able to own a rabbit anyways. I strongly believe no child should own an animal such as a rabbit without persistent adult supervision. Most kids are pretty aggressive with animals, granted not all of them but I’ve seen so many animals of all kinds mistreated by parents who just did not care.

Now, your rabbits can be fed vegetables and fruits but only CERTAIN KINDS AND IN CERTAIN PROPORTIONS! Do NOT feed your bunny anything other than timothy hay and rabbit pellets until they are SIX MONTHS OLD!

HERE IS A LIST OF FOODS YOUR RABBIT CAN HAVE!

Before you get a rabbit, please consider that they are a HUGE responsibility. They poop, A LOT. Getting neutered/spayed will decrease the amount they defecate by some as well as take care of aggressiveness and more. Female rabbits are pretty territorial! Litter-training a rabbit is a thing! It can definitely be done and is fairly easy, depending on how stubborn your little one is. HERE IS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON LITTER-TRAINING!

By no means am I a rabbit expert, so if you’re considering bringing a bunny into your household I suggest doing more research! This post was meant to educate and help anyone who may buy a rabbit. They’re very dear to my heart and it hurts seeing them mistreated and seeing children lose interest in them. ANIMALS ARE HUMAN IN MY EYES.

I encourage everyone to share this so people can learn more and understand what it means to be a rabbit owner. It’s not easy, it’s time consuming and frustrating at times but the love you get back is worth it.

Please don’t buy one of these little guys if you’re not serious about taking care of them, no animal deserves to be treated like an object. There is so much more to owning rabbits that I didn’t even scratch, so inform yourselves!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS IN ENTIRETY, I HOPE YOU LEARNED SOMETHING! ❤

EDIT: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT RABBITS PLEASE ASK/DM ME! I’M MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER. 🙂