Many Choose Rabbits For Pets
Friday, Sep 07, 2007 - 07:52 PM
Email a Friend
Reader Reaction
RSS
digg it
Printer Friendly
Sphere IT
Save This Page
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Cats and dogs are certainly among the most common household pets. However, many who like quiet, gentle companion animals are choosing rabbits.
Rabbit owners in the Triangle say rabbits are really loving house pets with a lot of personality. Kimberly Richards owns two lop-eared rabbits.
"Winnie likes to play. She'll take a cardboard box and make a maze out of it or throw rings around," says Richards.
Her older rabbit named Bunny just likes to hang out and watch television with Richards and her husband.
Rabbits are social creatures that love to interact on the floor. They need room to hop around for exercise and the experts tell us they should be kept indoors.
"Rabbits are prey animals and they can actually scare themselves and have a heart attack just by a predator coming up and harassing them outdoors," said Lindsay Blackburn, an SPCA senior volunteer.
Blackburn trains volunteers to care for the SPCA’s rabbits in a program called, "Bunny Buddies." She says rabbits are most active in the early morning and evening when pet owners are often busy, so it's a good idea to adopt a bonded pair.
"Rabbits should really be in pairs. They are social animals and they'll take care of each other when you are not around," said Blackburn.
As far as care, rabbits can be litter box trained and they'll eat one or two cups of greens a day.
Richards recommends adopting an adult bunny that's been spayed or neutered so you get a feel for the animal’s personality.
For Richards, lop-eared bunnies make the perfect pet.
"I just thought they were so adorable! They are the right pet for us in terms of maintenance or care," says Richards.
The SPCA does not recommend rabbits for families with small children. Rabbits like a quiet home and get nervous if there is lots of fast movement in the house.
Not all rabbits liked to be picked up, so you end up playing with them on the floor a lot.
Related links:
Reader Reaction:
Post your comments and thoughts about this topic. All submitted comments are reviewed before being posted. Click this link to post your comment
Reaction Page:
