Easter bunnies? Make them chocolate

Easter’s not funny for a real bunny, according to Kayla Bazinet.

While bringing home a pet rabbit for the spring holiday may seem like a good idea, Bazinet, a local rabbit owner and advocate, said most kids will lose interest in the furry critters long before the chocolate is gone. Then the bunnies will be left without loving homes.

Bazinet said unwanted rabbits usually end up in shelters or are released into the wild shortly after the holiday is over.
While their untamed cousins may be able to survive outside, Bazinet said most domestic bunnies can only live about three days outside on their own.

“They’ve lost all their wild instincts,” she said. “It’s like a dog and a wolf. They are a lot different.”

Whether they’re released in rural or forested areas, Bazinet said rabbits are easy prey for predators like dogs and even wild rabbits. While undomesticated rabbits run from threats, tame rabbits freeze.

In some cities, it’s illegal for pet shops to sell rabbits before Easter, Bazinet said, and it’s something she would love to see happen in Sudbury.

She said it’s “irresponsible” of pet shops to push animals like bunnies on families around the holiday when they know the welfare of the animals is rarely considered.

Statistics from Rabbit House Society, an “international nonprofit organization that rescues rabbits from animal shelters and educates the public on rabbit care and behaviour,” state that 90 per cent of rabbits purchased as Easter gifts don’t live to see their first birthday.

Bazinet said if more people knew how much work it was to take care of a rabbit, they would be less likely to make “impulse” purchases.

“It’s not my goal to make people not want bunnies,” she said. She just wants people to know what they’re getting into before purchasing one.

Bazinet said bunnies need just as much attention and care as other pets, like dogs and cats. In the past year, she’s spent about $1,000 on her four pet rabbits of her own, keeping them healthy with regular vet visits, proper food and supplies. Each of her rabbits spends at least three hours a day out of its cage. When bunnies are overweight, Bazinet said something as simple as hopping around can cause heart attacks.

That’s part of the reason they need to be fed properly. About 85 per cent of a rabbit’s diet should be hay. The remaining parts should include pellets, fresh vegetables and treats. No matter how much they like carrots, Bazinet said rabbits should eat them only sparingly. Dark green veggies, like spinach and kale, are healthier, she said.
Grooming bunnies is also important. They don’t have a gag reflex, so it’s impossible for them to cough up hair balls, Bazinet said. That means its up to a rabbit’s owner to ensure their coats are free from shedding fur.

Since becoming a rabbit-lover after purchasing her first bunny a few years ago, Bazinet has grown her colony by adopting unwanted or abandoned rabbits.

“I don’t buy bunnies,” she said. “I just get rescued bunnies.”

All of her rabbits will be hers for life now.

“I think it’s really irresponsible to give up on an animal,” she said.

To support Bazinet’s group or to find out more about responsible rabbit ownership, search Easter’s Not Funny for a REAL Bunny on Facebook and like it.