Featured Pet: Snow
Snow is a super sweet young bunny. She and her siblings at the shelter are all very social, and happy to be handled and snuggled. She loves to eat treats, and she has a very pretty black and white velvety coat! Rabbits make amazing pets, and Snow is no exception. Snow isn’t available for adoption quite yet, but she will be soon and you can view all adoptable rabbits on hswestmi.org/adoptablesmallanimals.
Is Easter a good or bad time to adopt a rabbit?
HSWM would like to preface this by saying there’s technically NO wrong time to adopt an animal, so long as you plan to care for that animal properly for the rest of their lives!
Lots of people used to adopt rabbits around Easter not knowing how much care they required, and the number of rabbits entering the shelter would peak after the bunny-themed holiday. However, they've noticed that after recent pushes to inform the public regarding proper rabbit care and ownership, they don’t see any increases in rabbit surrenders after Easter like in years past!
So there’s nothing wrong with adopting a rabbit around Easter, however, if you’re not looking for a fluffy companion that will need attention, food, and room to roam, that you’ll treasure for 8-10 years, buy your family a toy stuffed rabbit to enjoy instead!
Should I adopt a rabbit for my kids?
Contrary to popular belief, rabbits actually require more specialized care than just living in a cage, and often do not make great pets for very young children. Since rabbits are prey creatures, they can spook easily at loud sounds and sudden movements, and prefer a softer, calmer approach. However, rabbits can be fantastic introductory pets as long as you can take the time to teach your children how to kindly and gently interact with them, and also keep in mind that you, as the parent, will primarily be caring for the pet until your child is old enough to do so themselves. Rabbits require time outside of their cages or enclosures to hop about, and stretch their legs, as well as lots of time spent socializing with their families too. Rabbits live in large groups in the wild and will enjoy spending time with and getting gentle head pets from you!
How do I care for a rabbit?
So you might be thinking that a rabbit is a perfect pet for you, that’s fantastic. HSWM has plenty of bunnies at the shelter looking for loving homes! Now the next question is, what kind of care is required to keep a rabbit healthy and happy?
All rabbits require a ‘home base’ or safe space, whether that’s a cage, a large dog crate, an enclosure, or even their own room! Some rabbits can also be well litter-box trained and end up as ‘free roaming’ rabbits that have full access to your house, just like a cat! They also require unlimited access to hay and water, as well as measured amounts of pellets per day. Rabbits also love healthy fresh treats like greens, veggies, and the occasional piece of fruit! Rabbits live an average of 9 years and should get a yearly check-up from a Small Animal or Exotic Pet Specialist Vet, just like any other pet. Rabbits have wonderful, fun personalities, and make fantastic companions. They may be a bit more work than a hamster or guinea pig, but they will always pay you back with so much love!
Visit hswestmi.org/adoptablesmallanimals to see all of the rabbits they have available for adoption!
Sponsored by MSU FCU.
