The Humane Society of Greater Dayton can only accommodate nine rabbits and the waiting list is already 23-strong. The Clark County Humane Society and PAWS in Clark County take in rabbits, but discourage people from dropping them off.
Siddens and Braunschweiger worry that people will resort to getting rid of their bunnies in alternative ways.
“People show up and say that if we don’t take their rabbits, they’ll drop them in the street,” said Siddens. Siddens also said that some people even try to “self-euthanize” their unwanted rabbits when they can no longer handle them at home.
“They’re pretty fragile creatures, with very soft spines. They are also prey to pretty much everything and they don’t know how to survive outside of people’s care,” said Braunschweiger.
House rabbits are domesticated pets, just like your average pet dog or house cat. Leaving them in the streets is just as good as a death sentence to these unwanted rabbits, rabbit shelter operators say.
The Dayton Area Rabbit Network, which is a “group of rabbit lovers living in the Miami Valley” according the organization’s Web site, is promoting a movement started by the Columbus House Rabbit Society called “Make Mine Chocolate!” — meant to persuade people to buy candy bunnies for their loved ones for Easter instead of live ones.
“People just aren’t informed,” said Siddens. “Kids want rabbits for Easter, and it becomes an impulse buy, but people need to do their research and realize how much care rabbits really need.”
“It’s almost like having an infant, and you always have to watch them,” said Siddens.
Alisha Harris, Operations Manager at the local Springfield PetSmart store on N. Bechtle Avenue, said that the store “doesn’t carry bunnies during Easter-time” because of the trend of unwanted bunnies being left to perish.
“Research is the key,” said Harris. “People need to use their resources, like the Internet, to find out if they really have the time to take in a new rabbit.”
Braunschweiger also noted that people quickly grow tired of their furry friends in the months after Easter because rabbits can be “too much to deal with” and can have “behavioral issues if they are not spayed or neutered.”
“Female bunnies can get ovarian cancer pretty easily if they aren’t spayed,” said Braunschweiger. “And male bunnies will typically have behavioral issues if they aren’t neutered.”
Siddens and Braunschweiger both stressed that rabbits are actually great pets with lots of personality — but only for people who have the time and means to properly care for them. The Dayton Area Rabbit Network and other national organizations, such as the House Rabbit Society, help people learn to correctly take care of their new pet rabbit and also help future owners find the right rabbit for them.
“We match families up with the right rabbits, with matching personalities,” said Siddens.
Braunschweiger added, “We work to help people get adjusted to having a new house rabbit.”
For more information on how to adopt a bunny, go to the Dayton Area Rabbit Network’s Web site at daytonrabbit.org, or check out the House Rabbit Society’s Web site to research how to properly care for your new pet at rabbit.org.
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