Here is a chance to spend an evening in the company of little cotton-tailed rabbits. The New Westminster Animal Shelter is hosting Cafe Rabbit, a pop-up adoption event, on Saturday, Dec. 10, where you get to be surrounded by adorable floppy-eared Bugs Bunny look-alikes.
Now, if your interaction with bunnies has always been limited to seeing them hop off in your backyard, the event might give you a chance to know them better. As per Margie Fox, animal services officer, rabbits, just like your pet pooches, each have a unique personality.
At the event, you'll meet Cedric and Cecilia, a brother-sister rabbit duo, who, Fox noted, are so friendly that they would follow you around the room, respond to anyone calling their names, and enjoy being petted too; and Debbie Harry, an English Spot, who is always enthusiastic to say ‘hi’ to anyone who comes by her pen; among others.
All of them are adoptable bunnies — which means, if you think you bonded with any of them, you could decide to take them home on the spot.
That’s the main intent of the event, said Fox — to give every 'bun' a home for the holidays.
“We know that the current way that we do adoptions, which is sort of paperwork first, might be a little bit of an obstacle. So we wanted to remove that and invite people in to meet the rabbits, before they submit an application, to see if it's something that they think is a good fit for their family.”
While the event is a platform to clarify all your questions about bunny care, “we are also going to have a bit of fun with it," said Fox. "We're going to have some colouring and crafts for the children, and some snacks for both children and adults.”
Rabbits are just like cats and dogs
“In the olden days, people made rabbits live in a hutch outside in the backyard. But thankfully, we've learned better and we know that they are very social animals, just like cats and dogs, and they want to be part of a family.”
They can use a litter box, just like cats; they like to play and have toys just like cats and dogs; they like to snuggle, and have a soft bed, said Fox. They need space to run around, to play, and to stretch their legs.
Rabbits, like your Fidos, can even learn tricks, she added. “If there's the right incentive, which is usually food and time put in by the human, any animal, even rabbits, can be trained.”
But, “if you have a rabbit and you put them in a hutch in your backyard, or in a cage in the corner of the room and never interact with them, you're not going to see much of their personality,” warned Fox.
“I always say to people, who may say, ‘oh, rabbits are kind of boring’ — no, they're not boring. They're bored!” she said. “Just remembering that just like we would never recommend getting a dog and then ignoring it, leaving it in a cage — it's the same thing for rabbits.”
Why it's important to give every bunny a home
Some of the rabbits that are up for adoption were found as stray by New West animal shelter — either escaped or let loose on purpose. “We are seeing it more in our city, our little city, but also throughout the Lower Mainland,” she said.
“Traditionally, areas like Richmond have always kind of unfortunately been known as a dumping ground for rabbits. But what we are seeing is that it is starting to spread.”
And since all the stray rabbits that they got were intact — not spayed — some were pregnant when they came to the shelter. “It can quickly become a bigger issue if we don't try to keep it in check.”
“We are happy to take the rabbits off of the streets, get them spayed, neutered, vaccinated, and then find homes for them,” said Fox.
But, rabbits tend to have a longer stay in a shelter than cats and dogs. “We are hoping to change that so that we can keep helping more rabbits.”
The shelter, she noted, is at capacity for rabbits. “We are running out of room.”
“We want to be able to make sure we can take in more strays if need be. In order to do that, we need to find homes for the ones that we have in our shelter.”
A normal adoption fee for one rabbit is $50; and for a pair, $75. But you can adopt them at half the rate now. When you adopt, you also get a free adoption starter kit that's worth $65 — this will include a five-pound bag of high quality rabbit pellets, some rabbit hay, a toy (courtesy of Oxbow, a pet supply store) and a $25 Bosleys gift card. For more details, visit New Westminster Animal Shelter website.
5 pointers for first-time rabbit owners
- Giving rabbits the space to play and stretch helps prevent some unwanted behavior such as chewing on things. They can be let free to roam around in a safe, and enclosed yard, under your supervision.
- If you have very young children, you have to find a rabbit that's quite outgoing because some rabbits may not like kids running around and making noise. If you have cats or dogs, they should be ones with very low to no prey drive, because rabbits are considered prey animals, and cats and dogs are predators.
- Their diet is about 80 per cent of good-quality hay — usually timothy hay. Leafy greens and fruit should make up a small percentage of their diet. They can also be fed pellets — these treats are higher in calories.
- Getting them spayed and neutered makes them happier and more relaxed. Most veterinarians don't treat rabbits; so you do have to do a bit of research and find a vet that will.
- The average lifespan of a rabbit is 10 to 12 years if they are well cared for.
