Are you thinking of buying a dwarf bunny to give to your children or your partner? It is not a stuffed animal, but a living being with special needs. Making this gift is not a good idea, we explain why.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIl rabbit is one of the symbols par excellence of Easter. In view of this holiday, the race to buy eggs and chocolate bunnies begins every year. But there are also those who, in this period, to please their children or their partner choose to buy a rabbit in flesh and blood.
A choice that in many cases is made superficially, without knowing the needs of this animal. And this is how many rabbits all over the world are regularly abandoned on the street or returned to the pet shop when you realize that you are unable to take care of the puppy. It must be remembered, however, especially these days that rabbits are not toys and buying them as gifts is a really bad idea for a variety of reasons. Let's see which ones.
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An animal should never be bought or adopted on impulse
Before welcoming a rabbit into the house (but this is true for any animal) you need to ask yourself a series of questions: do I really have the desire and the time to take care of him? Do I have adequate space to let him live in dignity? We are not talking about stuffed animals, but about living beings with numerous needs and taking care of them also means dealing with a series of expenses (related to veterinary visits, food, etc.). Taking a pet is a choice that must also be discussed and reasoned with the other members of one's family.
Rabbits are delicate and can suffer from depression
Rabbits are undoubtedly very cute animals, but they have a very complex set of physical and emotional needs. Not everyone knows that the health of dwarf bunnies is particularly delicate and they tend to suffer from boredom and depression if they remain closed in cages for a long time. In reality they would need to spend several hours of the day free and to be stimulated, as they are very sociable animals. But too often they are left alone in cages.
Most of the rabbits given away at Easter end up being abandoned within a year
As also highlighted by the Canadian animal rights association Animal Justice, many of the bunnies that are given away over Easter end up being abandoned or dying by their first birthday. After the enthusiasm of the first weeks for the arrival of the bunny, problems arise when you realize that it is a great responsibility. So poor rabbits end up being abandoned on the street or in parks or taken back to shops or animal shelters.
Rabbits sold in stores have a history of exploitation
Just like other animals sold in pet shops, the rabbits found in the shops come from farms where their well-being is not respected. In many cases, bunnies are raised in facilities where they are taken away from their mothers to be confined in cramped cages where they barely have room to move.
Animals must be adopted, not purchased
Finally, buying a rabbit or any other animal is never a good idea. They are being animals, not commodities. If you really want to adopt one, you can turn to various shelters where abandoned specimens live or saved from mistreatment and slaughterhouses. There are also various associations, such as Collina dei Conigli, which give up rabbits and other small rodents that were once exploited as guinea pigs in laboratories.
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Fonte: Animal Justice
We also recommend:
- Collina dei Conigli: in Monza the center that recovers and rehabilitates animals from laboratory tests
- Don't buy rabbits: how to adopt one (or more) from a shelter
