By Denise Tom
Before you hop into the pet store to pick up a cute baby bunny for Easter, think about how much work is involved in raising a rabbit.
The Ottawa Rabbit Fostering Network is encouraging people to do just that. The network rescues and finds homes for abandoned or unwanted rabbits.
Gail Anderson, one of the organizers of the network, says they are trying to educate people about the proper care rabbits need, before they decide to bring one home.
“It’s important to let them know that when they get a rabbit, it’s a 10 to 15 year commitment. Most people think it’s only two or three years,” she says.
The network usually gets flooded with calls in September through December, when the Easter bunnies have matured and started to become more sexually aggressive. This is the time when owners will abandon their rabbits because they do not know how to deal with them properly.
“They’re fun pets to have if you give them the opportunity, but they’re not all fun and games,” Anderson warns.
Jeff Stanke, owner of Critter Jungle pet store, has noticed an increase in people wanting to purchase rabbits at this time of year.
But he says he tries to discourage people from buying a rabbit just for the sake of Easter.
“Make sure you’ve committed to it for the long term and not just for the next year,” he says.
Stanke adds he tries to ensure that people who come looking for rabbits — especially at this time of year — are prepared to see through their commitment in raising the rabbit.
The rabbit network receives calls about stray rabbits and whenever possible, they go out and rescue the rabbit. However, because the core group of organizers is only five members, it’s not always possible to take in all the strays.
Anderson says that while they do try to rescue the abandoned rabbits, their priority is to place rabbits into a good home.
People who go to the Humane Society looking for rabbits are often referred to the rabbit network. The network then tries to match up the right rabbit with the right home. There is an extensive screening process for potential fosterers.
Sarah Boni first heard about the network in January. She already had a rabbit, but was interested in taking in another one.
She contacted Anderson, who then went to visit Boni’s home to meet her rabbit and ask her a number of questions about how she cares for the rabbits, including diet, living space and exercise.
“They do a really good job of researching. They don’t just hand off the rabbit to anyone,” Boni says of the network.
Boni passed the screening process and waited about a month to take in a foster rabbit. She received her rabbit at the beginning of April. She now has the responsibility of taking care of the rabbit and reintroducing him into a family environment.
Because she’s only fostering the rabbit and not adopting him, she doesn’t know how long she will be keeping her new pet.
“He’ll stay here until he finds a home. It could take a week, it could take months,” she says. But, she adds, it doesn’t matter to her because she loves rabbits and has a lot of fun with them.
“A lot of people think that rabbits are boring and that they don’t have a personality, but that’s not true at all,” Boni says. “All of my rabbits have had more personality than some people I know!”