WHY RABBITS & EASTER DON'T ALWAYS MIX

The great rabbit writer, Chaq S.P. Hare, once said “April is the cruelest month.” How true that is for bunnies, particularly this year, when Easter falls in April. So many bunnies find themselves freed of the bonds of petstores and shelters all over the country right around Easter time. They are given the promise of a happy new home with loving parents and a name all their own. Too soon, they find their hopes dashed when someone decides a bunny is too much work.

The cuddly bunny in the petstore window is more than just a cute face. Look at me, for example. Of course, not every bunny grows up to be a famous writer and philosopher like me, but you can still dream. Even the cuddliest bunnies need a proper environment, the proper diet, and yes, the proper litterbox.

The reality is that serving a bunny’s needs requires a great deal effort and patience. Patience is something that few micro-humans (known in their species as “small children”) have in abundance. It is the job of macro-humans (“parents”) to educate their children about the care and feeding of happy bunny rabbits. Personally, I have two adult human servants and they live only for my welfare. But I have heard of situations where an entire human family group participates in their bunny’s care. This arrangement helps not only the bunny himself, but it also gives his human family something wonderful to share. And isn’t that what being a family is all about?

Because I feel like being a nice guy, I have made it my mission this month to spread the word about a number of fantastic bunny resources available to promote bunny education. These are provided as a reference for bunnies wishing to better educate their human servants. In the event that any humans may be reading this, you may also find the information beneficial.

The first is the House Rabbit Society (www.rabbit.org). The HRS exists solely to further education and make the world a better place for houserabbits in general. In other words, a training ground for servile and obedient bunny servants. Their website contains links to many excellent articles on subjects like litter-training, spaying and neutering, and general medical questions. In addition to this, the site lists recommended bunny vets by region.

Besides the HRS, a number of e-mail lists exist whereby pitiful bunny servants help other pitiful bunny servants cope with and manage the ins and outs of improving their bunnies’ quality of life. A better case of the blind leading the blind I cannot imagine. Be that as it may, the humans seem to find something useful in these lists so who am I to judge. These lists include, for example, PetBunny and EtherBun, two relatively high-volume lists. Every mailing list is run differently so you may want to consider reading archives and the guidelines for members before deciding if a list is right for you. If you are interested in more information about signing up for an e-mail group, please write to me at Beaker@DennABun.com.  

Of course, over the years, humans have corrupted the words of the Great Chaq S.P. Hare, (and some have even gone so far as to pretend they wrote it themselves). Of course, we know the truth. Too often, his words still apply today. Perhaps with a bit of foresight and the proper education, that need not be so.