What's Rabbit Awareness Week all about?

[dizzojay]

Why is there a rabbit awareness week? It’s a valid question!

Rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK, and yet they are the most misunderstood and, as a result, the most abused and neglected (this is not just a UK problem). You wouldn’t take a cat and lock it in a small cramped hutch, but that’s a miserable reality for thousands of rabbits.
 

Many rabbits are bought as cheap and easy ‘disposable’ pets for children, with people assuming they’ll just die after a couple of years. And, many do, but those that don’t are condemned to live out sad, lonely, unhealthy lives with no space to engage in natural behaviours, no company, and inappropriate veterinary care.
 

Rabbit awareness week is about raising awareness of these amazing little critters, and the fact that as rewarding and special as they are, they potentially can live as long as a dog, have complex needs and are not for everyone.
 

It’s about spreading the message that adopting your pet bunny from a rescue centre is far better than buying from breeders. Rescue centres are swamped with unwanted rabbits, dumped there by owners who didn’t research what they were getting before they went out bunny shopping.
 

It’s about working with retailers to restrict the sale of hutches and enclosures and impose a legal minimum size with rabbit welfare in mind.
 

It’s about educating people so that they can make an informed choice as to whether to take the plunge for the possible 10+ year commitment of a bunny.
 

It’s about making sure that awful pictures like this become, and remain, a thing of the past.

More information:

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/

https://rabbitawarenessactiongroup.co.uk/

Comments

[spiralicious]

I wish rabbit awareness week was more widespread. I hate the idea of any animal being thought of as a "disposable" pet. My former step-mother got her kids a rabbit for Easter once. It was a nightmare situation and I honestly don't know what even happened to the rabbit (probably for the best that I don't). I'd like to think my father finally got through to her that they were not equipt to take care of it properly (my dad's family raises rabbits).