Life in a Zoo The Real Thing: Lop Rabbit

 

Lop Rabbit

Over the years we were given many, many rabbits. in fact, at one point in time, we were building more rabbig cages than anything else.  We eventually had over 25 rabbit cages!
Most of them were Easter bunnies that children had received as pets.  The problem is, bunnies grow up and need care, housing, and exercise. 

 

Sometimes children forgot to feed or water their pets. Sometimes they forgot to keep the pen closed and the rabbit would get out. If this was a house pet, they could quickly chew the baseboards and furniture before anyone realized they were loose.  Many an angry mommy and daddy brought us their children’s pet bunnies.

Some breeds of rabbits are more gentle and tame than others, but most people do not do their homework and find out about these things before buying their pet rabbits.

Although rabbits can be litter box trained, sometimes they do not make good pets. They have long claws that need clipping. They are a special kind of animal whose teeth continue to grow. If they do not have enough hard wood to chew on, their teeth will grow too long, and they cannot eat. These animals slowly starve to death before their owners realize something is wrong.

 You have to pick them up carefully, NEVER by their ears.  The proper way to pick up a rabbit is by the scruff of the neck with one hand and supporting its bottom with the other.  But even so, if a rabbit is frightened, he can seriously hurt you with his back claws.   He can lift his hind legs up from under his belly to behind his head and claw you with those long, strong hind feet.