Did you know that despite being one of the country’s most popular pets, rabbits are also one of the most neglected?
Sadly, RSPCA staff are looking after reams of rabbits who have been rescued from spending their lives cramped in cages, deprived of food and water and desperately lacking care and attention.
We’re inundated with thousands of neglected rabbits every year who are collected, rescued or seized by our inspectors.
In addition, more than 8,000 rabbits have been reported abandoned to the RSPCA since 2007 and a further 3,300 rabbits have been signed over to the charity by owners who can no longer look after them.
When I was growing up, I had a lovely pet rabbit who I called Cotton (my sister had already nabbed the name Cotton Tail!) He was a favourite member of the family and we regularly got him out of his huge hutch which my dad had lovingly made and let him hop around our garden and munch on the grass. If only all rabbits were treated in this way. Too many spend their lives living alone in cramped hutches with little opportunities to express their natural behaviour.
For example, rabbits need regular exercise. In the wild, rabbits could cover the space of 30 tennis courts in one day alone. Being stuck in a hutch doesn’t provide much opportunity for all this hopping around.
This week (May 23rd-29th) has seen Rabbit Awareness Week hop into action with RSPCA branches and clinics throughout England and Wales getting involved.
It is the first year that the RSPCA has been an official partner of the initiative and we’re calling on the public to get involved too.
There are lots of rabbit-related events taking place, including free health checks and educational events. And if you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the large inflatable bunny which is currently touring the UK where you can add your pledge to improve rabbit behavioural wellbeing.
To find out how to make your pet rabbits happy bunnies, log onto www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk or for rabbit care advice go to www.rspca.org.uk/rabbits
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