Easter Bunnies

Our Belgian Hares are called Hercule and Poirot – quite appropriate as we have to do a bit of detective work to find them when we want to shut them up for the night.  They are from the same litter but Hercule is chunkier than his brother.   They get on well together but unrelated males who haven’t grown up together might fight with each other.

Although they are called ‘hares’ they are really part of the rabbit family.  True hares make their nests in the grass while rabbits live in burrows.   Belgian Hares are slower to mature than most other rabbits, they grown quite big and are said to be among the most intelligent of the species.   Our two are certainly very smart and learn quickly.   They are adept at digging and have made a large burrow in their pen, with several entrances and exits.   It’s such a pity when rabbits are deprived of their desire to dig – it’s what they do in the wild and they love to have a home in the earth.

Rabbits need a lot of room, they need exercise and space to hop about and find sweet grass and herbs to eat.   If you are considering housing for a rabbit you need to think about their natural life.   We all need fresh air and freedom!    Rabbits like to graze, socialize, sunbathe and sprint back to their burrow if danger approaches.   A small hutch and run just won’t do it.    Sadly there will be a lot of rabbits sold this time of year without thought given to their future welfare.   It’s a miserable existence for a rabbit kept in solitary confinement and cramped quarters.

Even when rabbits have a pal they still need human companionship.    They are friendly creatures but have to overcome their mistrust (and who can blame them?) of humans first.   Hand feeding them with titbits is a sure fire way to get them to come to call.   Most rabbits enjoy being stroked and they’ll follow you round, showing interest in what you’re doing.   If you can make the whole garden their playpen that would be ideal, it would have to be securely fenced and make sure there are no poisonous plants first.

The hutch needs to be large – high enough for a rabbit to stand on hind legs and roomy enough for hopping around.   Separate quarters are best, feeding, toilet area and bedroom.    The wood needs to be thick and strong, a fox can easily tear through most of the rabbit hutches that are on sale and can pull the netting off in a flash.   The fox sees a rabbit in a hutch as a prepacked dinner – I’ll just open this up and help myself!

Dogs also see rabbits as lunch, soft furry, scrumptious!   It is possible to train a dog not to chase them and if they are brought up together it could work, but mostly a dog’s perception of a rabbit is food.   Don’t forget that rabbits can jump although not as well as dogs.   The fencing needs to be high.

Think carefully before buying a rabbit as a pet for a child, you will have to look after it, although it is a very good way to teach children about another creature and how to care for it.    When we think of cruelty to animals it’s generally some sensational aspect we have in mind – but rabbits, kept in their little hutches, looking out through the bars and unable to get out,  a lifetime of loneliness and captivity – they are among the most cruelly treated pets in the U.K. at the present time.