Rabbits, the most abused pet in Britain?

This afternoon I put to sleep another rabbit suffering from Fly Strike. It occurs when the rabbit becomes dirty with faeces around their backend. Flies lay their eggs in this caked poo, which quickly hatch into maggots. These then literally eat the rabbit alive and the condition is generally fatal within 24-36 hours; when the rabbit is either euthanased, or, if it is less lucky, dies of pain and shock. Every year, despite warnings, vets will see cases like these; it is heartbreaking and frustrating as it can so easily be prevented by simply checking the rabbit every day. However, it is a microcosm of the care rabbits receive as pets in this country and serves to reinforce my, and many others, opinion they are the most abused pet in the UK.

Now, I have to at this point make an admission. I am not a big fan of rabbits. They tend to be, in my experience, fairly expressionless creatures and not all that cuddly, despite their public image. If, for example, they object when you pick them, you are left with painful wheals along your arms from claws tough enough to shift huge quantities of earth and when their hormones kick in, they can be grumpy little buggers. However, it is the general stoicism about their nature that means they often ‘suffer in silence’ when they are cared for poorly and this, despite my opinions of them in general, they do not deserve.

Rabbits are prey animals in the wild and so have evolved to hide any signs of illness or discomfort. They also do not vocalise unless they are extreme pain or distress. Think of that classic image of the sad, lonely rabbit stuck in a small cage at the bottom of the garden, long forgotten by the children it was bought for, fed sporadically and never played with and you have the typical existence of many rabbits in this country. Many spend long years in solitary confinement, which can cause significant distress to such a social animal. Remember that in their natural habitat, rabbits will live in warrens with many others of their kind. There has been a recent increase in ‘house rabbits’, who are kept indoors. This is obviously a better situation as the rabbit has far more interaction and can make, so I have heard, quite entertaining pets. You have to watch your wires however; rabbits enjoy chewing things they shouldn’t!

So, what can we do to improve the lot of rabbits? Education is obviously key, rabbits require far more care and interaction than people realise; they should be handled and played with everyday. Also, their nutritional needs are often not met. Rabbits should eat a diet of mainly hay with a small amount of fresh food and pelleted diet. Often this is entirely reversed and the rabbit is allowed to gorge itself on the ‘museli’ type food that is so available. This is the equivalent of us eating nothing but Macdonalds, and has predictable effects on their health. Their diet is particularly important to get right as the vast majority of illnesses I see in rabbits can be directly related to poor feeding and husbandry. Also, people have to realise that just because their rabbit is quiet, it does not mean that they are necessarily happy. They are one of the most commonly abandoned pets in rescue centres. I don’t think this reflects any difficultly in their care, just how easily they are obtained and, how just as easily, discarded.

Maybe if we can improve the lot of rabbits, encourage people to think carefully before they buy one and educate them on how to care for them, I will see fewer coming though my doors with preventable diseases. They might then be happier and more expressive creatures in themselves and I might, possibly, start to see the appeal of them as family pets, and everyone will be a winner!