Indiscriminate breeding aggravates problems
Random breeding also contributes to the high number of rabbits being abandoned at the SPCA. According to information given by the AVA, rabbits are productive from the age of four months. They can give birth to between four to 12 babies in a single litter. The gestation period is 30 days and a female rabbit can become pregnant again within 24 hours of giving birth.
| Did you know... |
| 1 | Rabbits are lagomorphs, not rodents (They are actually more closely related to horses than they are to mice in their method of digestion) |
| 2 | Rabbits can be litterbox (toilet) trained |
| 3 | They can live to be 7-10 years old |
| 4 | Rabbits are inquisitive, sociable animals |
| 5 | Rabbits can purr when contented |
| 6 | Like cats and dogs, rabbits need to be spayed or neutered to improve health and behaviour. |
| 7 | Unspayed female rabbits are likely to suffer from ovarian, uterine, or mammary tumours. |
| 8 | Most rabbits do not like to be held. They prefer to sit beside you. |
| 9 | Rabbits like to play with toys, such as cardboard boxes, wire cat balls, hard plastic baby keys, untreated willow baskets. |
| 10 | Pine and cedar shavings may cause liver damage in rabbits. |
People who do not separate, or, neuter or spay their rabbits often find themselves with a litter of unwanted babies. "They don't know what to do with the babies so they just dump them at the SPCA. Some people even take the chance to dump the mother rabbit as well," says Ms Sebastian.
She also adds that most of the rabbits brought to the SPCA are not adopted because "they are often older and not as cute as the babies in the shops". Some of the rabbits have developed health problems and "it is not fair for us to put sick rabbits up for adoption".
Space constraints on the SPCA grounds and the slow adoption rates are other reasons for putting otherwise healthy rabbits to sleep. Even though the SPCA tries to tell owners about the possibility of euthanasia, some of the owners remain aloof.
"You can see they have no feelings for the pet at all. They just want to get this 'thing' out of the way, especially during spring-cleaning time," says Ms Sebastian. "When I told this woman that her pet may be put to sleep, she merely replied 'it's God's will then'."
Further education needed
Kenneth Png, moderator of the Rabbit Singapore mailing list and owner of 13 rabbits, feels that animal welfare in Singapore is still "very poor". He set up this mailing list in 1999 to "network pet lovers and to share knowledge".
Dr Ling Khoon Hsing, a veterinarian who runs the Namly Animal Clinic also feels that "people still have a long way to go in understanding rabbits". Rabbits are sensitive and intelligent animals that can learn to respond to commands if only people have the patience to teach them. Like cats and dogs, rabbits do not necessarily belong in the cage. With patient training, they can be kept free running in the house too.
As the HRS emphasizes, respect rabbits as intelligent, social animals who need affection and understanding. They can become wonderful companion animals if given a chance to interact with their human families.
This writer has seen rabbits dance. Sometimes when rabbits are very happy, they run around doing a mad series of sideways kicks and mid-air leaps with lots of twisting and turning. For comprehensive information about the care of rabbits, visit the HRS site at http://www.rabbit.org
