Many children associate the rabbit with magicians. They will always remember him pulling the bunny out of his hat by the two long ears.

That, is not the right way of handling a rabbit. Pulling it by the ears is both painful and harmful. The correct way is to use your palm to support its hind legs.

Children also associate rabbits with Bugs Bunny, the cartoon character. And the prominent feature of this popular carton figure is its long front teeth.

Unlike our teeth, theirs constantly grow. And their way of keeping them short is to gnaw and gnaw. They will chew almost everything in their path: household electrical wires, furniture legs, and anything in between. So you have to bunny proof your house if you want your rabbit to run around.

Facts:

• Rabbits can live up to 10 years. So it is along term commitment.
• They can mate as early as 3 months of age and they usually produce litters of between 4 and 6. Their gestation period is 31 days. And that, is a lot of rabbit in a short while. So think before you allow them to breed.
• Rabbits need solid floors in their cages. Wire gratings are bad because they can injury the rabbits. If you have a wire base, make sure you put a piece of cardboard or a wad of newspapers on it. Their feet are not padded unlike dogs or cats.
• Rabbits are rather fragile animals. Their backbone is especially weak. It can break if you drop it. So proper handling is vital. If you pull them up by its ears, it can kick and bite.
• You should only buy a rabbit that is weaned, able to eat food by itself and one that is active and without bumps on its body (bumps are clear signs of skin diseases).
• The incisor teeth of a healthy rabbits must be worn down from use. It they are outgrown, it can be a sign that they have been feed the wrong diet.
• Rabbits are not rodents. They are closely related to Hares. One difference is that baby rabbits are born blind and hairless. They are weaned after 8 weeks. Hare babies are born covered with fur and with eyes opened.

Rabbits are quite docile by nature and they can even get along well with dogs and cats with proper supervision. They can be litter trained like a puppy.

Most pet shops carry a wide range of cages, toys, food, and drinking bottles. While they live in burrows in the wild, domesticated rabbits can fare well also in apartments in a suitable size cage.
A baby rabbit always looks cute. But it may be a different story when it grows up.
They are various types of rabbits. Some are bred for their meat, others for show. And their ears can be long and standing tall or drooping like the lop ear variety.

Price ranges from $15 up. They come in a variety of colours from pure white to pure black and all colours in between.

Rabbits like hamsters, mice, guinea pigs make lousy surprise birthday presents. Do not buy a rabbit on impulse. It may not bark like a dog but it sure can set the household in turmoil if you are not prepared or know how to look after it.

Setting them “free” in our parks is an offence. You will be sending them to certain death. If they don’t die of chill, they will surely be killed by dogs.

More information is available from the Internet or pet books available at Petmart Pte Ltd (Tel: 62896471).

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