ONE TOO MANY

At the wonderland, we have welcomed many adorable baby bunnies and helped them grow. When we post photos of them, people squealed over how cute they are and kept asking to adopt them. But have you ever wonder, if they are so lovable, why are they in a shelter? Why did their owner surrender them to us?

In 2014, we have received numerous requests from panicking owners who needed our help to take in their rabbits. In February, a mother of 2 brought her unsterilized female rabbit for a playdate and ended up with 2 babies within a month. She can’t deal with the mess and requested for us to remove all 3 before her relatives visits over Chinese New Year. In April, a grandparent who bought 2 cute rabbits for their granddaughter, ended up with 6 within a month. They, too, find them too dirty and left them at the corridor until a concerned relative called for our help. In July, a husband bought 2 rabbits for his wife and unknowingly bred 20 more within a year. The rabbits were straining their finances and they requested for us to take in the remaining 11. And in December, a cat rescuer took in 1 rabbit to help out a friend but ended up with 7 more because it turned out to be a pregnant female. She cried for help because she can’t deal with 8 rabbits and the cats that she cares for.

The above are just a handful of stories we have to share. All of these owners started off with a fine and dandy idea of taking care of a cute little rabbit, feeding it yummy carrots and watching it grow. But guess what? Within months, their fairytales became nightmares. Often, the family relationship got strained and suddenly, the sight of the rabbit make them frustrated. All they wanted is a cute fluffy thing to play with and suddenly their house started smelling like a zoo. This was not what you paid for. And we agree too. This is not how it should be.

The most important thing before one gets a pet is to understand their nature. Rabbit is made by mother nature to constantly reproduce to support the rest of the eco system. Their gestation period is only 28 days which means within a month, they can produce as many as 8 babies. If the males are not separated from the females, the babies can reproduce as young as 4 months old and in no time, you will be dealing with an exponential population growth which will drive you up the wall. We find it absurb when some people thinks it’s just natural and you should let it be. Maybe it’s true for the wild rabbits. But for the domesticated rabbits who are bred as indoor pets to be doted and loved, is it necessary to put them through the painful process of childbirth? And may we remind you that mother rabbit don’t find their babies cute.. they actually eat them up if they deemed their unhealthy at birth. Yah, that’s how it works.

So if you currently own a rabbit, please do yourself and the rabbit a big favor by bringing it to a rabbit-savvy vet to make sure it is sterilized. The sterilization procedure not only save you from the above nightmares, but it also remove the reproductive organs that are most prone to cancer. No doubt there is always risk involved in any surgery. The fact that we have successfully sterilized over 200 rabbits at the wonderland, we believe we do understand the risks and how to reduce them to ensure safety. You can read our recommendations in this earlier post we wrote:

https://www.facebook.com/BunnyWonderlandSg/photos/a.194318347418294.1073741831.189249407925188/341048302745297/?type=3&theater

Please be a responsible rabbit owner and practice sterilization. It does not mean taking away the ‘manhood’ or ‘rights’ away from the rabbits. It means saving its life and preventing the creation of unnecessary lives. With hundreds of abandoned rabbits in Singapore waiting for a home, the creation of more rabbits is, frankly, one too many.