Rabbits - the Perfect Adult Companion
Children + Rabbits = Not always an Ideal Match
Chances are you or someone you know had rabbits when you were kids. Generally kept in a backyard hutch, these rabbits were cute and cuddly when young, but their personalities changed when they hit puberty. Over time, your or your friends lost interest in the rabbit or felt that it was too difficult to care for, and your parents gave it away, took it to an animal shelter, released it, or had it for supper.
Rabbit rescue organizations hear this story again and again. It's not that rabbits and children can't get along quite well. It's just that many of us have seen firsthand what a bad match rabbits - particularly unspayed and unneutered rabbits - and children can be. Cute as they are, rabbits rarely make perfect pets children. Children, particularly young children, typically want a soft animal that they can cuddle and hold. Only an unusual rabbit actually likes to be lifted off the floor and held. This might be because rabbits instinctively know that when something lifts them off the ground in the wild they're about to be eaten. Rabbits are burrowing animals and normally like to keep their feet on a solid surface.
Even the most loving and responsible parents often find themselves facing difficult situations when they're children can't handle or lose interest in their rabbits. There have been many instances in which a rabbit has struggled to get out of a child's arms and has fallen to the floor, broken its back, and had to be euthanized. Sometimes, children play too hard, and the rabbits' fragile skeletons cannot handle it.
Why Adults + Rabbits = A Happy Match
How adults benefit rabbits: Adults generally make far better companions for rabbits than do children. Adults are aware of their own strength and realize that a rabbit needs to be handled gently. Adults often understand the rabbit's need to be on the ground and are more willing to respect their rabbits' wishes to live life on their own terms. Most adults can provide a quiet, safe haven for rabbits that will keep the rabbit from becoming stressed. Furthermore, adults typically are better able to make the commitment to keeping a rabbit. Rabbits have been known to live to 10-15 years and beyond if given a loving and healthy environment, and children rarely can commit to caring for a rabbit through their teens and into their college years or beyond. Finally, adults are in a better position to afford the food, bunny-proofing, and other supplies than children are.
How rabbits benefit adults: Rabbits can be loving, loyal, independent, strong-willed, gentle, playful, joyous, quiet, clever, highly intelligent, and litterbox friendly. Need we say more?
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