THE RSPCA is urging house owners to place the food plan of their rabbits on the prime of their procuring record this Easter.
Rabbits are sometimes seen as a super ‘starter pet’ for young kids, significantly at Easter time, however they’ve very advanced wants and are one of the vital uncared for pets in Britain. Last yr the RSPCA fielded 1,082 experiences of abandonments of unique pets – which incorporates rabbits – whereas there have been 1,144 incidents of neglect.
The charity’s consultants are highlighting how an insufficient food plan and a scarcity of dental care are storing up issues for the long-term well being of bunnies. They are asking house owners to take a while researching the way to take correct care of their rabbits.
The latest PDSA Welfare Report (PAW Report) discovered that 42% of vets recognized an inappropriate food plan as one of many 5 most vital welfare points needing to be addressed to enhance the well being of rabbits. The examine confirmed that 13% of homeowners had been feeding their rabbits unhealthy muesli combine, whereas greater than half of vets famous that house owners lacked data of basic care wants.
Rabbits have a fancy digestive system and a nutritious diet ought to primarily consist of fine high quality hay and grass in addition to clear ingesting water.
Many of the rabbits coming into RSPCA care are combating dental issues. A rabbit’s tooth are rising repeatedly and should be worn down with a continuing provide of excessive fibre from their food plan.
RSPCA small animal welfare professional Dominika Jagoda stated: “Rabbits could make improbable pets – however their welfare will be considerably compromised attributable to insufficient diets. It is so vital that house owners feed rabbits applicable meals in appropriate proportions.
“They want a nutritious diet consisting of 85% good high quality hay or grass, 10% greens resembling kale, cabbage or parsley, and 5% good high quality nuggets, in addition to clear ingesting water to offer the meals that mimics what they’d eat within the wild.
“Dental health can have such a huge impact on the overall welfare of rabbits and them not being able to eat because of overgrown teeth is very dangerous. It can lead to serious health conditions and can be potentially fatal.
“We know Easter is always a popular time of year to add a rabbit to the family, but it’s vital people do their research and fully understand the complex needs these amazing animals have.”
The RSPCA advises house owners to take their rabbits for normal well being and dental checks to go off well being issues. It may even save them doubtlessly eye-watering payments for specialist dental therapy amid the cost of living crisis ought to their pets’ tooth deteriorate.
Amid the disaster, 30% of pet house owners are nervous about with the ability to care for his or her pets correctly, based on the RSPCA’s Animal Kindness Index.
“Dental issues in rabbits can be expensive to fix, so prevention by feeding them with the correct diet can save owners a lot of money in the long run,” added the small animal professional.
“Rabbits have continually growing teeth which need to be worn down and kept at the correct length. They need a constant supply of high fibre passing through their digestive system in order to drive the movement of food through the digestive system.”
The challenges some house owners have had in caring correctly for rabbits has seemingly contributed to a surge in rabbits being deserted and given up. Rehoming charges from RSPCA and different animal centres have slowed down in recent years – and plenty of centres are stuffed with rabbits.
There was a big 48 per cent enhance within the numbers of rabbits arriving at RSPCA animal centres in 2022 in comparison with 2021. RSPCA animal centres took in 1,090 rabbits and 1,942 had been rescued by RSPCA branches.
Last yr (2023) 453 rabbits had been rehomed from RSPCA nationwide animal centres in comparison with 603 in 2019, a fall of 25% in 4 years (these figures exclude RSPCA department community rehoming).
The RSPCA has beforehand backed calls by the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund for a rabbit breeding amnesty to assist scale back the rabbit inhabitants and safeguard rabbit welfare.
The charity says potential house owners want to think about the dedication they’re taking over. Rabbits can reside between eight and 12 years of age they usually want spacious lodging each indoors and out of doors.
“They need so much more than just a hutch at the end of the garden and are very complex animals with needs for company, stimulation and exercise,” added Dominika. “When they’re purchased on impulse, perhaps as an Easter present, an proprietor may underestimate how a lot time, money and dedication they require.
