By Bird Bouchard
The Société de Protectrice des Animaux de L’Estrie is warning the public to do their research before adopting rabbits this Easter.
According to Alexane Bégin, Communications Coordinator for SPA, adopting a rabbit comes with a lot of responsibility and is a major decision that shouldn’t be done on a whim.
“Whether it’s Easter or not, the message remains the same. Adoptions of a pet need to be well thought out and people should avoid getting a pet on a whim,” she said, adding animals shouldn’t be given as gifts or as a surprise. “It’s important to be prepared when welcoming an animal or a pet in a home.”
Bégin said there’s a lot of responsibility and work that come with owning rabbits, which are the third most abandoned animals in shelters after dogs and cats. She added rabbits live on average up to 10 years and need a minimum of two hours of exercise outside a crate each day.
The Ministry of Agriculture also advised Quebecers not to give into the allure of cute animals.
“Easter lasts 24 hours but these animals can live a very long time and get very large quickly,” said the Ministry in a statement.
