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why are bunnies 3rd class citizens?

Mia

Warren Scout
I get really cross when I see adverts for countless dog and cat rescues/charities, but never ever have I seen a rabbit charity advert on the t.v. (even the RSPCA ones rarely feature rabbits)

Dont get me wrong, I adore all animals and am really pleased they are getting exposure but rabbits are never taken seriously. The AMOUNT of times when I say I have rabbits and everyone sniggers and say "ooh put them in the pot" or whatever other cliche.

I know these little critters will never be as valuable in monetary terms as a pedigree dog, for example, but I just wish their welfare was taken more seriously. I have absolutely no idea how many years it will be before the importance of rabbits is up there with cats and dogs, but I just wish non rabbit lovers would be a little more respectful.

I wish RWF had enough money and exposure to do something for the tv. Mind you, in saying that, even if they did, would all non rabbit lovers just scoff?

Mia x
 
i agree with you, its very sad that rabbits still havent gained the right status level to be considered worthy enough to help :( people still class them as not worth the attention which i s so sad :(
 
I dont think that there are viewed any less important than any other animals. Especially not by pet owners.

People could argue that fish, hamsters, snakes ... anything dont get the same attention.

Those advert probably use cats and dogs as an appeal as they are still the most common pets.
 
I think they are viewed as third class. I'm guessing it's because they are still generally viewed as something kept in a 'box' in the garden to entertain the kids and give them some responsibility.

My pet hate is seeing such as when I was looking for vets in the Yellow Pages.... for domestic animals they often say:

"Cats, dogs and children's pets"

Rabbits are still seen by some as being for children... not taken seriously at all.

I joked at work recently, when adopting a rabbit that I wondered if I'd get leave entitlement, same as adopting a child - the response was of course, "They'd probably just give you a pan".
 
I agree with you Mia. I get really offended when I see animal information and they have got stuff about cats and dogs but nothing on rabbits. I have had the same "funny" (not!) joke so many times about putting my beautiful buns in a pot.. I always say that people wouldn't go on about killing a cat or a dog, so why is it funny to say stuff like that about buns?? It's usually the non animal lovers that make these stupid comments though. I agree, it would be lovely to see an advert on tv promoting rabbits in some way but I guess it is just down to money sadly.
 
I certainly agree that rabbit welfare needs to be publicised more. Many people dont even realise that there are rabbits that need rehoming, I was one of them. I only found this site when my rabbit Nibbles died suddenly & I was trying to research what could have caused it. As rabbits are one of the most neglected pets in Britian then I believe the RSPCA should include rabbits in their advertising campaigns
 
I think part of the problem is that rabbits (and most other small animals) are looked at as 'disposable' pets. By this I mean that if they die, you can just go to a 'pet supermarket' like P@H and just buy a new one, they even do offers on multi-buys! If you dog or cat dies, it's slightly (but only slightly) harder to get another.

Also, rabbits are not percieved to live as long as other pets, so that makes them less important to some people. My next door neighbour (who professes to know lots about rabbits, although has not realised that her one has dental problems) was visibly shocked when I said that I expected my two to live longer then 5 years!

Lastly, many rabbits are kept in tiny hutches and their owners never realise what amazing little creatures they have.
 
I agree and my rabbits, guinea pigs and cat are all treated to the best lifestyle I can give them.

I feel sorry for farm animals - now they do have a raw deal!!!!
 
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