Rabbit lovers hope festival changes perceptions

Rabbits are the UK's third most popular pets, but according to welfare charities they are also the most neglected.

A group of animal lovers hope to change that, by holding a festival to celebrate and educate people on all things rabbit.

The National Rabbit Festival is the first event of its kind in the UK.

It is being held at East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham on Saturday, following a smaller event which sold out last year.

Eden Jackson, who lives in Nottingham, is one of the volunteers who organised the festival.

She has three rabbits and is also a trustee and volunteer for Ivy Dene Rabbit Rescue in Leeds.

"Unfortunately rabbits are often seen as kind of easy starter pets for children, and actually that's not the case," she said.

"They have complex needs, they need a huge amount of space, they can rack up very expensive vet bills.

"That's why the festival came about, and the aim is to celebrate rabbits but also educate and advocate for better rabbit welfare as well."

Eden said there were several myths about keeping rabbits, which the festival hoped to dispel.

Eden said rabbits were typically kept in hutches in the past, with some "forgotten about at the bottom of the garden".

"Maybe 20 or 30 years ago it was a lot more common for people to keep them in hutches, but that's now seen as really outdated and below good welfare standards, because they really do need to run and explore," she said.

Eden said rabbits always needed to be in a space that was at least two metres by three metres.

"Rabbits are high energy mammals, they need to run, they need to explore," she said.

"You'll know the minute you start giving them space. It's so much fun because you'll see them charging around the room, doing zoomies and flips and things."

While some people believe rabbits are not particularly clever animals, living and interacting with them has helped Eden realise how intelligent they are.

She has observed hers opening doors, knowing when it is dinner time and recognising human patterns.

"For example, if they see my big shopping bag they know I might have been foraging for them," she said.

"They recognise noises too, so I can whistle and they'll come running over for a treat."

Eden said rabbits are also very social animals who love company.

"Definitely make sure they've got a friend," she said.

"You will benefit yourself from having multiple bunnies and seeing them interact and groom and lick each other, it's so much more fun.

"I think the more the merrier with rabbits, definitely."

Eden said the majority of a rabbit's diet should be made up of hay and grass.

"It's a bit of a myth that rabbits eat carrots like Bugs Bunny and vegetables, but actually what they need is a diet that's really high in fibre, so they need grass and they need hay," she said.

"If you think about the kind of food that a rabbit would be eating in the wild, they're not going to have access to vegetables, instead they're going to be eating grass and hay."

A poor diet can cause rabbits to have dental problems, because their teeth constantly grow and need to be worn down by chewing on food.

It can also lead to a condition called gut stasis, where food stops moving through their gastrointestinal tract.

This is very dangerous and can lead to death with 24 hours.

"If you notice that your rabbit has stopped eating, and maybe your rabbit hasn't eaten for three or four hours, that's when you want to start calling the vet, because if a rabbit goes into stasis that can be fatal," said Eden.

"Bunnies are designed to be hay-eating, pooing machines, and that constantly needs to be going on."

As well as hay and a small amount of pellets, Eden gives her rabbits treats such as apple twigs and brambles, which she collects from her garden and also goes foraging for.

Eden recommends getting rabbits from rescue centres rather than pet shops or rabbit breeders.

"There are so many rabbits that are being surrendered and abandoned at the moment, there's a huge need to find them more homes," said Eden.

"But also what you find with rabbit rescues is there's a huge amount of support. So if you take in a rescue bunny and the bond doesn't work well, they are going to be able to give you advice on what to do."

Eden said rescue centres will also take rabbits back if needed, which pet shops and breeders will not do.

"They [rescue centres] are going to have a community of people who've got loads of experience, who can help you if your rabbit is poorly, who can give you guidance and advice," said Eden.

"So not only are you helping the bunnies, because you're giving someone a second chance, but it's really beneficial for yourself as well."

Eden said rescue centres usually ask for adoption fees of between £80 and £100.

While pet shops and breeders may charge less, owners will need to spend money to get their rabbits neutered and vaccinated.

When rabbits are adopted from rescue centres, neutering and vaccinations will already have been carried out.

"A neuter in itself costs around £150 and a vaccination is around £80," said Eden.

"So not only are you saving yourself money by adopting from a rescue, you are freeing up space for them to help another rabbit."

Vaccinating rabbits prevents them dying prematurely from myxomatosis or Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD).

Neutering rabbits prevents unwanted rabbits from being born, and it also prevents the females dying prematurely from ovarian cancer.

Eden said it was important to remember that vets bills for rabbits can be hundreds or thousands of pounds.

Domesticated rabbits generally live longer than wild rabbits, which only live for one to two years because they are exposed to disease and face the threat of predators.

Lifespan varies depending on the breed, but the RSPCA says rabbits "require long term commitment" as they typically live for eight to 12 years.

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest rabbit ever was a wild rabbit named Flopsy, who was caught on 6 August 1964, and died 18 years and 10.75 months later in Tasmania, Australia.

While rabbits look cute and innocent, they have sharp teeth and can be very destructive.

"They will chew and destroy a lot of things. We've lost countless headphones, shoelaces, they chew through straps on bags," said Eden.

"I've got one of those electric massagers and Magda came and nipped through the wire, so I was mid-massage and then it just stopped.

"Anything that's wooden they'll have a go at. If there's a certain bit of wooden furniture that you really love you can count on the fact that they will eat that."

Eden said people should be aware of how destructive rabbits are before they adopt any.

They should also take steps to rabbit-proof their homes, for example by keeping electric wires out of the way.

"We've had carpet chewed up and a lot of shoes and shoelaces, but it's all worth it because they're cute," said Eden.

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