Bunny trails: Rabbits are not rodents
Rabbits are among my favorite pets. My most cherished book is "Watership Down," by Richard Adams, which tells the story of a group of English countryside rabbits. For Easter, I would like to share some little-known rabbit facts with you:
1. Bunnies are not related to rodents. They are lagomorphs and are more closely related taxonomically to deer and other hoofed animals.
2.The Romans were the first humans to keep rabbits, and they were held in enclosures called leporaria.
3. After the Romans, medieval monks selectively bred rabbits for size and color. Today, there are more than 40 recognized rabbit breeds.
4. The rabbits you see eating grass on the side of the roads are Eastern cottontail rabbits and not related to pet rabbits. Pet rabbits are domesticated and cannot survive for long when abandoned outdoors.
5. The term rabbit hutch implies that rabbits should be kept outdoors. However, when kept outside, rabbits are miserable -- flies bother them all summer long during the day, and raccoons bother them at night. They are happier when kept in the house.
6. Rabbits make great pets for the right people. However, do not get one unless you are prepared to take care of it for its entire life span of 8 to 12 years. For some reason, people treat rabbits as disposable commodities. They are as sentient as dogs and cats and as worthy of commitment.
7. To learn more of what it entails to properly care for a bunny before you get one, go to rabbit.org.
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