10 Ways to Celebrate Rabbit Week, Part II

By sarajean on 7/16/10 5:56pm
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6. Take Care of Your Current Pet Rabbit

Have you ever had your rabbit checked out by a vet or vaccinated? Do you let him or her have plenty of bouncing play time, and sweet carrot treats to eat? If not, now is a great time to start doing so. Many people do not think of rabbits like cats and dogs, but they do have many similar needs. People who raise rabbits to sell should also make sure they provide proper food, shelter, and care, as well as safe, clean breeding boxes. You can learn more about rabbit issues here, and you can schedule an appointment with your local veterinarian to make a plan of action for your rabbit’s health needs.

5. Learn All About Rabbits

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10 Ways to Celebrate Rabbit Week

By sarajean on 7/16/10 5:54pm
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This week, it’s time for our long-eared, whiskered friends to get some recognition! Whether you’ve kept rabbits as pets, get giddy over seeing them in the wild, or simply admire them from afar, if you love the critters, you might want to take part in Rabbit Week. Here are 10 ways to celebrate.

10. Don’t Eat Rabbits

That’s a given! To celebrate rabbits, if you normally eat them—or were thinking about it—how about joining them this week instead and munching on some sweet, yummy carrots? They’re packed with nutrients (hello, vitamin A) and if Bugs eats them, there’s got to be some appeal, right? Dip them in your favorite dressing, or jazz them up with something sweet, like yogurt.

9. Adopt a Rabbit

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Bad Hamster Owners Ruin It For Everyone

By erika on 7/9/10 10:18am
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The city of San Francisco is considering a ban on all pet sales.  Why?  "The real problem, staff said, is hamsters." 

Originally the city was looking on a ban on the sale of puppies and kittens, in order to help put a stop to pet mills.  But apparently hamsters are such a problem at local animal shelters that the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare decided to extend the ban to everything but fish.  

San Francisco residents will still be allowed to keep pets.  But if the ban passes, San Francisco residents will have to seek their pets elsewhere.  This seems a little nonsensical, since the shelter staff say that most pocket pets that get dumped at the shelter weren't originally purchased at pet stores.  I guess these are gifts, or were the products of accidental breedings.


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Tell ASU to Stop Testing on Animals

By sarajean on 5/30/10 8:27am
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When I first became an animal activist several years ago, Proctor & Gamble was one of the first companies I started to boycott. It wasn’t all that easy, either, since I had relatives who worked there. (Both were about to retire, though.) One of the things that repulsed me the most about the company was that they would sew rabbits’ eyes shut and test personal care products in them to see if they were safe to use on humans. Yeah, that’s not an image that you want in your head when you’re shampooing your hair.

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Help Stop Pocket Pets From Being Crushed to Death

By sarajean on 5/22/10 8:40pm
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I’d like to think that the majority of us would never step on a little hamster, kitten, guinea pig, or other small animal just for the fun of it—or to sell it to people who supposedly get off on such things. I would love to believe this. It would help me sleep better at night. Sadly, I cannot believe this, since the practice continues to occur—and I cannot believe that there is virtually nothing being done to stop it, either.

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Can a toad qualify under this National Frog day? We have a western toad at our preschool.

By Anonymous on 5/6/10 2:46pm
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March is Rescue a Guinea Pig Month

By sarajean on 3/14/10 12:15am
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When you think of saving animals, whales, pandas, and other exotic species come to mind. You don’t ever really think of rescuing a guinea pig, but these little rodents are in need of love and attention as much as any other. Like cats and dogs, guinea pigs can be found in shelters all across the country. They, too, are often abandoned, after being received as Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, or won at carnivals.

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Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month

By sarajean on 1/28/10 3:54pm
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If you thought the only time of the year reserved for bunnies was Easter, you’re wrong! February is Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, a time you might consider providing a home for a shelter rabbit or baby bunny.

The Education Director of House Rabbit Society, Mary Cotter, says, “Promoting adoption and educating potential adopters early in the year helps to prevent the impulse purchase of bunnies a month or two later at Easter.” It takes time and effort to care for a rabbit, just as with any other pet, and people should be aware of the responsibilities involved.

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Dress Up Your Pet Day

By sarajean on 1/14/10 4:16pm
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My first piece of advice: Don’t. Do. It. I’ve always found dressing up pets to be degrading at best, and inhumane at worst. I had a childhood friend who always dressed up her dogs and put them in baby strollers and they never looked very happy about it. I thought her parents should’ve totally bought her a Baby Born. I get that some animals might like being dressed up—though I think it would be pretty hard to prove in court!—most would rather be au naturale.

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How Old Should a Child Be Before Caring for a Pocket Pet?

By sarajean on 10/19/09 9:40pm
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When I was six years old, my parents bought me my first hamster. I named her Becky, after my best friend (naturally), and loved her very much. My parents taught me to take care of her—to feed her and give her fresh water every day, to change her bedding, to carefully put her into her exercise ball. She lived for three years and was the catalyst for my lifelong love of animals.

I had friends, however, whom I wouldn’t let near Becky. One friend in particular, I discovered, tried to put her on a blanket and toss her into the air, calling it “parachuting.” (I later discovered that this “friend” was anything but fodder for childhood nightmares and future therapist discussions for anyone she came across.) These friends were either my age or older, proving that six—or seven or even eight—is not always the best age for hamster care.

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