Cute fluff balls: Netherland Dwarf rabbits on sale at the Chew Thean Yeang pet shop along Burmah Road in George Town, Penang. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: It’s going to be the Year of the Rabbit, so people are eyeing cute bunnies as pets, but animal groups cautioned against impulse buying and abandoning them later.
“Many people want the animals as a symbolic gesture,” said Chew Thean Yang pet shop marketing executive CY Chon.
“Most customers prefer the Angora rabbits as they are more affordable. An Angora costs RM68, while the Netherland Dwarf rabbit is more unique and costs RM620 each,” she said.
As rabbits are herbivores, Chon said that they require high-quality staple food to meet their daily nutritional needs.
“Timothy hay is recommended to maintain their good digestive and dental health, while alfalfa hay is suitable for pregnant or growing rabbits,” she added.
She also said that the lifespan of a rabbit depended on the species.
“Most domestic rabbits can live between five and eight years. However, it also depends on how the owner takes care of the rabbit.
“To keep the rabbit healthy and happy, the owner must understand its needs,” she added.
An example, Chon said, would be the size of the cage.
“The cage must be four or five times the size of the rabbit.
“Rabbits are timid, so some precautions need to be taken when rearing them. It is recommended to prepare a wooden shelter where they can rest or hide.”
She said rabbits’ teeth grow constantly and the animals should have something to gnaw on to prevent overgrowth of the incisors.
“They should also not be showered too often and there should be dry cleaning agents to effectively deodorise and prevent the growth of bacteria,” she added.
Consumers’ Association of Penang president Mohideen Abdul Kader urged the public not to be tempted to buy a pet rabbit on impulse.
“The high demand for these animals may be inevitable in the run-up to the Year of the Rabbit due to the belief that they will bring good luck.
“However, as with other past zodiacal hype, many rabbits will be neglected once the novelty wears off.”
He said that acquiring a pet required forethought and a clear understanding of the animal’s basic needs.
“If there is a need for a rabbit to symbolise good fortune, elegance, and beauty, people can acquire a toy rabbit or figurine instead,” he said.
Malaysian Animal Association president Arie Dwi Andika said people should think again before getting a rabbit to keep up with the annual zodiac “animal trend”.
These pets could be abandoned once people realise they could not afford to keep them, he added.
“When the pandemic hit in 2020, we received reports of pets being dumped daily as people lost their jobs and were unable to feed their pets.
“We’re worried the same may happen again as the price of goods and animal food is predicted to continue rising this year.”
He said impulsive owners tend to forget about the pet after the initial interest, adding that they handled a case of a rabbit being dumped by the roadside last year.
Animal shelter operator Mohamad Rosli Mohd Ariffin said rabbits require a lot of attention and those thinking about getting them must be prepared to properly care for the animals.
“While many are taken in because rabbits are cute, most don’t realise the intense care and attention rabbits need to remain healthy.
“Rabbits also need exercise and don’t like being isolated in small cages for long, which can sometimes lead to them dying due to loneliness as they are social animals,” he noted.
Mohamad Rosli, who runs the Dady Oyen Strays Malaysia animal shelter, said he was also concerned that pet dumping grounds would become homes to rabbits after Chinese New Year.
“The uninhabited Pulau Limau island in Penang is a very popular dumping ground for most pets and we are still working on rescuing all the animals there, but I’m worried that the island will become overpopulated with rabbits after CNY,” he said, adding that so far, most of his rabbit rescues have been from playgrounds.
Meanwhile, rabbit breeder Sharon Ho said while interest in rabbits had increased, sales have not, due in part to the high costs involved.
“Many parents have called me to inquire about rabbit prices, but most end up not getting one after I inform them about the high costs.
“Three rabbits have been returned to me since November, mostly from young owners who realised they either couldn’t afford to keep them or had no time to care for the rabbits,” she said, noting that sales have only increased by around 10%-15% compared to the same time last year.
A local pet store representative, who wanted to be known only as Rainy, said that rabbit sales continued to remain average despite the predicted surge of such purchases.
According to her, there’s barely any change in the number of rabbits sold these past few months compared to the same period last year.
