Bunny fever: Soong and Yeap playing with their rabbits at their shop in Gelugor, Penang. Soong is carrying and petting English Angora rabbits while Yeap is carrying a Flemish Giant. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: It’s a dog. No, it isn’t. It’s a Flemish Giant rabbit!
With a bit of grooming, this breed of domestic rabbit resembles man’s best friend at a glance.
The breed imported from the United States can grow as long as 1.07m and weigh more than 10kg.
Because of their size and long fur, pet shop owner Zolrin Soong said that keeping Flemish Giant rabbits would require a huge space.
“And they need to be kept in a cool area,” she added.
As for medium-sized rabbits, she has English Angora and French Angora rabbits, which are also long-haired and grow up to 5kg.
“Many people are surprised when they see long-fur rabbits like the English Angora and French Angora.
“The long-fur rabbits are fluffy and adorable. With a bit of grooming, they can look like a dog,” she said when met at her pet shop.
Soong, 37, said her love for rabbits began during the nationwide movement control order in 2020.
While browsing through social media to pass the time, she came across videos of the long-eared mammal.
“I was surprised to see rabbits being groomed in the shape of dogs.
“I decided to study the subject matter in-depth,” she said, adding that she eventually found out that there were many types of rabbits, including those with long fur.
Several months later, Soong and her husband, Kellvirn Yeap, 37, decided to open a pet shop specially focused on rabbits.
“We wanted more people to know about bunnies as we realised that most pet shops in Penang do not specially cater to just rabbits.”
Their store, she said, began importing six different types of rabbits, with the largest one being a Flemish Giant from the United States.
Soong said rabbits were quiet, gentle animals that would not disturb the peace at home.
“Rabbits are low-maintenance pets as they do not need to be vaccinated frequently.
“They are easy to take care of as they can clean up after themselves like cats.
“I usually clean them once a week to ensure that their fur does not get tangled,” she said.
Besides big-sized bunnies, Soong also sells “normal-sized” rabbits like the Netherlands Dwarf, Mini Rex and Holland Lop.
“These domestic rabbits can live between seven and eight years.
“However, it also depends on how the owner takes care of the rabbit.”
According to Soong, feeding rabbits Timothy or Alfalfa hay will help them maintain a healthy digestive system and teeth.
“If you want to feed them carrots, make sure that they are the dried ones, as too much sugar will affect the rabbit’s dental health.
“We also encourage our customers to provide them with filtered water to make sure that they don’t get bloated or get diarrhoea,” she said.
Soong said that each rabbit has its own unique characteristic.
“They will only attack people when they feel threatened,” she said.She has been getting enquiries from those interested in getting rabbits as pets in view of the Year of the Rabbit.
“We understand that people want the animal as a symbolic gesture.
“However, we are against impulse purchases as we are worried that these pets would be abandoned by owners once the craze is over,” she said,
“We have to explain to the customers their responsibilities before bringing these cute creatures home.”
