不要因誤解而造成悲劇 – 避免兔年引發棄兔潮 / Do Not Cause Tragedy Due To Misunderstanding – Avoid The Year Of The Rabbit Leading To The Wave Of Abandoned Rabbits

不要因誤解而造成悲劇 – 避免兔年引發棄兔潮

兔兔外表萌萌，毛茸茸而且體型一般較貓狗小，令不少人誤以為牠們容易照顧及飼養，但其實普遍人對兔兔有不少誤解。

尚有個多月便踏入兔年，又來到令兔協上下甚為頭痛的一年。以往兔年總會有不少人因為應節或看到可愛的兔子裝飾，加上成行成市售賣兔兔的店舖，往往數百元至數千元便可以買到一隻兔兔，未經心思熟慮，便將兔兔買回家。很多飼主在買兔兔的時候，對飼養兔兔應有的基本知識及生活所需沒有認知，最後導致不少被疏於照顧的兔兔最後被棄養、被放逐在街上，甚至死亡。

在兔年來臨前，兔協希望大家考慮飼養前能對兔兔能有初步的了解，各兔友可向身邊的朋友及親人多提供資訊，以免因兔年熱潮而令更多兔兔受苦，同時亦可鼓勵身邊的親友以領養代替購買。

請各位有意飼養兔兔的人士必須注意以下各點：

• 需要耐性：眾所周知，兔兔是被捕獵的動物，警覺性非常高，大部份兔子都不喜歡被抱起，會掙扎逃脫，嚴重的會因而受傷，應避免强行抱起兔兔，飼主需花時間與兔兔建立感情，取得牠們的信任，方可以好好照顧兔兔。
• 需要細心觀察：兔兔為了不被捕獵，通常都會隱藏病患，飼主稍一疏忽，未必能察覺兔兔不適，一旦徵狀較明顯時，兔兔的病情可能已達到非常嚴重的地步。所以飼主必需細心留意兔兔的日常生活作息，一旦飲食、行為或大小便出現異常便要立即求醫。
• 開支不菲：一旦兔兔患病，便需要前往專門診治小動物的獸醫診所（請留意，香港只有少部份獸醫診所能夠為小動物診治），主人需要確保能夠負擔動軋數千元甚至數萬元的醫療費用。
• 不適合小孩照顧：兔兔是很喜歡乾淨的小動物，每天勤力清潔兔兔的居所及日用品是必需的，而且照顧上亦需要格外細心，小孩未必有能力察覺和判斷兔兔是否有不適，所以絕不建議由小孩獨自照顧，如果有意飼養，必需確保家人同意和由成年人承擔照顧兔兔的責任。
• 兔兔需要適當運動，不可以只困籠內飼養：適量的運動對兔兔健康非常重要，每日必需有最少四小時以上讓兔兔在籠外走動，飼主需要提供足夠的空間。
• 小小破壞王：小小的兔子的破壞力不容忽視，牠們天生喜歡啃咬東西，必需確保屋內物品收納妥當，例如包裹好電線以及避免兔兔接觸電器、植物、傢俱、地毯或其他危險品等，以免兔兔誤吞導致身體不適。
• 怕熱的兔兔：兔兔最舒適的溫度為25度以下，香港全年氣溫普遍都超過25度，有需要時便要24小時開冷氣給兔兔，以免中暑。同時濕度太高也會令兔兔不適，全日開動抽濕機都是在所難免的。

深思熟慮後，確定自己有能力，且願意承諾照顧兔兔終老，歡迎你領養兔兔，給牠們一個家。

兔協現時照顧的兔兔中，不少是因為患病或有傷患，由於主人疏忽照顧或未能支付醫療費用而被棄養的。如果你有意領養兔兔，我們能夠提供飼養兔兔的相關知識及支援。如果能力許可，請考慮領養曾患病、身體有殘缺或被遺棄的兔兔，牠們或許不完美，但牠們和其他兔兔一樣，值得擁有一個愛牠們的家，請以領養代替購買。

Do Not Cause Tragedy Due To Misunderstanding – Avoid The Year Of The Rabbit Leading To The Wave Of Abandoned Rabbits

Rabbits are cute in appearance, fluffy and generally smaller than cats and dogs. Many people mistakenly think that they are easy to take care of and keep, but in fact, there are many misunderstandings about rabbits.

There are still more than a month to enter the Year of the Rabbit, and it is another year that has caused headaches for HKRS. In the past, during the Year of the Rabbit, many people would buy a rabbit for hundreds to thousands of dollars because of cerbrating the festivals or seeing cute rabbit decorations, in addition, there are too many petshops selling rabbits. People may buy rabbit home without careful consideration. Many new rabbit owners do not know the basic knowledge and living needs of keeping rabbits. In the end, many neglected rabbits are abandoned, exiled on the street, or even die.

Before the coming of the Year of the Rabbit, HKRS hopes that everyone can have a preliminary understanding of rabbits before considering keeping them. All rabbit owners can provide more information to friends and relatives around them, so as not to cause more rabbits to suffer due to the boom in the Year of the Rabbit. At the same time, you can also encourage relatives and friends around you to adopt instead of buying.

Those who intend to keep rabbits must pay attention to the following points:

• Patience is required: as we all know, rabbits are prey animals and are very alert. Most rabbits don’t like to be picked up and will struggle to escape. In severe cases, they may be injured. Do not forcibly pick up rabbits. It takes time to build a relationship with the rabbits and gain their trust, so that you can take good care of the rabbits.
• Careful observation is required: Rabbits usually hide their sickness in order not to be hunted. If the owner is negligent, he/she may not be able to notice the rabbit’s discomfort. Once the symptoms are more obvious, the rabbit’s condition may have reached a very serious level. Therefore, the owner must pay close attention to the daily routine of the rabbit, and seek medical advice immediately if there is any abnormality in diet, behavior or defecation.
• Expensive: Once the rabbit gets sick, you need to go to a veterinary clinic that specializes in treating exotic animals (please note that only a small number of veterinary clinics in Hong Kong can treat exotic animals), and the owner needs to ensure that they can afford thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars medical expenses every time.
• Not suitable for children to take care of: Rabbits are small animals that like cleanliness very much. It is necessary to clean the rabbit’s residence and daily necessities every day, and also needs to be extra careful when taking care the rabbits. Children may not be able to detect and judge whether rabbits are uncomfortable, so they must not the main care taker. It is not recommended that rabbit to be taken care of by children alone. If the adults intend to keep it, adults must ensure the consent of the family and the responsibility of taking care of the rabbit by an adult.
• Rabbits need to exercise properly, and they cannot be only kept in cages: moderate exercise is very important to the health of rabbits. Rabbits must be allowed to walk outside the cage for at least four hours a day, and the owner needs to provide enough space.
• Little Destroyer: The destructive power of little rabbits cannot be ignored. They are naturally fond of chewing things. It is necessary to ensure that the items in the house are properly stored, such as wrapping wires and preventing rabbits from touching electrical appliances, plants, furniture, carpets or other dangerous objects, so as not to cause physical discomfort if the rabbit swallows it by mistake.
• Rabbit who is afraid of hot weather: The most comfortable temperature for rabbits is below 25 degrees. The temperature in Hong Kong generally exceeds 25 degrees throughout the year. When necessary, the air conditioner should be turned on for 24 hours to avoid heat stroke. At the same time, too high humidity will make rabbits uncomfortable, and it is inevitable to switch on the dehumidifier all day.

After careful consideration, if you are sure that you are capable and willing to promise to take care of the rabbits for the rest of their life. You are welcome to adopt the rabbits and give them a home.

Many of the rabbits under the care of HKRS are abandoned due to illness or injury, negligence of the owner or failure to pay for medical expenses. If you are interested in adopting rabbits, we can provide relevant knowledge and support for keeping rabbits. If you can afford it, please consider adopting rabbits that have been sick, disabled or abandoned. They may not be perfect, but they are just like other rabbits, and they deserve a home that loves them. Please adopt instead of buying.