Bad Hare day!

There is help for the dreaded “bad hare day.”

Seriously, if you just washed your Bunny's hare and you can’t do a thing with it, try a Bunny massage.

Yes, that’s right, massage for Bunnies. Because they are a prey animal, Bunnies can be skittish or scared. Massage helps calm them, and it also helps the animal bond with the owner.

To properly massage a pet rabbit, starting at the tip of the face, working slowly back across the ears, under the chin, along the spine, and finally along the bunny’s legs and feet.

Believe it or not, bunnies love to have their feet massaged. They also like having their ears gently pulled during the massage, which takes about 10 minutes.

Bunnies who get used to the massage eventually will allow themselves to be cradled on their back so their legs and belly can be massaged. That also makes them easier to handle during veterinary examinations.

Bunnies are considered the third-most-popular house pet, behind dogs and cats. They also are the third-most-common animal to end up in rescue shelters. Most times, that happens because people don’t know how to care for a rabbit.

The most important step in training a rabbit to be a house pet is to have it spayed or neutered. That takes away much of its wildness and makes it more willing to be held and handled. It also prolongs the rabbit’s life expectancy.

An unspayed female has an 85 percent chance of dying of cancer within two years, she said. Males that haven’t been neutered will probably live about five years, but rabbits that are spayed or neutered generally live about 12 years.

Bunnies are extremely intelligent animals that are not meant to be caged. They can be housebroken, the same as dogs and cats, and are best left to roam freely most of the time. They need chew toys to help them keep from chewing on household things such as wiring or furniture.

They’ve very good house pets. They don’t bark or need walks. They’re not noisy pets at all. If you are considering adopting a rabbit should first do some homework, including finding a veterinarian who is rabbit-savvy. Or check out The Rabbit Haven Website for educating yourself, talking to professionals and Bunny adoption events: http://www.therabbithaven.org/

Lil’ Chick Pet Sitters www.lilchick.com 408-839-7502

Article by Bob Jackson http://www.vindy.com/staff/bob-jackson/