Meet the Bunny Bunch
Easter, when interest in all things rabbit really gets hopping, is perfect for Shannon Brandon. The adult leader of the 4-H Bunny Bunch group of Butler is always looking to spread the good word about cottontails.
The 4-H group she heads has 35 active members from the ages of 8 to 18 raising eight different breeds of rabbit. She said some of the Bunny Bunch members farm rabbits for show, others for pets and still others for meat.
“There's also rabbit hopping,” she said. “We set up hurdles. Rabbits are trained on a harness and leash to leap over hurdles of different heights with points deducted for missed hurdles.”
That rabbits can be trained and walked on a leash is just one of the many unknown rabbit facts one can learn by hanging out with the Bunny Bunch group and their furry charges.
Brandon said rabbits as pets can be surprising. Some will purr when cuddled and petted. Some can be trained to use the litter box.
Some breeds are valuable in other ways.
There are as many uses for the rabbits among the Bunny Bunch as there are rabbit breeds. (That's a bit of an exaggeration, there are 49 rabbit breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association.
Some are show rabbits, some compete in rabbit- hopping competitions and some are bound for the dinner table and not as a guest.
Addyson Blatt, 11, was cuddling Isla, a New Zealand, which Brandon called the black version of the Cadbury Bunny.
“Isla weighs 11 pounds and is about 11/2 years old,” said Addyson. “She'll get bred and her babies are big meat bunnies. She's heavy. I don't like toting her around.”Breeders consider the New Zealand easily the most popular of all meat rabbit breeds. The breed has been around since the early 1900s and has been primarily raised as a meat and fur rabbit from the beginning.Sarah Brandon, 15, the president of the Bunny Bunch, said she's been around rabbits all her life and is fond of Strawberry Jam, her Rhinelander rabbit.“I have raised rabbits all my life. I get to eat my rabbits,” Sarah said.“Maybe one or two stay as pets, but they are market animals. You are used to them being 'cute little bunnies,'” she said.“But if you ask most farmers, it's not so difficult to get rid of them because that's their purpose,” she said.“Rhinelanders eat well,” she said. “Depending on the weight gain, you call sell them at eight weeks.”Rabbit meat sells for around $10.99 a pound, according to Shannon Brandon.Some rabbits are more valuable for their fur than their meat, said Jean O'Donnell, whose twins, Alaina and Lizzie raise rabbits.“Alaina has got an American Fuzzy Lop, ”said O'Donnell. “We've been raising them for about three years. We use their wool to spin thread. They molt twice a year. We raise them indoors.”American Fuzzy Lop wool is judged similar to that of the Angora breeds although Fuzzy Lop wool will be shorter than that of a commercial Angora rabbit.And some rabbits are just valued for their cuteness.Alaina O'Donnell's sister, Lizzie, was holding a Netherland dwarf breed, a smaller rabbit that tops out at about two and a half pounds.Because of its size, the Netherland Dwarf is a popular breed as pets or exhibition animals. They are not typically used as sources of meat or fur.According to the American Rabbit Breeders Associaton, many rabbits sold at rabbit shows are Netherland Dwarfs, Netherland Dwarf-derived breeds (often referred to simply as dwarf breeds), or Netherland Dwarf crosses.Their popularity as pets stems from their babyish appearance.If someone was raiding the garden of Mr. McGregor, the chances are the description will match that of a Netherland Dwarf.At this time of year rabbits are in high demand for pictures, children's parties and as Easter egg hunt mascots, said Shannon Brandon.
For the past two years, Shannon Brandon said, her group has taken rabbits to Golden Opportunitiesa adult day program on Whitestown Road.“Some of the residents get to pet and hold them. The more a rabbit is handled, the better a personality they develop,” she said.Rabbits are also sold as pets, and the results can be unfortunate.“We are solely responsible for the quality of life and a rabbit can suffer at your hand,” said Shannon Brandon.“I think it is fantastic they give rabbits as pets but they must also give children the knowledge to care for them,” she said.For instance, rabbits need a great deal of interaction with the owners or other rabbits to be happy. They are not a low-maintenance pet.Rabbit pellets alone are not a sufficient diet — rabbits need lots of roughage in the form hay and resh vegetables.Rabbits need a relatively large cage, preferably indoors where they can be more social with their owners and be safe from predators.People ages 8 to 18 wanting to know more about rabbits, Shannon Brandon said, are welcome to join the Bunny Bunch which meets at 6 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the Farm Show office, 625 Evans City Road.
