Get acquainted with the couple dedicating their lives to grow six rabbits

Singapore – They are accustomed to strangers who look at them or look into their trolleys, just to be surprised that they are not babies, but the rabbits.

Mr. Cornelius Lee, 45, and Mrs. Polly Lim, 44, are proud parents of six rabbits. Age between one and seven years, they include a mini Lop, a French Lop, two Holland Lopes, a Dwarf in the Netherlands and a Flemish giant.

The couple, who has been married for 10 years and has no children, say that their lifestyle has not changed since they added six fur children to their lives.

The family of eight Enjoy it Hanging on the pool of their condominium in Serangoon, going on Orchard Road, going to the beach or catching live shows around the Civic District.

“More places are for pets now so it’s easier CONTACT They outside, says Mr. Lee, who works in Finance.

“We usually go out on the weekend. Funan is a place where we often go, so some employees of the stores are used to seeing us rabbits, ”adds Mrs. Lim, who are in the medical industry.

As the couple frequently remove their rabbits, the rabbits are used to new places and loud noises. They are also accustomed to be the center of attraction, with people who want to pets or take pictures of them.

The only disadvantage of the couple is that not all six rabbits can go out at the same time now.

“Bleu became bigger, so it takes on a single threshold. The youngest can fit into the second threshold, ”says Mr. Lee, adding that he or his wife bears another rabbit in a harness.

Bleu, a men’s Flemish giant, which will turn one on March 16, weighs 5.6 kg and is almost the length of the couple’s torso.

“He will only grow as he gets older,” says Mrs. Lim. Flemish giants are the largest breed of internal rabbits, and adult dimensions can reach 15 kg.

Similarly, Ciaran, a male French LOP, which is one, weighs 4.4 kg and can grow to an average of 5 kg to 6 kg.

Lees draw the line of foreigners who carry their rabbits. “It is possible that people do not know how to transport rabbits properly and we do not want to risk wounds,” says Mrs. Lim.

Taking rabbits in public places may sound like a unique and fun idea, but carefully against it, especially in circumstances that are not supervised.

“The rabbits are prey animals. For them, the unknown media with noise, movement and other animals are extremely stressful, ”says Dr. Rina Maguire, a veterinarian in exotic accompanying mammals and exotic pet medicine.

Dr. Maguire, who co-founded Beecroft Animals and the Emergency Hospital, says: “Stress can lead to rabbit screws or undergoing injuries due to fear or improper management.”

In addition to external stress, domestic rabbits can be exposed to the haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) or external parasites, such as fleas, or suffer from temperature extremities, it warns.

RHDV can be spread directly by contact with an infected rabbit or contaminated surfaces – for example, footwear, clothing, equipment or food – or by contact with insects, such as flies.

While their rabbits are not vaccinated, as Mrs. Lim says, do not mix with other rabbits, Lees give priority to hygiene and use disinfectant sprays and wipe the harness and prams after each exit.

“They like attention, especially Quinlan, who knows that it looks,” says Mr. Lee, adding that the beautiful Holland Lop, a year old, likes to get his head out of the harness.

Apart from being cute and affectionate, the couple is impressed by the intelligence of the rabbits, especially by the mini lop Hazel, who is seven years old.

Mrs. Lim says: “Hazel knows how to find wrong objects in the house. And being the oldest, she “leads” the youngest to the pot. “

Mr. Lee adds: “She is Jie Jie (Chinese for the older sister) and is the boss. It is also very disciplined when it comes to bed. She will come to us and keep her feet to tell us that it is time for their snack, before going to their room to sleep. “

The rabbits share a room in the condominium apartment with three -rooms of the couple.

During the day Lees are at work, rabbits are in the room, which has an air cooling. They walk freely around the house when Lees are at home.

There is no worry about their reproduction, such as proverbial rabbits, because Hazel, the only woman, is sterilized – like two of the male rabbits.

“Friends joke that our house is resistant to theft, because we set up barricades to protect our electrical appliances,” says Mr. Lee, adding that more of the mobile phone charges were damaged when they had for the first time Hazel, the first rabbit, seven years ago.

According to Dr. Maguire, rabbits are often looked wrong as low maintenance pets and can be kept in small cages with minimal attention.

“The rabbits need daily social interaction, regular physical exercises outside their enclosure and constant monitoring”, She He says, adding that the rabbits have specific medium-medium needs would be a temperature controlled habitat, because they are sensitive to heat-dedicated and safe for physical exercises.

It It also advises the owners to ensure that their homes are resistant to rabbit, to prevent creatures from chewing on electrical cables or ingesting toxic plants.

Potential rabbit owners should also ensure that the roosters or cages are large enough for their rabbits to stretch and stand upright. The minimum enclosure size, says Dr. Maguire, should be about Four to six times the completely extended rabbit size.

“We see a lot of fractures that appear in the cage because of the grill/stitches or hollows in the cage or garbage box”, “S”he add. “If a leg is caught, the rabbit will usually twist To try to escape and that will inevitably cause a fracture because of their strong carts. “

Unlike popular belief, rabbits should not be fed with a carrot diet, because carrots are high in sugar, and carrot survival can lead to health problems, says Mrs. Betty Tan, president of the Non-Profit House House Rabbit Society.

“A good diet for rabbits should consist of 70 percent fresh hay, 20 % fresh vegetables with green leaves and 10 % pellets”, “ She says.

Dr. Maguire adds: “Timothy, orchard or grassy hay are the best for adult rabbits. I do not recommend Hay Alfalfa for any stage of life, because it is useless. It increases the risk that the rabbit will not eat grassly hay in the future, which will increase the risk of diseases of the urinary tract, such as bladder infection and urinary stones, as well as abnormal growth and dental growth. “

The fresh water must always be available and changed daily. Avoid giving delicious delicious rabbits, drops of yogurt, seeds, nuts, cereals, bread, chocolate and most human foods, adds the veterinarian.

Before holding a rabbit, it is good to find out about breed features.

For example, dwarf races are more prone to dental problems. LOP ear varieties have a greater incidence of ear infections due to their narrow ear channels, while huge breeds have higher arthritis and cardiac disease due to cardiomyopathy, a disease that weakens cardiac muscle.

While some people might think that rabbits are great pets for children, Mrs. Tan warns that rabbits are fragile animals and can be easily injured if they are missed by a small child. Adult supervision is required when young children are with rabbits.

Holding a rabbit is a lifetime commitment, because rabbits can live up to an average of 10 years.

“You have to be able to dedicate time and dedicated care,” says Mrs. Lim. “And shower with much love.”

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