Rabbit Revolt

Cute bunny packs a bite


Tuesday, March 23, 2004

SCOTT DAVIS
THE SAGINAW NEWS




Most see rabbits as cute, fluffy, bouncy animals that can brighten any child's day.

They also have a killer bite.

A 2-year-old St. Charles girl is recuperating today after her pet rabbit bit her last week, severing her right index finger at the knuckle.

Although such injuries by rabbits are very rare, animal experts say the incident points up the need for safety around rabbits, especially with Easter and Peter Cottontail fast approaching.

"We get complacent with them because we think of them like an Easter Bunny thing. They look cute," said Mark Wachner, Saginaw County Animal Care Center director. "But they can be aggressive. They can lay a pretty nasty bite on you, like a giant hamster."

Nevertheless, Wachner and others say rabbits can remain a relatively safe pet for a household as long as owners and children exercise caution.

"They are cute and furry, but I don't remember Peter Cottontail saying 'Come pet me,' " said Dr. Elizabeth S. Walton, owner of Freeland Animal Clinic. "They're safer than some other pets, but they still have teeth."

The girl's mother, Jenny Decker, said her child -- whom she did not want to name -- was with an adult friend Wednesday morning as he was feeding two pet rabbits in Decker's back yard.

The child placed her hand in a cage to pet her 3-year-old rabbit, and the rabbit bit off her finger, Decker said.

Ambulance crews treated the child at her home, and she underwent surgery for the wound at Covenant Medical Center Cooper in Saginaw that night.

Family members said the digit is lost and was not reattached.

"I would never have thought a rabbit would do this," said the child's grandmother, Debra Haremski of Saginaw Township. "It was absolutely devastating. She has so many years ahead of her."

Decker said her daughter has improved since the incident, although she still is reluctant to put on shirts, apparently because of pain to her hand.

"She told me the bunny was bad, and had to go into the corner," Decker said.

But the child apparently holds no grudges. Haremski said the girl since has picked out a stuffed bunny to buy at a store.

Decker said she was surprised because the animal hadn't shown such aggressive behavior before. Doctors have asked her to keep the pet for at least 10 days to watch for signs of disease, and then she plans to find a new home for both rabbits.

She said hopes parents will become more careful with their children around rabbits.

"Don't take them for granted," Decker said. "They've got sharper teeth than we realize."

Especially troublesome are a rabbit's front double incisors.

"Their teeth are designed to cut through wood," Walton said.

Wachner said his staff always wears thick, leather gloves when dealing with rabbits to protect against bites and swipes from their back claws, which are powerful and quick.

If a child wants to pet a rabbit, Walton advises an adult to hold it first and then allow the youngster to interact with it.