Easter Psa - Tumblr Posts
With Easter approaching, just a little PSA not to buy or give rabbits for Easter.
Yes, they're very very cute, and yes, you can get some adorable pictures of them in Easter baskets. But rabbits are not toys. They are little living beings. They need to be cared for and not discarded. They are not starter pets, and they are not good pets for children. A child cannot be the primary caregiver for a rabbit. They're very fragile, have complicated diets, and can be quite expensive. Rabbits can live to be 10+ years, they are not a short term commitment. They are not low maintenance, and can't live in the kind of cage you most often see advertised for rabbits. They either need a large exercise pen or to be free roamed, aka let them live in your home with you like you would a cat or dog. They are very easily litter trained and can become a member of the family just like any pet if taken care of properly.
Rabbits are very social animals and require a lot of attention, they can't be left in a small cage until your kid comes home from school or you come home for work to play with them for an hour. Rabbits are also not cuddly. They're prey animals, and slow to trust. Getting picked up scares them and they need a lot of time to warm up to you. A rabbit that's constantly picked up or grabbed can become aggressive out of fear, you need to approach them differently than you would cat or dog.
The majority of rabbits given as Easter gifts are either surrendered to shelters or abandoned outside. Please please never set a domestic rabbit free in the wild. Domestic rabbits are not wild rabbits, they do not know how to survive. They will likely die within days of being released.
They can be wonderful pets, but there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings about how to care for them, and there are a lot of abandoned rabbits. Most toys and treats marketed for rabbits in pet stores are actually not safe for them.
If you are considering getting a pet rabbit, I am begging you to do your research. Understand the commitment for what it is. A few great resources for learning about proper rabbit care are:
The House Rabbit Society
The Bunny Lady
Sincerely, Cinnabun
101 Rabbits
The Story of My Easter Bunny
We got Bella one year ago, on Easter. He had lived with a friend of mine happily for his whole life. Chosen from a regular old pet shop, it was four years until he had to leave his first owner. One of the family members had a rabbit allergy, and he couldn't stay. He found his way into the hands of a biology teacher. I came across him by luck and was offered the opportunity to take him home. "She's the sweetest bunny I've ever met!" Was all the bio teacher would say about him. That's right! We thought he was a girl. Well, we found out a week later he was a boy, and we kept the name since he knew it. The trip to our home was a perilous one. He had to sit outside in his cage, covered in coats donated by my friends to keep him out of the sleet while we waited for our ride. He didn't enjoy the car very much, but finally, he was home! We had a week to decide to keep him. Otherwise, we could take him back to the biology teacher. Of course, we couldn't give him up. We fell in love with him.
Yes, we got Bella on Easter. But he's a lot of work! So if you want your own Easter bunny, make sure you know what you're getting into! They aren't cheap to take care of, and they need attention, lots of play time, brushing and nail trimmings. That's just the beginning. Plus, they live a very long time, which is a big commitment. Bunnies make great pets, but only if you have the time, effort, patience and money for them.
Happy Easter!