Why You Should Never Buy an Easter Bunny

With the Easter holiday approaching, we are inundated with images of adorable furry bunnies. There are bunnies on television, bunnies peering out of baskets, and bunnies on greeting cards. Those of us with children want to make them happy. We want to get them wonderful baskets of chocolate, candy, and sometimes, real live bunnies. This last thing is a huge mistake.

Although they are cute and fuzzy, bunnies are not good pets for little children. This is because they are calm animals, while children are active and excitable. The children's activity is incompatible with the rabbits' nature. It upsets rabbits to be held in place and cuddled, but this is exactly what a child wants to do. When the rabbit gets bigger, if it is not neutered, it may dig, urinate and defecate around the house, and chew things. Bunnies should live indoors, not outside in cages. Unfortunately, most households are not equipped for such behavior.

Bunnies live for about ten to fifteen years, and must be cared for. They have to be fed and kept company. Their cages have to be constantly cleaned. They often require medical attention by a veterinarian. Many times, veterinarian bills for a rabbit can be higher than for a cat or dog.

"Make Mine Chocolate!" is the name of a campaign founded in 2002 by the Columbus Ohio chapter of the House Rabbit Society. Their mission is to bring awareness to the sad issue of people buying real rabbits for Easter and then dumping them soon after. Humane societies, animal shelters, and rabbit rescues are flooded after the Easter holiday with unwanted bunnies. Some people don't even bother to take the rabbits to a shelter, and just leave them outside instead. Rabbits left at shelters usually end up euthanized, in other words, killed. Rabbits left outside usually end up begetting sick and dying or being killed by a predator.