Why Not To Give A Bunny As a Pet For Easter

I saw this on facebook and thought I would share it, even though we have someone at work who has a bunny and absolutely adores it.

Rabbits are NOT "easy-care" pets. They live for ten years or more. They eat a special diet of greens, vegetables, pellets and timothy hay. They eat their own feces to get nourishment the second time around (yes, seriously). They are fragile, they chew on things (like all rats, rabbits' front teeth never stop growing, so they have to gnaw constantly), and their powerful hind legs, complete with claws (!), have a kick which can be both painful and damaging. They are social creatures, and enjoy human contact. However, if they are neglected, they revert back to wildness and are known to kick, "thump" and bite. If these animals are stressed consistently, they develop health problems including neurosis, hair loss, impulse gnawing, blindness and even death. Stress can be caused by something as "simple" as the family dog barking at the rabbit every time he/she moves around the home.

Please, if you get a rabbit this Easter, don't get it for a small child or as a "surprise" without thoroughly researching the unique needs of this pet. Every year in mid to late summer, animal rescues and shelters are inundated with grown-up rabbits..."Easter bunnies" who are no longer cute, and whose owners finally couldn't deal with these pets anymore and got rid of them.