by Debbie Williamson, on behalf of Animal Advocates (published in an Animal Advocates magazine / publication - date? year?)
Many people think it's a great idea to buy their child an adorable bunny for Easter. Unfortunately, these well-meaning people often forget that these sentient beings need lots of specialized care. They require caregivers that sincerely make the effort to learn as much about their upkeep as possible and are willing to make a life-long commitment to them.
Only too often, the sad reality is that the child, who has not yet developed the necessary level of maturity, promises to diligently care for the rabbit and the parent gives in, thinking this will be a good learning experience. After the initial excitement wears off, children often become bored with the many responsibilities involved with their new charge.
House rabbits are often unsocialized due to lack of attention while living in overcrowded breeder situations and pet stores. Many pet store employees are not educated enough to give the buyer quality information about their care. Once the rabbit arrives home, the child is often scratched or bitten by the terrified creature who is struggling to escape. It is important to know that rabbits are fragile animals with delicate bones. A rabbit, unlike cats or dogs, are unable to cry out or make a noise when they are scared, lonely, hungry or in pain.
Oftentimes, the poor rabbit ends up in a small outdoor hutch with little room to exercise and lack of contact with family members who are too busy to socialize the rabbit and keep its living quarters clean. Often, the busy parent who takes over the responsibility only has time to feed and water the rabbit. Many rabbits are even dumped in parks and wooded areas.
The writer is not trying to totally discourage the reader from having a companion rabbit. A healthy, well cared for and well socialized rabbit can make a wonderful companion for someone who is willing to make a lifelong commitment to them. If you are concerned about rabbits, please boycott and contact all pet stores that sell rabbits. Consider signing the on-line Easter is a Bad Hare Day Petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/EBHD/petition
By signing it, you promise not to patronize any business that sells rabbits and other animals for profit. If you are truly committed to sharing your life with a rabbit, please consider adopting one from an organization such as Animal Rescue League, Animal Friends or Western PA Humane Society which are usually full, especially after Easter, with rabbits who were left there by unprepared and overwhelmed people. Before you bring the rabbit home, read as much about rabbit care as possible. Good places to start are your local library, the Everybunny web site at http://www.utopiafleet.com/everybunny/
and the Humane Society of the United States web site at http://www.hsus.org/international/library/eng_ht_rabbit
and don't forget to neuter or spay your rabbit. Also, caring Animal Advocates volunteers are available to answer any questions you may have about rabbits and other animals. You can reach our hotline at (412) 928-9777.
In addition, please be aware that ducks and chicks, also given to children at Easter, have very special needs and can suffer just as much as rabbits in the hands of misinformed humans.