Before you get a bunny, consider the time and money

Rabbits are cute, but they required generous amounts of attention and care. (Courtesy photo)

With Easter just around the corner, now is the time when people have bunnies on their minds. For a long time in animal shelters, Easter meant it was time to barricade the bunny room and discourage all potential adopters from taking home a floppy-eared friend. Even just recently, after I had posted a photo of one of our longtime bunny residents on the shelter's Facebook page, someone commented that, as a result of the photo, people would want to adopt bunnies for Easter. The fear seems to come from the belief that people who adopt at Easter time are adopting for the wrong reasons and will therefore either a) provide a less-than ideal home or b) return the pet as soon as the novelty wears off.

Instead of focusing on the negativity surrounding bunnies at Easter time, we should focus on educating people about the care and commitment involved in owning a pet rabbit. If you're able to provide a loving home to a bunny, there's no reason you should be discouraged from adoption simply because of the date on the calendar. Visit your local shelter and spend some time with the rabbits available for adoption. If you're unfamiliar with rabbits, spend some time researching them beforehand, and be sure to ask the adoption counselors any questions you may have about their care.

Before bringing a bunny into your home, there are some basics you should be aware of to help you determine if a bunny is a good fit for your home and lifestyle.

Lifespan: Many people mistakenly group bunnies in with guinea pigs, hamsters, and other small animals and assume they have relatively short life spans. Well cared for bunnies can live, on average, between 8 and 12 years. At CVHS, we adopt out house rabbits, meaning we intend for owners to keep their bunnies indoors. Just like with cats, a rabbit that lives indoors will live much longer than one that lives outdoors.

Space: Bunnies like to hop, and that means they need plenty of space. The small cages and hutches you find in most pet supply stores are not nearly spacious enough for a bunny, especially when it is full grown. Your bunny will be happiest with a large play pen and free roam of at least one room when you are home. Remember that anywhere your bunny runs free must be bunny-proofed (this means covering wires) and your bunny should always be in his play pen or cage at night or whenever you are not home.

Food: The bulk of your bunny's diet should be hay, not pellets. In addition to hay, your bunny will require lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Simply giving your bunny a handful of hay and a carrot each day is not enough. Expect to make frequent trips to the store for foods like apples, romaine lettuce, collard greens, and berries to keep your bunny happy and healthy.

Care: Having a bunny is just like owning a dog or cat. He will require annual vet visits and regular nail trims. You should also make sure your bunny is spayed or neutered as unfixed bunnies typically develop health or behavior problems. Bunnies also need dental care in the way of special chew toys to help them keep their teeth filed down. Happy bunnies also have lots of toys to keep them busy. Some favorite toys of the bunnies we've had at the shelter include baby toys (like the hard plastic keys), empty cardboard tubes (try stuffing them with hay), paper bags, cardboard boxes, empty oatmeal boxes, and toy balls.

It's also important to know that bunnies require a lot more cleaning than your cat or dog. While they can be easily litterbox trained, most bunnies will still leave presents for you around the house or their cage. On top of that, rabbits poop a lot. Far more than you would expect if you're not familiar with bunnies. I have a very young bunny in foster care with me that is only caged at night and when I'm at work, yet she still needs a litter box change and tidying up in her cage twice a day. The mess she is able to create is unbelievable, yet she is still very clean compared to other bunnies that have come to the shelter in the past.

Bunnies are an investment and require about a 10-year commitment from their owners. They are also wonderful pets that do well with other animals (as long as your other pets are bunny friendly, that is). Bunnies are very social animals and are full of curiosity. They can be great companion animals to someone willing to commit to their care.

If you're thinking about adding a rabbit to your family, stop and ask yourself whether you are prepared for the time, investment, and amount of care they require. If you still think a bunny is a good match for you, please visit your local shelter and offer a homeless bunny a second chance. If a real bunny sounds like too much work, please bring home a chocolate bunny this Easter instead of the real thing!

Alaina Goodnough is the Promotions Coordinator at Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, NH. She lives in Sanford, ME with two parrots, a cockatoo, a cat, and two dachshunds. She can be reached at CVHS at devassist@cvhsonline.org. To learn more about Cocheco Valley Humane Society, go to www.cvhsonline.org or call 603-749-5322.