Along with Easter come bunnies, this time of year many people decide to get a bunny for their kids.

Unfortunately a few months later many of those bunnies are surrendered to shelters (and in some cases euthanized) after the kids have lost interest or the baby bunny grows up. It is important to realize that the rate of homeless rabbits is relatively high, so high that one local rabbit rescue group has between 50 and 60 homeless rabbits in their shelter. They are no less important than any other pet and anyone who acquires a pet rabbit should be committed to keeping it for its lifetime (approximately 7 to 10 years), if your children lose interest then responsibility falls on the parent(s).

Before deciding to get a pet rabbit please take the time to consider what the animal will require. It is recommended that rabbits live indoors; extreme temperatures can be dangerous for a bunny and they especially do not do well in very hot weather and often fall victim to heat stroke. They are very social and can even be litter box trained if you wanted to let the bunny out for some exercise, you can also let your bunny exercise outdoors in a safe penned in area but make sure you supervise because rabbits are great at digging escape tunnels. They also do best on a variety of foods including timothy hay, pellets and certain vegetables. Bunnies also need to have their nails trimmed occasionally and they need to be brushed or “plucked” to remove shedding hair in order to prevent digestive problems. For more information on caring for a rabbit, visit the House Rabbit Society website: www.rabbit.org or www.sweet binks.org

If after researching, you decide that a rabbit is the right pet for your family please consider going to a rabbit shelter rather than buying a bunny from a pet store or a farm; rather than perpetuate the problem save the life of a homeless bunny. Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue located in foster is a non-profit rescue that has an average of 50 rabbits that are looking for homes, bunnies adopted from Sweet Binks are all rescued and are already spayed/neutered (yes, rabbits are able to be fixed too, in fact many rabbits that are not sterilized can be aggressive). There is a $60 adoption donation for rabbits that are already fixed and you will get guidance on the care, feeding and behavior of your bunny.

If you already have a rabbit and want a companion for it, Sweet Binks will help you find the appropriate match. I personally have been to and have adopted from Sweet Binks bunny shelter and it a wonderful facility to get your pet bunny from. For more information on Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue visit them on the web: www.sweetbinks.org or call 623-1340.