The Life and Times of Bunnies

Some people might remember that I’m an Easter Bunny – that is to say, I was given as an Easter gift and then abandoned and rescued shortly after by my mom.

Around Easter time, I always think about other bunnies who might not be as lucky as I was – and I was very lucky.

I like to remind people who might think that they need to get a rabbit just because it’s Easter that getting a real, live rabbit is a lot more responsibility than I think most people are ready for.

I know my dad wasn’t ready for the responsibility of having a rabbit in his house when my mom found me wandering around the parking lot of their house, way back then. But my mom and dad were always “animal” people who took good care of their animal family, so they rose to the challenge of:

• Making their house safe for a bunny who likes to chew EVERYTHING
• Buying and preparing fresh vegetables on a regular (weekly) basis
• Spending time with me to make sure I had exercise
• Making fun things for me out of cardboard boxes
• Cleaning the litter box (frequently)

I realize that taking care of me (and Betsy) is a big job – a full-time job, if dad is to be believed. So it’s not for everyone.

If you’re thinking of getting a bunny for Easter – or for any reason – you might want to think twice about it. You can see by all of the other stuff here on my blog that it’s a lot of work to keep up with a bunny!

But if you think you’re up to the challenge (and it is a challenge – though the rewards can be good too), might I recommend adopting rather than buying? So many of my cousins and more distant relatives live tough lives, being abandoned after Easter time, or just given up because they’re not small and cute babies anymore, that they really need a loving home like my mom and dad gave me. If you can give a bunny a similar home, please adopt one of my bretheren – I’m sure there’s a shelter near you somewhere. (The House Rabbit Society can probably help you find one if you don’t know where one might be.) Oh and be sure to spay or neuter your rabbit so you don’t contribute to the overpopulation problem!

Remember, not all Easter bunnies are as lucky as I am – but maybe if you’ve got a big heart (and a big home!), you can help another Easter bunny get lucky and find a great home.

-Gus

Dad came back from the store last night and told me how he saw they had taken down all their valentine’s day stuff and were starting to put up their Easter stuff.

Easter always makes me think even more about all the other bunnies out there who aren’t as lucky as I am (oh and Betsy, too). I don’t like the idea of a holiday that encourages people to buy an animal that they probably aren’t prepared to take care of properly. Bunnies are not throw-away pets!!!

Though on the good side, I have seen an awful lot of other pink-eyed white rabbits out there like me lately:

• Captain Mooncake
• Norbert
• Vickie
• Snowball
• Pink

And those are just the ones I can remember from recently. Hmmmm… maybe we should get together and form a union or something? Maybe the “Bunnihood of Pink-Eyed Rabbits?”

Anyway, dad did see a lot of stuffed toy bunnies at the store – I’d highly recommend people thinking of buying a rabbit “for Easter” to get a stuffed one instead.

If, on the other hand, you really are interested in a long-term relationship with a rabbit, please, please, please adopt rather than buy from a store.

That’s all I have to say on this… for now.

-Gus

Every Easter I try (with dad’s help) to let as many people as I can know about the sad stories of “Easter bunnies.” I’m entitled to speak on this because I was an Easter bunny myself.

Long story short, I was bought for some kids for Easter, and they didn’t really know how to take care of me, so they were very rough to me and eventually left me outside when they got bored with me. I don’t think they wanted me anymore.

Luckily, my mom saw them and came and picked me up and took me inside and made arrangements for me to stay with her & dad from now on. And I am very much grateful for what she did.

But the fact is, there are lots of other bunnies out there right now who are being given as “gifts” for Easter, to people who don’t know how to care for them, or to people who won’t care for them once the novelty wears off (though how that could happen with a rabbit still baffles me).

So, as I always do on Easter, I just want to remind everyone that a rabbit is not a toy, not a gift, but a real live animal, the same as any other pet – if not more so, because we’re not like cats and dogs who are predators and can take care of themselves to a certain extent – we’re rabbits, a prey species, and we can be fragile at times, so we depend on our human mums & dads to look after us. We also live quite a long time (depending on the breed and whether we’ve been de-sexed) – figure about 10 years, give or take. We don’t do well in small cages (despite lots of pictures and pet store advertising to the contrary) and we don’t just eat carrots (cartoons aside – although carrots are a nice side dish).

Hopefully this message reaches someone and makes a difference somewhere. Now if you all don’t mind, I’m going to take the rest of the day off and go lie in a sunbeam and reflect on how lucky Betsy and I are to have such a nice home. And to all the buns out there – may you all find homes as nice yourselves.

Good luck, and hoppy Easter!

-Gus