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RabbitWise Memphis

No Easter Rabbits
People think Easter, people think bunnies. Too often, live rabbits are given as Easter gifts. These rabbits are usually sold by breeders who care nothing for the rabbit’s welfare, and sold to people who know nothing of rabbit nature or how to care for them. Taken from their mothers too soon, improperly cared for, mishandled by excited children, the average Easter bunny doesn’t live to see its first birthday. Many are abandoned at shelters in what is commonly called “the Easter dump”. The lucky rabbit might find a good adopted home, but most are euthanized. Some breeders will also abandon their unsold Easter bunnies at shelters – others simply kill the rabbits, or sell them cheaply to be fed alive to large pet snakes.

Rabbits are intelligent animals that have special dietary and veterinary needs, should be kept indoors, live seven to ten years, are too fragile and active to be good pets for children, need to be neutered, and don’t belong in a cage or hutch any more than a dog or cat does. If you aren’t prepared to deal with a rabbit’s special needs and take responsibility for its entire life, don’t get a rabbit! If you already have one, don’t make the problem worse by dumping it at a shelter (or worse, abandoning it outdoors). A local or national rabbit group can help you learn to live happily with your rabbit.

Rabbitwise: www.rabbitwise.org
The House Rabbit Society: www.rabbit.org
Find a local group by searching for rabbits on Petfinder: www.petfinder.com
Also, check Make Mine Chocolate for more information about the Easter rabbit problem: www.makeminechocolate.org

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