Don't Get Your Child a Live Baby Bunny for Easter!

That’s the message from Knollwood volunteer and House Rabbit Society member Tami Johnson.  Tami reminds us that even the gentlest toddler or young child is too rambunctious and exuberant for a rabbit.  Rabbits are NOT "low-maintenance" pets: they live as long as many dogs, require special indoor housing to prevent electrical cords from being chewed, and require neutering or spaying.  Pet bunnies are not like wild bunnies.  They cannot live outdoors and they require lots of time and attention.  These gentle, very social and loving animals often never live to see their first birthday when they are purchased as a gift and live neglected in a cramped cage.  Those who don’t die of neglect often are abandoned in forest preserves (where they die, unable to fend for themselves) or are dumped at animal shelters.  For information on complete and proper care of rabbits, call the House Rabbit Society, 847-266-0068, or visit www.hrschicago.org.