NEW ORLEANS — Some families might be planning to buy their very own Easter bunny this weekend, but pet rabbits have requirements and animal shelters say many families realize this after buying a pet rabbit.
Animal advocates say rabbits aren't just an Easter present, they're much more.
Rabbits are cute and they're fluffy, but they're pets just like cats and dogs. Kayela Johnson owns two rabbits and her fur babies have needs. Johnson said, "People think oh well we could just take them, put them in a kennel give them pellets and they'll be fine but its more to that."
She went on to say, "They also need hay all of the time. I also offer them leafy greens and then they also need to be groomed weekly."
Jeff Dorson with the Humane Society of Louisiana says after Easter animal shelters are inundated with rabbits, Dorson told WWL Louisiana, "This is not a one day episode, for the poor rabbit, they can live for a decade or more."
Dorson warns rabbit owners need to take them to veterinarian just like any other domesticated pet, saying, "Vet care, vaccinations, they get fleas, ear mites, you have to check for all sorts of disease."
Bunnies are cute when they're babies but they grow up and become rabbits. Johnson says if you can't commit to a bunny lifetime she says these fellas aren't for you, but if you are willing to give them the love and care they need her advice is, "A lot of the time people think, oh let's go to Petco get those itty-bitty kennels it's not ideal. I would say get a huge enclosure. A lot of the time people get one, I would recommend having two because they get lonely."
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