The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Easter Day is searching for hidden eggs and little bunnies decorated on every item piece. Recently another thing has been growing more popular each year and that would be adopting bunnies as a gift for young children.

While a bunny certainly is a cute pet, it definitely is not something to be given as a gift for Easter Day carelessly. Bunnies are living things that must be taken care of in a proper way and most people do not do the right research needed when adopting one, since they see them as gift items or toys to play with.

People do not understand that bunnies have a life span of approximately 12 years. Throughout their life they require proper housing, veterinarian care, a proper diet, space to roam around and play, and so much more that most would not think of.

On Easter Day, when a bunny is casually purchased, they are putting that animal at risk of being neglected of its proper needs, especially if the bunny is being adopted out for a child. Children are not able to understand the consequences of having a bunny as a pet, so often times injuries occur and over time they become less interested in taking care of their pet.

“They aren’t toys, they are live animals. Instead of adopting an animal on a holiday, you can find different activities to do such as painting eggs or make homemade items. When the right amount of research is done on the animal a certain family wants to adopt, then that would be the best time for doing so. A bunny deserves to go to a home where it will be cared for and seen as a living being, instead of a toy that is seen as a holiday item,” LBHS alumni Jenny Prado comments.

Alternatives to replace adopting live animals for Easter Day would be:

• Going on a picnic with family/friends
• Start a personal flower garden
• Bake Easter inspired cookies/cakes
• Make Easter decor items

Bunnies should be adopted only when people are ready to take on full responsibility over that animal. Once the popularity of adopting bunnies on Easter Day decreases, then that is when they have more of a chance of being adopted out to families who are prepared for what is ahead.