Bunny Breeder, Animal Advocates Agree Live Bunnies Should Never Be Given In Easter Baskets

FLORIDA — While a basket loaded with jellybeans, Peeps, Cadbury Creme Eggs and milk chocolate bunnies might not be the healthiest Easter gift for kids, Florida veterinarian Betsy Coville said it’s preferable to placing a live bunny in Easter baskets.

Sugar-loaded candy may cause a cavity or two. But the gift of a baby bunny could have more dire consequences

“Rabbits are the third-most surrendered pets at rescues and shelters,” said Coville, who runs a veterinary practice in Lutz. “They're often purchased at Easter time by well-meaning parents who have no idea that rabbits require much more maintenance than dogs or cats, and can live for 10 to 12 years.”

Renee Rivard of Manatee County, a member of the Florida chapter of the League of Humane Voters, said animal rescue groups and humane societies are currently inundated with pet rabbits surrendered by families who are no longer willing or able to devote the time and money to care for them.

“The majority of rabbits are impulse buys at retail stores, usually around Easter time,” she said. "They're cute when they’re babies, but a lot of people don’t realize the work involved, and the families end up surrendering them to rescue groups."

She said parents aren't aware when they buy that adorable little bunny that they're committing to a high-maintenance pet.

“People have no idea what it takes to care for them. They need lots of room to move around, and they chew on everything. They also need specialized veterinary care, which is expensive,” Rivard said.

Additionally, they simply aren’t good pets for small children, said Myriam Parham, president of the nonprofit group, Florida Voices for Animals.

“They don’t like to be picked up and will scratch children with their claws,” she said. “And they are very fragile. Their backs can easily be broken when mishandled by young children.”

Despite their lovable looks, "rabbits are not cuddly," said Sherry Silk, CEO of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, which took in 246 surrendered bunnies last year, 100 more than the previous year. "They enjoy and need social contact, but generally do not like to be picked up or cuddled. Their spines are not flexible like a cat, so improper handling can cause serious injuries. They sometimes bite."

Silk said the Humane Society provides education to everyone who adopts a bunny, outlining feeding, grooming, exercise needs and veterinary care, including the need to have rabbits vaccinated and spayed or neutered.

Kurtis Marsh and Sunje Schwarz, founders of the Suncoast House Rabbit Rescue — which fosters surrendered rabbits in Pasco, Hernando, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota and Manatee counties — said the nonprofit rescue is currently full. It is currently caring for about 70 rabbits and has been forced to turn nearly as many away due to a lack of space.

"We have more than we can handle," said Marsh, who began rescuing rabbits in 2010 after finding one abandoned. “It is extremely difficult to find foster and permanent homes for rabbits.”

The problem isn't isolated to Easter, said Marsh, who is an advocate of banning retail bunny sales and has been working with Pasco County Animal Services to develop educational materials about rabbits.

"People give rabbits as gifts for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, really year round," he said. "They purchase them from pet stores where employees don't know enough to educate them and sell people cages that are too small and treats that are deadly to rabbits."

Anyone who adopts from Marsh's rescue receives extensive "Bunny 101" training, he said.

Nevertheless, he said about 70 percent of the rabbits he adopts out are returned.

"People think they're cute and cuddly," he said. "They have no idea what it takes to care for rabbits properly."

Unfortunately, turning away rabbit owners who want to surrender bunnies means there's a chance the unwanted pet will be released into the wild by owners intent on shirking their responsibilities.

“They aren’t equipped to survive in the wild,” Coville said. “They will starve, become prey to coyotes or other predators, or get hit by a car.”

Rivard and Coville are among a growing coalition of animal advocates who have been urging county and city commissions around the state to pass laws banning the retail sale of pet rabbits.

“There are currently only three places in Florida that have placed bans on the retail sales of rabbits: Orange County, DeSoto County and Key West,” Coville said.

However, both Petco and PetSmart stopped selling rabbits in 2007, and many independent pet stores have voluntarily halted the sale of rabbits as well, Rivard said.

Rivard surveyed Pasco County pet shops and found that, of the roughly 45 pet shops in the county, 36 no longer sell rabbits.

While the life of an unwanted rabbit may end tragically, the fate of rabbits owned by unscrupulous breeders is more heartbreaking, said Coville.

“Some of these rabbits are raised in bunny mills that are no different from the puppy mills we recognize as inhumane,” she said.

She said there are breeders whose female rabbits give birth to eight to 10 litters a year.

“They live their entire lives in damp, dark, dirty cages without benefit of exercise or sunshine,” Coville said.

And not all rabbits are sold as pets. Some are bred as food for large snakes or used as bait to trap nuisance animals such as alligators, she said.

Supporters of a ban on the retail sale of rabbits, similar to the bans adopted by cities and counties on the retail sale of dogs and cats, would go a long way toward eliminating the problem of throwaway pets, they say.

More than 70 Florida county and city governments, including Pasco and Hillsborough counties, have banned the retail sale of dogs and cats.

Without the ability to sell bunnies to retail stores, bunny mill breeders would no longer be able to profit from selling rabbits to pet shops, Parham said.

“And a ban would take the pressure off rescues and humane societies while removing the guilt of turning them away, knowing their owners may dump them,” she said.

As a compromise to an all-out ban on retail sales, the bunny advocates asked commissioners to consider a moratorium on the sale of bunnies during the Easter season.

Despite the pleas of the bunny advocates, in January Hillsborough County commissioners unanimously voted against a ban on the retail sale of rabbits, mostly because they said they saw no need. Research by county staff indicated there are currently no pet stores in Hillsborough County selling rabbits.

Instead, commissioners agreed to launch a public education campaign to discourage residents from purchasing rabbits at Easter.

The animal advocates received a similar response from Pasco County commissioners. Rather than ban sales at the nine pet shops in the county that still sell bunnies, commissioners decided to first ban sales at flea markets and other unlicensed venues and launch a public education campaign discouraging people from purchasing live Easter bunnies.

While conceding that there are bound to be bad breeders in the business out to make a buck, Alexis Yahre of Lutz — who has operated a small rabbitry of 15 to 25 Holland lop bunnies for about 10 years — said there are many responsible, caring breeders in the Rabbit Breeder of Florida registry, of which she's a member. The organization has 213 breeders listed in its directory.

And there are many people who love rabbits and are willing and able to accept the responsibility of caring for them, she said.

"Personally, I do not sell rabbits around Easter because, as a breeder, I don't believe a rabbit should be purchased on impulse," she said.

She's also not keen on pet shops selling bunnies. She would prefer that bunny lovers purchase from ethical, responsible breeders who spend time educating buyers about the 10-year commitment they're agreeing to as a rabbit owner.

"I want them to go to good homes," said Yahre. "I never want one of my rabbits to end up in a situation where they're no longer wanted. So, if for any reason, one of my buyers decides they can't care for the rabbit, I'm always willing to take the rabbit back, no matter how long they've owned it."

She's been taken up on her offer a few times, but she said the majority of her buyers are aware that they're making a commitment when they purchase a pet.

"I think education is the key," she said. "Like with any pet, do your research."