Spring is in the air, flowers are showing their first blossoms, and baby animals are popping up all over the place--including the mall. This time of year, "pet" shops do big business in "Easter Bunnies", sending impulsive new rabbit guardians home woefully unprepared to care for these rambunctious, quirky, and high-maintenance animals. Adopting a rabbit is no smaller a commitment than bringing a new puppy or kitten into your life. If you are considering adding a bunny member to your family, please make sure you don't have any symptoms of "bunny fever." Never buy a rabbit from a pet shop or breeder. Animal shelters and rabbit rescues are bursting at the seams with unwanted bunnies acquired hastily by people who did not realize that having a bunny takes a lot of time and effort!

Rabbits are social creatures with gentle natures and individual personalities so they need just as much attention as a dog or cat.  However, rabbit reality is quite different from the animated companions in storybooks. This is not the animal for your child to make into a furry, live babydoll. Their fragile bones, sharp claws, aversion to being picked up and quickness to bite when startled make them wildly unsuitable companions for young children. Rabbits require specific foods, stimulating environments, and veterinarians who have specialized knowledge of their species.

Adoption

If, after careful consideration, you have decided to welcome a rabbit into your home, please adopt from your local humane society or rabbit rescue group. Rabbits can live up to 10 years and require annual checkups by a veterinarian familiar with their particular anatomy. They can become withdrawn and depressed if not provided with plenty of love and companionship an will get along well with your cat or dog if they are all safely socialized.

If you plan to adopt two rabbits, consider a neutered male and a spayed female, as they are usually more compatible than two fixed same-sex bunnies. It is crucial to have your new companion spayed or neutered immediately. Otherwise, males mark their territory, females run a high risk of uterine cancer, and the already serious overpopulation crisis becomes worse--the term "breed like rabbits" is no joke. One pair of breeding rabbits is able to produce a litter of approximately 12 babies every 31 days starting at the age of 2 months old. With each pair of offspring producing as well, that puts the estimated number of rabbits produced from the original pair to be well into the thousands every year.

Rabbits cannot tolerate extreme heat or cold and must be provided with shelter and a regulated temperature whether they are housed inside or out. They do prefer to live indoors where they can participate in their caretaker's everyday life. However before you let your new friend into your home, there are a few things you need to do to ensure his or her safety and happiness. Bunnies are natural chewers and they love to play, so be sure to provide plenty of toys. Untreated wood, straw, wire cat-balls, keys, paper towel rolls, and hard, plastic baby toys work well.  Even with all these fun toys to play with, bunnies are drawn to electrical and phone wires, books, baseboard molding, door jams, and plants.

You'll need to cover or redirect wires and move the rest of these items up and out of the way before bringing your bunny home. You'll also want to set up a large box or basket filled with shredded paper for your new companion to dig in. Not all rabbits are chronic diggers, but those who are will take their natural digging instincts out on your rugs and other furnishings unless you've supplied an alternate digging spot. While you're setting up, remember that rabbits, just like dogs and cats, need a safe, quiet haven such as a cardboard box or plastic carrier with a towel inside. Wire cages are not suitable for bunnies.

Rabbits like to relieve themselves in one place so litter training is possible at any age with older rabbits tend to be quicker students than youngsters. Even if you plan on giving the bunny the run of the house, you'll need to conduct litter training in a relatively confined space. Fill a litterbox with paper pulp litter. Be careful to avoid clay as it is deadly for rabbits' delicate digestive systems! Place the litter box in the corner of the cage or room. Encourage your rabbit by putting some of his or her droppings into the box or try using timothy hay or treats. Rabbits learn easily, and before long, you will be able to leave litterboxes in different locations around the house.

The bulk of a rabbit's diet should be grass, timothy or oat hay, and fresh vegetables. You may also try giving a limited amount of pellets and a small amount of fruit. Dark leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, parsley, watercress, bananas, apples, pears, and pineapples are all good choices. Stay away from iceberg lettuce (too much water) or large amounts of cabbage (can give a bunny gas). Like dogs or cats, rabbits may be prone to begging at the table. As tempting as it may be to give your rabbit a taste of whatever it is that you're eating, rabbits have easily distruptable digestive systems so you should stick to his or her normal diet. Check with your vet before adding any other treats.

Although rabbits clean themselves much as cats, rabbits do not have the ability to cough up hairballs, so it is imperative that you groom your rabbit a least once a week. Most rabbits love the attention and grooming prevents digestive problems later in life.

Rabbits are instinctively nervous when lifted off the ground and due to the delicate structure of their spines and the power of their leg muscles, struggling rabbits can actually break their own backbones. Never lift a rabbit by the ears or with just one hand under the stomach. Rabbits do not like to be carried around as cats or dogs might. It is best to get down on their level to interact with them, but if you must pick your rabbit up, make sure that you are supporting his or her hind legs and rump at all times and using your other hand to support his or her chest. Once acclimated to your home, bunnies will come to you, jump into your lap, and even sleep with you.