Every year after Easter, thousands of bunnies, chickies, and duckies become homeless after the fascination of a living Easter gift wears off. The animals get bigger, lose their baby cuteness, and their cages become stinky messes that the child and the parents just don't want to deal with anymore. Then, what do you do with them?

     Here's Zooniversity's Springtime plea: please, do not purchase a living animal as an Easter gift. If you have, and you decide that it no longer is the appropriate pet for your family, do not release it into the wild. It has little to no natural instincts or defenses and will not survive. Contact a local shelter, rescue group, or petting zoo company instead.

     If your family does decide to acquire a bunny as a pet, please do your research first at the House Rabbit Society's website. Pet rabbits are NOT outdoor animals, they should be housed indoors in climate-controlled settings. And, they have a highly specialized diet and can't live on iceberg lettuce and carrots. Also, consider adopting a homeless bunny from the North Texas Rabbit Sanctuary instead of purchasing one from a feed store or pet shop. Not all former Easter bunnies end-up as fortunate as Daphne.

     Daphne loves to teach this lesson to her audiences. Invite her to your next event. You won't believe her incredible rex rabbit fur -- one of the softest, thickest, most velvety coats in the bunny world.