Bunnies and Easter Don't Mix

April 18, 2003 8:44 AM

Bunnies and Easter Don't Mix,please think twice before getting that cute baby bunny as a gift for a child. Rabbits require the same committment as dogs or cats and can live 10 years or more (mine is 11). So this year, Make Mine Chocolate.
posted by tommasz (12 comments total)

And they're so hard to nail to those little crosses.
posted by kablam at 8:55 AM on April 18, 2003

Most Mefites probably know this, but I'm glad you posted it anyway (I was searching for a Friday Fun post to attache this to as a "rider," heh.)

Basically, bunnies won't put up with being held and cuddled, and kids lose interest quick.

Since I have leftover "Fun" now, I'll post it here in the interest of added value:

David Sedaris: "The Rabbit of Easter. He bring of the chocolate." But, "Here in France the chocolate is brought by the big bell that flies in from Rome." (Posted about this time last year, but well worth revisiting.)
posted by Shane at 9:00 AM on April 18, 2003

Kablam, two minutes after reading your post, I can still taste/smell the OJ in my sinuses.
posted by saladin at 9:04 AM on April 18, 2003

Thanks, Shane, for the link. I didn't want to seem so serious, it being Friday and all, but it's all about timing.

"He call his self Jesus, and then he be die one day on two . . . morsels of . . . lumber."
posted by tommasz at 9:11 AM on April 18, 2003

Rabbits are not passive and cuddly. They are ground-loving creatures who feel frightened and insecure when held and restrained.

A three part scar on the inside of my left forearm can attest to this (also good evidence of what a little monster I was as a child). As a matter of fact, one of the lops pictured on the House Rabbit Society page looks like the fella what done it.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:16 AM on April 18, 2003

That having been said... I miss Oolong.
posted by stonerose at 9:35 AM on April 18, 2003

On the plus side, when you get bored with them they taste great on the grill.
posted by bondcliff at 10:24 AM on April 18, 2003

Until they melt....the chocolate ones, that is.
posted by briank at 10:52 AM on April 18, 2003

Basically, bunnies won't put up with being held and cuddled, and kids lose interest quick.

not to mention rabbits have to constantly munch on something (hay, wood, paper, clothes, phone/electric/computer cords, whatever), are constantly shitting those funny little coccydia-full pellets, their pee is a lovely dark orange shade impossible to remove, and you either cage them fulltime or put up with massive destruction of property / questionable hygiene in the house. some can be litter-trained, some can't.

they're also prone to infections (i.e. costly vet bills) and their digestive tract can shut down in a few hours, killing them quickly

rabbits are prey animals -- i.e. easily terrified

all in all, not the perfect house pet. say what you want about dogs/cats/etc but they are domesticated and can almost always easily live in the house. rabbits are trickier and one would say can not entirely adapt to life in an apartment (in the country or in a suburban environment I guess it's different)

with all due respect to our Vegan/bunny owning MeFi friends, here's my favorite rabbit
posted by matteo at 12:06 PM on April 18, 2003

My favorite rabbit.
posted by ubi at 1:28 PM on April 18, 2003

My girlfriend has a bun, and she's got the most kickass cage ever--it's made by Leith Petwerks and the Princess Charcoal seems to be happy with it. I know I wouldn't want to put a bun in a smaller cage, that's for sure. The neat thing about them is that because they're prey animals, their poop doesn't smell, so cleaning the cage isn't nearly as bad a job as cleaning my cat's litter box is.

I've a friend who is extremely involved with rabbit rescue, to the point where she has a room in her house just for buns. She hates Easter.
posted by eilatan at 5:51 PM on April 18, 2003

Actually, there is a way to hold a rabbit where it won't struggle. What you do is flip it onto its back in one hand and stroke its belly. The rabbit enters a trance and will barely move if you do it right. I used to work in a pet store, and the girls in the Small Animals department would do it whenever they needed to keep a rabbit still. It doesn't hurt them, but it does take some practice to do right.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 10:40 PM on April 18, 2003