Think twice before buying an Easter bunny

Easter rabbits: Chocolate, or furry?

If you're tempted by the furry ones, especially for children, do your research first.

"People buy them thinking they're great low-maintenance starter pets," says Mary Cotter, vice president and education/outreach director of the House Rabbit Society. But that's a misconception, she says: "They're closer to dogs and cats than they are to the so-called pocket pets."

Cotter, of Bronxville, N.Y., has a dog as well as rabbits, and thinks rabbits are actually the more time-consuming of the two. They have cages that need to be cleaned, like other small animals, but they need social interaction like a dog does, at least a couple of hours out of their cage each day.

And your home needs to be carefully rabbit-proofed against chewing. The electrical cords required by modern living are a particular hazard.

Because people often don't understand what they're getting into when they buy a rabbit, her rescue organization gets at least 30 phone calls a month from people wanting to give them up. Many of the rabbits were bought as gifts for children at Easter.

Although rabbits can be affectionate, they don't like to be picked up, which is frustrating for children, and can result in injury to the rabbit when it tries to get away. (This is such an issue that Cotter recommends the largest rabbit possible for families with kids, so they're not even tempted to try to pick it up.)

Spaying and neutering is critical for rabbits, which can live 10 to 12 years. Otherwise, behavioral problems start at puberty, including territorial aggression and smelly spraying.

For those who understand rabbits' needs, Cotter is enthusiastic about them as excellent pets for working adults. Although they require a fair amount of attention, they can adjust to your schedule. "If you're gone 12 hours a day, you can have a rabbit," says Cotter. "As long as you can let it out a couple of hours a day, it doesn't matter when it is. It can be at midnight."

And she says they're fascinating, social animals, more complex than other small caged pets.

"A lot of people say they're like a cross between a dog and a cat," she says. "Like a cat, a rabbit has no special desire to please a human — that's part of their charm."