What to know before adopting a real Easter bunny

Cute, cuddly and balls of fluff, the picture we have of rabbits in our heads and the reality, is far from different. Sadly, many families try to give their kids a wonderful Easter gift, but don't know all the work behind having a rabbit. According to numbers from WalletHub, 80% of rabbits bought for Easter, get abandoned within a year.

President Courtney Berna of the Little Lives Small Animal Rescue says there is a long list of common misconceptions many people have about rabbits.

"Rabbits are not starter animals, they are not easy for children to take care of, there is a lot of common misconceptions about rabbits, a lot of people don't realize you should spay or neuter them, even if you have only one rabbit, [because] they can be territorial," says Berna.

She adds rabbits tend to want to dig and chew, a bad combination for the floor and furniture of your house if you are not paying attention. She adds the shelter currently has 15 rabbits available for adoption, there is a $75.00 fee involved (which covers a spay or neuter) and she says that turns many people away. Some will opt for a "cheap rabbit" finding a $10.00 one on Craigslist, only to soon realize they don't have time for it. Berna says that is how rabbits end up being surrendered to the shelter or abandoned.

"They require a lot of research in order for you to realize what you are doing, and how to make it easier on yourself and the animal," says Berna.

If families are serious about adopting, she says anyone can reach out to the Little Lives Small Animal Rescue or the Tri-City Rabbit Advocates, even if you bought a rabbit from somewhere else. She says despite all the bad habits rabbits can have, they really are sweet and loving pets.

"Rabbits are almost like a mix between a dog and cat in my opinion, because you can litter box train them, they do like their independence, but they also like attention and they also require time," says Berna.

Anyone with more questions or would like to see the rabbits available for adoption can head to Little Lives Small Animal Rescue Facebook or their petstablished.com site. Both the sweet rabbits pictured below and featured in our video are looking for a loving home.