Does It Hurt to Be Real? Don’t Get an ‘Easter’ Rabbit

If you haven’t read Margery Williams’s beloved children’s allegory, The Velveteen Rabbit, the story tells of a stuffed toy rabbit who became real through true love made manifest in the bumps and tears of life. “Generally, by the time you are Real,” explained the well-worn Skin Horse to the eponymous bunny, “most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Taken in its metaphorical sense, the story works as a life lesson. Literally, it works in reverse—at least for real rabbits. Real rabbits are not toys or symbols to be dumped when Easter’s over and they’ve grown big, with all the accompanying needs and issues. Being real hurts worse than being grabbed by the ears by Farmer MacGregor, especially when you’re a domestic rabbit having to fend for yourself among hostile wild ones.

The Easter season is nearly upon us, and people are buying these cute little creatures to bring home to their children as holiday novelites. But rabbits are as much Easter bunnies as Pluto is a real dog, or a planet, for that matter. Plush rabbits, cartoon rabbits and chocolate rabbits are Easter bunnies. Live rabbits, wild or tame, are not, and if you take one into your home, you’re as responsible for its well-being and affection as you would be for a cat or dog. Too many rabbits, after they grow longer than their ears and aren’t as cute as they used to be, are dumped on golf courses, in parks, and in the desert, where predators can dine on the former cute and cuddly live “toys.” The children are told that the little guys will be happy romping with their wild brothers and sisters—and we shudder to imagine what the kids would think if they stuck around to see what a wild rabbit will do to a tame one. Many badly injured domestic rabbits have been rescued by volunteer organizations—sadly, some of them don’t make it to the adoption cage.

“We do see most of the dumping going on after Easter, particularly by backyard breeders, to get rid of the ones that don’t sell,” said Kim Dezelon, director of fund-raising for Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue in Phoenix.

If you truly want a rabbit companion and not a living, breathing Easter icon, there are so many real ones waiting in rescues like Brambley Hedge to be tenderly loved and properly cared for. As for bunny-specific care guidelines, your vet or the rescue organization will be happy to tell you about care guidelines and what’s involved, but make sure you ask him or her before you adopt a rabbit—or two—so you’ll know whether you’ll be able to manage it all. And we want to remind you that rabbits are not known as symbols of springtime fertility for nothing, so make sure that your long-eared friend is spayed or neutered, whether by the rescue or your vet.

Still want that Easter bunny? Well, a chocolate rabbit won’t mind if its ears are nibbled on.

Visit Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue’s Web site at bhrabbitrescue.org to see the little candidates looking for a forever hutch. If you’re enchanted, contact Brambly Hedge at (480) 443-3990 to make an appointment for a visit.