Resist the urge

To fill Jack and Jill's Easter basket this weekend with a fluffy bunny or fuzzy chick. Presents of this sort typically are not well thought out- these animals each have their own unique "challenges" and will require very specific care. Bunnies chew, chicks peck...not to mention the simple fact that they WILL GET BIGGER. And bigger still for the duration of their approximate 10 year life span. Are you willing to commit to that? I've never met an easter basket that I was that enamored with for more than a month, let alone a decade.

  What usually happens is two weeks later, once the cute factor has worn off, the kids are off to find something else to amuse their passing interests and Mom is left cleaning the cages/coops...Dad is grumbling that "somebody chewed the cord to the TV dammit!"...and Fido and Fluffy are wondering what on earth these new toys are- they sure are fun to chase, but why on earth do they bite/kick back?? Sound like a recipe for a harmonious family unit? Yeah, notsomuch.

  Which means that if I am lucky, I will field calls from these harried folks looking to rid the newbies from the home, or see them come through the admitting door. I say "lucky" because I know that the folks I don't hear from will open their own door and send Cadbury and Clucky packing...thinking they have the skill set to make it in the great outdoors. Domesticated rabbits and chickens are just that, domesticated. They are completely dependent upon humans for their 10+ year survival.

  Do yourself and these awesome (in the appropriate home) animals a favor and bypass the living basket approach this year. Get a Webkinz instead. Or donate to a rabbit/chicken rescue group. :D



Besides, the addition of a baby chick or rabbit to your little one's Easter basket makes searching for those black jelly beans all the more tricky.