Easter isn’t for rabbits or ducklings

They are so cute, cuddly and furry, those baby rabbits and ducklings that appear about this time of year.

But for Heaven’s sake, they really aren’t your average pets. Some folks let the kids talk them into bunnies and baby ducks around Easter time, but guess what? They grow up into big rabbits and big ducks. Unless you were raised on a farm and have the wherewithal to deal with them, I suggest you don’t go there.

Children may think they should be allowed to have them in the back yard, but there is quite a bit of maintenance that goes with the territory.

I used to tend rabbits and they are extremely sensitive to the hot weather this area is known for between June and September. They need a cooling system of some type.

I think it is best to leave the rabbits to the professionals who have experience unless the animals are house-trained with litter boxes and can be in where it is cool during those hot summer days.

I have a friend who has rabbits in her home and she has the experience to know how to deal with them.

Most children will soon tire of the new pet in their lives and guess who gets to care for them?

And, although we’ve been experiencing ducky weather lately, the ducks also require maintenance in the form of a pond in which to wallow. Ducks are messy and leave their calling cards everywhere unless they are penned up.

So if you want to torture yourself go ahead, but remember that people who give in to their children’s whims wanting rabbits, ducks and chicks often contribute to these animals’ ultimately becoming homeless ending up at animal shelters across the country.

However if you insist on this avenue, go ahead and dig a lake in the back yard. Be sure to fence the critters in or they will be all over the property, across the street and out and about in the neighborhoods like peacocks that wander about.

Then, it you do the rabbit thing and don’t make them indoor pets you will need lots of gunny sacks hanging around the hutch that must be kept wet all summer with fans blowing through them or your precious critter may not make it through the season.

Above all else, unless you are totally prepared, don’t mix the boys and girls or you will be inundated with bunnies beyond your wildest imagination.

I’ve been there and done that.

Yes, I had rabbits one time long, long ago and I wouldn’t think of ever doing it again. I was fortunate to find a rabbit fancier to take mine from me.

So, a word to the wise — cook eggs, hide them in the tall grass and don’t tell me your grass isn’t tall right now. Unless you’ve been mowing in the rain, you have tall grass. Don’t mow until after Easter because the eggs hide better in tall grass.

When I was a child, we would hunt eggs early in the morning and put on our Sunday best and go to church. After church, we had a big family get-together, barbecue or brunch and again hunted eggs, this time at somebody else’s house.

If the kids insist on animals at Easter, I suggest adopting a kitten or puppy from the local animal shelter. Give it a good home. They are much easier to care for than rabbits and ducks.

You can also take your children to Bella Vista Farms in Cottonwood and tour Bob and Chic Miller’s menagerie of farm animals. I’m sure they’ve rescued many critters like rabbits and ducks through the years and would be happy to show them off.

If you do that before or after Easter, then everybody will be happy.

Trust me, I know about these things as I’ve been around animals all my life and I’ve seen my share of disasters when it comes to rabbits and ducks becoming homeless after the newness wears off.