APRIL 2006

Easter Pets

By Tamara Sevigny

If you are considering a pet bunny, chick, or duck as a cute fluffy Easter gift for your child this year, think again. These adorable little pets grow up and take a lot of care and time and should be given serious consideration before making this long-term commitment. Many Easter pets end up in shelters, or worse, not long after the holiday is over. If you are serious about getting one of these pets consider adopting a homeless one and make sure you learn all you can before making your decision.

Housing

At first these small pets can be kept in a large cardboard box or wire cage, but after only a few weeks they won’t be so little anymore and will need a place where they can run around as well as a coop or covered den for sleeping. They also require litter; anything clean, absorbent and nontoxic will work. Their cages will need to be cleaned regularly; at least weekly if not more.

Diet

Baby chicks require special feeding. Start with crumbles then switch to whole grains and grit. Ducks require non-medicated pelleted mash supplemented vegetable trimmings, as well as a mixture of some of the following: chopped hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, cracked corn, worms, night crawlers and bloodworms. Rabbits can be feed a pellet diet supplemented with fruits and vegetables and don’t forget good-quality hay, grass, alfalfa or clover. Clean water is always a must for every pet.
Each of these pets have more specific requirements then what is written here. Be sure to find out more about protein, vegetable and calorie requirements for your pet.

Lifespan

Chickens can live up to 16 years. Rabbits live 7-12 years, also depending on the breed. Ducks live 10-15 years, also depending on the breed. Keep in mind that "most folks who purchase ducklings at Easter time don't realize that they will be fully matured in only 8 weeks and will stand up to 2 feet tall," says Kim Link, President of Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary in Lebanon.

Other Things to Consider

There are also grooming, healthcare and social needs to consider in addition to the housing and diet of these animals. After all, you do want a healthy, happy pet.

When they are babies and even as adults these pets are delicate and small children can easily harm them without meaning to. If squeezed too hard it can result in broken bones, internal injuries and even death. "They get scared easily and may nip or bite in fear," adds Susan Curtiss of 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue. Dogs and cats can also be a threat, easily harming or killing these pets, even if they are just playing together.

As they grow and children get bored these animals get neglected. "The big mistake of getting a pet for a child is when the child is not responsible, the pet is given away," says Susan. Or worse, some are left in backyard pens or dumped outside in the wild where they die from starvation, predation or exposure. Kim Link of Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary finds that "unprepared families normally drop off their ducks on public ponds and waterways when they are around 8 weeks of age. Because they see other ducks on ponds, they mistakenly believe they are setting their pets free to migrate south with the others when cold weather arrives. The truth, in fact, is that most domestic ducks (except for the Muscovy and the small bantam breeds) cannot fly." The Sanctuary gets most of their rescue calls between October and February when the ponds start freezing and ducks become trapped. Also, many flood into shelters where they are euthanized because no one else wants them.

While these pets are cute and cuddly as babies they do usually require more then the average household can provide. Some alternatives to consider are stuffed animals as gifts. Then an outing at the zoo or local humane society where children can pet, feed and learn about the care necessary for animals.