Hop to it, bunny owners

So your child got a bunny for Easter. Bunnies make great pets. I have kept them all my life. But as a new bunny keeper, you need to follow some rules. Bunnies are subject to lots of unintentional abuse by people who have no idea what they got into when they got a bunny on the spur of the moment -- so please pay attention here.

1. Be prepared to make a long-term commitment to caring for your bunny. They can live more than a decade, and the child who was given the bunny a week ago will be in college then, and who will be caring for the bunny?

2. The bunnies that are kept as pets are the domesticated version of the European rabbit. They are not at all related to native cottontail rabbits and cannot survive should you choose to let them loose in the woods or a park.

3. Bunnies, like all grass-eating mammals, have complicated digestive processes and need lots of grass, hay and fiber in their diets. Most bunny foods sold in pet stores do not have enough fiber and are loaded with crunchy treats that do not help out a bunny's digestion at all.

4. Any pet being kept in the house does not need hormones rushing through its body. Get your bunny spayed or neutered. The bunny will be healthier and have fewer medical problems.

5. You would not keep a dog locked up day and night in a pen outdoors. Nor should you keep a pet bunny locked in a hutch. A pet bunny should be kept indoors. Bunnies can be potty trained in a litter box, just like a cat.

6. Just like a cat or a dog, a bunny deserves regular veterinary care in case it gets sick or needs its nails or teeth trimmed.

7. To learn more about keeping a bunny as a pet, visit the House Rabbit Society website at rabbit.org.