If you thought the only time of the year reserved for bunnies was Easter, you’re wrong! February is Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, a time you might consider providing a home for a shelter rabbit or baby bunny.

The Education Director of House Rabbit Society, Mary Cotter, says, “Promoting adoption and educating potential adopters early in the year helps to prevent the impulse purchase of bunnies a month or two later at Easter.” It takes time and effort to care for a rabbit, just as with any other pet, and people should be aware of the responsibilities involved.

Many people are completely unaware that shelters have rabbits to begin with. I, for one, was pretty shocked to see so many rabbits at our shelter when we first visited. But people are always getting rid of bunnies when they grow to a bigger size, or discover that, after winning them at some fair, they just don’t want a rabbit for a pet.

Did you know that you can also use Petfinder to find rabbits? Simply go to the home page, click “rabbits” from the dropdown menu, and fill out the rest of the information you’re looking for.

When I was a child, my dad built several bunny cages for us and tried to raise rabbits to sell. One of our cousins and a guy my dad worked with both bred and sold rabbits, so my dad thought of doing the same. The thing was, he didn’t take into account his big heart and we ended up keeping all of our bunnies both times he attempted to do so!

Rabbits are a lot of fun to have around, and very educational for children. While most children will need at least some supervision in caring for a rabbit, they can usually help care for them to a large degree. That said, children should be reminded to be very gentle with rabbits at all times.

And though I’ve always declined to get a rabbit on the grounds that my cats could hurt one (I once had a cat kill a ferret, which is still painful to recall), many cats and dogs can get along with rabbits. Rabbits can be great indoor pets when trained to use a litter box. Unlike cats and dogs, however, you will have to learn to rabbit proof your home.

For more information on rabbits, how to get one, and the care involved, please visit House Rabbit Society.