Should people sell bunnies at Easter, or close up shop until Easter is over. In the past I've been on the fence, but now... I say do whatever works for you. If you want to sell bunnies, do that. If you don't think it's a good idea, then don't. In today's post I thought I'd give you the pros and cons of selling Bunnies at Easter.
The Cons
1. Impulse shoppers, the people who go, "OH!! It's Easter, I'd better get a bunny for the kids!" These folks are usually pretty easy to spot as they want the cheapest bunny, doesn't matter the colour OR they want the flashiest bunny for the lowest price they can bargain for. They usually ONLY want babies, no adults need apply and they ask questions like "does it bite", "they do okay on carrots right?" "is it friendly with kids?" Think it through if you want to sell to these folks, I've seen the good and the bad come out of this... more good than bad to be honest. In 15 years of raising rabbits I've had less than 15 returned, about 40 rehomed by six months, but many (if not most) live out their lives in the homes they went to. All in all that's less than 5% of rabbits sold.
2. For my two year old. I have to admit that this in particular one drives me crazy. Who buys a pet for their two year old? A toddler can't take care of themselves much less a rabbit. I've actually talked people OUT of getting a bunny because they honestly thought a two year could care for a bunny on their own. It still boggles my mind.
3. HRS agenda; The house rabbit society would happily tell you not to buy a bunny at Easter because they are the third most abandoned rabbit in the US. They fail to tell you this is a meaningless statistic. Rabbits are lumped together with ANY OTHER small animal abandoned in the states so of course they are going to come in third. Seriously, any group of animals that is all be lumped together would come in third after cats and dogs. Lizards are the third most abandoned pets, birds are the third most abandoned pet etc etc. ...
The Pros
2. Adding a pet: Just because it happens to be Easter, why shouldn't we allow people to add a pet to their household? What does the time of year have to do with anything? A bunny is a bunny at Easter, the same way it is in July.
3. Smiles. Don't you think smiles are worth something? An excited child who has been waiting all year and proven herself, allowed to pick out the bunny she's been working so hard toward?
4. Education. Since people are buying bunnies with a purpose (to be a child or family pet) you have more time at Easter to properly educate people on the care and needs of bunnies. Once people know the basics, they are enabled to give the bunny a good start and as they become more comfortable decide how they want to raise their bunny.