Easter Bunny
- "Here comes Petter Cottontail
hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity Easters on its way!"
Thinking of
Buying and Easter Bunny?
A Real Easter Bunny Is A Lifelong Commitment, UF Expert Says
Parents may want to fill Easter baskets with chocolate bunnies
this year, unless they're ready for a lifelong commitment to
the real Peter Cottontail, says a University of Florida rabbit
specialist.
The fact that rabbits are sold at Easter leads to a lot of impulse
buying, said Bobby Collins, a small-animal science professor
in the College of Veterinary Medicine, a part of UF's Institute
of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
"That's OK if you're making a long-term commitment to integrate
that animal into your household and your life," Collins
said. "They are fuzzy and wonderful at Easter but if they
grow up to be ignored, that's not healthy for the animal -- or
for kids learning about caring for animals."
People who think rabbits require less maintenance than a dog
or cat should think again, Collins said. While rabbits can be
ideal for apartment living, in some ways they require more care
than a dog or a cat.
Rabbits have many of the same health problems associated with
cats or dogs -- hairballs and fleas, for instance -- plus a few
all their own, Collins said.
Rabbits' spines are delicate and can be fractured by something
as simple as jumping out of a child's arms. This makes it important
when picking up a rabbit to support the rabbit in a manner in
which it feels secure.
Collins said rabbits also are prone to a disease called snuffles,
a bacterial infection caused by the organism Pasteurella multocida,
which lives in the nasal passages of almost all rabbits. In mild
forms, it can cause the rabbit discomfort and in severe forms
it can result in the death of the rabbit.
Collins gives rabbit owners the same advice as dog or cat owners:
Have a reserve of cash ready to spend on veterinary care in case
of an emergency.
"I can guarantee your rabbit will have some illness that
will require major hospitalization and care during its lifetime,"
said Collins.
Owners of house-rabbits also need to take a long look at their
home and ask themselves "what can this rabbit get into,"
Collins said. Rabbits will chew on anything: electrical cords,
furniture, even baseboards. They will crawl up into the springs
of furniture and sometimes get trapped. Other pets may attack
them.
Collins said he recently treated a rabbit that became sick after
eating carpet and cardboard. It cost the owner $700.
"It's much better to keep an eye on your rabbit and not
let it eat the carpet," Collins said. "I hear people
say they have rabbit-proofed their home but that's like saying
a home is child-proof. There's really no way to do that. You
just have to keep an eye on your rabbit at all times when it
is out of its cage."
As rabbit ownership becomes more popular, it is not uncommon
to see students arriving at college with a rabbit they got as
a child, Collins said. The oldest rabbit Collins has seen was
12 years old and he has seen some suffering from geriatric diseases
like arthritis.
But Collins said it is also not uncommon for students to leave
their rabbits at home when they go off to school, leaving Mom
and Dad with something to think about before purchasing an "Easter"
bunny.
"This pet is coming to your house forever," Collins
said, "not just for Easter."
Collins offers these tips for those considering adopting a rabbit:
- Rabbits' claws need to be clipped every three to four weeks.
- Ears need to be examined periodically for ear mites.
- Rabbits groom themselves and can get hairballs that need
to be treated like a cat's hairballs.
- Some rabbits get overgrown teeth that need to be filed by
a veterinarian.
- Caged rabbits need to be protected from wind, sun and rain.
The cage floor needs to include a smooth surface to keep the
rabbit's hocks from getting sore.
- Indoor rabbits need to be kept from chewing cords on electrical
appliances, telephones, curtains, etc. They also need to be barred
from climbing into boxsprings or the batting of sofas and chairs.
- Rabbits shed and need to be brushed or combed at least once
weekly. They will accept grooming more readily if you begin grooming
when they are young.
- Rabbits can and should be neutered or spayed. This is especially
important in females to prevent uterine cancer.
- Rabbits kept outdoors and out of a pen should be supervised
them from becoming prey to hawks, owls, raccoons and other wildlife.
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Peter Cottontail
Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
Easter's on its way.
Bringin' every girl and boy Baskets full of Easter joy,
Things to make your Easter bright and gay.
He's got jelly beans for Tommy,
Colored eggs for sister Sue,
There's an orchid for your Mommy
And an Easter bonnet, too.
Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Happy Easter day.
Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Look at him stop,
and listen to him say:
"Try to do the things you should."
Maybe if you're extra good,
He'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way.
You'll wake up on Easter morning
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those choc'late bunnies
That he's hiding ev'rywhere.
Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Happy Easter day.
Go up to Easter Bunny Menu
The Tale of
Peter Rabbit
(condensed from the original by Beatrix
Potter)
Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names
were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter. They lived with their
mother in a sandbank, underneath the root of a very big fir tree.
One morning old Mrs. Rabbit said, "I'm going to the bakery
to buy brown bread and currant buns. You may go into the fields
or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden. Your
father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."
Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, who were good little bunnies,
went down the lane to gather blackberries...but Peter, who was
very naughty, ran straight to Mr. McGregor's garden and squeezed
under the gate! First he ate some lettuce and some beans, and
then he ate some radishes. On his way to find some parsley, whom
should he meet but Mr. McGregor!
Mr. McGregor jumped up and ran after Peter, shouting, "Stop,
thief!"
Peter was very frightened. He rushed all over the garden, for
he had forgotten the way back to the gate. Unfortunately Peter
ran into a gooseberry net and got caught by the large brass buttons
on his jacket. Peter gave himself up for lost; but his sobs were
overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great
excitement and begged him to try to free himself. Just as Mr.
McGregor came up with a sieve, which he intended to pop on top
of Peter, Peter wriggled out of his jacket, leaving it behind
him. He rushed into the toolshed and jumped into a watering can.
It would have been a good thing to hide in, if it had not had
so much water in it. Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was
somewhere in the toolshed, perhaps hidden underneath a flowerpot.
He began to turn them over, one by one.
Suddenly Peter sneezed -- Kertyschoo! Mr. McGregor was after
him in no time. Peter jumped out of a window. Fortunately the
window was too small for Mr. McGregor. Then Peter ran away from
the toolshed, all around the garden. At last, he found the garden
gate. He slipped underneath and was safe once more in the woods
outside. I am sorry to say that Peter did not feel very well
that evening. His mother put him to bed and gave him a dose of
camomile tea.
"One tablespoon to be taken at bedtime."
But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail had bread and milk and blackberries
for supper.
Go up to Easter Bunny Menu
Tortoise and
the Hare
A Hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the
Tortoise, who replied, laughing: "Though you be swift as
the wind, I will beat you in a race." The Hare, believing
her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal;
and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix
the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started together.
The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow
but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare,
lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up,
and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached
the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue. The moral
of the story is... Slow but steady wins the race.
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Harvey
One of the most famous movies with a rabbit as a central character.
This movie would make a fine evening of family entertainment.
Available through most Video Rental stores.
Director: Henry Koster
Producer: John Beck
Cast:
James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Cecil
Kellaway, Victoria Horne, Jesse White, William Lynn, Wallace
Ford, Nana Bryant, Grace Mills, Clem Bevans, Ida Moore
Distributor: Universal
Release Date: October 13, 1950
Running Time: 103 minutes
Plot Synopsis:
Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart), a happily inebriated but gentle
philosopher enjoys nothing more than sharing life's small pleasures
with others. He happens to have an invisible friend named Harvey
who is a giant white rabbit. Harvey is Dowd's constant companion.
Because of the obvious problems Harvey creates for Dowd's sister
and her daughter, his sister tries to have him committed. Veta
Louise (Josephine Hall), Elwood's sister is mistaken as the one
who needs to be committed, and in all the confusion, Elwood soon
has the psychiatrist believing in Harvey. In the end, Veta realizes
she doesn't want Elwood to be "normal" like other nasty
human beings. His niece finds a suitor. He and Harvey continue
their friendship. (Library Journal, November 15, 1950) As the
generous and pleasant Elwood, James Stewart gives one of his
finest performances.
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Authors: TG Webmaster
School: Twin Groves Middle School, Buffalo Grove, Illinois 60089
Created: 13 February 1999; Modified: 28 February 2005