Small animals show up in shelters post-Easter

A relatively cheap purchase, rabbits, chicks, and ducklings make for cute Easter gifts, but they do need care.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – It’s something that happens pretty often during holidays: people have a tendency to pick up pets as gifts, and many times, those gifts end up abandoned. It seems Easter isn’t immune from the trend.

Interim Director of Capital Humane Society Matt Madcharo says there’s a noticeable uptick in small animals around this time of the year.

“A month or so after Easter occurs we see some rabbits come in, some baby ducks, baby chickens, that were maybe purchased around the Easter holiday as kind of a rash decision”, he says.

It’s an easy decision to make. These animals are fairly inexpensive and pretty cute. They aren’t toys, though. They are living, breathing animals.

“I would advise people all the time, but maybe more so this week with Easter, think about your decision”, Madcharo says. “Make sure that it’s an animal that you’re going to be willing to take care of for its entire life.”

It seems like this is an increasingly common issue in general, not necessarily tied to holidays, because there is a definite upward trend.

“If you look at the first three months of 2020 versus the first three months of 2022, there’s actually a 57% increase in the amount of small critters coming to the organization”, says Madcharo.

These animals, like rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits aren’t typically running loose, so these are almost always pets being given up by their owners.

“I think maybe some people see them as more disposable than a cat or dog”, says Madcharo, “but these are living beings and they deserve a home just as much as a dog or cat.”

None of this is to say you shouldn’t get a new pet. Just be sure you’ve done your research into the special needs of small animals and be prepared for the long haul. The average pet rabbit will live between eight and twelve years, so you are making a big commitment. If it is a rabbit you’re looking for, you can find some at the Capital Humane Society.