THOUSAND OAKS : Bunnies a Lure for Children, Parents

Wide-eyed Sylvia Newman pressed her face against the front window of the Thousand Oaks pet shop, mesmerized by the six furry bunnies on the other side.

“Can I have a bunny for Easter?” the 8-year-old asked her mother.

It’s a question that parents face every year--should they buy a real bunny, chick or duckling as an Easter gift, or get a stuffed animal instead?

“Nothing is cuter than a duckling or a little bunny,” said Joyce George, president of the Humane Society of Ventura County. “But they shouldn’t be purchased on an emotional level.

“People get caught up in the moment. They’re well-meaning, but they give no thought to taking care of the animal after Easter.”

Some parents, however, believe that their children can benefit from receiving an Easter pet.

“I’ve always wanted to get a rabbit for my son and Easter gives me a good excuse to get one,” said Simi Valley resident Linda Stevenson, who was visiting a Thousand Oaks pet shop this week with her 17-month-old son Patrick.

Stevenson said she and her husband have been looking for a pet that was safe for her son. “Getting a bunny is more than just a surprise Easter gift, it’s a long-term pet,” she said.

Sheri Brandenburg, an assistant manager at a Ventura pet shop, said Easter is the biggest time of the year next to Christmas. “People come in at the last minute and pick up rabbits for their kids,” she said.

The shop’s employees are required to inform all customers how to care for the animals that they purchase, Brandenburg said, whether it’s a bunny, dog or cat.

“We try as hard as we can to stress the vital things like how to feed them and house them,” said Brandenburg, adding that her store no longer sells chicks or ducklings because “people were just letting them go or eating them.”

About two months after Easter, George said, the Humane Society shelter receives a large number of “grown-up versions or half-dead animals.”

“Baby ducks grow up to be big ducks who tear up furniture and rip up wiring,” she said. “People don’t know how to take care of them and they end up either dead, wandering around the neighborhood or here at the shelter.”

Before taking an Easter pet home, there are several factors that parents need to consider, George said. They are usually better off being kept in a rural environment or agricultural area, where there are more obvious farm animals such as horses and goats.

Keeping them inside the house or in a small back yard is not the best idea, she said.

“In the long run, it’s better to get a stuffed animal,” George said. “Most kids are not born responsible. If they really want a live bunny or duck, they should think about it first, then prepare their kids how to care for it.”