Avoid Giving Live Animals as Easter Gifts

baby chicksIf you insist on giving baby bunnies, chicks and ducks as Easter gifts, stick to stuffed animals. Starke County Humane Society Director Shanna Lloyd says while live pets are cute, they are also a lot of work.

“These are farm animals, and the chances of them doing well and thriving outside of a farm environment are not good. Most chicks and ducklings and bunnies that are purchased, for example at pet stores or at farm stores and given as gifts, do not survive to see their first birthday.”

Lloyd adds animals purchased as Easter pets are not equipped to survive in the wild if they are turned out after the cute factor wears off.

“The reality is they are domesticated farm animals and are not equipped to survive on their own, so unfortunately they probably would not survive in that situation,” Lloyd says.

She encourages anyone who is considering any pet purchase to do their research beforehand by either looking up credible information online or checking out books from the library.