'Make Mine Chocolate' Campaign

Volunteers at the Northeast Cobb-based Georgia House Rabbit Society (GHRS) are preparing for another Easter of abandoned rabbits. People give or receive rabbits as Easter gifts, not realizing they are a big commitment.

“Rabbits are good pets but high-maintenance pets,” GHRS shelter manager Edie Sayeg told Northeast Cobb Patch. “They are not toys for small children. Rabbits have fragile skeletons and can be injured by rough handling.”

Sayeg said rabbits are high-maintenance pets because of their specialized diet requirements, hormonal behavior if not spayed or neutered, and potential dental problems requiring veterinarian care, such as malocclusion.

If a rabbit's misaligned teeth are not corrected, it can starve.

Rabbits need fresh greens, commercial pellets, hay and water. If a rabbit hasn't eaten in 24 hours, it is an emergency situation, Sayeg said.

in Georgia and one of the few in the Southeast. Located in a Shallowford Road house near the Trickum Road intersection, GHRS is a nonprofit chapter of the National House Rabbit Society. The society rescues and rehabilitates abandoned house rabbits. Operated by volunteers, it relies on donations.

While the numbers increase after Easter, the shelter usually houses 25 to 30 rabbits of different breeds. GHRS has about 150 rabbits that cannot be adopted for various reasons living with foster families.

The GHRS "Make Mine Chocolate" campaign encourages the giving of rabbits made from chocolate instead of live rabbits.

The GHRS regularly offers classes for rabbit care. For more information about the Georgia House Rabbit Society, call 678-653-7175.