enlarge Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Rabbits love to get out of their cages and play with toys. Reese, a Harlequin mix, noses his way through a material-covered cylinder beside a small cat toy.

enlarge Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Justine Higgins, small animal specialist at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, holds a favorite, Ringo, a 1-year-old Harlequin who likes to be petted on the head and explore outside the cage.

enlarge Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Just because they’re small doesn’t mean rabbits are necessarily easy pets to keep – they may not like being handled, can be somewhat fragile and have very specific needs.

enlarge Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Mercedes, a dwarf rabbit, rests comfortably in a bed of hay, with water and greens nearby for nibbling, at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland in Westbrook.

MORE RABBIT RESOURCES

FOR MORE INFORMATION on rabbits as pets, try these online resources:

• The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland in Westbrook has more than 20 rabbits up for adoption right now. The Web site has information on adoption and care in the "small animal" section.

• The Animal Welfare Society in West Kennebunk has information on rabbit care and adoption.

• The Humane Society of the United States has detailed information on rabbit care.

• House Rabbit Society shares information on keeping rabbits indoors as pets. The Web site includes links to other rabbit groups, plus information on rabbit rescue efforts.

Sometimes, cuteness can be misleading.

The bunny is a prime example. Especially today, Easter, when pictures of Thumper and the Easter Bunny are everywhere. A snapshot of a furry little bunny with his nose twitching is enough to make any child beg for a rabbit of his or her own.

And the parents, especially if they are bunny novices, would likely give in. After all, how much work could a tiny little bunny be?

"They need four to five hours of exercise a day, outside of their cage. They need stimulation, and if they don't have it, they'll shred and chew things," said Justine Higgins, a small animal specialist at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland in Westbrook.

"They're really fragile, but with strong legs," Higgins said. "So if you hold them improperly, and they struggle, they can hurt themselves."

And, by the way, rabbits scare easily. Some have been known to die of fright-induced heart attacks, Higgins said. So small children chasing them around the house will not be ideal.

And many rabbits don't like to be held. So don't count on tons of cuddling.

Still, they are cute, right?

Yes, but before people fall in love with that little fur ball, area animal shelters say they should know what they are getting into. Shelters get quite a few bunnies dropped off each year, largely because people didn't understand how much work a rabbit was when they decided to get one.

"There seems to a number of people every year who get rabbits after seeing them at the fair in the fall. Then a couple months later, we start seeing them here," said Kathleen Fobear, humane educator at the Animal Refuge League. "A lot of people think you just put them in a cage and they'll be easy pets."

Shelter workers say the first thing to consider when thinking about a pet rabbit is getting one from a shelter, since those bunnies are in need of homes and are spayed and neutered. Last week, the Animal Refuge League had about 25 rabbits on hand.

The second thing to consider is that domesticated rabbits, or pet rabbits, are really indoor animals. Farm rabbits or rabbits being bred for show are different, but pet rabbits will usually be healthier and happier indoors.

And here's another thing a lot of people don't know – a healthy pet rabbit could live to age 10 or older. So it's not a short-term commitment.

Like any pet, they should be spayed or neutered (which shelters will do) and need to see a veterinarian at least once a year.

They also need a special kind of fresh hay, Timothy hay, for optimum health, plus rabbit food and salad greens.

"I think the first thing I would tell someone considering a rabbit is, don't get one if you have allergies, because they need lots of fresh hay," said Dr. Ann Barksdale, a veterinarian at Pine Point Animal Hospital in Scarborough, who regularly treats rabbits. "And they chew everything – wires, woodwork, everything."

Even pet rabbits who live in the house should have a cage as a place where they can feel safe and as a place where they will be safe when an owner is not around.

For a rabbit's safety, and for the protection of furniture or other items, a rabbit should be let loose only in rooms that have been made safe. You can buy wire protectors at pet stores to stop your bunny from chewing phone cords, cable TV wires, etc.

It's sort of like baby-proofing a room. Call it bunny-proofing.

And you can help keep a bunny out of trouble by giving it other things to chew and shred, including cardboard boxes and phone books, which are printed with soy ink. Just remember to take the glossy cover off the phone book first, Barksdale said.

To help prevent hairballs and other problems, a rabbit needs to be brushed, probably as often as a long-haired cat would, Barksdale said. Rabbit hair gets "on everything" says Barksdale, so again, if you have allergies, a bunny not...