The Easter bunny boom is back, and the fallout is already piling up.
Every spring, families scoop up fluffy rabbits and baby chicks for cute baskets and Instagram snaps. Weeks later, the reality hits.
Shelters overflow. Rescues scramble. And the animals bought on a whim are dumped in cages, or worse, left to fend for themselves on the streets.
Advocates say it's the same brutal cycle, year after year, and it never lets up.
Rabbits are not low-maintenance pets, and an online push from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lays out just how demanding they really are, from daily cleaning and constant supervision to specialized diets and costly veterinary care.
When that reality hits, the outcome is predictable. Rescue groups report a surge in abandoned rabbits one to three months after Easter, as overwhelmed owners surrender them or leave them outside where many don't survive.
Rabbits are now the third most surrendered animal in shelters, adding to an already overcrowded system struggling to keep up.
Bunny World Foundation says the Easter bunny myth is fueling real-world suffering.
"Easter bunnies who magically appear and lay multi-colored eggs shown on greeting cards and cartoons are nothing but a fantasy," said founder Lejla Hadzimuratovic. "The reality is that all year long, bunnies... are dying by the millions."
She points to a darker, less visible pipeline where rabbits are bred, sold, and discarded with little oversight.
"Although there is an ordinance prohibiting the sale of live animals on the streets of Los Angeles, the year-round live animal market at Santee Alley is thriving," Hadzimuratovic said.
"Rabbits are often bought impulsively as toys for children, only to live short, miserable lives... before being abandoned or dying from neglect."
Each year, she says, the warnings go ignored.
"Every year, we warn that bunnies do not make good Easter gifts... and still, those reminders go unheeded."
The Easter impulse doesn't stop at rabbits.
Chicks and ducklings, another holiday staple, quickly grow into full-sized animals that are noisy, difficult to care for, and often illegal to keep in urban areas, leading to the same cycle of surrender and abandonment.
All of it collides with peak breeding season, creating a surge of unwanted animals that pushes shelters and rescue groups to the brink.
After nearly two decades of rescue work, Bunny World says the message can't be any clearer.
"Rabbits are not disposable props, toys, or gifts," Hadzimuratovic said. "They are sensitive, intelligent, high-maintenance companion animals who require a 10+ year commitment."
The group is urging the public to break the cycle, skip the live animals, choose chocolate instead. And if you're truly ready for the responsibility, here's what it takes to be a responsible rabbit owner.