As Easter Sunday quickly approaches people are visiting the Easter bunny, planning an Easter brunch, and coloring their eggs. But Easter can also tempt many into purchasing baby bunnies and chicks as pets.

Who wouldn't be tempted by such adorable little babies, but the Eau Claire County Humane Association says little chicks and bunnies take a lot of work, and if you aren't prepared for that, you should leave them at the pet store.

In generations past these little peepers would be dyed various colors and sometimes given away as prizes at local Easter egg hunts.

“Certainly years ago they used to die them you could get them in yellow, red and green,” Pet Food Plus owner Kirk Sorensen tells us.

And bunnies were also given away, like the six week old cuties for sale at Tropic Waters in Eau Claire.

“It's awful tempting during the spring there's a lot of baby bunnies, baby birds, it's very tempting to get caught up in that and think that they may make a terrific pet,” Sorensen says.

But that feeling tends to fade after a few weeks or months. The Eau Claire County Humane Association says it sees an increase in rabbits about a month after Easter.

“Right around when the kids are no longer interested in it, they're not caring for them properly and the parents don't want to take responsibility so they end up taking them to the shelter,” humane association director Lauren Evans tells us.

But luckily, Evans says that trend is going away, ”I think part of that is the education out there and just letting people know that there is a lot of work that goes into caring for rabbit,” she adds.

But if you’re still stuck on the idea of a baby chick or bunny keep in mind how long they live, about four years for a chicken and up to 12 years for a rabbit.

If you would like to buy a rabbit, the humane association urges you to get a shelter rabbit or one from an area rabbit rescue group.