Think Twice About Getting These Easter Pets in Montana

Easter lands on April 4th this year and prepared parents are already getting their Easter baskets ready. My wife does a great job of advanced shopping, so I'm sure the various small gifts for my minions have been sitting in their hiding spot for months. If I were left in charge of getting the baskets, I'd be that dad, rushing to the store on Easter morning to grab the first crappy pre-made basket of junky toys and candy that I could find.

There is always a chance that your kids are going to ask you for some sort of pet at Easter. Whatever you do, think VERY CAREFULLY about getting one. We're a pet-loving household, and I can speak with experience on this subject. Kids are master manipulators when it comes to convincing you to let them get a ____________ for a pet.

Does your apartment say you can't have dogs? That won't halt your nagging children with their pet requests. Instead of a dog, they'll try to convince you they need a salamander. Allergic to cats? That excuse won't stop your beloved brats either... they'll simply switch pet requests to some other creature, like a frog or a turtle or a freakin' mini pig.

Yes, pets can be rewarding and some kids can responsibly take care of age-appropriate pets. Those kids seems to be the exception, so keep the following information in mind before you let your kid talk you into one of  these new pets for Easter.

Bunny

A cute little bunny is the always the hot request for Easter, but they really aren't great pets for small children. Rabbit.org says bunnies don't enjoy being held or cuddled much and contrary to popular belief rabbits aren't a "low maintenance" pet. They live for about 10 years and letting them go in Montana is not only inhumane, but is also likely considered animal abandonment, which is illegal.

Baby Chick

When genetic engineers find a way to create a mini-chick that never grows up, they'll sell millions. Until they do, getting a baby chick is just setting yourself up for pet disappointment. They change from cute-and-fluffy to fully grown in a matter of months and you can't support them in a shoe box with grass clippings. Up to six chickens are allowed in most neighborhoods in Billings. Roosters are not.

A pony

Thankfully, I'm not allowed to have horses where I live, because you can bet my kids would have pestered me into getting a pony at some point. If you're not from a horse background, think really hard about this before you jump into it. Pickups, trailers, fences, hay bales, a barn, riding gear and other stuff make getting a hobby horse a big investment.

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Of course, getting any new pet is a big decision that shouldn't be spur-of-the-moment. Just because you could buy a baby chicken at Shipton's for Easter, doesn't mean you should.