When a bunny named Mr. Ed became homeless, a professional marketing and public relations person came to his aid.

Mary Cvetan, of Cvetan Communications, printed a full-color poster with a picture of the spotted bunny with this headline: "Lover Boy (with bad teeth) seeks someone to LOVE."

The poster included this text: "Highly affectionate, neutered, litter-trained, divorced black and white rabbit seeks live-in committed relationship with humans who recognize a win-win situation when it hops right on up, wiggles its nose and says 'hold me.' " He did find a wonderful home, but not all bunnies do. In the weeks and months after Easter, shelters and pounds are inundated with rabbits that didn't quite work out as pets.

Let's call Mr. Ed the poster pet for Easter bunnies everywhere.

Rabbits are wonderful pets for some people, but they're not for everyone. Though they don't have to be leash-walked like dogs, they do need lots of exercise and playtime and their dietary needs include fresh hay. They must live indoors, but, left unsupervised, may chew everything in the house, including electric cords, which can kill them.

Mr. Ed had been purchased for a child who stopped taking care of him. His parents took him to the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, and he was adopted by Kelly Wilson, of Greenfield.

Mr. Ed lucked out big time. Wilson has other rabbits that Mr. Ed plays with and she's a full-time animal lover. She operates, with a partner, Noah's Ark Pet Sitting Services, and she's cared for many pet rabbits.

Wilson took him in even though the poster said Mr. Ed had health problems because of poor care at his original home. The teeth of rabbits grow continuously, and if they are not given enough healthy items to chew on, they will develop dental problems.

Ed has to have his teeth trimmed once a month, and it will cost at least $15 per vet visit. The Humane Society had to treat him for fleas and an eye infection when he came into the shelter.

Cvetan lives in Penn Hills with previously owned bunnies named Zsa-Zsa and Bradley.

"One of them was owned by a friend whose children wanted a dog," Cvetan said. "Buns are really not good dog substitutes."

Rabbits generally aren't good pets for most children, according to a news release from the House Rabbit Society, which has 10,000 members.

"Most children want a companion they can hold, carry and cuddle," says the release. "Rabbits, however, are ground-loving creatures who may quickly learn to nip and scratch when they are carried around by kids.

"Additionally, rabbits are easily frightened by loud noises. It is unreasonable to expect a small child to make a 10-year commitment to taking care of a rabbit. All too often, the child loses interest, and the rabbit ends up neglected or abandoned."

The House Rabbit Society has launched a campaign urging parents to buy their children chocolate Easter bunnies instead of real bunnies like Mr. Ed. Go to its Web site, www.makeminechocolate.org, to learn more.

The news release was written, free of charge, by Cvetan. As part of her own personal educational campaign, she recently took Zsa-Zsa and Bradley to Borders Books and Music in Monroeville to help spread the word about the joys and the pitfalls of bunnies as pets.

If you're looking for a pet rabbit, she suggests adopting an adult rabbit from the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society or another shelter. Though the adoption fee will be higher than the purchase price of a pet store bunny, the shelter rabbits have already been neutered.

Cvetan said she paid $140 each to have her rabbits neutered. She considers neutering a must because unneutered male rabbits spray urine to mark their territory and may become nippy, and bunny couples will produce endless numbers of babies when left to their own devices.