Photo by Ashley Fraser / Postmedia If you’re thinking of surprising the family with a pet rabbit for Easter, the founder of the Ottawa Rabbit Rescue wants you to know what you’re getting into.

Pet rabbits are shown in this file photo from the Guelph Humane Society. In Windsor-Essex, the first case of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV-2) has been found in a pet.

A virus that has already killed hundreds of feral rabbits on Vancouver Island has spread and the B.C. government is warning pet owners to take precautions.