Couple bought four rabbits 15 years ago and now have 160
A couple who bought four sex-mad rabbits in 2008 have ended up with more than 160 critters hopping around their home.
The owners, who have not been named, failed to get their bunnies neutered and quickly found themselves overwhelmed by their incessant breeding.
Eventually the RSPCA were forced to rescue the animals, which were living up to six in a cage, in the couple’s garage.
A pet-sitter contacted the charity when she found a dead rabbit, and another who was trying to eat her own faeces.
The owners, who have not been prosecuted, admitted their pets’ breeding habits had got ‘out of hand’.
RSPCA officers raided the property in Great Easton near Market Harborough, East Mids., last September.
Footage shows rabbits stuffed into cages while others hopped about the dirty garage floor.
RSPCA Inspectors Herchy Boal and Richard Durant conducted health checks on all the rabbits before attempting to rehome them all.
There was no suggestion the rabbits were bred for commercial purposes and the RSPCA say the owners had simply ‘allowed the situation to escalate’.
Inspector Durant said: ‘Apparently, the owners started with four rabbits about 15 years ago, but they didn’t do anything to prevent them from breeding.
‘The sheer scale of the exercise was unusual as the numbers of rabbits we found meant we had to move quickly as they were multiplying.
‘This is a very good example of the problems that can be encountered by rabbit owners who fail to neuter their rabbits and then end up becoming totally overwhelmed.
‘The owners said they tried separating them, but they weren’t quick enough and the rabbits bred again and again.
‘They told us that the sad situation had all gotten out of hand.
‘It was an astonishing discovery to make and although most of the rabbits were in a healthy condition, their environment clearly wasn’t suitable.
‘The smell in the garage was pretty overpowering and we found the rabbits in basic cages stacked up – some of them contained six rabbits.’
Most of the rabbits have since been rehomed by the RSPCA and found their forever homes, although there are still a small number waiting for new owners.
‘They were living in overcrowded conditions which is not good for rabbits who become stressed in unsuitable environments.
‘It was a big job to get them sexed, health checked, vaccinated and neutered, but I had some great help from five of our volunteers.
‘They helped me remove the rabbits and transfer them to the vets and then the centres.
‘Initially, we’d found around 160 rabbits, but the number did drop nearer to 150 as some had health issues and there were several who were sadly put to sleep.’
The Leicestershire rabbits contributed to a shocking 48 per cent increase in the numbers of rabbits arriving at RSPCA animal centres last year compared to 2021.
The RSPCA’s rabbit welfare expert Dr Jane Tyson said: ‘This incident really does highlight the importance of correctly sexing rabbits and getting them neutered at an appropriate age.
‘We’d urge anyone unsure of the sex of their rabbits to talk to their vet for advice and also discuss neutering with them too.’
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