Staining animal charity's fight to stop unwanted Easter bunnies breeding like rabbits

‘Breeding like rabbits’ is not just a common old saying, as female bunnies can produce more than 300 babies in their lifetime – causing chaos for small animal shelters as they struggle to deal with the inevitable influx after Easter time.
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Hugo’s Small Animal Rescue in Staining is currently home to 23 unwanted rabbits, and is expecting even more in the coming weeks.

Charity founder Bailey Lister said: “Last year we saw 25 rabbits come to use within two weeks after Easter. We have grown quite rapidly in the last 12 months, and so we’re expecting even more this year.

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"We’re trying to warn people not to impulse buy them. They are classed as exotic pets and they need complex care.

Always give rabbits a fresh supply of hay (photo: Quench Studios)Always give rabbits a fresh supply of hay (photo: Quench Studios)
Always give rabbits a fresh supply of hay (photo: Quench Studios)

Across Britain, the number of rabbits handed into RSPCA animal shelters spikes around Easter time, with 859 being taken in last year – up 28 percent from 672 in 2020.

And Bailey fears a lack of awareness of neutering may will lead to even more unwanted rabbits turning up at charity doors.

A female rabbit, or doe, can start having babies at five or six months of age, and can produce as many as seven litters a year for around four years. The average litter size is seven, meaning most females will produce around 200 babies in their lifetime if left unchecked. For some breeds this number is even higher, with offspring numbering well beyond 300.

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Rabbit breeds of medium to large size are sexually mature at 4 to 4.5 months, giant breeds at 6 to 9 months, and small breeds (such as the Polish Dwarf and Dutch) at 3.5 to 4 months of age

Once surrendered, rabbits are notoriously difficult to rehome, as rescues must abide by the rules set out by the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund, which demands a 3m x 2m enclosure for an average-sized pair.

They also have a strict ban on rabbits being rehomed as children’s pets, as contrary to popular belief, these animals can be challenging to look after, and can live for up to 10 years.

Bailey said: “One in five rabbits, by the time it’s six months old will find itself in a rescue centre. When that happens, they’re very difficult to rehome.

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"When a male reaches sexual maturity they can start humping, biting and become quite aggressive if they’re not neutered. Females as well can have hormonal aggression. They’re more territorial than the males.

"They’re definitely not a children’s pet, and they don’t actually like being picked up and cuddled. Because they are prey animals, they feel vulnerable when they’re lifted off the ground.”

As well as being neutered or spayed, pet rabbits must be regularly vaccinated against three potentially deadly diseases: myxomatosis, rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease-1, and rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease-2.

"We notice our adoption enquiries for rabbits go up by about 50 per cent by April,” Bailey said. “We’re expecting to see more people asking to surrender rabbits to us after Easter – but because our cages are full, we have nowhere to put them.”

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