Rescued Rabbits Available for Adoption
Seventeen of the 23 rabbits rescued our Humane Law Enforcement earlier this month are ready to find new, loving families. The rabbits have been rehabilitated and medically cleared by our veterinary team.
Neighbors called San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement to report rabbits running loose near a home in the Fairmont Park area of San Diego. When officers arrived on March 6, 2021, they witnessed more than 20 rabbits kept in a backyard enclosure, without proper access to food, water or clean living spaces. Officers noticed some of the rabbits appeared ill with minor injuries, had red eyes and missing patches of fur. The owners agreed to relinquish the rabbits to SDHS, as they were not able to properly care for them.
Veterinarians at our Pilar & Chuck Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine treated the rabbits for minor fight wounds, issues related to poor husbandry and upper respiratory disease. One female was pregnant and gave birth to three more kits on March 15. The rabbits reported running loose on the street were also brought in for care.
“If you are a pet owner and your situation is starting to overwhelm you, please reach out to us so we can be a part of the solution,” said San Diego Humane Society Chief of Humane Law Enforcement Bill Ganley. “As an open admission shelter, we are here to help anyone who is unable to care for their animals. Please just ask for help, so it does not have to come to this.”
Rabbits are proliferative breeders and can have 4-10 kits per pregnancy. With a gestation period of only 29-35 days, they can have multiple large litters per year. To prevent unwanted breeding, San Diego Humane Society spays and neuters all rabbits before they are made available for adoption.
All of the rabbits available for adoption have also been vaccinated against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type 2. For anyone interested in adopting a rabbit, please visit sdhumane.org/adopt. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adoptions are by appointment only. For more information about pet rabbit care, click here.
Published: April 5, 2021
