'A bunny isn’t just for Easter' Sussex animal rescue says as it sees 'worrying' rise in neglected rabbits

A spokesperson for Wadars, which is based in Ferring, said: “It’s a very sad fact that whilst rabbits are the UK’s third most popular pet, they are also one of the nation’s most neglected animals.

“Rabbits have long been a pet that parents purchase for young children as a nice introduction to caring for an animal, but in far too many cases, as the children grow up, they lose interest and so the pets become confined to a small hutch with very little human interaction.”

It is at this point that organisations like Wadars are usually asked to take the animals in and find them new homes, and the rescue has said it wants the public to remember that ‘a bunny isn’t just for Easter’, in hopes it will reduce the number of animals ending up in this situation.

The number of rabbits and guinea pigs Wadars is being asked to take in is rising year on year, the charity said, with the organisation already being asked to take in 70 in the first few months of 2023.

In 2022 alone, the charity was asked to rehome more than 200 rabbits, guinea pigs and other small animals but, sadly, due to the lack of suitable facilities at its centre in Ferring, the charity was only able to help in 10 per cent of these cases.

Given these ‘worrying’ statistics, Wadars is now on a mission to try and help many more small animals by developing a small animal unit.

The rescue said the new unit will consist of a fully insulated, heated, and equipped timber building in which to house animals that are recovering from veterinary treatment or are not used to living outside, along with a number of large freestanding outdoor enclosures for rabbits and guinea pigs.

Wadars operations director, Tracy Cadman, said: “It really is so sad to see the number of requests that we receive from people wanting to rehome their rabbits.

"In many cases it is because the family no longer has time to care for them, but we are also seeing a notable rise in the number of owners telling us that they cannot afford to keep their pets any longer.

"Whilst our new unit will definitely enable us to take in more rabbits and small animals than we have done in the past, it feels as if this problem is getting far worse than in previous years.”

The unit will also include facilities to admit different types of animals including hamsters, gerbils, and rats, as well as space to bond rabbits that have come in as individuals so that they can be homed as bonded pairs.

It currently costs Wadars more than £350 to rehome a rabbit – this figure includes an initial vet check as well as neutering; vaccinations; treatment for fleas; and microchipping along with providing its food, bedding, and enrichment throughout its stay.

Click here to see the rabbits, and other animals, currently up for adoption at Wadars.

For more information about the rabbits for adoption at Wadars, visit the charity’s website: www.wadars.co.uk.