Rabbit Sanctuary

Please sign and share this petition at the link below. All rescues are over capacity and we don't need another store selling rabbits who will very likely become unwanted and dumped. Petco pledged a few years ago that they would no longer sell dogs, cats or rabbits. Make sure that they honor that pledge.

https://www.change.org/p/end-the-sale-of-rabbits-at-petco-stores-nationwide

We give hay to our rabbits in two places - in the small hay racks and in a pile under the hay racks, on top of a bed of straw. Olive is so little that she actually fit inside the small hay rack one day before it was refilled. She evidently spied some tasty morsels at the bottom that she just had to have and jumped right in!

photo by Alandra Marin

A rescue in South Carolina needs help. If you are in or near Conway, SC and can help by fostering a rabbit, fill out the form below.

We don’t want any of our bunnies to be frightened by the upcoming storm so we are looking for temporary fosters. Please fill out the foster application at https://linktr.ee/paisleysbunnyrescue Thank you!

Dandy and Morning Glory are two senior rabbits who love each other. They are seen here snuggling in their terra cotta flue pipe.

photo by Alandra Marin

Barry has now been at the Sanctuary for 1 year! He was formerly kept at a local school. A school is almost always not a good place for a rabbit. Here, Barry is seen taking a stroll down the walkway of Rabbitat II, while his yard is being cleaned.

photo by Alandra Marin

Today is Emily's 2nd anniversary at the Sanctuary! She had been dumped outside at just a few months of age. When she was discovered and rescued, her back legs were crippled. That turned out to be due to tick paralysis - she was covered in them. She was treated by the vet and fortunately recovered use of her back legs. She does sometimes have a different gait, but she can still run at top speed when she wants to. She lives happily in Rabbitat I with Winston.

photo by Alandra Marin

Ice has now been a Sanctuary bunny for 3 years! We took him in at just 4 or 5 months of age. He had been wandering around a trailer park and was rescued by one of the residents. He was likely a discarded Easter rabbit. Ice now lives happily with Josephine in Rabbitat I.

photo by Alandra Marin

Neff and Iby on a recent Rabbitat cleaning day. As we clean the yards, the rabbits are let out in turn to run on the walkways. Neff and Iby are both very mischievous and have a lot of fun together! On cleaning days, they often hop on the bench and sit in the hay tray to enjoy a good meal. When they're out, they also love to go and check out the other bunnies in Rabbitat II but this sometimes leads to trouble! 🙂

photo by Alandra Marin

There are so many benefits of spay & neuter, most important of which is cancer prevention. Even if you only have one bunny and breeding isn’t so much a risk for you, preventing the high chance of reproductive cancer is very important, among so many other benefits. Have questions? Want a vet recommendation? Want a list of questions to ask your vet prior to scheduling a spay or neuter? We would love to help! Reach out to us anytime!

Poppy has now been at the Sanctuary for 3 years! He came to us at only 8 weeks of age. His owner had taken him to a local humane society, where they refused him, as they don't take rabbits. He was found the next morning under a car in the parking lot, where his owner had dumped him the day before. It was a miracle that a small bunny had survived out there. A shelter employee called us and we went to get him. He was neutered a few months later on the same day that a recent arrival (Holly) was spayed. Their pens were near in the bunny health care building as they recuperated from their surgeries. A few weeks later, Poppy was discovered in Holly's pen. He had either jumped over the pen or he climbed over. There was no fighting at all, they were snuggling. Even though we had planned to bond Holly to another single male, we knew that we couldn't separate Poppy and Holly now. They bonded themselves instantly (a rarity) and they have been together since, now living in Rabbitat I.

photo by Alandra Marin

Happy Birthday to Frost! She is 13 years old today! We know her date of birth because she was born to a pregnant rabbit that came to the Sanctuary in 2011. Her mom and siblings are no longer with us, but Frost is doing pretty well and is able to still live out in a Rabbitat with her beloved companion Roger Everpleasant.

photo by Alandra Marin

Sky has now been at the Sanctuary for 8 years! She was spotted in the parking lot of a hospital which was bordered by a wooded area and some steep terrain that led to a creek. Some nurses and a hospital employee (who is also a Sanctuary volunteer) tried to rescue her, but she would always run into the woods and disappear into the thickets. As time went on, they noticed that she was moving slower, she was getting weary and malnourished. Even though many rescue attempts had failed, they kept trying. One day after work, they brought an x-pen to surround the bunny, along with a bag of carrots. They met at the creek bank and spotted Sky. They set up the pen and tossed some carrots into it. Sky, by now very hungry, went in the pen to eat and they closed it around her. She was finally safe. Sky moved into the bunny health care building a few months ago due to chronic weepy eye, for which she gets treatment.

photo by Alandra Marin

Josephine has now been at the Sanctuary for 2 years. We were in contact with a rescue that was over capacity (which is the norm for most rescues) and we agreed to take one of their bunnies to be a companion to one of our bunnies. Josephine now lives very happily with Ice in Rabbitat I.

photo by Alandra Marin

Basil has now been at the Sanctuary for 4 years. We were asked to take him because the teen he belonged to was going off to college. This unfortunately is one of the common reasons why people want to rehome their rabbits. Basil lives in the Sanctuary residence. He likes to hang out in the kitchen, hoping that some pieces of veggies or fruit will be dropped.

photo by Becky Hummell

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Posy, a beautiful ruby eyed New Zealand, has now been at the Sanctuary for 3 years. She came from a rescue that was shut down, with the rabbits being re-located to various other rescues. Most of the rabbits we take in are strays and are one year old or younger, but we estimated that Posy was 3 to 4 years old when we took her in. Mamy of the rabbits at her former rescue had not been spayed or neutered, so we had her spayed and she also had some points on her teeth that the vet filed down. She is seen here in her terra cotta flue pipe. The rabbits love to run through them and to lie in them.

photo by Alandra Marin

Wild cottontail babies only need help in certain situations, and should usually be left alone. We have the contact info for wildlife rehabbers in upstate SC and for one in NC if needed.

Did you know cottontails are the most kidnapped wildlife in North America? Here are some quick tips about cottontails and how you can help!

•If you find a baby bunny, the best way to help them is by leaving them alone!

•They do not do well in captivity and can easily die from stress.

•It's illegal to possess a wild animal unless you have a rehabilitation license, or are transporting to one.

•Moms only visit the nest twice a day to feed babies to not lure predators to the babies.

•Moms WILL accept baby bunnies if they have been touched by a human.

•Babies eat on their own at about 3 weeks, but stay around the warren for about 5 weeks.

•Check patches of dead grass before mowing. They do not built very deep nests.

•Look up wildlife rehabbers in your area. The only time intervention is needed is if the babies are injured, or if the nest has been flooded or compromised in a similar fashion.

Neff (originally named Nefertiti by her rescuer) has now been at the Sanctuary for 1 year! She had been spotted running loose in a neighborhood near an animal clinic, which was on a very busy road. A rescue attempt was started and fortunately was successful. During the attempt, while talking with people in the neighborhood, it was discovered that her owners had moved and just left her behind. Shortly after her arrival at the Sanctuary, she was vaccinated and spayed. She now lives very happily in Rabbitat II with Iby.

photo by Alandra Marin

Bubba and Cookie have been at the Sanctuary for 3 years. Bubba was found roaming a neighborhood and taken in by one of the residents. The couple had him neutered and gave him a home. Some months later, this couple was asked to take a classroom rabbit who was about to be discarded. They agreed, had her spayed and bonded Cookie with Bubba. After a while, the couple had a big change in their lifestyle. They would be living in another country part of the year, traveling back and forth between there and the U.S. They knew that this wouldn't be easy or good for the rabbits, so they sought out a new home for them. They came to check out the Sanctuary and gave their approval as a new home for the bunnies. Bubba and Cookie live in the bunny health care building and act as the official Sanctuary greeters.

photos by Alandra Marin

Judy Spotsworth has been at the Sanctuary for 6 years. She was another dumped rabbit that fortunately ended up in the yard of someone who cared and was able to rescue her. Due to hind end weakness, which can be common in senior rabbits, she now lives in the bunny health care building. We are very thankful to the donors who help to give Judy Spotsworth and all of the Sanctuary rabbits their home for life.

photo by Ron Pruitte

Meet Minnie, our newest arrival! She was found in a man's yard a few months ago. He asked the neighbors if the rabbit was theirs. One neighbor said that she had recently rescued the rabbit in a park where it was about to be attacked by a dog. She brought the rabbit home, but just put her in the fenced back yard, which wasn't safe or secure. She wasn't prepared to care for the rabbit, so the man told her that he would keep it. The man later developed a serious health problem and could no longer take care of Minnie, which is what he named her. He contacted us and we were able to take her in. Minnie has had her first RHDV2 vaccine and will be spayed next week. We hope to bond her with a lone male rabbit that we have.

photo by Ron Pruitte

Dandy has been at the Sanctuary for 8 years! He was originally taken to the local Humane Society, where they turned him away. Neither of the shelters in our county take rabbits. He was then dumped at a nearby vet's office. They contacted us and we went to pick him up. He now lives happily with Morning Glory in Rabbitat II.

photo by Ron Pruitte

Some staff members at a vet clinic will instruct you to withhold food and water from a rabbit before surgery because they are used to giving these instructions for dogs and cats. This is completely wrong advice for a rabbit going into surgery.

Rabbits are considered "exotics" by veterinary professionals and require specialized knowledge and skills. Rabbits are very different from cats and dogs. Seek out a rabbit-savvy vet and arm yourself with knowledge so you can be an educated advocate for your friend!
A good source of information: https://rabbit.org/health/

Today is Roger Everpleasant's fifth anniversary as a Sanctuary rabbit. He was a stray, taken to a small animal shelter in another county that wasn't equipped to care for rabbits. He had fleas and bite wounds. The shelter tried to adopt him out, and they were only charging $10, but no one wanted him. They contacted us and we agreed to take him - to give him a home for life among other rabbits. Roger E lives in Rabbitat II with Frost.

photo by Irina Zych

Today is Babbit's 7th anniversary as a Sanctuary bunny. He was a dumped rabbit who was found with a terrible case of mites and his eyes were crusted over, making him unlikely to see much of anything. It's a miracle that he survived long enough to be rescued. He now lives with Esther in Rabbitat I.

photo by Ron Pruitte

Wisp has been at the Sanctuary for 8 years as of today! She and another rabbit were brought to the front door of the Sanctuary residence one night. The man who brought them said he would throw them in the street if we didn't take them. Wisp now lives in the bunny health care building due to respiratory problems and has a lot of friends there.

photo by Ron Pruitte

Olive and Bruno have now been at the Sanctuary for 1 year! They were being sold from the back of a truck in a parking lot. A person bought them just to save them from ending up in a bad situation, but the person couldn't keep them and contacted us. Olive is a mini Rex, the smallest rabbit currently at the Sanctuary. Bruno is a standard Rex. After they were spayed and neutered and recuperated, they moved into Rabbitat I, and are a very happy pair.

photos by Lorrie Brooks

We were contacted about a rabbit yesterday that was laying on the side of the road. A man driving by nearly hit her, then stopped to catch her, which was easy, because she was dragging her back legs. His wife brought the rabbit to the Sanctuary and we took her into the vet. He diagnosed calcification of both knees, due to severe arthritis, and estimates that she is at least 5 years old. She is on pain medication, which is the only treatment that can help. Someone evidently was tired of having a crippled rabbit and threw her out. The vet bill was over $500 if anyone would like to donate towards it. We have named the bunny Andrea, after the wife of the man who rescued her. https://www.rabbitsanctuaryinc.org/donate

Spark has now been at the Sanctuary for 10 years! He was formerly kept in a dilapidated outdoor hutch on the grounds of a state facility, and got the bare minimum of care. A new employee of the facility was very concerned about him and would take him greens from the kitchen where she worked, plus she would put straw in the hutch to try to protect his feet from the wires, and to keep him warmer. After a while, the employee went to the Directors of the facility and asked if she could take the rabbit, that she knew of a sanctuary where he would be safe and be among other rabbits. They fortunately agreed, so she brought him here. Spark was probably 2 or 3 years old when he arrived, so he is definitely a senior now. He is still spry, but he does occasionally get a weepy eye for which he gets treatment. He lives happily and safely with his companion, Wonder.

photo by Ron Pruitte

As Easter nears, please help by reminding people that bunnies are not Easter novelties.