Bristol Animal Rescue Centre 'overwhelmed' by rabbits

Jodie Hayward said some people may have adopted a male and a female without realising and end up with babies they cannot care for

An animal rescue service said a "rabbit breeding crisis" is behind a current influx of pets that need rehoming.

Bristol Animal Rescue Centre (ARC) said it is one of many centres overwhelmed with unwanted rabbits nationally.

It recorded an increase of 33% in rabbits brought to the centre in 2022 compared to 2021 and double what they received in 2020.

A spokesperson for the centre said they could be on course to surpass those numbers this year.

Jodie Hayward, Animal Home Manager at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, said: "Rabbits are not a cheap pet to keep and they require more care than most people initially realise."

Staff would normally be caring for between 5-8 rabbits at this time of year but currently have 19 with "more arriving every week"

"Some owners may not be able to afford neutering, or perhaps have adopted a male and a female without realising and then finding that they end up with babies they cannot care for," she added.

Female rabbits

• A single female rabbit can produce up to 30 babies in breeding season (usually February until late summer)

• Females can be mated and become pregnant again within hours of giving birth

Rabbits at the centre have been found in bags, boxes and cages in places they "can only have been dumped and left in danger"

Staff at the centre would normally be caring for between five to eight rabbits at this time of year but currently have 19 with "more arriving every week", a spokesperson said.

"Many of [the rabbits] have come into our care after being abandoned in groups [and] within the groups, many of them are arriving pregnant or with young babies.

"The youngest we are currently caring for is just five weeks old," the spokesperson added.

Advice given at the centre is for anyone adopting pairs of rabbits to take them to the vet as soon as possible to check their genders and have them neutered.