RSPCA adoption plea for rabbit after beating record for longest stay
The animal welfare charity RSPCA is hoping to rehome Quinn after 420 days in care. Bunny Quinn is hoping to be rehomed after beating the record for the longest stay at the RSPCA Sussex North and Brighton branch.
The black and white rabbit was brought into the centre as a stray. He’s thought to be around 18 months old.
Branch manager Jenny Eden said: “It’s time for this gorgeous rabbit to find his human. Quinn is a lovely natured boy. He is very lively, so would need a secure run and the opportunity to run loose in a secure garden to burn off his energy. Quinn will need a spayed female rabbit for company and owners willing to go through the process of bunny bonding.
“He is looking for a calm spayed female rabbit for company but he hasn’t been bonded yet. His new owners will have to be patient with his young ways with the bonding. He is a very good rabbit and very clean so could live inside. He does like to chew empty boxes and throw them about, tea and cereal boxes with softer cardboard are his favourite.”
There are two other long stay male rabbits at RSPCA Sussex North and Brighton branch who have been waiting for a new home for a year or longer.
Increase in rabbits taken in and decrease in rabbits rehomed
These lovely bunnies aren’t alone, the animal charity saw a large 48% rise in the intake of rabbits in 2022 compared to the previous year and with numbers still high this year, it is grappling with a rabbit crisis. The RSPCA fears unneutered rabbits are further contributing to the problem.
Research revealed during Rabbit Awareness Week (June 26th-30th) demonstrated there is a lack of knowledge of the benefits of castrating or spaying rabbits in the early months after birth. Many owners also lack knowledge about identifying the sex of animals to prevent unwanted litters.
The numbers of rabbits rehomed from RSPCA branches dropped by 23% between 2019 and 2022, while there was a 42% fall in rehoming from the charity’s national animal centres during a similar period. So far this year (to the end of May), rehoming rates continue to fall. RSPCA branches have found new owners for 482 rabbits so far this year, but that is just a quarter of the total number that were rehomed by branches during the whole of 2019.
Meanwhile, there has been a 199% rise last year in those rabbits (124) who have had to be cared for by the charity’s branches for more than six months – often at great expense in private boarding establishments – compared to the previous year.
Burgess Pet Care, who the RSPCA is partnering with for Rabbit Awareness Week, has revealed a third of 1,600 people questioned during a recent survey thought rabbits did not need neutering, while 75% believed there was no need to neuter rabbits if they were of the same sex.
Yet the benefits of neutering outweighs the very small risk of surgery and most vets are happy to undertake both castration and spaying procedures. If owners were to neuter their pets it would not only reduce the numbers of unwanted rabbits, but help them live longer, healthier lives. Around 80% of unneutered female rabbits develop uterine cancer after the age of three.
The RSPCA took in over 3,000 unwanted rabbits in 2022 and so far this year (to the end of May) 307 rabbits have arrived at animal centres, while 378 have been taken in by RSPCA branches, many of whom are now full to capacity.
To apply to adopt Quinn or any other rabbits in Brighton, please complete a rabbit adoption form at rspca-brighton.org.uk/rabbits and email it to info@rspcabrighton.org.uk
