We are a 501c3 nonprofit rabbit rescue located in the Eastern Panhandle of WV. Our shelter is located in Hedgesville, WV with a 75 mile service radius.
If you have some bunnies that you need to surrender and you are not near a rabbit rescue, please contact The Bunderground Railroad on Facebook.
TEMPORARY SUSPENSION FOR NEW SURRENDERS
We regret to inform you the The Rabbit Tree is currently unable to accept any new surrenders. This suspension may be temporary, but for the time being we are unable to accommodate and additional rabbits in need. We are currently facing an overwhelming influx of rabbits stemming from a recent abuse an
TEMPORARY SUSPENSION FOR NEW SURRENDERS
We regret to inform you the The Rabbit Tree is currently unable to accept any new surrenders. This suspension may be temporary, but for the time being we are unable to accommodate and additional rabbits in need. We are currently facing an overwhelming influx of rabbits stemming from a recent abuse and neglect animal control seizure in Kearneysville, WV, specifically Jefferson County.
As some of you may already be aware, three of the females rescued from this seizure had litters before they could receive proper medical attention. This unexpected development has placed a significant strain on our resources and capacity to take in more rabbits at the time.
We understand that when you accepted this animal into your home, you also accepted the responsibility to love and care for this animal and to provide it with a safe environment to live in until it dies of old age. Hopefully you will not decide to get another pet in the future if they are so easily discarded and forgotten.
We understand tha
We understand that when you accepted this animal into your home, you also accepted the responsibility to love and care for this animal and to provide it with a safe environment to live in until it dies of old age. Hopefully you will not decide to get another pet in the future if they are so easily discarded and forgotten.
We understand that things really do happen which will prevent you from caring for your pet, like a house fire which has left you homeless. Let's face it though, most of the time it's because families have grown weary of it all and just want to stop taking care of their pets instead of looking for ways to keep the animal in their home. There is always a way to keep the animal in your home.
Now that that's out of the way, I will tell you how to take responsibility for your animal and find it a home yourself instead of expecting someone else to do it.
RescueMe.org is a website where you can list your pet and find a good home for it. I have accessed the website on mobile and find that it is easier to navigate on a laptop. Make an account and list your pet, it's the same thing we do when we put a rabbit up for adoption. Then when someone expresses interest in your pet, you go to the home
RescueMe.org is a website where you can list your pet and find a good home for it. I have accessed the website on mobile and find that it is easier to navigate on a laptop. Make an account and list your pet, it's the same thing we do when we put a rabbit up for adoption. Then when someone expresses interest in your pet, you go to the home to make sure it is suitable and you talk with the new family to see if they are people you trust with your pet and then you make your decision on whether or not it is somewhere you would be comfortable leaving your pet. If you think you are too busy for this, please remember that it is the same thing we have to do only it is your responsibility since you are the one with the pet you no longer want to care for.
Home-Home.org is another website that you can access to put your animal up for adoption. Shelters and rescues are all overcrowded because of families just discarding their pets, you will likely get this same response no matter where you call "We are full and can no longer take in surrenders"
Hello again, friends!
Last time I had the chance to get on here, I was so upset about how families turn their backs on the lovely bunnies they have welcomed into their homes and then had a change of heart to decide that a bunny isn't a good fit at all. I did give some tips on how to make a successful rabbit-human connection, but I am afraid that my true feelings of despair and irritation may have clouuded my message. I do apologize for that!
I do have some news about the rabbits that were brought in by the Jefferson County Animal Control as a siezure related to cruel and neglectful living situations of rabbits.
Keep reading to find out more!
We were able to get five adult males neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped last week. Ethan, Cooper, and Zachary (all lion heads), Austin (not sure what his breed is), and River (maybe an albino Silver Fox) were neutered and are waiting for their hormones to settle down and they will be available for adoption soon. River and Austin have homes to go to, but the little ones still need failies.
Unfortunately, vet bills have seen an increase and our prices for adoption have gone up. $293 is the cost of adoption and it is what we pay at the vet for neuters, microchip and vaccine on a male rabbit. Females are more, $350 (female procedures are more invasive, so they cast more).
We still have many bunnies who have been here for a while. Most of the older bunnies have chronic health problems or behavioral issues, if they get adopted, it will be to only an experienced family who can provide references and proof of experience. These are not easy bunnies and I am certain that they will live out their days here.
The 22 babies will be easier to place, I believe. They all seem like bunnies who will be what families arer looking for when looking to bring a bunny into their homes.
Some of our older bunnies require ongoing medical care for certain non-life-threatening illnesses, mostly respiratory problems due to exposure to certain bacteria before they came here. nebulizer treatments and courses of antibiotics are the way we have been treating these. We have one fellow, Al Capone (was born with a case of syphillis), who is afflicted with a compressed nerve at the caudal vertebrea which causes him to have a problem with incontinence. Not the poor things fault at all! We really don't have a treatment for this, we just have to make sure he stays reasonably clean. We tried anti-inflammatory medications but they really didn't make any improvements. Kelly is one of our bigger bunnies with a nervous condition. He is a chewer. Not just regular, bored chewing. He gets nervous and chews like crazy! He has even barbered bald spots on his mate! We don't really have treatment for this, we just try to keep his area free from a lot of distractions so that he doesn't feel threatened.
We have two girls here that are bonded together, but they are so very timid!! The Black One and Bunny are scared to death of everything but each other! We just try to keep their area free from loud noises or anything that may startle them. (We have nicknamed The Black One, Shaggy because she seems to be in a perpetual molt! So. Much. Fur!)
Your donation will help us continue our mission and support our abandoned bunnies!!
At the moment, we have 30 new rabbits and 22 of them are babies. Two of our adult females still need spayed and all of those babies will need surgeries too. While donations are always needed to provide medical treatment and food for these bunnies, we are in dire straights right now with all of these babies! If there is any way you could consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Rabbit Tree I can assure you that every penny is desperately needed!
Have a question or a suggestion? We're always here to help. Contact us today and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Please do not contact me for a surrender though. I am only supposed to have 12 rabbits here and we have close to 50. I do not have room for any more rabbits. I wish that I did because I know what people do when they don't want their rabbits and rescues are all too full to accept any more. Please do not release them into the wild, domestic rabbits are not the same as Eastern Cottontails and it is against the law to release them.
Since I have started this rescue, I have been brokenhearted at the number of calls we receive every day from families wanting to surrender their rabbits. I understand that is what we are here for but honestly the number of families who obtain rabbits without properly finding out what will be necessary beforehand really disheartens me and helps to lower my opinion of the human race because the rabbits usually die horrible and pain-filled deaths.
With all of that being said, I need to announce that The Rabbit Tree can not fit anymore bunnies in our facility at this time. Please call any other rescue to find out if there is anything that can be done to help you deal with the bad decision you have made.
If you are calling to tell me that you are too busy to care for your ONE or two rabbits, please keep in mind that I hold a full-time job in a factory and then I come home to care for almost 50 rabbits. Every single day I do this alone because no one wants to help. So, if you are going to whine to me about how busy you are, please know that I really wish you would shut up.
If you are calling to rid yourself of a rabbit who is spraying urine, you should have had that rabbit neutered. Neutering stops that almost immediately. If you didn't know this before getting a bunny, then it is obvious you did not research your decision before you made it.
If your rabbit is aggressive, it is probably a female. Or a rabbit who has been terrorized by your children or dogs. Again, it is clear that no research was done before getting this pet.
I am ashamed of the people who have been calling me wanting to get rid of their bunnies.
Rabbits are terribly expensive to care for, rabbits hate children and dogs, rabbits have got to be spayed and neutered by a vet who is experienced in rabbits, rabbits need to be able to free roam your house, rabbits chew everything (your walls, furniture, and any cords).
I am tired. We are all tired. We are tired of having to hold everything together and clean up the messes that humans leave behind. We have rescuers who are committing suicide because of the demand, they commit suicide because of what they see humans do to these innocent creatures, they commit suicide because it's hopeless and the despair is just too much for them. We see some of the most horrible neglect cases due to humans not being bothered by the suffering of a beautiful life, we see and have to deal with injuries caused by humans who kick hit and throw these little creatures. I ask daily "what the fuck is wrong with people??" I do mean daily as in every single day. Yesterday I got calls from people wanting to give away their rabbits, today I have already received two calls from people giving up their rabbits (it's only 08:33am right now), tomorrow I am predicting more phone calls. What the fuck is wrong with people??
In order to have a happy relationship with your bunny, there are a few things that you must remember.
1. Your rabbit MUST be spayed or neutered. Some people say "Oh I heard that it is dangerous to spay or neuter my rabbit, so I am not going to do it". That is bullshit if you have taken your rabbit to an experienced veterinarian who specializes in rabbits. You have to take your rabbit to an experienced veterinarian who specializes in rabbits because they are an exotic pet due to their special needs.
2. The veterinarian will be extremely expensive. Because your bunny's doctor has had to go through years of training and expensive schools of veterinarian medicine, you will be paying their student loans off through the cost of treatment. Bunnies also need special treatments because of how delicate their systems are, from digestive to immune systems there is too much that is different from any other animal and not just any vet will be able to help you. The vet will even tell you whether or not they can help you and an honest vet will advise you to seek help elsewhere if they are not trained in bunny. I can not stress enough how expensive medical care will be for this bunny.
3. You can avoid most problems with your rabbit if you FEED IT CORRECTLY. A rabbit has a diet that needs to consist of %80 hay, %15 leafy greens, and %5 timothy based pellets. You don't feed them carrots or iceberg lettuce. They should never get iceberg lettuce. The rabbit will need Timothy hay provided all day, every day. Do not feed your rabbit corn or corn products. There are many good places to find information about food for rabbits, you should go to the House Rabbit Society's webpage at www.rabbit.org and navigate through their links to find the information you need. There are so many helpful articles on their website that you almost don't need to look anywhere else.
This is the end of Part One as I have to go take care of 50 bunnies real quick (ha! it is never real quick. it takes hours. every day.) There is definitely going to be a Part Two though because you people need to learn.
Want to keep up with the rescue? Here's the news about the buns that come into our doors and find loving homes and exciting updates about the rescue. Please see our Facebook page of updates as well!
Our shelter is staffed by volunteers who donate their time and efforts to ensure that each bunny (and occasionally other types of small and furry critters) is given the treatment and love they deserve!
Since 2019, we have been taking in bunnies to improve their circumstances in health and housing. We strive to make every bunny’s life important and worth living.
Our mission is to provide food, shelter, and access to medical care for abused, neglected, and abandoned rabbits with the goal of adopting them to a safe, loving home. Permanent sanctuary will be provided for domestic rabbits if they cannot be adopted due to chronic illness, age, or behavioral issues. The Rabbit Tree, Inc. will provide resources to educate the public on the proper care of domestic rabbits.
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