The Birds, Bees & Bunnies; DuPage Needs Rabbits To Stop Breeding

DUPAGE COUNTY, IL — Bunnies are doing what bunnies do best, and it's overwhelming DuPage County Animal Services.

Over 120 rabbits have been surrendered to animal services since January, with almost half of them being accepted in the last two weeks. On Saturday alone, 39 rabbits were dropped off at the department, some of which were already pregnant.

The sudden influx of rabbits has concerned DuPage County Animal Services, who have seen the familiar trend before. The agency wrote in a social media post they had received 148 rabbits in the past year, mainly from intentional owners who couldn't keep up with the rabbit or their accidental litter.

"Too often we hear from pet owners surrendering their rabbits that they made an impulse buy at the pet store for their kids before realizing how much work they are to care for or how expensive it is to spay or neuter them," said Brian Krajewski, chairman of the DuPage County Board Animal Services Committee.

Spaying or neutering a rabbit can cost in between $100 and $500 and many veterinary clinics are full up on appointments from new cat and dog owners.

In addition to the cost, bunnies have to be neutered or spayed incredibly early, since they can reach maturity by the time they're 4 months old. If a family or pet store makes the mistake of keeping two bunnies of the opposite sex together, they can be in for a surprise litter of up to 12 babies.

The agency blames the most recent surge of bunny births on "local pet stores," who they say packed rabbits of different genders in the same cages, resulting in a surprise of exponential proportions.

New owners could have received their rabbits around Easter time, when baby lambs, sheep and bunnies are a popular gift.

"We encourage people to do their homework to determine if a rabbit is a good pet before they buy," said Krajewski. "We have a rabbit care guide on our website that we encourage people to review."

The agency in DuPage is one of the few shelters in the state that accepts rabbits and other "owner-surrendered pets," including dogs and cats. The rabbits there won't be euthanized, thanks to partnerships with the Chicagoland Human Coalition and other animal welfare organizations, but most surrendered rabbits aren't so lucky.

"People just find themselves overwhelmed, to be honest," Laura Flanion, a representative for the agency told the Chicago Tribune. "The people who find themselves in these situations, they're often very compassionate people. It just gets overwhelming, and it gets embarrassing. They don't know who to talk to."

Those who want to adopt a bunny or foster the animal for a short while can do so at www.dupageco.org/animalservices.