By Rachel Andersen

It was January 2019, Ashley was visiting her friend’s rescue farm. A call came through from a desperate man who needed to rehome 30 rabbits asap. 

He purchased three bunnies for his daughter some time before. Soon there were babies born, soon after, more babies were born, and so on. Before he knew it 30 rabbits were taking over his back yard, visiting his neighbors, and tragically, being hit by cars. He didn’t know what to do, and the authorities he had reached out to, had been of no help at all. 

Unfortunately this story is all too common. People acquire bunnies from pet stores, and even breeders who inaccurately determine the sex of the bunnies, resulting in unwanted pregnancies. 

Rabbits can carry two litters at a time, and can have up to 15 babies per litter! They can also give birth up to 24 times per year. Their gestation period is around 4-5 weeks. This is how fast a two bunny situation can lead to a 30-50 rabbit warren situation. 

Mission accepted

Ashley and her friend jumped into action, even though neither of them had a place for the bunnies. For the next few months they took trips over to the man’s house, catching, separating the rabbits by sex, finding homes for the ones they could, and getting the ones they could fixed. 

Mission accomplished

After nine months of hard work, the man called them one day and told them he was being evicted the next day, and they needed to remove the remaining rabbits as fast as they could that night. Knowing that every bunny left on that property would starve to death if they didn’t get them out, Ashely and her friends went out into the pouring rain and rescued every one. 

Ashley to the rescue

After that situation was cleared and the rabbits were safe in their new homes, people started calling Ashley when bunnies were in need. She says “I just can’t say no when a bunny needs to be rescued.” After a while, Ashley knew she needed to go ahead through the process to become an official rescue. 

Space Coast Bunnies

Overwhelmed with the need and her love for rabbits, Space Coast Bunnies was born. Today, three years after that fateful night in January 2019, Ashley estimates that they have rescued over 225 rabbits, and they are on trend to rescue more this year than any other. 

Educate

Space Coast Bunnies’ focus is to educate people who want to adopt a rabbit on what it takes to properly care for a rabbit, as well as highlight the joy that a rabbit can bring to life. They help prepare people to bond with their rabbit by providing information, ongoing support, and a homestudy.

It is immensely important to Space Coast Bunnies to ensure their adopters understand their bunnies’ needs, and are committed to meeting them. Here are a few of the essential truths they impart:

• Bunnies are a 10+ commitment
• The importance of spay/neuter
• Health concerns, how to spot them, and help
• What someone needs for a proper indoor bunny setup
• Feeding, litter training, and enrichment needs

Space Coast Bunnies really does go above and beyond to ensure the bunnies they rescue go to good homes who are ready for them. Each family signs a contract in order to adopt, committing themselves to being loving and responsible bunny parents. 

Empower

Adopting from a rescue like Space Coast Bunnies means that adopters receive a bunny that is healthy, spayed or neutered, and they know what they are getting into. Adopters know what supplies they can/should have on hand, have a rabbit-savvy vet available, and know about rabbit proofing methods and safety tips. In short, they are empowered and supported, and can confidently bring their new rabbit home.