Abandoned rabbit found with eye injury and overgrown teeth on Derbyshire street

Sadly the rabbit’s injuries were so severe he was put to sleep on vet advice.

The member of the public who found the rabbit in the Gregory Street area of Ilkeston on Friday, March 25 and took the rabbit to the RSPCA Abbey Street Animal Rehoming Centre in Derby.

RSPCA inspector Michael Darling said: “This rabbit had quite a severe eye injury and a very red tooth which had overgrown massively. The overgrown tooth would have been growing and causing some discomfort for some time.

“Sadly this rabbit would have been in a lot of pain and following veterinary advice, the rabbit was put to sleep to prevent any further suffering.

“We suspect this rabbit may have been dumped, and we would appeal to anyone with any information about this rabbit to call 0300 1234 999 and quote incident number 833566.”

Despite rabbits often being perceived as an ideal ‘starter pet’ for young children, they actually have very complex needs and are one of the most neglected pets in Britain. It means sadly the RSPCA deals with many calls about bunnies where they have been neglected or abandoned.

“We will never truly know why people abandon animals,” said Michael. “Our experience tells us that it could be down to a number of reasons, for example when owners are unable to cope, whether that be with an animal’s behaviour, the costs of keeping the pet or other things in their life take over they opt to dump them.”

In 2020 672 rabbits came into the RSPCA’s care, and during 2021 859 were taken in by the RSPCA - an increase of 28 per cent.

By mid-February this year 88 rabbits have already been taken in by the charity across the country.

In 2020, despite the country being in lockdown, there were 4,508 incidents relating to rabbits reported to the charity; this rose to 4,741 in 2021.

The number of rabbits abandoned also increased during this time with 1,242 reported as abandoned in 2020 and 1,559 abandoned in 2021. Almost 1,000 more rabbits were classed by the charity as ‘neglected’ in 2021 - 5,451 - compared with 4,544 in 2020.

Sadly this is also coupled with a decrease in the number of people wanting to rehome rabbits. In 2018 2,772 were rehomed, 2019 2,569 and 2020 2,080 found new homes.

RSPCA rabbit welfare expert Dr Jane Tyson said: “Despite rabbits often being perceived as an ideal ‘starter pet’, they actually have very complex needs and are one of the most neglected pets in Britain.

“They also have long life spans of around 8-12 years so are a big commitment for a family.

“Whilst they can be hugely rewarding pets full of personality, they also need lots of stimulation and - crucially - space to ensure their welfare needs are being met.

“For anyone who has done their research and is certain they can provide the time, space, money and care it takes to look after a pair of rabbits then please consider adopting one of the many rescue rabbits in need of a home instead of buying one.”

To search for pets up for adoption please visit our Find A Pet website.

To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care please visit our website or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.