Rabbits: 160 rabbits were found in an overcrowded garage in Great Easton - and Stubbington Ark have two that need a new home

The rabbits were found in a property in Great Easton near Market Harborough after a pet sitter reported the situation to the RSPCA charity when she found a dead rabbit and another who was trying to eat her own litter.

RSPCA inspectors Herchy Boal and Richard Durant conducted health checks on all the pets and then sexed each, before separating them into different hutches, where they were then taken to RSPCA centres – Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Hampshire.

Inspector Durant said: ‘The owners said they tried separating them, but they weren’t quick enough and the rabbits bred again and again. They told us that the sad situation had all got out of hand.

‘It was an astonishing discovery to make and although most of the rabbits were in a healthy condition, their environment clearly wasn’t suitable. The smell in the garage was pretty overpowering and we found the rabbits in basic cages stacked up - some of them contained six rabbits.’

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The charity has found the majority of the rabbits a new home, but there are still a number of them at the RSPCA centres waiting to find their perfect owners.

Clara and Flora are two sisters that are currently at Stubbington Ark and they are hoping to find an owner that will need some time to settle into a new home together. Both girls are neutered, fully vaccinated, microchipped, as are all the rabbits available for adoption by the RSPCA, and further details about becoming their owner can be found on the charity’s website.

The RSPCA’s rabbit welfare expert Dr Jane Tyson said: ‘This incident really does highlight the importance of correctly sexing rabbits and getting them neutered at an appropriate age. We’d urge anyone unsure of the sex of their rabbits to talk to their vet for advice and also discuss neutering with them too.

‘We are supporting calls by the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund for a rabbit breeding amnesty to help reduce the rabbit population and safeguard rabbit welfare. Our centres are at capacity with rabbits as we have seen a huge increase in our intake over the last year or two.’