Rabbits: RSPCA urges owners to get their pets spayed and neutered to prevent unwanted babies

The Rabbit Awareness Action Group, which includes the RSPCA and several other charities, including the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund, plus pet food provider Burgess Pet Care is encouraging owners to get their pets spayed or neutered.

This is in the hope to prevent unwanted litters and disease, and currently rescue centres are full of abandoned rabbits. The centres have also found that many owners cannot control their breeding due to being sold missexed pairs.

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The RSPCA and other RAAG charities deal daily with the problems caused by unwanted litters and the numbers of rabbits arriving at RSPCA animal centres has increased by 48 per cent to 1,090 last year in comparison to 2021.

Male rabbits can be neutered from 10 weeks old whilst female rabbits can be spayed after four months.

RSPCA Solent Branch is currently looking for homes for seven rabbits who were being kept in small hutches which were stacked on top of each other.

They have now been neutered and vaccinated, and they are looking for their forever home.

Jim and Pam, who are amongst the rabbits, are a sweet couple who get very excited to have the attention of staff and volunteers.

Claire Stallard, animal behaviourist at Blue Cross, said: ‘Rabbits can breed from as early as four months old, and we know how easy it is for owners to become quickly overrun in a short space of time.’