An animal charity has launched an appeal to re-home a rabbit from their Tayside rescue centre.
The Scottish SPCA is currently caring for Rio at their Angus, Fife and Tayside Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre.
Rio, a three-year-old male bunny, is described as a confident guy who “enjoys munching on his veggies and hay”.
It comes as the charity highlights a concerning number of rabbits currently within their care ahead of Easter.
Appeal to re-home Rio the rabbit from Tayside rescue centre
Rachael Maclean – Scottish SPCA rehabilitation operations lead – said: “Rio has been at our Angus, Fife and Tayside centre for 29 days.
“He enjoys munching on his veggies and hay, and any prospective owner should continue to encourage him to consume plenty of hay to maintain his health and dental wellbeing.
“To ensure Rio’s happiness, he needs to be placed in a home where he can be bonded with a suitable rabbit companion.
“While Rio could live with children of any age, it’s important to note that rabbits can easily become scared or stressed.
“Therefore, he would be best suited to a home with children who are accustomed to being around rabbits and understand when to give him the space he needs.”
Warning rabbit is not ‘easy’ pet ahead of Easter
The charity is currently caring for 81 rabbits across Scotland and since 2020 and 299 baby bunnies have been born within their care.
The Scottish SPCA says rabbits are often difficult to re-home and can remain in their care for several months.
Rachael added: “We currently have a lot of rabbits in our care.
“It’s hard to say why so many of these animals end up at our centres, however, we suspect that often they are seen as an ‘easy’ pet and purchased for a child.
“In reality, rabbits are incredibly complex and social animals who need a lot of care, exercise and enrichment to stay happy and healthy.
“We would encourage anyone thinking of bringing a rabbit into their home to consider adopting.”
All rabbits available for adoption can be viewed and applied for on the Scottish SPCA website.
Conversation