PET PEOPLE: How to get rid of bunnies?

[Zella L.]

2 years ago, I visited a friend with a dozen or so rabbits. I've never gone back there because the place smells like s**t. Straight out of a hoarders show. He never got them fixed, they bred like...you know...and now he has no idea how many there are.

He's moving to Japan next week. I asked him what he's gonna do with the rabbits, and he says "that's the kind of problem I'm moving away from." So now it's my problem. An unknown number of rabbits...could be fifty, could be 100...that I need to get rid of.

So, pet people, what are the best, safest ways to get rid of rabbits? I've learned a lot from online research, but feel free to let me know if you have input. Here is my plan of action:

Advertise on craigslist, facebook, vet offices, and on telephone poles for a rabbit adoption day. Bring all the rabbits to the front yard. Make all owners sign the following agreement:
-Pay $35. (Petfinder says that it is dangerous to give animals away for free.)
-$10 discount for anyone who promises to get their animal fixed.
-If you take more than one, all animals must be the same sex. No breeding.
-Give me your contact info and a form of ID.
-By signing this, you acknowledge that these animals are a responsibility that will last up to 12 years. They are not an Easter treat.
-If you decide that you do not want your rabbit, I will take it back, no questions asked. You must agree not to give it to a shelter. (Shelters kill more than half their animals.)

If this doesn't work, I intern near Venice Beach, so I could bring them in a box there, and the same form. Maybe a farmer's market too? I honestly cannot figure out if this is legal or what. Thoughts? I've never done anything like this before.  

[Garek Maxwell]

I would offer help, but my family happens to have a problem with getting too many rabbits...at least from my perspective. 'Course, they're all fixed and we have more than enough property space for them to run around in safely. Fenced up garden plus hutches for the night and all. I just think it's too many personally and I wouldn't want to care for them no matter how adorable they are. I'm not a pet person despite being a furry. I'm a slight germaphobe, so that wins out. razz

I think you've probably covered most of it, but you just know you're going to have Easter shoppers coming by since it's so close to that time of the year. The only recommendation I can make is to avoid selling any close to that time if you still have them just to be sure because then you're going to have people "borrowing" the rabbits for the holiday. neutral  

[Zella L.]

Thanks. I just met the woman (my friend's mom) who will be living with the rabbits, is literally...mentally upset and most certainly not let me help her with the animals, or even come near her house.
Trying to figure out what's next. Find someone she likes to help?  

[Bush Punk]

at that point, if she doesnt want to re-home them willingly you have to make a move for both her health and the rabbits' well-being. Call the humane society, call animal control, call any organization that can help, raise a stink (anonymously, of course) rattle cages.  

[Vamprey_kitty]

Was just popping into this guild, and I'm sorry if this is offensive but...

There's 0 emotional attachment to ANY of the rabbits, right?
They can be used as feeders, especially any young ones. Even coloubrids can eat the um "pinkies" (unsure proper term for rabbit pinks so the mouse one will have to do)

Of course this may be harder to do now that the mother is involved.

Again, not trying to be offensive... I mean people eat rabbits themselves too. I just think it may be easiest to sell them in bulk to a person that can humanely euthanize them, and have their bodies be used for other pets. (rather than a shelter killing them after a week and dumping them somewhere)

Disregard my advice if you care about the rabbits and want them to live but honestly, I think a humane feeder death (by CO2, etc) may be best.  

[Zella L.]

I actually have considered that, and have tried to look into it, but I found no info online as for how to find someone to whom to donate.  

[Recon_Ninja_985]

CB's are quiet enough to use anywhere and are no louder than a pellet gun.

I can vouch that they work fast and well. my sister comes to me every time her snake refuses to eat a feeder rat and needs a way to get rid of it.


I would have reccommended giving them to a shelter but what you described is something entirely out of control, theres no hope of finding homes for all of them so the best real option here is euthanization.

unless you want them to either starve in one place or release them so they can spread everywhere and become a problem for your neighbors

you could eat them, but rabbit has always been a little too greasy for my tastes... I suppose that all depends on what you prefer.  

[Recon_Ninja_985]

Garek Maxwell

I would offer help, but my family happens to have a problem with getting too many rabbits...at least from my perspective. 'Course, they're all fixed and we have more than enough property space for them to run around in safely. Fenced up garden plus hutches for the night and all. I just think it's too many personally and I wouldn't want to care for them no matter how adorable they are. I'm not a pet person despite being a furry. I'm a slight germaphobe, so that wins out. razz

I think you've probably covered most of it, but you just know you're going to have Easter shoppers coming by since it's so close to that time of the year. The only recommendation I can make is to avoid selling any close to that time if you still have them just to be sure because then you're going to have people "borrowing" the rabbits for the holiday. neutral

what I have highlighted is something you can take advantage of.

you can set up shop if you have the time in front of a local department store or other parking lots where a lot of people will be going to, I bet there would be lots of parents wanting to get their kids an easter bunny for the holiday.

that would get rid of quite a few I think but 50-100 of those things, that's a pretty insane amount of rabbits on your hands.... and that might get rid of like, ten of them  

[ronnie92]

You could ask around local petstores - most petstores are happy to get more to sell for free/low cost, but I figure most can't handle that large amounts.  

[Vamprey_kitty]

Zella L.

I actually have considered that, and have tried to look into it, but I found no info online as for how to find someone to whom to donate.

Perhaps you can make an ad on Kingsnake, or maybe even Craigslist. I wouldn't know how, because Kingsnake's website looks very... not-user-friendly, IMO. But it has a large amount of people who visit it, and most of them should either have animals large enough to eat them (boas, monitors, etc), or like to raise their own feeders. Maybe even a couple will want them just as a pet lol.
I don't know if you have issues with live feeding vs prekilled (I personally purchase frozen/thawed rodents because I think CO2, or even freshly prekilled is more humane than constriction, plus it prevents injury to my pets...) so if you do, then it may be a little more difficult to find the right person who you'll trust will humanely euthanize.  

[Krissim Klaw]

Recon_Ninja_985

Garek Maxwell

I would offer help, but my family happens to have a problem with getting too many rabbits...at least from my perspective. 'Course, they're all fixed and we have more than enough property space for them to run around in safely. Fenced up garden plus hutches for the night and all. I just think it's too many personally and I wouldn't want to care for them no matter how adorable they are. I'm not a pet person despite being a furry. I'm a slight germaphobe, so that wins out. razz

I think you've probably covered most of it, but you just know you're going to have Easter shoppers coming by since it's so close to that time of the year. The only recommendation I can make is to avoid selling any close to that time if you still have them just to be sure because then you're going to have people "borrowing" the rabbits for the holiday. neutral

what I have highlighted is something you can take advantage of.

you can set up shop if you have the time in front of a local department store or other parking lots where a lot of people will be going to, I bet there would be lots of parents wanting to get their kids an easter bunny for the holiday.

that would get rid of quite a few I think but 50-100 of those things, that's a pretty insane amount of rabbits on your hands.... and that might get rid of like, ten of them

Impulse buyers are the last people you want to give these rabbits too. Those are the exact type of buyers that will cram the rabbit into too small of cage and then dump it at a shelter, out in the wild to be 'free' or leave it to rot once it looses its newness factor for little Johny or Sally. These are unsocialized rabbits so many are unlikely to be a good choice for beginner owners to begin with.


I really think the best thing to do is get animal control involved. It is going to be illegal to go onto the property and steal rabbits off it. Doing so isn't even going to fix the core problem because what is to stop the mother from going out and buying more when she feels sad that all her rabbits are disappearing? Since she is suffering from a mental illness I really think it would be best to get the state involved that can not only handle the animals but hopefully get resources for the mother and keep tabs to make sure the same situation doesn't happen again.  

[Zella L.]

I was wondering if the Easter thing would work for or against. Would it make sense to start the day after Easter then, or a few?

The rabbits were adopted by my friend, not his mother. Her symptoms are extreme paranoia, anger and memory loss, so I don't feel like she would be compelled to hoard more animals. We could leave all the males so they don't reproduce.  

[Sunegami]

Krissim Klaw

Impulse buyers are the last people you want to give these rabbits too. Those are the exact type of buyers that will cram the rabbit into too small of cage and then dump it at a shelter, out in the wild to be 'free' or leave it to rot once it looses its newness factor for little Johny or Sally. These are unsocialized rabbits so many are unlikely to be a good choice for beginner owners to begin with.


I really think the best thing to do is get animal control involved. It is going to be illegal to go onto the property and steal rabbits off it. Doing so isn't even going to fix the core problem because what is to stop the mother from going out and buying more when she feels sad that all her rabbits are disappearing? Since she is suffering from a mental illness I really think it would be best to get the state involved that can not only handle the animals but hopefully get resources for the mother and keep tabs to make sure the same situation doesn't happen again.

I have nothing to add except "this".  

[Zella L.]

Update: The owner has just told me that animal control has been called and the rabbits have 30 days to live if he doesn't get them out. He assumes that I called, so basically I don't have contact with him anymore.  

[Henrey Von Wolf]

ok not really sure wat to say...