Brightside Farm Sanctuary - Meet our Rabbits!

Meet our Rabbits!

At Brightside we have about 20 rescued rabbits. Many people have no idea that rabbits are commonly farmed in factory farms for their meat and to supply petshops.

These factory farms have row after row of small steel cages crammed full of rabbits. They have bars on the floor and are suspended in the air. The rabbits have no ability to fillfill their natural instincts at all.

They are fed a diet of pellets and usually have no access to roughage such as hay which is essential to a rabbits diet.

The 3 rabbits on the right were destined for resteraunt plates. They started their lives in factory farms and now kick up their heels in our specially fenced rabbit paddocks.

They are particularly gentle and love a cuddle.

Above left is George who luckily also escaped the dinner plate and Gretel who along with her 4 other Angora friends was no longer wanted. When they came to Brightside they had shocking ear mites, their ears were full of sores and scabs and above right is Vegemite and his good friend Clover.

Flora belonged to some one who bred rabbits for petshops. No doubt she has been pregnant many, many times. The owner then decided they did not want her any more so left her at a petshop where she did not sell. They rang us and asked us if we could give her a well earned retirement. She lives with Vegemite and Clover in a paddock. They have dug a burrow that is 3 metres long !

As with all animals rabbits need company of their own kind.

Barnaby is another rabbit that did not sell at the petshop and had out grown the ´cute´ stage. He loves his new life and friends and loves to dig burrows to hide in.

Mrs Bun

Mrs Bun was rescued from a meat rabbit factory farm where she lived in one of many small, cold, drafty crates with slatted or wire floors. The crates contained no bedding and often no food and water. Like all factory farm rabbits they were there purely to breed young rabbits for meat. Their welfare was obviously of no significance. Meat rabbits never go outside or eat grass and have very little room to move.

Hopsy and Bell

Hopsy and Bell came from a person who bred rabbits for pet shops. They lived in tiny cages, one rabbit to a cage. These cages hung on the fence and were very small. Their sole purpose was to produce babies for the petshop. By the time Hopsy had turned 2 she had given birth to 60 babies. Bell aged one had given birth to 40 babies. Now they can just enjoy the company of each other and room to run around.

Rabbits are better adopted from shelters and should always have a companion. Initially they may fight so should be introduced carefully. Male rabbits are better de sexed. Remember they need plenty of room to run around.