We received a voicemail at the beginning of May from some concerned members indicating that there was a domestic rabbit at a local animal shelter, and could we help? At the time we were trying to work out how many rabbits we could take to help the Missouri HRS chapter with a confiscation case they were working with, but I had room, and our commitment has always been to local rabbits first.

I picked Willa up from the shelter on May 22, not knowing what to expect. All of the shelter staff I had spoken to kept telling me what a nasty bunny she was… I imagine that if I were stuck in a tiny cage surrounded by predators, I’d probably soil myself, too. At any rate, they took my carrier back to the kennel area, and what they brought out was this beautiful, vibrant, lively Harlequin rabbit. I brought her home and set her up in a condo with a litter box full of hay, gave her some toys, a water crock, and a food bowl, and left her to settle in. Do you know, over the next 24 hours she did not leave a single pootie outside her litter box? Not ONE. So much for the “nasty” bunny.

Willa is a sweet girl, and she’ll make someone a wonderful companion. She really doesn’t like hands reaching into her condo – she tends to cower toward the back, although she’s getting better about it each time I have to lift her out and put her back in. She is not shy about letting you know that her food bowl is empty – she either fills it with her toys, or turns it upside down. She loves to be petted once she gets over the initial worry about what those hands might do, and she especially loves treats.

My hope for Willa – and for all of our foster rabbits, really – is that she is able to find a home with people who will love her and respect her for being a rabbit. So many potential adopters seem to have such high expectations – I think it’s because they have no or very little experience with rabbits, but many people don’t understand that rabbits are not like dogs or cats. Rabbits make excellent companion animals, but not all homes are the ideal homes. The goal, I guess, is to find forever homes.

If you’re interested in adopting Willa, or any of our other adoptable rabbits, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org.

If you’re interested in adopting Poppy or any of our other adoptable rabbits, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You’ll find a list of upcoming events we’ll be participating in, as well.

Anyway, Hilo now lives at my house, where she is relearning the fine art of being a well-behaved lady rabbit instead of an utter heathen. For the first couple of months she was here she lived in a little smaller cage with the cage closure in the front, and that did NOT go well. She had become very aggressive about hands reaching in for her, and caring for her on a daily basis was definitely not fun. I’ve had aggressive rabbits here before, but not like her. I count five scars on my right hand alone… all from the Tiny Teeth of Terror. Last month after my rabbit, Angus, passed away I moved her down to the bottom of a 2-story Bunny Abode. She hasn’t been the same rabbit since. No more lunging, no more attacking, she lets me stick my hands and arms into her condo without any trouble at all. It’s so amazing and wonderful to earn their trust, and to see such a big change in such a short time, with so little effort! This is one of the primary reasons I enjoy rescue.

Hilo was originally found by one of our volunteers just hopping around a neighborhood all by her lonesome. She loves to be petted, and will sit by you and lift her little nose to have it rubbed for as long as you’ll rub it. She’s really fun to watch, and as long as you approach on her terms, she’s happy to have you around. I will be excited when she finds her real forever home, and hope she finds a person to appreciate her for the spirited little bit that she is.

If you’re interested in adopting Hilo or any of our other adoptable rabbits, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You’ll find a list of upcoming events we’ll be participating in, as well.

This adorable girl didn’t know what it meant to be loved and cared for until she came to Indiana HRS. She now lives in the lap of luxury with a great foster mom, and is learning what it’s like to have enough food, enough attention, and enough hay to simply toss around! Greta needs a home where her people will be patient with her, because she’s still very fearful of hands – to her, a hand reaching for her means she’s going to be shoved into a box to breed, but she’s coming around to the fact that hands can mean good things.

As you can see, Greta is looking and looking for her forever home. She’s a potential candidate for pairing with another altered rabbit – she did very well on a recent bunny date, although it was clear that she just wasn’t that into him, she behaved like a lady the entire time. If you’re interested in adopting Greta, or any of our other adoptable rabbits, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You’ll find a list of upcoming events we’ll be participating in, as well.

Juju came to us when her adoptive mom — and dedicated HRS volunteer — was killed in an automobile accident last spring. Juju is a great rabbit despite her hardships. She’s fun, she’s curious, and she loves to interact with her foster mom. It’s a good thing, because as you can see from the picture above, she needs frequent hair cuts to keep her in good shape.

This is Juju after her haircut. She looks and feels better!

Juju, just like all of our other adoptables, is looking for her forever home. She’ll need a special home, because in addition to being 1) a long-haired rabbit and 2) a red-eyed white rabbit, she has also been diagnosed with recurrent upper respiratory infections. It’s manageable, but she’ll need medical care for the rest of her life. Hopefully that life will be long — she’s only a little over 2 years old!

If you are interested in Juju, or any of our other adoptables, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You can also find a list of upcoming adoption and education events in the state of Indiana — stop by and see us!

Who wouldn’t love this boy? If you’re interested in adopting Lucky, or any other Indiana HRS adoptables, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You will also find a list of upcoming events within the state; feel free to join us!

This is Iris, a beautiful Californian girl. She was rescued from a neglectful situation only to spend several months in a shelter while the abuse case was decided in court. A fellow volunteer once said that the most stressful time in any animal’s life is the time they spend in a shelter… I think it’s very true. Despite her rough beginnings, Iris has blossomed in foster care. She can still be timid, but we think that with the right person she would be a wonderful companion.

If you’re interested in information about adopting Iris, or any other Indiana HRS adoptables, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You will also find information about upcoming events in the state.

Wendy was originally rescued from a neglect situation in Paragon, Indiana in 2004. She was being housed in a wire-bottomed cage beneath other rabbits (also in wire-bottomed cages) — the feces and urine were piled pretty high, and she and the other rabbits on the bottom were covered in urine stains. Other rabbits from that rescue had god-awful ear mites, upper respiratory infections, and toenails a mile long. It took a while for Wendy to come around to people in general, but today she’s a very sweet, outgoing, affectionate rabbit.

Waldo was actually born in foster care. We were called in April of 2004 to capture a white rabbit that had been spotted in a northside neighborhood. She presented us with a litter before we could schedule her for a spay — I can’t remember how many babies there were, but Waldo must look like his daddy, because Mary Alice — his mom — is pure white. Waldo was so named for the “W” that spreads across the top of his head as he sheds. Which is constantly. Fortunately his gray fur sort of blends with everything.

Wendy & Waldo were adopted into a pairing situation in late 2005, but were returned in 2006. The family that adopted them really didn’t set Wendy & Waldo up for success… they were allowing the children to be the primary caregivers, despite all our education to the contrary. Children simply cannot — and should not — be primary caregivers for animals. They aren’t intuitive enough to know when something subtle is wrong, and for prey animals especially this can be a death sentence. Prey animals hide their symptoms well so as not to appear weak, and by the time symptoms of illness are visible it can be too late. Anyway, they moved in here, with me, and they’ve been with me now for almost two years. These two are my “bedroom bunnies”, and they keep me company in my room. They love their playtime, although Waldo, who is more timid, prefers to be where he can see Wendy at all times. She’s his protector.

If you’re interested in information about adopting Wendy & Waldo, or any other Indiana HRS adoptables, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You will also find information about upcoming events in the state.

Claudia is the more reserved of the pair, though she becomes more outgoing when her sister is in close proximity. With her “feathered” hair, she’s quite a glamour girl, don’t you think?

Miriam is the nosy bird, always interested to see what’s going on? What are you doing? Whatcha up to? Can you stop to pet me? She obviously gives her sister confidence… they’re pretty sweet together, and will make some lucky person, or family, very happy.

If you’re interested in information about adopting Claudia and Miriam, or any other Indiana HRS adoptables, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You will also find information about upcoming events in the state.

Next week… more bunnies! Believe me, I could go on with this forever. And maybe I’ll actually do Wendy and Waldo, since I keep saying they’re next. You’ll have to tune in to see.

Lucky was originally rescued from a shelter where he had spent several months just waiting for the right person, or family, to come along. He was adopted out to a family with children a couple of years ago, and returned to Indiana House Rabbit Society a few months ago. We do a lot of education with every adopter, and sometimes it just doesn’t click… it’s unfortunate that it took this family two years to realize that a rabbit wasn’t the right type of pet for them. At any rate, Lucky is one of my foster rabbits, so I can tell you from personal experience that he is a clown!

He loves play time, when he gets to come out and have his way in the rabbit room. He does crazy leaps and twists in the air, which we bunny people call “binkies”. He loves to dig and shred, so he gets lots of old phone books to play with — they satisfy that natural urge for him and save my flooring, all at the same time. He just went through a huge bundle of apple sticks in record time, courtesy of our friend Amy, taking all the bark off each one of them before moving on to the next twig.

Lucky is also an affectionate rabbit. He loves attention, and he’ll dig at you and grunt and growl until he gets it, but he only wants to be petted. One night last week I was sitting on the floor with him, and he just flopped himself down in a big bunny puddle right beside me so I could lavish attention on him. I really felt bad when I finally had to get up… he’s just so sweet.

If you’re interested in information about adopting Lucky, or any other Indiana HRS adoptables, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You will also find information about upcoming events in the state.