Inseparable rabbit family

Daphne and Groot share a special bond that melts the hearts of all they meet.

And now, the mother and son pair have found a loving home where they can remain together.

Daphne arrived at Hertfordshire Blue Cross in November last year alongside two other pregnant rabbits and a male from the same home.

Within days, eight-month-old Daphne and her sister Velma had given birth to nine kits between them. 
The third litter, belonging to their friend Fidget, sadly died during birth.

Rabbits are social creatures and need to live in pairs to be happy, and neutered bunnies of the opposite sex are normally the best matches.

So, as Daphne proved to be such a wonderful mum, instead of re-bonding her with Velma, the team decided to keep her with Groot, the kit she was particularly close to. 

Both have been neutered, which is essential for any opposite-sex pair to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Animal Welfare Assistant Aaron Potter says: “Their bond is really sweet – they’re often grooming each other and sleeping cuddled up together. Groot really looks up to Daphne and gets a lot of confidence from her.”

Daphne’s other kits – Twiglet, Florence and Pringle – were either bonded with one of Velma’s offspring or put up for adoption to be matched with a bunny already living in a home.

The case is sadly indicative of the ongoing rabbit welfare crisis.

A surge in bunny purchases during the pandemic, with many of them wrongly sexed, has led to unprecedented numbers of unwanted rabbits. And a worrying number of these have been abandoned on the streets.

Aaron says: “Sadly, a lot of people also buy rabbits unaware of the costs involved. They need regular worming treatments and vaccinations. 

“Providing the correct diet of quality, dust-extracted hay is also expensive, and they need lots of enrichment. A pair of rabbits can easily cost more to keep than a cat does.”