An Unexpected Discovery
When a realtor unlocked the door to a vacant rental property, she expected to find the usual: a quiet, empty house waiting for new tenants. Instead, she was stunned. The place was a mess, filled with clutter and filth, but what shocked her most wasn’t the condition of the home. Inside a dirty playpen, in the middle of the chaos, she found a group of helpless baby rabbits that had been left behind.
The seven young bunnies had been living in squalor, surrounded by grime and without the proper care they so desperately needed. At first, the realtor didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t prepared to stumble into such a situation, but it was immediately clear the animals couldn’t stay there another day.
Her quick call for help set off a chain of events that would soon give the rabbits a second chance at life.
Living Alone for Nearly a Month
The realtor contacted Pumpkin’s Acres Rabbit Rescue, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping abandoned and neglected rabbits. When founder and executive director Lyla Frick learned about the situation, she was both horrified and heartbroken.
“The tenant moved out before Christmas, so the rabbits had been on their own for almost a month before someone reached out to us,” Frick explained.
It turned out that someone had been stopping by occasionally to scatter some pellets and provide water, but the effort was inconsistent at best. Sometimes, when the rabbits were checked on, they had no food or water at all. Even worse, they weren’t given any hay — the most crucial part of a rabbit’s diet, essential for digestion and dental health.
The fact that these fragile animals had survived for so long without proper care was astonishing. But their situation was dire. If they hadn’t been discovered soon, it’s unlikely they would have lasted much longer.
A Rescue Mission in Motion
As soon as Pumpkin’s Acres Rabbit Rescue received word, they rushed to collect the abandoned bunnies. What they found inside the home left them shaken.
The rescuers carefully gathered the rabbits from their dirty pen and transported them to safety. To their surprise, despite weeks of neglect, the animals appeared relatively healthy. Their resilience gave the team hope.
Still, the trauma of abandonment was clear. The bunnies were thin, skittish, and uncertain about the strangers now carrying them to safety. Yet within hours of arriving at their foster homes, they began to experience something they had never truly known before — care, comfort, and compassion.
Settling Into New Homes
Once the rabbits were safe, the rescue team had to make important decisions about where each one would go. None of the adult females had been bonded to each other, so separating them into appropriate foster homes was essential.
Mama rabbit, now named Brandy, was placed with her four babies — Mojito, Malibu, Bourbon, and Mimosa — in one foster home. The other two females, Kahlua and Amaretto, were placed in separate homes where they could begin their recovery individually.
At first, the bunnies were timid. After all, their short lives had been marked by neglect and survival. But soon, they began warming up to their foster families.
“They were a little shy at first but are settling in well,” Frick reported with relief.
For the first time, the rabbits had clean bedding, unlimited hay, and the gentle hands of people who truly cared about them. It was a world away from the conditions of the abandoned house.
Hope for the Future
The plan for the rabbits is simple: heal, grow, and eventually find forever homes. Each one will be spayed or neutered when the time is right, which is crucial for preventing unwanted litters and ensuring long-term health. Once they’re ready, Pumpkin’s Acres will begin matching them with loving families who understand the responsibility of caring for rabbits.
In the meantime, the bunnies are learning what it means to feel safe and cherished. They are nibbling on fresh vegetables, exploring their play areas, and stretching out on soft blankets — small luxuries that should have been theirs from the start.
“After what they experienced, they are excited for the love and attention of their foster parents, a clean bed, and all the hay they could ever want,” Frick said. “The neglect they faced hasn’t dampened their spirits at all. They are quite resilient!”
