I hope this post is allowed! There is disturbing written content of neglect (but no photos),

My name is Jasmine, I am 19 years old and currently reside in Northern California. I am engaged to a wonderful man whom I plan to spend the rest of my life with.

I am very pro rabbit rescue. I strongly advocate the spaying and neutering of rabbits. I am 100% AGAINST people breeding rabbits for ANY reason. I love hiking, jogging, and training animals.

I was lead into the world of house rabbits by heartbreak and the first-hand witnessing of rabbit abuse & neglect. As an ex- 4H rabbit raiser, I have seen the deplorable, 150ppm trapped ammonia conditions breeding and show rabbits are kept in. I have seen what inhumane things are done in the “rabbit business”. And I will let you all know now from my own long ago (long ago as in 5+ years ago) experience… one NEVER makes money raising rabbits the CORRECT way. In fact, one normally loses out on several hundred dollars each year from annual check-ups and veterinary treatment for disease.

Sounds unreal because it is!

Nobody raises rabbits correctly or ethically- do not purchase from pet stores or buy from breeders! (I am sure, you all know this already)

Back on topic, I just thought you all should know my past and how it has changed me in such a positive, proactive way.

I was a member of BinkyBunny back in 2009 when my beloved six month old bunny, Rowan, passed away unexpectedly. I left, because I did not have intentions of obtaining another bunny for several years.

I now own a single female bunny, named Ellesbietka (ellz-bee-et-kuh). She is a one year old mixed breed.

And this is her story…

I came upon a request I could not refuse. Rabbits in a state of desperation.

I came upon Ellesbietka a few weeks ago, the man who was keeping her knew nothing about rabbits or proper rabbit care. Ellesbietka was living outside in a small wire cage with a diet (supposedly) consisting of alfalfa pellets and algae water. Actually, when I answered this distress call, Ellesbietka and her friends had no water or food at all when I got there! She was infested with pinworms and lice. You could feel every single bone in her body. She was being kept in a small cage with three other rabbits, two of them unneutered males! She had a massive wad of feces and hair covering three quaters of her anus and vulva, almost entirely blocking bodily excretions from being dispelled.

It seemed that my two years of being rabbit-less was about to change and an operation went underway.

All of the rabbits were treated for internal and external parasites. All were switched onto an appropriate adult diet. All were separated and found a suitable home.

Ellesbietka’s bottom was finally shaved after having been weighted down by feces and matted hair for six months. You should have seen her binkies after “the big shave”! Just a week after I got her, she gave birth to four stillborn babies (not surprisingly) two were full term kits and two were half turm fetuses (rabbits have the ability to hold one insemination in one horn, and another in the other). Elles was really depressed after giving birth in such horrid body condition. Her sore, full teats were massaged on a daily basis until her milk “dried up” from no nursing.

She is just finally getting used to the goodness of indoor life. Elles loved getting unlimited hay from the very beginning, and her stomach is able to handle fruits, leafy greens, and vegetables very well. She is afraid of people, but will let me pet her and hold her for short periods of time. She is now starting to gain weight and her fur is growing back (she has very plush fur and a mane! appearing to be part lionhead or angora, she will be even more beautiful when she fully recovers). Ellesbietka will be spayed once I feel that she has gained more strength and internal wellness from proper feeding and treatment. Litter training will begin when her body is done replenishing the deficiencies it has had to deal with for her entire life.

For now, I don’t care if she leaves peepee puddles. I don’t care if I have to clean up bumbles three times per day. As far as I am concerned, this baby is entitled to a life of royalty after what she has been through.

I have no ‘BEFORE’ pictures, but I will get some pictures one she has settled in and is more comfortable with her surroundings.

Glad to be a part of the community,

Jas and a very grateful Ellesbietka