our animals

We welcomed 4 new bunnies to Kindred Farm, Donner, Pickles, Dirk, and Trouble (new name Treble).  They all came as single bunnies who were in need of some bunny friends.  But Donner and Dirk were never really accepted into the group or, as I like to think, they were just not interested in joining.  Donner found a quiet spot under a corner teepee where he would watch the goings on.  This seemed to suit him just fine. And of course, Donner and Dirk got extra TLC as we made sure they each got their own bowl of food and salad.

A few months later we introduced another Harlequin rabbit into the group, but we could always spot Donner easily because he had a little skin tag hanging off of his nose.

When we moved to our new farm this summer, it seemed that Donner and Dirk decided to join the gang.  Donner even found a friend in Cupid.  This made us all so happy.

This week, Donner was off again on his own and had to have his food and salad brought to him.  On Wednesday, he was very lethargic, and we brought him inside the office to monitor him.  I had a vet appointment for the next day at 11:00 but he passed in his sleep. This just happened to be my birthday.  I was content being able to mark his passing at the farm with some special moments with the other rabbits. If I wasn’t there, that’s when I really struggle.

Donner has the legacy of being one of the first rabbits rescued by Rabbitat Rescue in 2012.

As always, I am sad that I didn’t get to spend enough one-on-one time with Donner.  The rabbits at the farm are not that keen to be cuddled and fussed over.  To console me, I am thankful he got to experience life at the farm in his final days with fresh air, sunshine, rabbit friends and lots of digging.

We know that Donner was a pet rabbit who was “set free” at the Richmond Auto Mall. Rabbitat Rabbit Rescue caught him in 2012.  Being a domestic rabbit, Donner didn’t stand a chance out in the wild world. Instead he lived 12 good years.

“Rabbit abandonment is a large scale issue happening not only in the lower mainland, but throughout North America.

The lack of education regarding proper rabbit care is a large contributer to the issue of pet rabbit abandonment. Many pet owners are unaware that “setting their rabbit free” is harmful to both their pet, and the environment. People see wild rabbits and believe that their domestic rabbit is the same, and therefore, will also thrive in the wild. However, this is not the case.”
For more information visit
https://rabbitats.org