Suffolk RSPCA appeal for home for 'heartbroken' bunny
Poppy has been in their care for more than 2 years.
Poppy is the longest staying rabbit at the RSPCA Suffolk Centre Branch, and she originally came into the care with her beloved sister.
Both Lilly and Poppy fell poorly with a chronic infection called snuffles, and despite the team’s best efforts and treatment, they lost Lilly.
Poppy grieved for her sister for a long time, and now finds comfort in a similarly coloured rabbit teddy bear, which she grooms and treats like her companion.
Zoe Barrett, Centre Manager said: “Poor Poppy has been through so much in her little life and all we want to do is find her a forever home where she can once again find happiness.
“She missed her sister so much - she was heartbroken - but she still shows lots of love and affection to her human companions, and her teddy of course.
“Although Poppy is not symptomatic, she will carry the infection for life.
“This is why we have desperately been trying to find Poppy an indoor home with no other pets, or with a neutered male rabbit who has also been diagnosed with snuffles. As the infection is contagious to other rabbits, This has meant that her options have been really limited.
“We know the importance of rabbits having same species company, as they can show signs of depression and loneliness without. However as Poppy is so attached to her human companions we feel she’ll benefit from being in a home environment potentially without another rabbit, instead of spending the rest of her life in our care.
“Poppy would need a room to call her own that is rabbit proof and has lots of enrichment.
“She is the cleanest rabbit we’ve ever cared for and always uses her litter trays to go to the toilet.
“Poppy enjoys time on the grass in a secure run and will happily climb onto the lap of people she trusts for gentle strokes and hand feeding.
“We’d love 2024 - the RSPCA’s 200th anniversary year - to be the year that Poppy finds her forever home, please help us spread the word about this wonderful bunny.”
Poppy’s symptoms can surface in stressful situations like vet visits. Her symptoms usually extend as far as sneezing, and watery eyes but she previously needed vet treatment when more severe as they can lead to bouts of gut stasis.