Well-meaning mom accidentally causes rabbit infestation at MI home, shelter says

An “overwhelming rabbit population” took over a home after a well-meaning mom bought a small number of pet bunnies for her kids, a Michigan shelter says.

Saginaw County Animal Care & Control received a call from the woman on April 16, asking for help dealing with what she estimated to be about 50 rabbits now residing at her residence, the shelter said in an April 30 news release.

“She had purchased a few rabbits as pets for her children but soon found herself unable to control their rapid breeding,” the shelter said.

The woman had tried to keep the rabbits apart, separating them from each other in the basement so they wouldn’t multiply — but they found a way around, by chewing through the drywall, “making it impossible to contain them,” the shelter said.

Once staff arrived at the address, they quickly realized there were many more rabbits than the caller estimated, “and that number continues to rise as many of the female rabbits have been giving birth daily,” shelter officials said.

Pregnancy in rabbits lasts only a month, experts say, and a mother rabbit can give birth to as many as 12 babies, or four on the lower end, and can become pregnant again the following day.

The shelter didn’t provide an exact figure on the number of rabbits taken from the home.

“Many of the rabbits required immediate medical attention, including treatment for fungal infections, injuries to their eyes and ears, and essential grooming such as nail trims,” officials said. Given that there are so many rabbits, neighboring Jackson County Animal Control has taken in some of them.

Once the rabbits are given proper treatment and a clean bill of health, they will be put up for adoption, officials said.

Saginaw is a roughly 100-mile drive northwest from Detroit.

This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Well-meaning mom accidentally causes rabbit infestation at MI home, shelter says."