My sis (who breeds and rescues unwanted rabbits)  has just  today taken in a female rabbit and 6 baby bunnies. Plus 4 babies from her previous litter, and the dad of them all INCLUDING the mum. The girls from the previous litter are also heavy with babies (too late to do anything other than wait for them to give bith)

These poor bunnies have been living a life of hell, they bought the rabbits from a pet shop, and though that a. wouldnt breed because they are related b. Rabbits are good outdoor pets, you only need one and dont mind living outside...NO NO NO NO!

Rabbits, like our canine pals are friendly, intelligent, must have companionship and above all have feelings.
They do not like and should not have to  sit in a wooden box with nothing to do, be fed the same boring dry food day in day out and only cleaned out on a saturday. By someone who bought the rabbit on a whim.
True, in the wild they live out all year round, but they have UNDERGROUND burrows where they can huddle together for warmth, they eat a lovely varied diet of wild grasses, fruit, berries etc etc. They have other rabbits for company, and are free to do as rabbits do.

Rabbits need companionship, entertainment and consideration.
When people go on about Pups and kittens being sold in pet shops, they dont think about the poor rabbits who probably have had a miserable start in life, had tired worn out mothers, then they are taken away to a noisy heated shop, where they are poked and prodded, then someone buys them and throws them out into the garden, when cute babies they get cuddles and picked up, probably roughly, so the bunny bites in self defence. so they are either left in the garden or they are passed from home to home.
Unlike most other domestic animals, rabbits although they come in lots of pretty colours to attract people into buying them, they are not that far removed from their wild relatives.
Of course there are good rabbit people out there, whose bunnies have wonderful lives. But I think it is high time that people realised that rabbits are not the easy, cheap and good for keeping the kids quiet.
They are wonderfully sweet intelligent and friendly creatures, who deserve the same consideration as canines and felines.

These poor rabbits are just a tiny fraction of the hundreds and thousands of rabbits out there who need some loving.

If you want a rabbit, please please do the same research you would do if you were going to buy a dog or a kitten. Dont buy a rabbit and expect it to be happy on its own in the garden. Buy two of opposite sex and neuter them. Do not buy the rabbit from a pet shop, or garden centre. No matter how pretty the bunnies are, you wont have a clue about the mother personality or temperment.
Look carefully for the breed that suits you and your lifestyle. And then look for a breeder as you would for a dog, ask questions, if you are not happy then walk away. Rabbits breeds are not all the same, as in dogs, there are different sizes, temperments, suitability for each situation. Better still go to your local rescue centre where they will have pairs of rabbits that are desperate for a loving home. The staff will know the characters and whether or not they need experienced owners.
If you can have the rabbit live indoors with you and your family.

There is no excuse for rabbits being bred "accidently" they can be neutered nowadays, there are risks as in dogs and cats, but death rates are rare.
There are thousands of toys for you to play with your rabbit with. My two (neutered girl and boy) both have mini kongs, climbing frames, sand pits, hammocks for beds etc. If you cant afford to pay for decent accomodation for the animals then you cannot afford to have one. The same as with dogs, they need vaccinated, wormed, flea'd, they need the vet, they need good quality bedding, and a good varied diet that should not be just the cheapest dry food from the supermarket.

Right, got that off my chest!

That is part of the problem. People dont know about them, dont do their homework and then go and buy them.
Some of them are coming over to me (the new babies and two of the pregnant girls) until we find good homes for them, and the rest are staying with my sis.
She never intended to become a rescue centre, but she now has more rescues that her own.

Update on the bun situation. We have had 27 rabbits (Plus a degu!) in the last two weeks!!! Between my sis, myself and various friends and family we now have 43 buns, thats not including our own!
I am so furious. I walked past a pet shop having a sale..kittens £15 bunnies £8 and piggies £6 
I just wish that this government would get of its backside, and ban the sale of any animal through pet shops, be it a puppy, fish, kitten, rabbit or hamster. For every pet shop with caring staff, there are 5 more who dont give a damn about that animal and its future. If folk want a pet then they should look for a decent breeder, or rescue (please!)
No animal should be purchased along with your milk and bread.

Rant over!

If anyone can help then please PM me.

Even worse is that Pets at Home are no longer selling birds, because they dont sell. Instead they are going to be offering Giant Rabbits!!! Some of them are bigger than a Jack Russell. The average person cannot look after them, no one realises that a rabbit is expensive. I spend £30 a month on the dogs and about £50 on the buns!

No Dutch rabbits arent that big, tho they are fiesty. Ive got one and she is more of a nightmare than the dogs put together. Some giants are around 18lbs and more. Probably Flemish Giant, Continental giant etc.
The thing is the buns that end up in pet shops are probably x breed, so no one has a clue how big they are going to get.

thats so sad . the one i saw was enormous!  i didnt even realise bunnies had or needed a  rescue.  at least we are aware now.

well you have made us all aware now. so hopefully something will come of it.

Hi fellow bunny person!

We are so full it is maddening. We had a little Polish in about two weeks ago, he was soo thin and the "owner" didnt even know when she had last fed him 
He was totally caked in poo and stank of wee. When we got it all off him, his skin was raw..looked so so sore. Anyway taken him in, been to vet had painkillers, steroids etc. Not once has he tried to bite, scratch or escape. He is beautiful.
I dont know why people do it. If you dont want them, how hard can it be to take em to a rescue centre or a vet? 
We are full, we run the rescue between about 6 of us..in total we have 34 buns in. We have gone and spayed all of the girls, some were pregnant, but had to do it, no more room.. and there are already too many!
Its pretty much hutch/garden space that is the problem..plus a large pet store that we all know the name of!