Hop to It: Rabbit Wranglers of Pittsburgh in Need of Foster Families

READING TO THE RABBITS AT PLEASANT HILLS LIBRARY / PHOTO COURTESY OF RABBIT WRANGLERS

Suaz Forsythe didn’t know she was a “rabbit person” until she met Schmuck.

Years ago, her then-boyfriend impulsively purchased the furball from a pet store near his college dormitory. Poor Schmuck was stuck in a cramped carrier around the clock.

“It was one of those instances that happens every Easter — people grab a rabbit because it’s cute, but have no backup plan,” says Forsythe, founder of Rabbit Wranglers, a Pittsburgh nonprofit focused on helping abused, neglected and abandoned buns. “I took the rabbit and left the boyfriend.”

Rabbits are the third most popular companion animal, and impulse buys skyrocket in the springtime. Once the Sunday Bun-day reels are posted on social media, and folks face pet ownership in real life, many domestic critters are surrendered to already-inundated shelters or “set free” in the wild, even though they lack the survival instincts of their wild brethren.

Rabbit Wranglers were wrangling rabbits last Easter and they’ll probably be at it again on April 5.

The team has also rescued large rabbit populations from hoarding situations and backyard breeders and taken in furry out-of-state patients with complicated medical conditions.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RABBIT WRANGLERS

Since Rabbit Wranglers doesn’t have its own brick-and-mortar facility, it relies on local shelters such as Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh and Animal Friends, as well as a network of about 40 foster families caring for twice as many cottontails.

The organization needs more volunteers who can hop to it. Forsythe admits she didn’t know a thing about the little varmints when she hightailed it with Schmuck. As a fellow vegetarian, at least she could share a meal with her new roommate.

She now runs Rabbit Wranglers with fellow expert Alyssa O’Toole. They implore bunny-curious people to schedule an orientation session. Volunteers will be given everything they need to transform their homes into Lagomorph lounges, from exercise pens and vinyl flooring to food and litter boxes.

Yep, bunnies can be litterbox trained.

What are some other facts about these creatures?

The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes 52 distinct breeds, including Netherland dwarfs, English lops and Lionheads. They have unique personalities, know their names and will come when called. Bonded pairs will keep each other happier, healthier and hoppier.

As prey animals, rabbits often hide their illnesses and injuries. Females have an 85 percent chance of developing reproductive cancer. Rabbit Wranglers has a partnership with Dr. Robert Wagner, a local veterinarian who specializes in exotic pets. He works out of VCA hospitals in Aspinwall and Ross. Rabbit Wrangler bunnies are vaccinated and have five to 10 vet trips before they go to their forever home.

Unsure if you’re a “rabbit person?” Get to know one (or two) in person. An adorable picture is worth a thousand words on social media, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Over the decades, volunteers have escorted rabbit representatives to educational workshops, Easter egg hunts, Bad Hare Day grooming clinics, photos with Elmer Fudd, screenings of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and meet-and-greets, where even the family dog can sniff out the species.

Reading with the Rabbits takes place at area libraries, giving kids a chance to recite their favorite books to an audience that’s all ears.

A call or email to Rabbit Wranglers can help new owners through the ups and downs and provide assistance finding food and veterinary care. Spay and neuter services are pricey, but the surgeries will eliminate many bad behaviors.

A nonprofit since 2010, the organization is primarily funded through private donations. Three years ago, Furries raised more than $52,000 for bunnies.

Rabbit Wranglers was the official charity of 2023’s Anthrocon, the annual party for fans of anthropromorphic, or human-like, animal characters.

Last summer’s event welcomed more than 18,000 attendees from around the world. The pack will be back at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center July 2-5, making change via Bucket Brigades for another local nonprofit organization.

Despite high temperatures, don’t be surprised if you see folks chillin’ Downtown in bunny suits.

“We do what we can and hope that when someone kneejerks and buys a rabbit, they reach out to us and ask for information,” Forsythe says. “Our goal isn’t to take rabbits away from people; our goal is to show people how magical rabbits are and that they can’t live without them!”