Our Story

Hi! It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Samantha Burns and I created Bebette's Bunny Rescue. We received our 501(c)3 status in January 2022 but did not know until March 2022 so that's when we really went into full swing rescuing. Since then, we have helped save as many bunnies as we can and help them find their forever homes.

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We started out like most bunny owners by buying a rabbit at the pet store. I walked in to grab dog food and saw a cute grey bunny who kept doing head bob movements. At the time, it seemed normal because I knew nothing about bunnies. The manager said he was healthy, neutered, and flown all the way from Spain! Can you believe it? I did. We bought a tiny cage and gave him some hay, lots of pellets, and carrots. That's what I learned from cartoons like Bugs Bunny who was always eating a carrot. Of course, I did not know how dangerous sugar overload was at the time. I started my research and found out rabbits are social animals and need friends so back to the pet store we go. There were two rabbits left and I felt bad for leaving one by itself, especially since I was told again they are healthy neutered males. Now we have 3 rabbits.

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Well in 2 months, I had 15 rabbits! NONE of the rabbits were fixed and one of them was a female. Unfortunately, her first litter had 6 kits that all passed after a day or two except one. Momma rabbit would not feed the surviving bunny and I didn't understand why. So I learned how to bottle feed and named her Bebette.

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30 days later we had 6 more rabbits. Momma rabbits can get pregnant within the hour they give birth which explains how she was pregnant again even after separating once we found the babies. Now, what do we do with 15 rabbits?

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While this is all happening, our first grey rabbit starts stumbling. After multiple exotic vet visits with multiple doctors, we learned he has a neurological disorder. He is not in any pain but does have trouble moving around and his head bob intensifies when stressed. When I called the pet store manager to tell him about our adventure, he simply said I could bring them back. At this point, I was invested and wanted to learn proper rabbit care so I said no and found educational sources like the House Rabbit Society and Lennon the Bunny.

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Fast forward 3 years later and we started the rescue! I made every mistake possible as a new bunny owner who impulsively bought a rabbit from a pet store. The business lied about their health, gender, vet care, and overall how to take care of a bunny. My passion is educating others when they are deciding to add a house rabbit to the family and making sure they are confident when taking their new bunny home. We spay and neuter, microchip, give nail trims, and litter train the best we can before adoption. I also provide a required education class before adoption so that families know what to expect and are ready for the 8-10 year commitment.

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We were heartbroken when Bebette passed away at a young age due to surgery complications. Since then, I have created a small rhyming children's book called "A Day with Bebette the Bunny" and the rescue in her name.

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