The Rabbit Tree, Hedgesville, WV (2026)

Permanent sanctuary will be provided for domestic rabbits if they cannot be adopted due to chronic illness, age, or behavioral issues. Please see our website at https://therabbittree.org for more information and to see our adoptable bunnies.

05/28/2026

🐇 FOUND A BABY BUNNY ALONE? PLEASE READ BEFORE “RESCUING” IT 🐇

Every spring and summer, kind people find tiny baby rabbits sitting alone in the grass and assume they’ve been abandoned.

Most of the time, they have NOT been abandoned.

Mother rabbits do something that surprises many people:
They leave their babies alone almost all day long.

This is actually a survival strategy. Wild rabbits do not stay at the nest because predators can smell them. Mama usually returns only around dawn and dusk for a very quick feeding, sometimes only for a few minutes.

That means a nest full of babies can look “orphaned” even when everything is perfectly normal.

💔 Sadly, many healthy baby bunnies die after being unnecessarily removed from the wild.

Here’s what to do instead:

✔️ If the babies are warm, quiet, and uninjured — LEAVE THEM ALONE.
✔️ Keep dogs, cats, and children away from the nest.
✔️ If you accidentally disturbed the nest while mowing, gently place the grass/fur back over it. Mama WILL return, even if humans touched the babies.
✔️ Watch from a distance. Do not hover nearby.

🚨 A baby bunny may truly need help if:
- It is bleeding or visibly injured
- Covered in flies or ants
- Cold and weak
- Crying continuously
- Brought in by a cat or dog
- Found wandering with eyes closed

And remember:
A fully furred baby rabbit with open eyes, upright ears, and the ability to hop is often already old enough to be on its own — even if it looks tiny to us.

Sometimes the kindest rescue… is leaving them alone and where they are ❤️❤️

05/21/2026

🚨 THE GREAT WALL OF P**P 🚨
A Rabbit Tree Diplomatic Crisis

For MONTHS, Jefferey Nono and neighboring rabbit Ruby participated in what experts are now calling “a highly emotional territorial dispute.”

Every morning, both parties carefully placed fresh p**p directly along the shared border fence like tiny furry property lawyers.

Neither side appeared willing to negotiate.

Jefferey insisted:
“This side is MY kingdom.”

Ruby responded:
“We shall see.”

Meanwhile, humans were forced to sweep up what appeared to be the world’s smallest international incident.

HOWEVER…

In a shocking political development, Jefferey and Ruby have since been BONDED and now live together peacefully.

Mostly peacefully.

They still occasionally engage in strategic p**ping during moments of disagreement, because apparently rabbits never completely forget old wars.

🐰 IMPORTANT RABBIT FACT:

Rabbits are VERY territorial animals — especially females. Many people expect rabbits to behave like cats or dogs and are surprised when their bunny suddenly becomes possessive, grumpy, or defensive about their space.

This is one of the many reasons SPAYING and NEUTERING is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things you can do for your rabbit.

Sterilization helps:
• reduce territorial aggression
• improve litter habits
• reduce spraying/marking
• improve bonding success
• create calmer, happier relationships between rabbits and humans

But there is another VERY important reason:

Female rabbits have an EXTREMELY high risk of developing life-threatening reproductive cancers if left unspayed. Some studies estimate the risk becomes very high as they age.

Spaying can literally SAVE THEIR LIFE.

It does NOT completely erase personality or territorial instincts (as the occasional strategic p**p still demonstrates), but it often makes a HUGE difference in both behavior and long-term health.

A rabbit who trusts you and feels safe can become one of the sweetest companions imaginable.

A hormonal rabbit may instead choose… psychological warfare.

Welcome to rescue life. 🐇

💚 If you enjoy our bunny stories and want to support sanctuary rabbits here at The Rabbit Tree, please like, share, follow, or donate.

05/19/2026

Hello friends. ❤️

Some of you may have wondered why The Rabbit Tree has been so quiet for such a long time.

The truth is… life became very big, very fast.

In January of 2024, I survived a ruptured brain aneurysm that nearly killed me. Since then, life has looked very different than it used to. There have been hospitals, surgeries, rehab, vision problems, mobility struggles, and more frustrating moments than I can count. Recovery has been slow, messy, painful, and sometimes very funny in ways I never expected.

Through all of it, the animals remained.

The rabbits still demanded snacks with the confidence of tiny furry landlords.
The cats still acted like they pay the mortgage.
And somewhere in the middle of all the chaos, The Rabbit Tree remained what it has always been:
a home built from love, stubbornness, and second chances.

For a long time, I didn’t know how to come back here. I felt embarrassed that I couldn’t do everything the way I used to. But I’ve realized something important:

The Rabbit Tree was never supposed to be about perfection.

It was always about survival, compassion, humor, and finding beauty in strange little moments — even the chaotic ones.

So I’d like to start posting again.

Not just rescue updates, but stories.
The funny ones.
The heartbreaking ones.
The weird Appalachian wildlife stories.
The rabbit drama.
The cat nonsense.
The moments that make life feel meaningful.
And maybe a few thoughts from a woman who survived having her brain explode and still has to argue with rabbits about hay distribution policies.

Thank you to every person who stayed here quietly while life carried me off course for a while.

I’m still here.
And so are the bunnies. 🐇

Kellie

04/03/2026

🚫🐰 PLEASE READ BEFORE EASTER — THIS MATTERS 🐰🚫

I need to say this as clearly as I possibly can:

Under absolutely NO circumstances should rabbits be given as Easter gifts. None. Ever.

Not as a surprise.
Not for a child.
Not “just this once.”

Every single year, it ends the same way—and it’s heartbreaking.

When the excitement wears off, these rabbits are abandoned, neglected, or dumped outside. And let me be very clear:

Domestic rabbits do NOT survive outside.

They don’t “go live happy in the wild.”
They are chased, attacked, starve, freeze, or are hit by cars.
They suffer. Slowly. Terrifyingly.

And even the ones who stay in homes often endure:

• Rough handling that leads to broken bones
• Constant fear and stress
• Improper care that causes illness and pain

I have seen it. I have held rabbits who were suffering because someone thought they would make a cute Easter gift.

Rabbits are not decorations.
They are not toys.
They are not temporary.

They are fragile, emotional animals who require years of care, vet visits, proper diet, safe housing, and daily attention.

This is not a holiday decision. This is a long-term responsibility.

So please—if you care at all about animals—
DO NOT GIVE A RABBIT AS A GIFT.

Buy candy. Buy stuffed animals. Celebrate however you want—
just do not make a living animal pay the price for a holiday.

I am begging you. 🐰💔

Address

Hedgesville, WV
25427

Telephone

+13045790662

Website

https://therabbittree.org/

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