Bunny party for Sydney vet’s lockdown-induced rabbit adoption surge

One Sydney vet, who has seen a surge in rabbit adoptions during Covid lockdowns, is hosting a party for their new furry clients while urging owners to remember best-practice care methods.

Pictured at Bellvue Hill in Sydney is vet nurse April Isla with a 12-week-old rabbit. Rabbits were a popular pet during lockdown. Picture: Richard Dobson

A surge in rabbit adoptions during Covid lockdowns has inspired one Sydney vet to host a party to celebrate their new furry clients and encourage owners to use the best practices to care for their new pets.

“We saw a three-fold increase in the number of bunnies at the clinic, with rabbits overall surpassing the number of certain breeds of dogs we tend to, and we now see over 100 bunnies annually,” Southern Cross Vet owner Sam Kovac said.

“We’ve had a lot of families who have never had a pet now realising what joy they bring.

“Rabbits can live a perfectly happy life never leaving an apartment complex, they are a convenient, commonsense pet for high-rise living.”

Dr Kovac said rabbits are intelligent, toilet trained and “arguably more affectionate than cats”.

April Isla is one of the vets at Southern Cross Vet in Bellevue Hill, which has seen a surge in rabbit adoptions due to the Covid lockdowns. Picture: Richard Dobson

The vet is hosting a rabbit party in November for its new furry friends. Picture: Richard Dobson

“All of these attributes make them ideally suited to a work-from-home lifestyle, or people who need to be at the office, as rabbits don’t require as much maintenance as dogs and cats,” he said.

Dr Kovac said unlike many dogs which were adopted during lockdown and then discarded after, rabbits haven’t had the same fate. Given the huge uptick in rabbits at his clinics, he’s hosting a party with an exclusive guest list: rabbits and their owners.

“We have puppy parties and senior dog parties, and we thought that as rabbits are now as much a part of the family as dogs, why not,” he said.

“It came from the idea of wanting to reward families who choose rabbits and elevate their chosen species as a really good alternative to dogs and cats.

Dr Sam Kovac, owner of Southern Cross Vet. Picture: AC Agency.

Baby rabbits and vets at Southern Cross Vet in Bellevue Hill, Sydney. Picture: Alexi Demetriadi

“We want to celebrate all that bunnies give to our lives by throwing a fun, informal, bunny bash!”

The bash will be at the vet’s Bellevue Hill location, while they also have clinics in St Peters and Surry Hills.

Importantly, the party will also remind owners of the best practices to care for their new pets.

“At the party, there’ll be nurse-guided discussions on diet considerations, housing, and training to help new bunny owners learn how to look after them,” Dr Kovac said.

“Bunnies aren’t zero maintenance, and we remind people considering to adopt that they can live up to 15 years, still require vaccinations and desexing, and regular visits to the vet, just like dogs and cats.”