Need some bunny to love? Pongo the handsome rabbit is looking for a new home

Rabbits can be the perfect, quiet, indoor pet. Bunnies are curious, enjoy playing with toys, appreciate grooming and are predisposed to litter box training.

Pongo is a handsome young rabbit who is at the San Luis Obispo County Animal Services shelter and in need of a home. He’s less than 2 years old.

Pongo’s not alone. More than a half dozen rabbits arrived at the shelter because their previous owner let things get out of hand, resulting in an abundance of bunnies.

Honestly, rabbits do contribute to their own plight. One couple can give birth to up to 14 bunnies every month, potentially 168 per year -- and if their babies have babies, the numbers becomes astronomical.

Due to this potential exponential growth, it’s best to house bunnies separately if they’re not spayed or neutered.

Indeed, dust-ups between unaltered male bunnies is not unusual.

In his previous home, poor Pongo was bitten on the nose. He’s healing well, though we suspect he’d be thrilled to be a solo house rabbit.

According to the House Rabbit Society, bunnies benefit from having a cage.

Cages provide a comfortable home base for rabbits, which is important in litter box training and keeps them safe when they’re home alone. For more information, visit the society’s website at www.bit.ly/1XxHKus.

All Animal Services adopters receive discounts at Farm Supply and Lemos Feed & Pet Supply, so you can set your furry new family member up in style.

Want to do some bunny some good? Pongo’s waiting.

For more information about Pongo (ID No. 25892), call the volunteer line at the San Luis Obispo County Animal Services shelter at 805-781-4400 or visit www.slocounty.ca.gov/aserv. The shelter is located at 885 Oklahoma Ave., off Highway 1, in San Luis Obispo.

It costs just $5 to adopt Pongo or any of his rabbit pals.

The full-price adoption fee is $81 for cats and $115 for dogs, plus a $28 county license fee for dogs, if the adopters are San Luis Obispo County residents.

The adoption fee includes a new collar, a spay or neuter operation, basic vaccinations, a microchip and eligibility for a free veterinary check within San Luis Obispo County. Cats also are tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus, and adopters receive a carrier.

This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 5:05 AM.