Tears as Couple Find Abandoned and Injured Rabbit—Know What To Do

Newsweek

9 hours ago

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An abandoned bunny's rescue journey has captured the hearts of thousands online.
Holly Murphy (@sleepyforestdweller) from Mooresville, North Carolina, shared how she and her boyfriend found the bunny—now named Honeybun—in woodland on the side of the road in a state park.
"We are thinking he was an Easter gift that someone decided to dump after realizing he was too much responsibility. Honeybun was terrified and shaking, but immediately so sweet and trusting of us. He basically jumped into my boyfriend's arms! He was horribly matted and covered in urine. One of the vets we saw had to shave a golf ball-sized matted fur clump off of him and it was actually growing mold. This means he must have been neglected for his entire life," Murphy told Newsweek.
In a video shared to TikTok, Honeybun trembles in the car before they took him home and arranged veterinary care. The footage garnered 184,300 likes and 1.4 million views on TikTok.
A split image showing the abandoned bunny in the car and then in the safety of his crate.
A split image showing the abandoned bunny in the car and then in the safety of his crate.
@sleepyforestdweller//@sleepyforestdweller
Murphy and her boyfriend believe Honeybun is between four and five months old and suspect he suffered abuse at the hands of previous owners, who may have knocked out his teeth.
"It has been a very long and rough week, we've now taken him to 3 different vets, including an emergency room stay after he entered GI Stasis on Friday this past weekend," she said.
Gastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis) is a potentially life-threatening condition in rabbits where the digestive system slows down or stops entirely. It can be caused by stress, pain, dehydration, or poor diet, and may lead to a buildup of gas and harmful bacteria in the gut.
Murphy said the emergency vet was able to stabilize Honeybun and provide fluids, along with extensive tests including bloodwork and X-rays. He is now under the care of an exotic animal specialist for his mouth injury and may require costly dental work or even tooth extraction depending on the condition of his nerve. Despite it all, Murphy shared that Honeybun is now eating and drinking on his own and is "in better spirits." She described him as "the sweetest baby" who "loves lettuce, giving kisses, and sitting in my lap!"
The couple are fundraising for the bunny's veterinary care through a GoFundMe page.
The response on TikTok has been overwhelmingly positive, with users expressing gratitude and empathy.
"Thank you for taking this sweet bunny in and showing kindness and compassion to an animal in need," wrote PETA.
"The baby was so scared," commented Hannah.
"I also have a dumped bunny. Thank you for taking them in and saving them," added Taffy.
One user shared their own experience: "Have a similar story (un)fortunately. neighbors told me they had seen a baby bunny by the river but i kept thinking nah, surely had to be a rabbit.. and oh boy was i wrong. Luckily, I finally managed to catch him on day 3 right before we got first freezing temperatures. he's turning 4 this year."
Another echoed the sentiment: "I don't understand how people can think it's ok to just leave domestic animals out in the wild like that. thank you for rescuing and caring for this sweet baby," said Hannah.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [e-mail] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.