Nurturing a rabbit in need is to step into a quiet kind of heroism—one rooted not in grand gestures, but in the everyday acts of patience, presence, and tenderness. Whether caring for a fragile, elderly bunny or offering refuge to a newly rescued soul, the journey of compassionate caregiving is as transformative for the human as it is for the rabbit.

These sensitive animals require more than just food and shelter; they need to be seen, heard, and held in spaces of safety and gentleness. Nurturing, in this context, becomes a language of healing—a way to restore dignity to rabbits whose bodies may be ailing or whose spirits have been dimmed by trauma. It is through this delicate, intentional care that we not only help them heal, but also rediscover a deeper part of our own humanity.

This caregiver transforms the lives of adopted, fostered AND rescued rabbits (with her own rabbit rescue) through love and tireless dedication to their welfare. She needs no introduction as most of you will be quite familiar with her from Instagram. Her positivity and sense of humor can make anyone feel inspired when nurturing their own rabbits. I always look forward to her educational and fun loving stories and especially love the “Cilantro Crunch Cam”!

May’s Compassionate Caregiver

One Nurturing Soul’s Powerful Impact

Shanleigh Knittel

My name is Shanleigh Knittel. Our bunnies’ (and chinchilla) Instagram account is @obibunfuriends. I work full-time in the technology transformation space for a major clothing retailer while running Operation Obi (@operation.obi), a rabbit rescue I founded late last year. I basically work 2 full-time jobs, so free time is hard to come by, but any I get is spent with my husband (aka bundad) and our furry family members or creating educational content for social media. I’m a licensed House Rabbit Society Educator so education is really important to me, both in staying up-to-date myself and in sharing that information with other bunny parents to improve the lives of rabbits everywhere.

Our first bunny, Obi Bun Kenobi, was my best friend, my heart bun, and my inspiration. He was found as a stray and taken to our local humane society where he faced euthanasia until Ohio House Rabbit Rescue stepped in. They saved him so that we could foster and eventually adopt him. We had nine amazing years together, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Since adopting Obi, we’ve adopted 10 other rabbits and one wild
chinchilla. In addition to our own bunnies, over the years, we’ve also cared for countless rabbits through our rescue and fostering through other rescues. They’ve all taught me something and they’ve all left an impact on our lives.

Obi was a black lionhead and I have such a soft spot for black bunnies because of him. They’re often overlooked in rescues and shelters similarly to REW (red-eyed white) rabbits. I’m also very passionate about behavioral cases and medical cases having a great deal of experience with both over the years. We’ve cared for rabbits with everything from chronic upper respiratory issues to vestibular disease to arthritis to megacolon. I gravitate toward the bunnies who are overlooked for one reason or another and I’ve found the relationships I’ve had with these bunnies to be the most special and rewarding.

A Typical Day Nurturing Rabbits

The bunnies wake us up early for breakfast. At that time I also top off everyone’s hay, administer any medications, and do physical therapy for our bunnies who have vestibular disease from either e. cuniculi or an inner ear infection. Caring for the 20- something animals in our care on a daily basis can be time-consuming so I try to break up refreshing litter boxes and water bowls in between work meetings. I’m a bit of a neat freak in a house full of animals and a husband with hay allergies, so vacuuming at a minimum is a daily occurrence as well.

In the evening, we give everyone dinner, finish refreshing any remaining litter boxes and water bowls, administer evening medications and sub-q fluids for our bunnies who need them, and let our chinchilla out to play. At times, daily care has also involved more advanced therapy (i.e electromagnetic), butt baths, nebulization, or the constant supervision of a bunny battling vestibular disease.

Biggest Challenge

My biggest challenge is always feeling like I’m not doing enough. I spend so much time just meeting the needs of all the animals in our care that I often feel like I don’t have enough time to dedicate to just bonding and enjoying time with them. I basically spend all my time on the floor, whether I’m working or watching TV, so that I can spend time with the bunnies simultaneously. I also never quite feel like I’m doing enough from an educational and rescue perspective. I’ve had several people throughout my life tell me that I can’t save them all, but I feel like I at least have to try.

Advice

We’ve had so many people say to us on Instagram over the years that they feel like a bad bunmom/bundad for one reason or another. My response is always that if you feel that way, if you feel like you’re not doing enough or you’re beating yourself up over not being perfect, then trust me you’re not a bad bunny parent. There’s so much out of our control, but if you’re doing your best to keep your bunny happy and healthy, if you’re constantly worrying about them and worrying that you’re not doing enough, then they’re so lucky to have you.

Support

My husband is the most supportive person I know and I’m so lucky to have him backing everything I do. On top of that, I’m blessed with so many supportive friends, family members, and even Instagram followers whom I’ve never even met. Most of the friendships and connections I’ve made over the years have been through volunteering at our local rescue or shelter, though. I can’t say enough amazing things about volunteering and the support group that you can find in doing so.

That said, it’s still hard when one of your bunnies isn’t at their best. This year especially has been a challenging one as two of our bunnies battled e. cuniculi (EC) and another an inner ear infection that left all of them with vestibular issues. I just try and take things day by day. I make lists, I prioritize what needs to be done, and I try to regularly remind myself that I can only do my best and that’s okay.

Adaptations

We’ve made so many adjustments and adaptations throughout our bunnies’ lives. The bunny who comes to mind most when I think of special adjustments is Hershey. Hershey lived to be around 12-13 years old and in his last few years with us he battled arthritis. When he first started showing signs of arthritis we got him a low-entry litter box and cut the entrances to his hidey houses so that he never had to jump over anything to enter them. Eventually, we moved to using a gardening tray as his litter box and had to buy him supportive socks.

In his final months with us, we kept him on washable pee pads and vet bed that needed changed every 1-2 days, he had multiple beds that he used for comfort and support, and little bumpers around his space to keep him safe. He was pretty immobile in his last few months, so enrichment became even more important during that time. We were regularly swapping out and trying new toys, treats, and hays. Anything to keep him happy until he told us it was his time.

This year alone we’ve made so many adjustments to the lives of Kahlua, Copper, and Rey as they battle and recover from vestibular disease. When they were first diagnosed and at their worst, we kept each of them in a padded stroller to protect them as they rolled. We eventually moved them to a padded laundry basket with a little more space, then to a padded playpen when they were on their feet and mobile again. We just take things day-by-day and find or make adjustments as our bunnies need them.

We don’t travel much with so many animals in our care, but we are very lucky to have friends and family willing to step in and help out when we do travel. I think there’s such a need for rabbit-savvy pet sitters. That has been something that we’ve, thankfully, been able to find through volunteering over the years. On a daily basis, I am very lucky to have a job that allows me to work remote. I, honestly, don’t know how I’d be able to care for 20-something animals, many with special needs, otherwise.

Recommended Products

There are so many life-changing products that I could recommend. We have a lot saved in our story highlights on Instagram and in our Amazon storefront to share as much as possible with those who could also benefit from the products we use. Some that initially come to mind, though, are washable pee pads (we find them cheapest on AvacareMedical.com), Vetbed (or Sheepette works similarly), and the Garland Tidy Tray as a litter box (we purchase through GreenhouseMegastore.com). We’ve used these items for years and they’ve made life so much easier for our bunnies with special needs.

Supplements

I’m a big believer in the power of herbs, so we have a wide rotation that we mix into the bunnies’ daily salad. We also mix in things like flax for joint support, our Copper is on a liver supplement currently that our vet compounds which is more holistic, and I tend to gravitate toward more holistic treats like those from The Well Kept Rabbit or Paw Kreations. We’re also a big proponent of things like electromagnetic therapy and acupuncture.

Vet Recommendation

We’ve been blessed to find and build great relationships with many amazing veterinarians over the years. We started out in Columbus, OH with Dr. Susan Borders who is currently at Animal Hospital of Pataskala and has her own mobile practice, Borders Veterinary Service, LLC.

We also saw Dr. Jew at MedVet Hilliard, who remains our after hours emergency vet, even at 3 hours away since we are now in Pittsburgh, PA.

Here in Pittsburgh, we primarily use Dr. Backus at Bethel Park Animal Clinic for our bunnies and Dr. Treese at All Pet Animal Hospital for the rescue bunnies. I’ve learned so much from these amazing veterinarians over the years and am so grateful for everything they’ve done for us.

Final Thoughts…

Nurturing a rabbit in need begins with presence—an attentive, grounded awareness that sees beyond illness, fear, or trauma. Rabbits are sensitive beings that thrive in calm, secure environments, and a nurturing caregiver understands that healing often starts with silence, softness, and safety. Providing comfort may mean something as simple gently hand-feeding herbs to a rabbit too weak to forage on their own.

Special-needs rabbits require a deeper kind of devotion, one that balances medical vigilance with emotional intuition. For them, every day must be thoughtfully structured around comfort, accessibility, and nourishment. A nurturing caregiver becomes an emotional anchor, offering affection that is both consistent and unconditional.

When rabbits are rescued from abandonment, nurturing takes on a sacred quality—it becomes an act of restoration. Many arrive shut down, their bodies stiff with fear, their hearts burdened by the absence of safety. To nurture such a soul is to become a quiet witness to their story, holding space for them to unfold at their own pace with the quiet promise that no harm will come here.

This is the miracle of nurturing: it does not fix what has been broken, but it creates the conditions for wholeness to emerge. In the hands of a devoted caregiver, rabbits rediscover their natural rhythms, their joy, their curiosity. They learn that they are safe, they are valued—and they are finally home.