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TALENT — Usually in the business of caring for cats and dogs, the Jackson County Animal Services shelter staff are nearly ready to declare a hallway “bunny row.” The shelter took in a dozen rabbits and farmed another six out to foster care as part of two separate cases last week. “We already had the one mama with the babies in foster care,” said shelter supervisor Rebecca Long. “We get one or two bunnies occasionally, but not 11 at once and never 18 at the same time.” In the first case, a lone bunny, Onyx, was about to be spayed in preparation for adoption when she lived up to her stereotype and delivered six long-eared kits. Days later, the second case evolved from “a suspicious ad on Craigslist,” according to Long. The ad offered “free bunnies” on the porch of an abandoned triplex apartment in Medford. “The person who brought them into us said the ad just said, ‘free rabbits,’” Long said. “It was supposed to be a rabbit and her babies but these are all different types and different ages of rabbits. They’re not from one litter.” The apartment’s landlord kicked in for a $20 surrender fee, Long said. “We typically charge $10 per stray animal. This many rabbits, it would have been $120 for expenses like food, bedding, spaying or neutering,” Long said. “So far, the Grange (Co-Op) donated some bales of hay for bedding and someone donated a bag of rabbit food.” Shelter manager Barbara Talbert said spay and neuter fees for all the bunnies will run about $61 per animal, or $1,098 total. To cover unexpected costs, the shelter relies heavily on donations and help from a network of foster families. Talbert said donations of cash, food and bedding are needed within the week. The older set of bunnies will be spayed and neutered next week, while the newly born critters won’t be ready for about eight weeks. “We find that they don’t get adopted too quickly here because people don’t think of bunnies when they come in to the shelter,” Talbert said. “They’re likely to sit here for longer, and the shelter can be a stressful place for the bunnies.” Following rumors of the newly dubbed “bunny row,” a lone guinea pig named Milo was surrendered to the shelter early this week. Of the slowly increasing non-dog and non-cat population, Talbert said with a sigh, “so Milo will need a forever home, too.” Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected].