Suaz Forsythe of Rabbit Wranglers holds one of the 75 rabbits rescued from a garage in Mercer County on Monday. The rabbits were kept as pets but had to be rescued after their owner died.

PITTSBURGH — More than six dozen rabbits are in need of new homes after they were rescued Monday from a residence in Mercer County.

Pittsburgh-based Rabbit Wranglers and the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society rescued 75 rabbits from the garage of a man who had died Sunday.

The man, who lived in a rural area north of Grove City, kept the animals as pets, said Suaz Forsythe of Rabbit Wranglers.

Concerned for the rabbits, his daughter contacted numerous animal shelters and rescue organizations when he became ill and the two Pittsburgh-based groups coordinated the rescue operation.

“You can tell they were well cared for. They are wonderful creatures, and they deserve a second chance,” Forsythe said.

The rabbits were brought back to the humane society’s shelter in Pittsburgh on Monday where they were washed and evaluated.

Three of them needed emergency surgery and many of the male rabbits had a virus and are being treated with antibiotics, though all are expected to fully recover.

Once healthy, they will all be spayed and neutered.

Aside from some “thumping” and flailing when they were removed from their cages, the rabbits were well behaved and not aggressive toward people, said Mary Withrow, shelter director for the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society.

The family had names for all 75.

But it is highly unusual for anyone to have more than just a couple rabbits at a residence as pets, she said.

“It’s something where the population got out of hand; none of them were spayed and neutered,” she said.

Some of the rabbits will be distributed to rescue shelters in the region. They include: Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, Animal Friends shelter in Wexford, Animal Rescue League in East Liberty and the Lawrence County Humane Society in New Castle.

Most of the rabbits are in foster homes where they are being taken care of by volunteers while they receive medical treatment.

Rabbit Wranglers is seeking homes for the rabbits and also donations of money to help cover medical costs.

Anyone interested in adopting or making a donation is asked to send an e-mail to Alyssa@rabbitwranglers.org.