April 2, 2009

A bunny with two noses, pictured above, has found his way to a Connecticut pet store. (AP)

MILFORD, Conn. -- With double sniffing abilities, a special rabbit at a Connecticut pet store has been deemed too good to sell.

Purr-Fect Pets Inc., located in Milford, is committed to finding its two-nosed baby dwarf rabbit a home as special as his unique appearance.

"We want to make sure he has a really good home with people who will appreciate him," said Iris Bergeron, Purr-Fect Pets employee and proclaimed "bunny master."

The unnamed bunny was delivered to Purr-Fect Pets last week.

"The breeder came in with these two bags of rabbits and I like I always do, I took them in the back and checked them all out, to make sure they aren't sick or anything," Bergeron told Zootoo Pet News.

"He was the last one I pulled out of the bag and I just looked at him and was like, 'Am I seeing things?' "

Yet Bergeron was not seeing -- or smelling -- double.

The bunny indeed has two noses, but as his veterinarian said, does not have two nasal passages to match. So while he may not experience heightened smelling senses, the bunny does twitch both of his noses simultaneously.

The vet suspects a birth defect is to blame for the bunny's unique appearance -- yet she also said that it could be the result of the rabbit's parents' potential exposure to pesticides.

To Bergeron and the rest of the staff at Purr-Fect Pets, however, he is just "a regular ole' bunny rabbit."

"I think he's cute," Bergeron said. "His nose just seems kinda extra sensitive. He is very pretty, a very nice looking rabbit with nice blue eyes

"He hops like a normal rabbit, drinks, eats, plays, and is perfectly normal. He likes being held, now, because he is used to it. It's pretty cool."

Purr-Fect Pets is now turning to the public to name the bunny in a nationwide contest. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to the pet store. Some submissions include "Deuce," "Cyrano de Bergerac," "Twitch," and "Sniffers."

To nominate a name for the double-nosed bunny, call Purr-Fect Pets at 203-874-9250, or send a letter to 286 Boston Post Rd., Milford, Ct., 06460.

Amy Lieberman is a staff reporter for Zootoo Pet News. She can be reached at alieberman@zootoo.com.