A Botetourt County man who had dozens of sick rabbits confiscated from his farm said he didn't intend to sell them as Easter pets until they were well.

"The whole thing's been blown out of proportion," Jack Cassell said in an interview Friday.

Botetourt County animal control officers confiscated 42 rabbits over the past few weeks from Cassell's farm off U.S. 220 near Fincastle.

The rabbits were all found to be suffering from a skin disease caused by mites that can be transferred to humans, according to the resulting investigation.

Botetourt County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jill Deegan said the rabbits were intended to be sold at Happy's Flea Market in Roanoke.

Greg Beecher, the manager at Happy's, said the sick animals likely wouldn't have made it through the front door, because he doesn't allow unhealthy or dirty-looking animals to be sold there.

"It wouldn't have happened," he said. "We're really strict about it."

Beecher said if he suspects animals are sick or not being cared for properly, he either turns the owners away or calls animal control officers to check out the animals. The market's policy on dogs, for example, is that sellers provide documentation of shots and birth records.

Cassell, 81, who got into trouble with Botetourt County authorities in 2006 over the improper care of horses on his farm, said he spent $1,700 getting the rabbits treated by a Roanoke veterinarian.

"I was working like crazy on them," he said. "I wouldn't spend a thousand and some dollars on them if I wasn't concerned."

Cassell said he didn't intend to sell the rabbits until they got better.

"You can't sell a sick animal," he said.

Cassell appeared at a hearing before a Botetourt general district court judge March 3 to answer to two charges of animal neglect after animal control officers seized two rabbits from his farm last month.

A judge's ruling on the charges was postponed until April 2 pending a court order for Cassell to undergo a mental evaluation to determine whether he can continue to have animals on his farm.

Since the hearing, dozens more rabbits were seized this past week from Cassell's property and found to be suffering from the same skin condition.

So far, no additional charges have been filed against Cassell.

He was convicted in 2006 for not caring properly for horses on his farm. He pleaded guilty that year to two counts of depriving an animal of food and water.

Later that year, Cassell was found in contempt of court twice for ignoring a court order to discontinue breeding horses or have stallions on his farm.