Rehome your rabbit
The RWAF is an educational and campaigning organisation; we do not routinely rescue or re-home rabbits. We believe that rabbits should not be taken on lightly and owners should honour their commitment and provide the care the animals need for their lifetime. Re-homing should be the very last resort. However, we receive a lot of enquiries from owners who are set on re-homing their rabbits so h ave put together the following guidelines as to how to find good homes for unwanted rabbits:
If you are trying to re-home your rabbits, please do everything you can to ensure they are taken on by somebody who will provide the care they need. Please never advertise them in a local paper or pet shop as 'free to good home' as there are many horror stories about what has happened to rabbits given away in this manner. If you are re-homing them privately, i.e. to a friend or colleague, make sure you 'vet' any potential homes. These are our rehoming guidelines, use this as a check list and ensure that:
- Rabbits are going to be neutered (if not already) and kept with the company of another friendly, neutered rabbit (If you have 2 rabbits living together happily DO NOT split them up to re-home them)
- They are going to have spacious accommodation - ie a minimum of a 6ft hutch and access to a safe exercise area every day.
- They will have a healthy hay based diet
- They will be vaccinated annually.
- They are not going to be a children's pet - an adult should always be responsible for any pets in the house hold. So make sure that the adult is willing to take them on and care for them for the next 10 years.
- The new owner can afford to care for them properly, make sure they know the cost of food, vet bills and holiday care.
Please do not re-home rabbits to live a solitary life, locked in a hutch with little or no space to exercise . This is cruel.
If you are not going to re-home them privately you could contact:
- Your local vet - they may know of a suitable client who is looking for another bunny, and most vets are happy to let you advertise them for re-homing on their notice board.
- Your local rescue centres - they may have space to be able to take them in, or may get back in touch with you if they do not have space immediately. You may have to ring round a few before you find one that can help, as unfortunately most rescue centres are often inundated with rabbits. Please remember to make a donation if a rescue centre takes your unwanted pet as they are work under very tight resources with little or no funding.
- Websites such as:
http://www.rescuereview.co.uk/
http://www.saveafluff.co.uk/
http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/
may be of some help. - What about on line classified adverts such as Gumtree and Pre-loved?
However you advertise the rabbits, please make sure that you ask questions of the potential owners and satisfy yourself that they are going to a good home. Do not let the rabbits go to the first person that enquires about them, make sure you are doing the best for them and that they will have a happy and secure life ahead of them.
To enhance your chance of finding a new home ensure your rabbits vaccinations are up to date and they are neutered, this will increase the chance that someone will be able to integrate a new arrival into their home. Promoting responsible ownership starts at home.
Every pet rabbit deserves to have a life worth living, so if you do find yourself in a situation where you need to re-home your own rabbit/s please make sure you do the best for them and ensure they will go to a permanent home that can give them all they deserve.
67,000 rabbits are given to rescue centres every year in the UK, many thousands more change hands privately and are rehomed via on line classified sites. Please, please think carefully before getting a pet rabbit and if do some research first. Don't be tempted to buy any animal on impulse.
A hutch is not enough...
