Adoption Advice
Are you ready for a rabbit?
Cost
Rabbits and Children
Which rabbit?
Finding a Rabbit
Are you ready for a rabbit?
If you haven't had a rabbit before you need to reasearch whether you expectation of what owning a rabbit will be like match up to the realities. Rabbits are often portrayed as cute bundles of fluff that are happy to sit and be cuddled all day. In reality rabbits moult leaving the cute fluff all over your furnature and may not like being picked up. Like cats, rabbits will interact with you on their terms, they may allow you a cuddle but they will also want to spend time excerising and running around. Personalities vary from rabbit to rabbit, just because Mrs Jones down the road has a pet rabbit that follows her around like a dog doesn't mean yours will too.
Visit a local rescue and meet some of the adult rabbits (remember bunnies don't stay babies for ever). You can also discuss adoption with the staff and volunteers there, they will be able to answer your questions about preparing for a new rabbit. Volunteering at a rescue is a good way to find out about caring and handling animals whilst you make up your mind whether you are ready to commit to one long term.
Before adopting a rabbit or looking for one too adopt you need to consider whether you can provide everything your new bunny(s) will need. A rabbits life span is 7-10 years and you will need to meet your rabbits needs for this length of time.
The Rabbit Welfare Associations Article - Is a rabbit for me? may help you decide whether a rabbit is the right companion for you.
It is important to research the care of rabbits, its much better to read advice and get it right to start with than learn from potentially fatal mistakes. You should be able to find books in the library/bookshop, information on the internet and from your vets or local rescue.
You will find conflicting advise in some places, knowledge about care is continually updated. If you find something thats conflicting or doesn't sound right then find someone to ask, your vet or local rescue should be able to help. Do not ask in a petshop, they are notorious for giving out wrong advice.
Cost
These are approximate costs, obviously they will vary slightly depending on where a rabbit is kept and unforceen vets bills.
- Yearly vacinations £30
- Food (pellets, vegetables, treats) £3/week
- Hay £2.50/week
- Bedding (Straw) £2.50/week
- Hutch/Run £120+
- Vet care From £10 for teeth triming to £200 for setting a broken leg
In short, excluding vet care, a rabbit will cost an average of £8/week which means £416 a year. You need to be prepared for unexpected vet bills, this may mean setting up a savings account and putting money in weekly for emergencies or getting pet insurance.
Rabbits and Children
Rabbits are not children's pets. No child should be given the responsability for the care of an animal. The responsability lies with the adult. If you are not willing to assume full responsability for all the work and care involved then don't get the rabbit. By all means a child can help feed the rabbit, clean it and play with it but all these should be undertaken superived. You can also not rely on a child to notice when a rabbit is ill.
Older children may lose interest in rabbits as they grow into teenagers, going off to college or university is a common time for rabbits to be given up to sanctuaries. Remember you need to consider the rabbits full lifespan not just the next few months.
If you are unsure you can care for a rabbit that length of time, consider adopting an older rabbit or fostering instead.
Which rabbit?
There are many different breeds and cross breeds and you may not have one in particular in mind. You should still be aware however that the breed of rabbit you adopt may effect its needs. Your choice of rabbit will effect things like the size of your cage and the amount of grooming needed. Rabbits vary in size from a few pounds to over 10, large rabbits need accommadation suitable to their large size. Long haired rabbits may need daily grooming to prevent mats forming. Before taking home your rabbit you should research its particular needs.
Generally rabbits should be kept in pairs so they have company as they are social animals. They need to be neutered to prevent breeding and make introductions go more smoothly. If you are home during the day and your rabbit is living inside with you then it may be possible to just keep one. Generally male/female pairs are easiest to bond but two males or two females are not impossible.
Baby rabbits are very cute but adopting an older rabbit has many benefits. When meeting an adult rabbit it is much easier to assess what personality they have, whether they like to be out exploring, sleping on the coach or having cuddles and how they feel about interacting with people. An adult rabbit is also liekly to be neutered by the rescue where as with a baby you will have to arrange this yourself. Any teeth problems are also more likely to have become apparent in adult rabbit.
Finding a Rabbit
Once you have done your research and sure you can provide the care, time and money a rabbit requires the next step is to find one (or two to adopt).
Why a Rescue - If you've looked through the rest of Rabbit Rehome you will see there are hundreds of lovely rabbits looking for new homes. When you adopt a rabbit from a rescue not only are you providing a new home for that bunny but you also create room in the rescue for another rabbit to be saved. Without the work of these rescues many of the rabbits would be put to sleep.
To find a suitable rabbit you can search Rabbit Rehome and view our list of rescues. You can also try looking for rescues in your local telephone directory and asking at your local Vet Practices. Forums such as Pet Rescue and the other animals section of Dog Pages also have posts with rabbits looking for homes.
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