what to know when adopting a rabbit?

[MagneticLove]

i decited on adopting a girl instead of gettinga baby bunny. right now i am in the process of setting up an apointment to get piksi neutered. im a bit scared and afraid that his personality is going to change. he is a very sweet bun right now

anyways there are 3 different bunny shelters i have talked to and they all seem like very good choices.how do i choose one? is there anything in particular i should look for? what did you guys do? im just a lil scared because i want to be informed before i make any choices.

is it an option to pick out who you would like and then see if piksi likes her? or is it totally up to the shelter to pick? i really really want a dutch girlie =]

sorry for all the questions!!

 

[Orchid]

I do not have a lot of information to offer, but what I have been doing lately.

If you are looking to bond your buns, then one would hope the place you are looking to adopt from could arrange a meeting to see if each bun likes the other.

As far as I know the choice of bun is up to you...

As to which is best...my personal feeling is talk to the places, see what they are like, how knowledgable they are and if they have buns that fit what you are looking for.

I would personally suggest that you go over: Are they fixed, if not will they be soon, Any known medical problems, eating problems, pooping problems, teeth problems,likes and dislikes, habits etc...

They might have some info about that bun's attitude towards other buns...not to mention towards people....



I am sure someone else will come along and be able to help answer these questions better then me...



Best of luck with your soon to be new bun..

 

[MagneticLove]

great advice thanks! i will be contacting them and ask some more questions and i will def ask them how their temperment is and if they are fixed and if they have a any health problems. seems silly but that didnt even cross my mind

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

If all the rescues are similar as far as adoption policy, and rabbit knowledge goes, I would let Piksi choose his mate. Take him to all 3 (preferably not on the same day) and see who he gets along with. Write down the top 2 or 3 from each one and then make your decision. If he really likes a certain girl, you could just adopt her. If they use fosters instead of a shelter, you should get some detailed info on the rabbits before you decide who to try for a bunny date.

As far as what to look for, I would want her to be spayed, have a health check (preferably a free one from your vet, but not all do that), discloes any know medical issues and have a medical history of what they have done. They should allow bunny dates and be able to give some good info on bunny care. Get a good look at where the bunnies are kept, although they can't keep them in large cages/runs the area should be clean and the bunnies should get run time.

The adoption fee and the sevice you get can be huge factors. A low fee is good, but poor customer service or strict adoption policies can make you look elsewhere fast. If you do not feel good about the rescue when you talk to them, don't fell that you have to adopt.

 

[tonyshuman]

What Korr_and_Sophie said is what we do at my shelter when people come in wanting a companion for their bunny. Some "bunny-dates" will help, and it may be good to get him neutered first.

Make sure you know anything that they know about the health background of the rabbit. Does it have chronic GI issues? Does it need tooth trims regularly? Also, it's important that the bunny likes you, as well as Piksi.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Wait until Piksi is neutered until you try bunny dating with any of the does at the shelter, as they might not be fixed. If they are not fixed, that would be an additional expense to you. Some times, bunny dating may work, but you don't really know if they will bond until you bring the new bunny home.

Maybe you could bring a copy of the neuter to the shelter, to show them that Piksi was fixed when you try bunny dating.

At the time being, keep checking the websites, as new bunnies are turned in. You could drop into the shelter several times on your own to handle the bunnies. While you are there, talk to the staff, they would know which bunny would make a good pet as they handle them daily. I volunteer at our shelter, so I know many of the bunnies thatwe have, and I definitely have some favorites.

 

[tonyshuman]

It's also good to ask what pellets they're feeding her so you can transition to a new pellet slowly. We give adopters a little bag of them, maybe a week's worth.

Knowing spay/neuter situation, as well as if they have been treated for external parasites and seen by a vet is also good. All the bunnies in our shelter get a drop of Revolution when they come in and a vet check at spay/neuter time.

And Stan's right about volunteers knowing the bunnies: out of the ones at the place I volunteer at, I can tell you which ones would be good for kids, good as a bunny buddy, will need some extra time to settle in, or need to be free-roam full time (because they're cage aggressive otherwise).

 

[fuzz16]

Knowing about the rabbits past could help with future knowledge of problems also. Find a bunny you like, the rescue doesn't really matter if thier all the same and reputable.
Go on bunny dates like above have said, some small rescues who foster instead of having a shelter to use will help with bonding and know the rabbits a lot more personality wise.

good luck and take your time till you find a bunny you can live without!

 

[HopsandLops]

Bunny Dates after your boy is neutered is great, but I would suggest visiting the shelter's first to see and get a feel for how the shelter or rescue works. I would visit rabbits that you like first, as then if your boy likes them, its just icing on the cake. I would make a list of each rabbit you like and feel that would work with you and your little guy, and then set up a time for the buns to meet. Also, ask the shelter if you can come back to the shelter with your guy a few times to see if the reactions are the same or just a first time thing.

With our adoptions, we get emails about what rabbit the person wants (more then normal it's a looks thing), but we ask them to fill out a form to get a feel for their home and if we don't feel that the bunny, the like the look of, we suggest other's and let them know why we feel that rabbit wouldn't work out.

For bonding pairs, we let the person meet the rabbits by themselves to see what rabbits like them and to see what rabbits they like. We ask them to bring a towel that smells like their bun(s) to see the first reaction that the adoptable rabbit has just to the smell. Then we move on to at least 2-3 bunny dates with different rabbits or a few with the same (so they get use to the idea of another bunny around). Then we may ask if they want to do a sleep over or foster the rabbit for a few days to get an idea of what it would be like living with the two and to see how the already there bunny reacts to having another rabbit in THEIR space. Then if it works, we finalize the adoption.

I would ask if a few dates with the same bunny you pick out or fostering that rabbit for a few days (try out period) to see if that is the new bun for you!

Questions to ask (or ones I would):
1.Ask about the rescue rabbit's past (did they come from a loving home that couldn't care for them or did they come from an abuse case...)- With our adoptions we send home paper work with all surrendering info (minus surrendering owner's personal info) with the rabbit.
2.Ask if it doesn't work out, can you bring the bun back
3.Ask if the rabbit has EVER bitten anyone or anything- Here we have to disclose all that but I know some shelters and rescues don't tell adopters that.
4.Ask if the rabbit has ever had any bad reactions to different foods or treats
5.Ask the volunteers about the normal day to day actions of the rabbit- are they more calm and layed back or are they all over the place
6.Ask if any of the rabbits have ever been in a bonded pair- Some pairs are adopted out to different homes and we have found that a rabbit that has had a buddy before takes quicker to other rabbits
7.Ask about any medical issues, even sore hocks, that way you know everything about the rabbit and maybe future cost of medical problems



I hope this helps! Good Luck on the adoption!

 

[tonyshuman]

Yeah, a couple of dates help. We did two with Tony and Muffin, and same for Frida and Ben. At the place I help, though, you have to have 24 hours between seeing a bunny the first time and adopting them, so they can do a background check, etc.

I have to say that all bunnies I've known bite, so I don't know if that should be a dealbreaker.

 

[MagneticLove]

wow thank you all so much!!! i got so much important info you guys really helped. i feel more confident now with adopting and knowing what to expect. and i didnt know what the dif was between shelter and rescue. the places im looking into are rescue centers.

just one more question. am i suppose to fill out the adoption application before i go visit the rescue? i may be wrong but i feel like once i fill out an adoption application it is a final deal? or is it so that they can know more about me before i can go check them out?

ohh and they all do bunny dating and they also told me that they will bond them for me

 

[fuzz16]

I think it depends on the shelter/rescue itself. whether you have to fill one out for a specific bun or in general.something to ask the place.

 

[tonyshuman]

Yep. We used to require an adoption application to be on file before you could see our rabbits. Now you only need one if you want to put a hold on one.