Finding a New Home for Your rabbit
It is a very difficult decision to find a new home for your rabbit. No matter what brought you together or how long you have known each other, you are the person who cares most about her in the whole world. That means it’s up to you to think carefully about what kind of home will work for her and then to find that home.
The amount of time it will take to find a new home for your rabbit will depend on many things, including your rabbit’s age, health, and behavior – and how hard you work on finding her a new home.
A word about behavior problems.
If your rabbit has a behavior problem in your home, she is very likely to have it in her next home as well.
Think carefully about whether the problem she has is one that you can realistically expect anyone to live with (after all, you love her—if you can’t live with her who else will?).
Be honest with a potential adopter about your rabbit’s habits. If you neglect to tell an adopter that your rabbit lunges at you when you clean her cage, when the same problem happens in her new home (and it probably will), if you’re lucky you’ll get an irate phone call. If you aren’t lucky, your rabbit could end up dumped on the street, abused, or worse.
Please note that many behavioral problems are resolved after your rabbit is altered (it takes about 5 weeks after the surgery for the hormones to leave the system). Un-neutered male rabbits spray, and both males and females are much easier to litter train, and much more reliably trained, after they have been altered. Altered rabbits make better companions. They are calmer, more loving, and dependable once the urge to mate has been eliminated. In addition, rabbits are less prone to destructive (chewing, digging) and aggressive (biting, lunging, circling, growling) behavior after surgery.
If your rabbit’s behavior problem is severe, there may not be a home that can successfully manage your rabbit’s behavior.
before you begin
Take your rabbit to the veterinarian. If the rabbit is not already spayed or neutered, do it now! Too many rabbits will be euthanized this year in the Pioneer Valley alone. Because there are just so many, you must ensure that your rabbit does not contribute to this overpopulation disaster. Don’t rely on the adopter to take care of this important surgery. If you need financial assistance to sterilize your rabbit, please contact us at 413-548-9898.
Many people are not familiar with the proper care required for a rabbit. Please inform yourself about rabbit care so that you can be equipped in educating potential adopters and thus make it possible to create a lasting match. Over the years, the idea has spread that you should house your rabbit outdoors in a hutch. However, rabbits are social creatures and become very lonely by themselves. There are also many predators out there that can break into the hutch or who can literally frighten your rabbit to death. The lifespan of a rabbit is drastically shortened when living outdoors due to overheating or freezing. When a rabbit spends her time outside by herself she becomes hard to handle because she becomes unaccustomed to human companionship. Check out www.rabbit.org for some great information about caring for rabbits as house pets.
The more attention you give your bunny, the more she will show off for prospective adopters. Petting the rabbit (most prefer the top of the head) will teach her to look for affection from humans.
placement options
Network – Contact everyone you know and get the word out that your rabbit needs a new home. This is the best way to place your rabbit. Be sure to include all possible contacts that you have, including work, clubs, church, neighbors, friends, relatives, your groomer and veterinarian, and anyone else you can think of. Spread the word far and wide!
Shelter/rescue – If you adopted your rabbit from a shelter or rescue, contact them! Most shelter and rescue adoption contracts state that if you cannot keep your pet, the pet should be returned to them. Even if your contract does not say that, give them a call and see how they can help.
Online – Post your rabbit for adoption online. Sites you can use include www.petfinder.com (go to “Classified Ads”), Freecycle, and Craigslist.
Flyers – Get a beautiful picture of your rabbit and make a full-page flyer advertising her for adoption. We strongly recommend using color photocopying for the picture; flyers with color photos get much more attention than those with black & white or no photos. Be brief and honest about your rabbit on the flyer. Be sure to include information such as her name, age, breed, personality, and what kind of home will work best for her. Post these everywhere you can. Be sure to include locations pet people go, such as veterinary offices, pet stores, and feed stores.
Newspapers – Place an ad in the newspaper’s classified section. Hampshire Gazette: 413-586-1700, www.gazettenet.com; Greenfield Recorder: 413-772-0261, www.recorder.com; Springfield Republican: 413-788-1000, www.masslive.com. Don’t forget smaller town papers that may be in your area.
tips for screening callers
When using flyers, the internet, or the newspaper, you will need to screen potential adopters to see if they will be a good match for your rabbit.
If you have questions or need more help placing your rabbit on your own, please contact one of our experienced adoption counselors at 413-548-9898 info@Dakin.org or 413-781-4000 springfield@Dakin.org.
