Why are people finding it hard to adopt rabbits

Sigma Force

Aparently there's loads needing homes..

On Animal A&E (not sure I'm allowed mention what rescue) they have too many rabbits and are looking for homes. I think people aren't aware that you can get rabbits from rescues and the rescues that have rabbits need to advertise them like crazy we all think of dogs and cats even horses but rabbits aren't always thought of as available to rescue.

If looking for a pet rabbit or three you have to search hard, if there are so many rabbits in rescue then it should be easier to find. Once the Easter rush is over and summer has ended there are bound to be even more looking for homes.

Just something to keep in mind when thinking about taking a few fur balls into your home.

Silverfish

Probably the expense, for the average person they can get it cheaper from many pet shops than from a rescue.

Of course from the rescue it'll have had it's shots and all that, but the average person possibly might not be bothered with that stuff.

TooManyDogs

I think it's partly because people impulse buy rabbits and don't do research properly so don't want to wait and find one in rescue, they all want the cute baby rabbit they've seen in the pet shop.

Mind you I tried to get a rabbit from rescue and found it hard to find a rescue with rabbits, and when I did I was told no because I wanted a house rabbit and I have dogs

Discodog

Is the real problem that too many rabbits are ending up in rescues. Of all the pet species I think that rabbits often get the worse deal. They are kept outside so they don't get the level if interaction that indoor pets enjoy. They are often cooped up in a hutch all day with little stimulation or exercise. But worst of all they are often an impulse buy for a child that quickly becomes disinterested.

It wouldn't be so bad if rabbits had a short lifespan but they can live for 8+ years. So the child will often move on to other things. Add in the effects of the recession & rabbits suffer as families have to relocate etc.

I really wonder if rabbits should pets at all.

By the way there is now an outcry in the UK over rabbits being battery farmed for meat.

JennaJameson

A friend of mine was buying a rabbit for her boyfriend's birthday, and rang every rescue centre in Dublin (this was 18 months or so ago) and not one of them had any rabbits. She has no car so can't travel further than Dublin, and ended up buying one when she would have much preferred to adopt one.

Rabbitandcavy

Rabbits really should not be kept in cages, period. I've had many rabbits over the years, and I can honestly say I've seen them at their happiest in large outdoor enclosures in groups. Spayed/neuteured of course. Those little hutches and cages you buy at pet shops should be banned. Rabbits of course can be happy kept indoors too, but they should be let have free reign of a rabbit proofed house while your there, and can be put into a safe room or dog crate while your away or asleep.

I've seen a few ''rabbitats'' spring up in the last couple of years, which are basically large outdoor enclosures where rescues let rescued rabbits live out the rest of their lives in a group. I think the Limerick Animal Welfare have something similar, but they do re home some of them as well. I think they are a great job.

Keeping a house rabbit, I think, is way more work then a dog or cat, as you have to rabbit proof the whole place because they will chew everything and anything and they are much messier. That is if they are actually being looked after right and not thrown into a hutch in the garage or the bottom of the garden and feed and cleaned out whenever someone thinks of it.

**Vai**

TooManyDogs wrote: »

I was told no because I wanted a house rabbit and I have dogs

I told my OH the same Wouldnt be difficult to integrate the rabbit of course, the dogs are already very respectful of my degu's. I couldnt keep a rabbit in a hutch most of the day though, doesnt seem fair.

colly3

Hi guys, I'm on the other end of the spectrum.... I am looking for a home for 2 beauties I "acquired" from a colleague whose son developed a severe animal hair allergy. After 3 weeks of reasoning with our resident labrador to be "nice" to the bunnies, I lost the will to live. I understand the vetting process that the likes of Dogs Trust use before allowing the adoption of a dog (we've been through it) so I figured we should go the animal rescue route to have these guys rehomed so they would be spared the possibility of being abused or worse by some unsavoury characters who see rabbits as bait ... not one of the rescue homes would entertain the idea of taking them or as was my preferred choice.... passing on my details to anyone who contacted them looking for bunnies.

While I can understand the frustrations people who wish to adopt, I also admire the rescue centres for their stringent adoption rules where dogs are concerned but they should not tar all dog owners with the one brush. We also have a very "precious" little lion head fur ball who rules the roost, our woofer loves him. It's just the new kids on the block she has a difficulty with.

I suppose they will always err on the side of caution with animals they re home, it's just a shame that some little furries miss out on the chance of a loving home due to the fact the prospective adopters have a dog.... it's a no win situation.:mad:

TooManyDogs

**Vai** wrote: »

I told my OH the same Wouldnt be difficult to integrate the rabbit of course, the dogs are already very respectful of my degu's. I couldnt keep a rabbit in a hutch most of the day though, doesnt seem fair.

Some times in my house it's like that puzzle of how to cross a river with a fox, a rabbit, and a lettuce! I don't leave the toddler alone with the dogs, or the dogs alone with the rabbit, or the rabbit with the toddler but only have a 2 rooms downstairs, you can imagine it's interesting when I need a pee My rabbit has free reign of the downstairs but mainly lives in the kitchen and bathroom, for some reason she won't come into the sitting room. My dogs are in the house if I'm there and spend the time I'm out during the day in the garden in good weather or locked into the sitting room if the weather is bad so rabbit is locked into the kitchen! She has a dog crate in the kitchen with her litter tray and bed but it's practically never locked, only if I have fosters.

It took me a year to be comfortable that my older dogs were ok with the rabbit, but the younger dogs were brought up with one so don't think twice about it. Having said that I'd never ever trust the dogs alone with the rabbit, at the end of the day it's predator v's prey so never worth the risk.

I can understand rescues having policies and can see why they might be uncomfortable homing a rabbit where there are dogs but I was a bit pissed off that they wouldn't even do a homecheck, they just said a flat out 'no', never asked if I'd had a house rabbit before or what rabbit experience I had and that hacked me off.

I heard a very scary statistic (can't remember where so have no link, and open to correction) that said 70 - 80% of rabbits don't survive past the first year in their garden hutch home.

**Vai**

colly3 wrote: »

I suppose they will always err on the side of caution with animals they re home, it's just a shame that some little furries miss out on the chance of a loving home due to the fact the prospective adopters have a dog.... it's a no win situation.:mad:

It is a shame and you're right about tarring all dog owners when many have the knowledge and understanding to integrate a rabbit into the house. You can see why though, its their job I suppose.

TooManyDogs wrote: »

Some times in my house it's like that puzzle of how to cross a river with a fox, a rabbit, and a lettuce! I don't leave the toddler alone with the dogs, or the dogs alone with the rabbit, or the rabbit with the toddler but only have a 2 rooms downstairs, you can imagine it's interesting when I need a pee My rabbit has free reign of the downstairs but mainly lives in the kitchen and bathroom, for some reason she won't come into the sitting room. My dogs are in the house if I'm there and spend the time I'm out during the day in the garden in good weather or locked into the sitting room if the weather is bad so rabbit is locked into the kitchen! She has a dog crate in the kitchen with her litter tray and bed but it's practically never locked, only if I have fosters.

That is hilarious! You must have a very complicated day to day. Dead right to keep them all separate when unsupervised though. Thats another thing which helped me win the rabbit debate actually, fosters will not be as open to not killing a rabbit. The thought of not fostering dogs and having to keep the poor thing in a hutch all day was enough to sway it!

Discodog

I adopted a huge Lop when I had two dogs. It was a nightmare as the Rabbit kept wanting to mate with my Boxer. The poor dog would wander over with a giant rabbit hanging on to his rear end - great when you have guests :eek:

Westenra

Discodog wrote: »

I adopted a huge Lop when I had two dogs. It was a nightmare as the Rabbit kept wanting to mate with my Boxer. The poor dog would wander over with a giant rabbit hanging on to his rear end - great when you have guests :eek:

LMAO!!

Discodog

Westenra wrote: »

LMAO!!

The strange bit is that my other dog was female & he ignored her

Sigma Force

Rabbits coming in to rescue can be sporadic you can have nothing for an age and then half a dozen people ring at once, it's the same with homing them.

But what annoys me is that rabbits are cheaper to house and feed than dogs and cats in a rescue environment, aside from their vaccinations and a general health check they would cost less for rescues than a cat or dog.
So I do think more rescues should make some more space especially larger run rescues I know some smaller ones get the occasional rabbit or other smallie.

The Big Fella

Most people see rabbits as food rather than pets. I am partial to a good rabbit curry myself.

<Banned>

Sigma Force

Not allowed post the ad on here I take it but there is a place in Longford that has rabbits and guinea pigs for homing, it's a small home run rescue and could do with donations of bunny and guinea paraphanlia (cages, runs, bedding, carriers, toys, food etc.) pm me for the link for the ad.

Like the way I had to do it I was too small to be a reg. charity but often some home run rescues are better than larger organisations it's up to the individual to see for themselves but there are a lot of people doing their bit in general for rescue animals but it's harder for them to let people know because they don't have access to fund for advertising etc.