Things you would like to see in the rescue section

[Mrs. PBJ]

Ok so we are revamping a lot of things on the forum.

One thing I am working on with Katt and Poker is Rescue Me.

What are thing you would like to see in this area of the forum?

It can be anything you think belongs we are trying to make it as member friendly as possible.

So let us know or something that is here but you think should be updated.

Kat:bunnydance:

 

[undergunfire]

I'd like to see it be a requirement to post the area where the bunny is in the subject line. Maybe if someone saw that the title said "Rabbit in ***, AZ" would catch on more because that rabbit might be near you. If you just see "Rabbit needs a new home", then you may just skip over it because chances are its not in your area - that's what I do at least because it stinks to read rabbit needing help and you aren't close enough.

 

[pOker]

I agree it should be a requirement..
I think that we need to make a few requirement guidelines for this part of the site because it will make things easier..

Like;
Location.breed.age.colors.personality.picture(if possible).if you can travel or not.. and things like that should be required..it makes rescuing easier.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Actually, there is a sticky in the Rescue Me section thatsays to include location in the title and also has some suggestions onwhat to include inthe post. The trouble is, once you click POST, there's no way to reference back to it to remember what all needed including! (I speak from experience ).

What would be ideal is if the software would allowfields that the poster could fill in when they create their post. I have a feeling that won't be possible, though.

Another option might be to have a cut'n'paste in a sticky (similar to the infirmary's cut'n'paste) that posters could use to just fill in the blanks.

And perhaps amoderator could checkthe postsfrom time to time to make sure that the titles have the location and thecut'n'paste is being used in the posts.

Another thing that I think might be helpful in the rescue section (and if it's already there, perhaps making it more prominent) would be a sticky similar to Pipp'sthread about recession proofing your rabbits (or whatever the title was).

It could alsoinclude some info on how to deal with allergies or finding a rental that allows rabbits, etc. Something that offers a few solutionsfor some of the more common reasons people have forgiving up their rabbits.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[TinysMom]

As a breeder - I normally try to stay out of the rescue me area. First of all - I want to rescue everyone (especially if I have empty cage space). Secondly, I understand that breeding and rescue don't always mesh.

BUT...I do have some suggestions - feel free to ignore them if you want.

I have a question for you to start out with. I'd like you to picture a high school student who wants to study astronomy going back to a grammar school and watching children learn the names of the planets. As they struggle to get the basics down...he/she gets very frustrated.."Don't they know this? Why don't they understand the order that the planets are in? Its so basic..".

Well yes - its basic to that high school student - he/she has been exposed to the concepts for years. But it isn't basic to those younger children - it is brand new information and new concepts.

Keep that in mind now as I explain. I had rabbits over 30 years ago - and the understanding about rabbits as pets and the concept of having them as pets has changed over the years. It used to be - even 12 years ago when our neighbors had rabbits - that if you had rabbits - they were kept outside in a pen or hutch.

And although I had rabbits years and years ago - I was only first introduced to the idea of rabbits as a "house rabbit" 8 years ago at a rescue event in a pet store.

I'm saying all this because many times our members see listings on CraigsList and they get huffy (not all the time) and its like "don't they know that the rabbit can't live like that?"

But the fact is - what we know on the forum is not exactly always "basic" knowledge for most folks who get a rabbit. Many times rabbits are impulse purchases and people need to be educated.

THAT ALL LEADS TO MY RECOMMENDATION...

I'd like to see a letter on here that is stickied and answers many of the issues CL posters list for rehoming their rabbit. Some examples:

- not enough time
- not enough space
- not enough money
- mean rabbit


At the end of each short & sweet letter (unlike this post) - have a link to the forum where they can get more help.

Maybe we can help our members to learn to start educating folks on CraigsList...

Just my .02

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

I love all the ideas I will shortly hopefully be working on the rescue section. I have been busy and have a few things going on behind the scenes.


I am reading and thinking thanks guys keep them coming

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Mrs. PBJ wrote:

I love all the ideas I will shortly hopefully be working on the rescue section. I have been busy and have a few things going on behind the scenes.


I am reading and thinking thanks guys keep them coming

One concern I have is the rescuing and mainly purchasing rabbits from breeders on here. I know it hasn't been done on here for some time, but it has been done in the past. One that I do remember was some time ago involving some otherwise well cared for rabbits, that were bred for a certain purpose, that can't be discussed here. As a breeder,I will be honest thatI dislike the idea of encouraging purchases like that, when there are already good quality pet rabbits sitting in shelters, waiting for homes. That is one of the reasons why I stay away from the rescue me section. Those animals shouldn't be filtered off into rescues, unless they were seized and taken from an extremely bad situation where they were abused, and needed to be rescued. I know a few rabbit rescue workers, and I know they don't get their rabbits from breeders of any kind. Sorry if I stepped on any toes, just my 2 cents. I also agree with tiny's mom above about keeping house rabbits. I know ARBA was the first to explore keepinghouserabbits,back in the eighties, but most people just don't know about it.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

My main suggestion is that people be allowed to post here, despite their background.

Not long ago, I had a special needs rabbit who I posted here with a small adoption fee because I am very leery of letting pets go for free. Especially with a special needs bun, an adoption fee allows me to find a home for her which will care for her properly.

I received some nasty PM's about how my post was pulled because I was a breeder, trying to sell my rabbits in the rescue section. This was NOT the case at all. Even as a breeder, I occasionally have rabbits who I really need to find a specific kind of home for and being turned down also turns away a lot of potentially good owners for that bunny.

I would have never, ever posted that bunny without a rehoming fee because of her special needs and finding a serious home for her. I've seen too many bad things happen to "free bunnies" and I didn't want that. But anyway, realizing that they all had to be free here, I just let it go and didn't come back for awhile because like I said, I don't trust free rabbit exchanges.

But a few months later, a family brought a rabbit back to me. They had developed an allergy to her and couldn't keep her any longer (even long enough to rehome her). I took her back free of charge and she came with her food and hay. I did not have the space to do this, but I wanted to make sure the rabbit ended up in a good situation. So I posted her on here as a rehome with no fee this time, as much as I hated to. I figured I would just tightly screen any inquiries. Although the post was not pulled, I got another PM basically telling me that I was a breeder and I can't rehome my animals here.

Both of these cases were pet only, special animals that needed a good pet home. They were not breeder culls, they were not breeder sales, they were rabbits aside from my breeding herd that I was trying to do well by. And actually, I'm one of many breeders who does help rehome rabbits "on the side".

My point is that I'm sure I'm not the first breeder shot down about posting in here. And I DEFINITELY agree that breeders shouldn't be posting sale rabbits or lists of their culls or anything like that because that's not what this area is for. I just felt like I had two legitimate rehoming cases that were just as serious as the others in here and that the outcome was biased because I was a breeder. The fact is that many of us (breeders) care a lot about our rabbits and other rabbits. When one is in need, many of us would take them in and help rehome them. Or when one of our own have special needs or require special care, we do want to go to extra lengths to find the perfect home.

So anyway, in short, I just think it would be really beneficial to consider this. Not a rule allowing breeders to post here or anything, but just a little more acceptance towards all people from all walks of life. If they're trying to rehome a bunny, for whatever reason and from whatever condition, that should be encouraged. We all want what's best for the bunnies!

 

[JadeIcing]

We are trying to take it on a case by case basis. When you post a bunny here a large part of the people on here are here for the right reasons, a largeportion may be getting the bunny fixed.

I have had an idea in my head that would make sense but than it is a matter of trust and so on. I want to run it by the mods before I go into it.

Any money should be for a spay or neuter these are rescue bunnies not breeding bunnies.

Ok my feelings are this...

If a breeder takes in a bunny because it needs help, or home in other words this bunny is a rescue than yes I encourage them to post here.

If a breeder ends up with a special needs bunny than posting here has been allowed in recent times. If it was through craigslist or anywhere else yes than ask for some sort of fee. (You may meet the person and see wow this is a good home and waive the fee.) Most on this forum are here for good reasons and want the best for the bunny.

When it comes to fees I have an idea I need to tweak than share with mods and go from there.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

My main suggestion is that people be allowed to post here, despite their background.

Not long ago, I had a special needs rabbit who I posted here with a small adoption fee because I am very leery of letting pets go for free. Especially with a special needs bun, an adoption fee allows me to find a home for her which will care for her properly.

I received some nasty PM's about how my post was pulled because I was a breeder, trying to sell my rabbits in the rescue section. This was NOT the case at all. Even as a breeder, I occasionally have rabbits who I really need to find a specific kind of home for and being turned down also turns away a lot of potentially good owners for that bunny.

I would have never, ever posted that bunny without a rehoming fee because of her special needs and finding a serious home for her. I've seen too many bad things happen to "free bunnies" and I didn't want that. But anyway, realizing that they all had to be free here, I just let it go and didn't come back for awhile because like I said, I don't trust free rabbit exchanges.

But a few months later, a family brought a rabbit back to me. They had developed an allergy to her and couldn't keep her any longer (even long enough to rehome her). I took her back free of charge and she came with her food and hay. I did not have the space to do this, but I wanted to make sure the rabbit ended up in a good situation. So I posted her on here as a rehome with no fee this time, as much as I hated to. I figured I would just tightly screen any inquiries. Although the post was not pulled, I got another PM basically telling me that I was a breeder and I can't rehome my animals here.

Both of these cases were pet only, special animals that needed a good pet home. They were not breeder culls, they were not breeder sales, they were rabbits aside from my breeding herd that I was trying to do well by. And actually, I'm one of many breeders who does help rehome rabbits "on the side".

My point is that I'm sure I'm not the first breeder shot down about posting in here. And I DEFINITELY agree that breeders shouldn't be posting sale rabbits or lists of their culls or anything like that because that's not what this area is for. I just felt like I had two legitimate rehoming cases that were just as serious as the others in here and that the outcome was biased because I was a breeder. The fact is that many of us (breeders) care a lot about our rabbits and other rabbits. When one is in need, many of us would take them in and help rehome them. Or when one of our own have special needs or require special care, we do want to go to extra lengths to find the perfect home.

So anyway, in short, I just think it would be really beneficial to consider this. Not a rule allowing breeders to post here or anything, but just a little more acceptance towards all people from all walks of life. If they're trying to rehome a bunny, for whatever reason and from whatever condition, that should be encouraged. We all want what's best for the bunnies!

My main concern is the craigslist rabbits, and some others that have been mentioned on here that are bred for *a certain purpose,* and were purchased and filtered into rescues to save them from that purpose.Like the $2 newzealands, and the dutch mentioned a few pages back, that were otherwise fine, that people felt needed to be *Rescued* from that sort of thing. Trying to get around it without offending anybody here. Breeding rabbits of any kind shouldn't be going into rescues, unless it involves an abuse case. It just makes us look bad when someone does that.

Now its a different story if you breed, and rescued a rabbit that you need to find a home for.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

JadeIcing wrote:

Any money should be for a spay or neuter these are rescue bunnies not breeding bunnies.

Any that I have posted in this section are not breeding bunnies, which is the point I was trying to get across.

As far as money goes, whether the rabbit is coming from a rescue, a pet home, or a breeder, there are costs involved in keeping it. There is time put into socialization, handling, and exercise. There is money put into food, bedding, litter. And rescue situations are generous on a breeder's part where that bunny is taking up a cage that the breeder could otherwise be using for their herd. So a lot of resources are put into them, as I'm sure most of us realize.

The rescues I'm familiar with have adoption fees. This amount of money is usually pretty high and includes the cost of a spay/neuter plus care fees. The nice thing about rescues is that they often get a discounted vet fee and are able to alter all the rabbits that come through. On the other hand, I don't. I don't have the resources to get the rabbits altered for a reduced cost, nor do I have the resources to spend upwards of $200 on a spay/neuter and then ask $10 for the bunny. And I obviously can't ask $200 for a pet (even if it's just to cover the surgery) because the breeder-out-to-make-money stigma would still exist.

So anyway, since vet services are not really available to me in bulk, my adoption fee covers just the care, at about $25. This varies on a case to case basis, but I definitely don't hike prices or make any money- I lose money and resources by doing this.

Anyway, I don't mean to steal the thread or anything! I understand where there are some misconceptions about breeders, and I just like to clarify because reputable breeders are not only doing their part to keep their own rabbits safe and in good homes. But we do also try to help other bunnies in need, and it is VERY, very helpful to us when other rescue organizations cooperate with us. Together, we can all make a difference!

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

dixonsrabbitry1 wrote:

My main concern is the craigslist rabbits, and some others that have been mentioned on here that are bred for *a certain purpose,* and were purchased and filtered into rescues to save them from that purpose.Like the $2 newzealands, and the dutch mentioned a few pages back, that were otherwise fine, that people felt needed to be *Rescued* from that sort of thing. Trying to get around it without offending anybody here.

I understand what you're saying! I think that goes a little deeper than changes that could be made for a forum though. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about the breeding and use of rabbits, and it's something that we just have to learn to nod, smile, and walk away from.

I figure that if someone brings a rabbit into their home and is happy with it, good for them. If they feel that they did something right, that's all that matters.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

dixonsrabbitry1 wrote:

My main concern is the craigslist rabbits, and some others that have been mentioned on here that are bred for *a certain purpose,* and were purchased and filtered into rescues to save them from that purpose.Like the $2 newzealands, and the dutch mentioned a few pages back, that were otherwise fine, that people felt needed to be *Rescued* from that sort of thing. Trying to get around it without offending anybody here.

I understand what you're saying! I think that goes a little deeper than changes that could be made for a forum though. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about the breeding and use of rabbits, and it's something that we just have to learn to nod, smile, and walk away from.

I figure that if someone brings a rabbit into their home and is happy with it, good for them. If they feel that they did something right, that's all that matters.

I agree. It just drives me nuts when people do that because I get the blame for it, when my animals don't end up in shelters and rescues. I know this may sound mean to some, but most of the time those animals are better of going for the purpose they were intended for. Some of them aren't pet quality. It just takes up more space at the shelters, and then the rescued bunnies end up losing out on a home.

 

[JadeIcing]

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

JadeIcing wrote:

Any money should be for a spay or neuter these are rescue bunnies not breeding bunnies.

Any that I have posted in this section are not breeding bunnies, which is the point I was trying to get across.

I know and also mentioned that I agree with those cases and even encourage breeders to post.

The rescues I'm familiar with have adoption fees. This amount of money is usually pretty high and includes the cost of a spay/neuter plus care fees. The nice thing about rescues is that they often get a discounted vet fee and are able to alter all the rabbits that come through. On the other hand, I don't. I don't have the resources to get the rabbits altered for a reduced cost, nor do I have the resources to spend upwards of $200 on a spay/neuter and then ask $10 for the bunny. And I obviously can't ask $200 for a pet (even if it's just to cover the surgery) because the breeder-out-to-make-money stigma would still exist.

Ok so to give you an idea....

Our rescue pays $83 for a neuter, $87 for a spay. We sometimes get bunnies that need additonal vet care.

I will lista fewcases... The bunnies came in needing a lot of work due to bad breeding (that we know of 5 confirmed. Our rescue had 3 another rescue had 2). They had severe malcusions that required the teeth be removed. While we get a discount it is not much when it comes to other care (the big discount is on the spays and neutering) for 1 bunny the vet bill by the end reached $876. Our rescue charges $70 for a single bunny. That means that with the adoption fee the bunny still cost the rescue $806.

Yes we can get donations doesn't mean we get enough to cover everything. Keep in mind the rescue had 3 of those bunnies. A large part of this comes out of our own pockets which aren't that big. We had a recent emergency that would have cost the rescue $307... the vets office gave us a rescue discount... the bill went to $287.

A rabbit that we only have to neuter cost us $83 we charge $70 for adoption. Still cost us $13. A spay will cost us $17 after adoption fee. That adds up.

Also not all rescues are lucky enough to get discounts.

We also have feed bills, litter bills, time and energy put into our rescue bunnies. Same as breeders.

I am not saying that you get the bunny fixed, I am hoping the person taking the bun will get it done.

In the end none of us are here to make money. For the most part we are here because we love bunnies. I know there isa big difference between a a good breeder like most on this board and bad breeders like the one I mentioned above.

On that note... I would like to get the topic back on point and drum up more ideas on how to make this work better.

One thing I was thinking is maybe a monthly thread about rescue events going on. Like pet fairs, adoption events, ed events so on.Sort of like what Peg was doing with a monthly show listing.

 

[JadeIcing]

dixonsrabbitry1 wrote:

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

dixonsrabbitry1 wrote:

My main concern is the craigslist rabbits, and some others that have been mentioned on here that are bred for *a certain purpose,* and were purchased and filtered into rescues to save them from that purpose.Like the $2 newzealands, and the dutch mentioned a few pages back, that were otherwise fine, that people felt needed to be *Rescued* from that sort of thing. Trying to get around it without offending anybody here.

I understand what you're saying! I think that goes a little deeper than changes that could be made for a forum though. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about the breeding and use of rabbits, and it's something that we just have to learn to nod, smile, and walk away from.

I figure that if someone brings a rabbit into their home and is happy with it, good for them. If they feel that they did something right, that's all that matters.

I agree. It just drives me nuts when people do that because I get the blame for it, when my animals don't end up in shelters and rescues. I know this may sound mean to some, but most of the time those animals are better of going for the purpose they were intended for. Some of them aren't pet quality. It just takes up more space at the shelters, and then the rescued bunnies end up losing out on a home.

I think that like OakRidge said that is one of those things that we should learn to nod, smile and walk away from. It is a loaded topic that fires people up on all sides. Try convincing a vegan that it is better for them to go for their original purpose. Isn't going to happen. Trust me I argue with a close friend about it all the time. I take those on a case by case basis. :coolness:


ETA: Let's try and keep this on topic on ways to improve the rescue me section.

 

[mistyjr]

But, I just like to say one thing.. :embarrassed:

I dont think its a good ideal when somebody comes on here posting a craigslist rabbit because it looks like they need to be rescued. It seems that you are just helping the breeder to get rid of their rabbits so they can produce more. Yes, I understand that the rabbits arent in good place or at least it doesnt look like it is. Its just helping them.

It's just like dogs, When you look in the newspaper and somebody buys a cheap dog, It just helps that breeder.

But IDK

 

[Flopsy]

^I think the same thing everything I see something like that posted.

 

[Violet Crumble]

Hi. I'm new here but been around the block (several times) when I comes to rabbits, rescue, and breeding. Bare with me, this is on topic.

One adjustment that can be made to this forum that would really help with the rescue effort is to be inclusive instead of restrictive. One big problem that I see in the rabbit rescue effort is that one of their most vaulable resources is not being tapped - the rabbit exhibitors. I say rabbit exhibitors because you need to understand that that is what they are first and foremost - they live to give care, promote, and educate. They know the ins and outs, they have connections - broad connections for finding proper homes for rabbits, their ears are to the ground in the rabbit world, and they have knowledge that is much needed in the rescue effort. Use them! Ask for their help.

In my days at the shelter I worked with the rescues. I assessed temperaments, did external health checks of new rabbits and referred those that needed care to the shelter vets, gave status reports of rabbit to the rescues, took rabbits to outside vet appointments, did breed ID (much needed by rescues!), tapped my sources to find the best homes for rabbits, fostered those that where most likely not going to make it to the adoption area and the the rescues did not have room for - especially those with care requirements that are not common knowledge (such as special coats or those that needed a lot of time being properly handled to fix behaviors that were caused by their previous owner just not knowing the little "tricks" of handling that the exhibitors know). I taught the general public at the shelter about proper rabbit care, body language, bonding, handling,etc., etc.

My point is that as much as people would like to believe that there are two camps - the "breeders" (dirty word) and the rescuers - that are working against each other and cannot co-exist, it is much more a reality that exhibitors ARE rescuers and an untapped gold mine of help for this forum.

But, one tends to not want to help when they are feel they are second class citizens. As much help, time, sweat, and heart that I put into working with my local rescue, do you know what the founder would tell me? Besides constantly telling me that "I am one of the good ones" though I kept telling her that I am the norm for a show exhibitor.... she would ask me to "Don't tell anyone that you a breeder". Yup. She did not want to dispel the image that breeders = bad for fear that she might loose money from donations. She lost a very valuable resource.

I still rescue. It kills me to read rescue advertisements that have most of the information on the rabbit wrong when an exhibitor could get it right at first glance. I'm all for telling the truth about rabbits so that potential families can find the best fit for them in a rabbit so that they will have the greatest chance of keeping that rabbit all the days that he/she will give them. No pet owners has any business breeding their rabbit. It's almost impossible to get a "strickly pet" rabbit from me but if I can be convinced to give you one, it comes with a legally binding, nueter/first-right-of-refusal contract (returns are never refused). If the new owner does not comply with the contract within the days specified, the rabbit gets reposessed. Period. This is the norm.

Now, if member on this forum can open up their minds a bit to let in the notion that what they beleived about "breeders", and by that I mean rabbit exhibitors, then I do beleive that the numbers of rabbits that are rescued by this forum can be increased greatly. This is all about the rabbits, after all.

So, my suggestion.....be more inclusive so that all your rescources can be tapped to help the rabbits instead of being resctrictive.

 

[JadeIcing]

I love your post and hope you stick around. :biggrin2:

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

JadeIcing wrote:

I will lista fewcases... The bunnies came in needing a lot of work due to bad breeding (that we know of 5 confirmed. Our rescue had 3 another rescue had 2). They had severe malcusions that required the teeth be removed. While we get a discount it is not much when it comes to other care (the big discount is on the spays and neutering) for 1 bunny the vet bill by the end reached $876. Our rescue charges $70 for a single bunny. That means that with the adoption fee the bunny still cost the rescue $806.

Just because a rabbit has malclusion, doesn't always mean its from the breeding. If it was baby that had it, then there is a good chance that it was a breeding issue. Sometimes bad teeth will pop up in the best breeding lines, but it doesn't always mean poor breeding. However, people that produce rabbits like shouldn't be petting them out. With older rabbits, more then likely they were pulled on the wire by rabbit yanking on it when its feeding time, or getting bored. I have had a couple of them do that. Just wanted to point that out.