What Rabbit Rescue are you Personally Involved In?

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I volunteer with the Missouri/Kansas City chapter of the HRS. Our main activity is fostering/adopting.

Although I haven't worked personally with them, I have also steered people towards a smaller rescue here, LJ's Briar Patch. (They split off from the HRS group.)

There was a bit of drama involved, but I support anyone who is working to find homes for rabbits.
 
Starfish To the sea Animal Rescue
www.starfishtothesea.org

Our group does not take in just rabbits, we help many breeds and species of animals. Recently our focus has shifted towards rabbits and small animals. They live in foster homes and we only take in what we can safely house. All homes- for any species- are screened thoroughly including a home visit and counseling. We love them all and want nothing but the best homes for them. We have a 100% success rate so far with our rabbits- no returns! :)

:)
 
Anyone have any tips to recruit and train new volunteers and fosters? Also do you have any issues with them attending meetings? Do you make the meeting mandatory? Are they required to attend a certain number of events per year?
 
I went to a training meeting that was for all new volunteers. It was mandatory and they went over all the different volunteer jobs, including fostering. We then signed up for a particular job, and the person in charge of that contacted us to set up a training session for that job. That was the only meeting I've been to, although they do have volunteer appreciation events and such as well. I think it's important that a volunteer gets trained and knows all of the rules, and how to respond to people's questions about the shelter/rescue (ie what does no-kill mean? how many animals do they take? how many do they euthanize? what are the general policies for surrenders, volunteers, etc?) because even if their volunteer duty isn't with the public they'll be the face of the organization to the people they know.
 
I was recruited as a volunteer by the shelter when I was helping out with the mass surrenders of the rabbits. There was no training or meetings for me, but they gave me free range and access to the facility.
 
I just joined up with a No Kill Org here in Southern Illinois. My poodle's groomer helps with it and after I gave all of my dog carriers and gear to them, I decided to help with rabbits /cavies. They had a few last year and found out they aren't as easy as sticking in a 10 gallon fish tack and straw!

Anyways, she was happy to welcome me aboard.

Jerry
 
I am the webmaster for The Rabbit Haven in Scotts Valley, CA (http://therabbithaven.org) I also take the bulk of the photos of adoptable rabbits that appear on our website, do Craig's List postings and help out at adoption events. We also have foster bunnies from time to time, and have a lot of short term "guests" who are just before or after their spay/neuter surgeries.

 
I run a small shelter myself, I don't get as many rabbits as bigger organazations due to the fact that I live in a more rural town but I have helped about twenty or so rabbits get new homes. (I am a no-kill shelter)

my e-mail is [email protected]

I am still working on my shelter's website and it is not yet published, will post the url when it is.
 
here's an odd question for people that have started up their own shelters/rescues. How do you do it? WHen we get our own place I would love to get a nice size area and work on making a no kill shelter. I hated having to put a few the few auction rescues to sleep, but they were beyond a vets help.
 
Start by doing things like getting your bunny room/building ready, have extra pens and such. Ask your local bunny vet if they might be willing to do discount spay/neuters for you if you were rescuing. Also, I don't know where you get your hay now, but once you have a LOT of bunnies to feed you will want to be able to buy quality hay by the bale rather than the little bags at the pet stores. Check local farms for that, or ask at the feed store about who sells hay locally.
 
I run a little rescue set up for unwanted/sick/injured bunnies that are more than likely to be euthanased by the SPCA. I have HUGE pens but very small hutches or sleeping compartments. I think my bunnies like their cosy sleeping quarters which lead into tunnels that open out into the pens. Actually I don't have the traditional hutches, preferring to focus on the pens. My "hutches" are converted cat carriers (the larger kind that can comfortably hold four good sized lop rabbits).

These carriers are lined thickly with hay and a cotton lining behind the hay. They are waterproof and very snuggly, like little caves and fit a bonded pair of lops or even 2 flemish. The smaller the rabbit, the more hay I use.

The tunnel contains 2 solid heavy dishes, water and pellets and a flat stone for keeping claws down. The pens lead out onto the grass and although they are heavy, they are moved every few days for fresh grazing. Bunnies cannot dig under them as the pens are moved before they have the chance and the bases are heavy. The pens are divided into 4 sides that are 2 metres long and 1.7 metres high.

So the pen is 2m squared but I often use 5 sides for the bigger buns. I have around 20 of the sides. They have plastic coated wire that is very thick and are otherwise just simple beams of wood nailed together.

Inside the pen, I have a range of fresh veges like broccoli, kale, bak choy, parsley, dandelion, dock and puha. Occasionally I set up banana, apple or carrot slices on bamboo sticks tied up on the panel sides to encourage the buns to reach and search out their food.

I stick to a few simple toys like wooden crates, boxes, rolls with newspaper and raisins, rattles or like some of my bunnies prefer, a plastic chair to climb on.

I have several indoor carriers for sick critters who need TLC or need to adjust to their new surroundings from a confined and safe place.

My vet allows me to pay the "stray" rate and a small weekly amount goes out from my account every week. Donations are at rare times accepted from another rescue center dealing with birds, IF they have extra money.

I can ONLY accept 12 rabbits at a time but the rate of re-homing makes it possible to have new incomers fairly regularly. I am small scale rescue operation and until last week, only had two new bunners over 6 weeks. My keepers, however need around an hour a day of full on attention.

I currently have 8 rabbits and one is off to a lovely new home on Saturday.

Our latest success story is Wing, an adorable baby bear of a bunny...he will need to be added to my keepers as he is too old to be re-homed and we have already gained each others trust. He has had a long hard life and re-homing would be cruel. He loves it here so far.
and with luck could possibly be bonded with the right bunny over time.

Its important to remember than bunnies require brushing, vaccinations, desexing, claw clipping, ear/eye checks daily, cuddles and games, toys, excellent quality food and a yearly check up, company, lots of space if possible, someone who is prepared to monitor their poop (no joke as that is an excellent indicator of their health as rabbits pass a heavy amount of urination and poop).

Also be prepared to accept advice and keep smiling :)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top