Rabbit Rescue in the UK

There are a lot of unwanted rabbits sitting in rabbit rescues awaiting good homes.  Please consider giving a forever home to a rescue rabbit if you possibly can.  Not only do rabbit rescues receive a lot of pedigree rabbits into their care, they also have regular litters of babies when pregnant does or does with litters are given up for rehoming. The best rabbit rescue site I know of is Rabbit Rehome http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/  which has a searchable Directory and a list of Rabbit Rescue Centres.

Rabbit rescues take in rabbits that are in need of a home.  Some rescues never re-home a rabbit once it comes into their care.  Instead they accept donations from people or fund raise to support the rabbits in their care. Other rescues do rehome rabbits unless they have major health problems.

Understanding rabbit rescue organisations

Thanks to impulse buys of cute fluffy baby bunnies from pet superstores and garden centres and their inability to guarantee the sex of the rabbits they sell, together with the odd rogue breeder and poor information when the rabbit was first obtained, UK rabbit rescues are bursting at the seams with unwanted rabbits.  Most rabbit rescues are run by individuals, couples or very small teams and the pressure on them can be intolerable in terms of both workload and finance.  Offers of help fundraising and mucking out are normally very welcome.  You can also adopt a bunny that cannot be re-homed for medical reasons and sponsor his or her care to help shoulder the burden that rescues face caring for very sick bunnies.  Adoption certificates make a wonderful gift for bunny lovers unable to take on the physical care of a rabbit.

Don't be surprised if rabbit rescues give you the third degree and won't let you have a rabbit without a home check.  They know only too well what happens when someone takes on a rabbit without thinking it through properly in the beginning.  Rabbit rescues are at the sharp end, having to find vets fees for hideously neglected rabbits with skin problems, overgrown teeth and fly strike.  Nursing them back to health and helping them regain their confidence in human beings.

The advantages of getting a rabbit from a rescue

Rabbits from rabbit rescues are usually neutered or spayed and you will often find a bonded pair of rabbits that will live happily together without producing babies of their own.  Although rescue rabbits may not have a known history, they have often been thoroughly vetted for health problems and their temperament and size will be well known if they are already adult.  Good rabbit rescues know how rabbits should be kept, Greenfields Rescue and Doe Drop Inn Boarding for rabbits are good examples.

Many rabbit rescues will also be available for ongoing advice and support, as well as boarding.  Guardian Angels http://www.guardianangelsuk.com/ offers a service for people who already have rabbits, which guarantees they will be looked after or re-homed if the owner is hospitalised or dies.

Rabbit Pages

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