Surrendering/Re-homing a Rabbit

Re-homing a rabbit is a big decision and there are many reasons why you might be thinking of re-homing your rabbit. It might even be in the best interest for your rabbit to re-home them. If it is the best decision for your rabbit, do not ever feel like an awful rabbit owner, because you are not. Especially if you follow the following steps to ensure your rabbit can continue living the best life possible. There are so many reasons for re-homing. It could be because of an allergy to the rabbit, not enough space for them, not enough time to provide for your rabbit, or they are too much responsibility to care for. To provide your rabbit with the best future possible, taking the following steps enforces your rabbit‘s safety in going to a good home:

1) DO NOT put your rabbit up for adoption on craigslist, because you do not know who is on Craigslist. Unfortunately, a lot of people put up their rabbits for free or for a very small adoption fee on Craigslist, and snake owners take advantage of this opportunity. You might think that your rabbit has found a safe home on the site, but you never know and they might very well be used for snake bait. However, if Craigslist is your last option, use a reasonable pet rabbit adoption fee of $50-100 to avoid any possible snake owners. This sets your rabbit’s advertisement up so that it attracts more people who can truly provide a good life for your rabbit. These extra steps in ensuring your rabbit is safe on Craigslist are crucial, especially on these sites, because the people are not reliable.

2) DO NOT under any circumstances just abandon your rabbit and dump them on the streets. Domesticated/pet rabbits DO NOT know how to survive in the wild like wild rabbits do. Domestic rabbits have not developed the instincts that allow them to forage for food like wild rabbits. Your pet rabbit will not know what to do and will not be able to defend from the elements and wild animals. It is a very common misconception that domestic and wild rabbits are the same, but they are not. You might think “oh well they have fur to keep themselves warm” too, but their coat can only do so much- especially in the winter when over night the temperature drops into the negatives. In the summer, rabbits can die of heat exhaustion as well. With predators, rabbits just have to see the animal and they can die of a heart attack. The predator does not even have to touch it physically, which is really scary. You might think this is the “quick fix” to get rid of your rabbit, but it is not and will result in death. There are much simpler ways to save your rabbit’s life. Please consider the following option:

3) Instead of Craigslist, other sites, or just dumping your rabbit somewhere, bringing your rabbit to your local animal shelter is the best option to ensure a great home for your rabbit. Contact the animal shelter closest to you to see if they will take your rabbit. Almost all adoption centers do not require any out-of-pocket money, and they will take your rabbit without anything or for a very low amount. You can also contact friends, family, or a local vet to see if they will take your rabbit, again for no fee or a very low amount. Sometimes at vets, clients are looking for another rabbit for their rabbit to bond with, so this is another great option! There are endless options, so please do your research if you care for your rabbit, because they deserve the best life possible. Unfortunately, rabbits are the third most abandoned pet in the United States, so please be part of the solution and not the problem! With just one simple action you can save your rabbit from being in scenarios that they should never have to be in: starving for food, trying to survive in the wild in harsh climates, being hunted by predators, and eventually dying when they could have lived a very long and happy life. Do not let your rabbit become one of the rabbits in the following photos: