Adopt A Rabbit
We are so excited that you are interested in adopting a rabbit and have chosen our rescue to find you a special friend. There are so many deserving rabbits in need of a loving home. When you adopt, you save a life. Each rabbit at Amy’s Bunny Barn is spayed or neutered and vaccinated prior to adoption.
Our goal when placing rabbits into their forever homes is ensuring we find them and their families the best suitable match. We strive to learn about each rabbit’s individual needs and personalities. This helps ensure that we are finding long term homes where they can thrive and live their best life and to ensure our adopters have a positive experience.
Adopting a rabbit is a big responsibility that requires careful consideration. To ensure you can provide the best possible care for your new furry friend, it is crucial to conduct thorough research and take the following essential factors into consideration.
Adoption Process
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Before adopting a rabbit, it is important to do your research to ensure you can provide the best possible care for your new furry friend. The following are essential for research and considerations:
Research their health, behavior, and dietary needs.
Keep in mind that rabbits have a lifespan of 8-14 years.
Provide a safe and enriching living space that offers ample room for movement and exploration. A minimum of 4ft X 4ft of space is recommended, but the more space you can provide, the better.
Ensure your home is rabbit-proofed to prevent any accidents or injuries.
Find a veterinarian with experience in rabbit care.
If you are renting, check with your landlord to make sure they allow rabbits in the property.
Ensure that there is an adult who will take primary responsibility for the rabbit's care.
Consider where you will house the rabbit and whether it will be a suitable environment.
Determine if all members of the household, including other pets and children, are compatible with living with a rabbit.
Make sure everyone in the household is committed to providing ongoing care for the rabbit.
If you are a renter, it is important to have a contingency plan in place to ensure that your rabbit can stay with you if you need to relocate.
Have a plan for emergencies and for providing necessary medical care.
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Amy's Bunny Barn is a foster and home based rescue. Our adoptable rabbits are located at our main shelter in Sooke or in foster homes across Vancouver Island. Please read their bios to ensure the rabbit you are interested in is a suitable match. If you are unsure who would be a good fit, our adoption counsellor will be able to direct you to potential matches.
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The adoption questionnaire is designed to help us match you with a rabbit that will fit well into your home. Each bunny is different, and we are committed to finding them a home where they can thrive and ensuring our adopters have a positive adoption experience.
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Once you have completed the adoption questionnaire, an adoption counsellor will contact you to arrange a phone call to answer any questions you have and to chat about the adoptable rabbits. Once we have determined which rabbits would match your family, we will schedule viewings. We disclose all information we can about the rabbit so you can make an informed decision. Once you have met the rabbits and have found a match, most can be adopted the same day.
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The final step before welcoming your new companion home is to send us photos of their completed space. If you are unsure of what supplies to purchase or where to purchase them, don't hesitate to ask us. We have a list of items you will need to purchase, and photos of suitable and unsuitable enclosures. We do not adopt rabbits to live outside, please see why in our care section.
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Free roam space or housing
Having a rabbit free roaming is one of our favourite arrangements for housing a rabbit. We do recognize this is not always suitable for everyone and their home, or suitable for every rabbit. An ethical and humane housing space should be minimum 4x4ft, with the more space you can provide the better. Rabbit’s are not meant to be confined to a small cage as they need space for all their personal necessity items and so that they can exhibit their natural behaviours such a binkies and jumps. Many people house their rabbits in spacious xpens and then provide supervised free roam play dates in the house throughout the week. If you are unable to provide a suitable space, you may want to consider an animal that suits your home better.
Ceramic water dishes
Ceramic water dishes are the best option for your rabbit. We recommend using a medium – large ceramic dish for their water to ensure they are getting enough water and to prevent it being tipped over or spilled. Rabbits lap up their water like a dog and it is imperative they use bowls to prevent dehydration. The dishes should be cleaned often to prevent bacteria buildup. In regards to ceramic dishes for food – rabbits naturally forage for their food so while feeding from a food dish is okay, offering a more enriching way to eat (such as scatter feeding, handfeeding, or puzzle feeding) is suggested.
Puzzle feeders
Puzzle feeds are a fun way to encourage your rabbit to exhibit their natural behaviours and add mental enrichment into their life. It is amazing to observe their pure excitement and their brains learning while they eat.
Litter box
Most rabbits spend a lot of time in their litter box, munching on their hay and doing their business. Ensure that the litter box is large enough that your rabbit can comfortably fit in it. Cat litter boxes work well as do large tote containers designed to go under beds. Regular cleanings ensure the health and sanitation of your rabbit. To clean, wiping with hot water, a natural cleaner like vinegar, or pet safe cleaning wipes is recommended. Do not use harsh chemicals to clean your rabbit’s litter box.
Litter
Compressed pine pellets are the best to use in rabbit litter boxes in our personal opinion. It reduces the smell, it’s compostable, rabbit safe, and it’s reasonably priced. There are many different brands of rabbit safe compressed recycled paper (Yesterdays News, Care Fresh etc) but we feel the smell is more prominent, it gets more damp, and it costs considerably more. Pine shavings are unsafe to use for a rabbit.
Diet
It’s Important to feed your rabbit good quality pellets such as Ox-Bow, Sherwood's, Little Martins, or a 16% rabbit pellet from a feed store (they’re great for buying in bulk if you have multiple rabbits) Avoid the cheaply made pellets from pet stores and avoid anything with seeds, added sugars, and fillers. Rabbits have very sensitive digestive systems and they need a good quality diet – spending more on food will have you spending less on pet bills. Trust us! Pellets should be given in small amounts as rabbits that are over fed can develop serious health concerns. Rabbits should have access to unlimited amounts of hay, and only receive approximately 1/8-1/4 cup of quality pellets per 5 lbs. of rabbit per day. Rabbits under 5 lbs should have 1/8 of a cup of pellets at most. Many vets will attest to being ok with less pellets vs more for rabbits. The needs of baby bunnies, juvenile bunnies, and senior bunnies differs. Bunnies should also be provided with approximately 1 cup of fresh bunny safe veggies and healthy bunny safe treats a day. Avoid anything with seeds, dairy, and avocado.
Hay
The MOST important part of your rabbit’s diet. There are different types of hay and hay cuts that offer a range of flavors, textures and smells. For baby and juvenile rabbits, alfalfa hay is recommended as it promotes growth with its high protein and calcium level. At roughly 7 months old, switching to a grass hay such as Timothy or an Orchard hay is recommended. Alfalfa hay may be given to adult rabbits as a small treat only. Our favorite place to purchase quality hay is local feed stores. The price is best and you can buy in bales or buy in a bag if our do not have the space for a bale. Always inspect before you buy from any location to ensure a sweet smell, not dusty, no spear grass, not wet, and no visible mold or rot. If you purchase from a pet store, stick with a brand like Ox-Bow. Over time learning about your rabbit, you will come to discover their preferences for hay. Sometimes it can be trial and error to discover a cut and kind of hay your rabbit likes. Even the location of where the hay is cut from may affect your rabbit’s preferences (although some rabbits are not particular at all).
Safe Haven
It’s important to provide your rabbit a safe place to hide and rest. Brown cardboard boxes work great – they are free and rabbit safe! Avoid boxes with tape, staples, color, or other harmful items that could be unsafe for your rabbit to ingest. Cat tunnels and cat hide houses are easy to purchase from pet suppliers. Many rabbit designed hidey spots are available on places such as Etsy.
Rabbits safe toys
There are a lot of toys that are marketed for rabbits that are NOT safe. If you are unsure what toys are safe for your rabbits, please check with us or your vet as we’re happy to help. Rabbits love to chew and they will ingest their toys. It’s important to always be weary about what your rabbit is chewing on and consuming as they can become seriously ill if they ingest the wrong thing. There are a lot of really great places where you can get rabbits safe toys. Pinterest has lots of low-cost and fun DIY bunny toys you can make at home.
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All rabbits are spayed or neutered, vaccinated for RDHV, and vet checked prior to the adoption
being finalized.
Single Rabbit $125
Bonded pair of Rabbits $225
Single Guinea Pig $50
Bonded Pair of Guinea Pigs $100
Single Chinchilla $100
Bonded Pair of Chinchillas $175
Policies
Adult Primary Caregiver
The rabbits primary caregiver must be an adult. The adult must be responsible for ensuring all their needs are being met and their space is kept clean. Amy’s Bunny Barn does not adopt rabbits to be classroom pets or group ownership.
Indoor Housing
All rabbits adopted from Amy’s Bunny Barn must live indoors and be considered a part of the family. We do not allow adoption of bunnies for outdoor living. However, in certain special circumstances, exceptions may be made such as if the adopter has an attached garage or a second dwelling on the property that is used as an office or family room.
Returns
If you need to return a rabbit adopted from Amy’s Bunny Barn, we ask for 2-4 weeks’ notice, so we can have a space available to accommodate their return. Please note that rabbits adopted from Amy’s Bunny Barn must be returned to us and cannot be re-homed elsewhere. If you have adopted a bonded pair, both rabbits must be returned together.
Medical Care
If your rabbit becomes ill you are required to address the issue by bringing them to a rabbit savvy veterinarian. In case you are unable to provide the required care, we request you to return the rabbit to Amy’s Bunny Barn, where we will ensure the rabbit receives the necessary treatment. If you have adopted a pair and one rabbit falls ill and you are unable to provide the required medical care, it is mandatory to return both rabbits to Amy’s Bunny Barn.
RHDV/RHDV2 - Rabbit Hemorrhagic Vaccine
Vaccination of all rabbits in the household for RHDV is required to bring home an Amy’s Bunny Barn rabbit for bonding/adoption.