How to Find a New Home for a Rabbit: 10 Important Tips
By Adam Mann
Updated on
While it’s always best to try and keep your pet rabbit in your own home, sometimes life gets in the way and you have to make the tough choice to find them a new home. If you find yourself in a challenging situation and need to find a new home for your pet rabbit, there are a few different things you need to know.
We’ve highlighted 10 great tips you should follow to ensure your rabbit goes to a great home that they won’t need to move from again.
The 10 Tips to Find a New Home For a Rabbit
1. Don’t Release Them Outside
While you might see rabbits outside in your area, that doesn’t mean your pet rabbit can live outdoors. Pet rabbits don’t have the same survival instincts as wild rabbits, and if you release your pet rabbit outside, it’s not going to survive.
Pet rabbits are an easy target for predators, and even if they manage to avoid them, they don’t know how to forage for enough food or stay warm during the winter months. It’s inhumane to let a pet rabbit outside knowing it doesn’t have what it takes to survive.
2. Talk to Friends & Coworkers
Often, you already know someone who’s willing to take your pet rabbit if you can’t anymore. This is one of the best possible outcomes since you already know and trust the person who will be getting your pet rabbit. You don’t have to worry about these people mistreating the rabbit after you leave, and you might even be able to stop by and see them from time to time!
3. Take a Great Photo
When someone is looking to purchase or adopt a bunny, the first thing they see is the photo. Because of this, you want to get a great photo that captures how your rabbit looks and its personality. This improves the chances that someone will reach out to you about adopting them.
It’s not always the easiest to get a great photo of your rabbit, but the extra effort is well worth it when you get to pick from multiple people to find the best possible home for your rabbit.
4. Advertise on Social Media
The world revolves around social media today, and if you’re looking to reach a large number of people, it’s the best way to go. Encourage your friends and family to share the posts for maximum exposure and be ready for the occasional negative comment.
While that’s certainly a downside to using social media, the extra attention you’ll get and the ability to find the perfect home for your rabbit makes it worth it.
5. Use Fliers
It’s a bit old-school, but the truth is that it works. Put out a few fliers at the grocery store, on a signpost, or anywhere else with lots of foot traffic to increase the likelihood of someone reaching out. Just ensure you thoroughly vet anyone who reaches out through a flier. You don’t know anything about them, and you don’t want to accidentally send your rabbit to a bad home. Adding a small adoption fee can help with this.
6. Talk About How Great They Are!
If you want somebody to adopt your rabbit, you need to sell them on how great they are! You’re not trying to convince somebody who doesn’t want a rabbit to get one, but you are trying to convince someone who wants a rabbit that yours is the right choice.
You can improve the chances of this happening if you have a happy and well-socialized rabbit, which simply means continuing to take care of them until they find a new home.
7. Ask for a Small Adoption Fee
While it’s easy to think about how all you care about is if they’re getting a good home, you want to charge a small adoption fee to ensure they don’t go to someone who’s looking to mistreat the rabbit or feed them to another type of animal.
Of course, you don’t have to worry about this if they’re going to a friend or coworker, but for anyone else, you need to charge a small fee to ensure your rabbit is going to be taken care of. We recommend an adoption fee between $50 and $100 to deter people who would otherwise harm your rabbit.
8. Give Them a Veterinary Health Check
One of the best ways you can help entice people to adopt your rabbit is to ensure that they have a clean bill of health. While they might take your word for it, they’re far more likely to believe a licensed vet. Take them to a vet for a health check, then get a statement from the vet stating they don’t have any problems.
This will help ease the fears of potential adopters, making it far easier to find an excellent home for your rabbit!
9. Ensure They’re Going to a Good Home
Just because you can’t care for your rabbit anymore doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility to find them a great home. You need to ask potential adopters pertinent questions and ensure they know what they’re getting into before getting your rabbit.
You’re not trying to offload your rabbit onto someone else; you’re trying to find them a great forever home where someone will take care of them and love them for years to come.
10. Try to Avoid Shelters
We know that sometimes you’re in a tight spot and a shelter might be the only option for your rabbit, but if you can help it you want to do your best to avoid taking them to a shelter. Shelters do their best for all the animals they get, but sometimes, they simply take on too many animals.
If you absolutely must drop your rabbit off at a shelter, reach out to them as soon as possible so they can do their best to make the proper accommodations for your rabbit as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Rehoming a pet is never an easy decision, but if you decide it’s necessary for you and your rabbit, ensure you follow all the necessary steps so they go to a great place. It’s a tough decision, but knowing that they’re going to a great home makes it a lot easier!
Featured Image Credit: Dean Clarke, Shutterstock
