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Rescues/Sanctuaries-Advertising Bunnies for Rehoming?
- Thread starter Ambience
- Start date
The Duchess
Wise Old Thumper
Rabbitrehome and by word of mouth. That's all.
The Duchess
Wise Old Thumper
No, I don't have any issues. Because I put so much information up on each rabbits' details about the kind of thing that I expect, I only get good quality enquries from Rabbitrehome in the main and most of the word of mouth already know that I am very difficult to please. I couldn't go any faster with rehoming anyway due to the amount of homechecking and bonding - I do this all myself, so I don't want loads of enquiries.
Santa
Wise Old Thumper
I can't help but wonder if your adoption fee is set a bit too high - so people may make an initial enquiry but then get a bun from a different rescue with a fee that most might consider more usual? I don't know whether the fact that you're set up as a ltd co rather than a charity might also be an influence - especially when coupled with a high adoption fee. I might be wrong, but it's certainly something that would cross my mind if I was looking to adopt.
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Becky86
Wise Old Thumper
We also rehome a fair few bunnies from word of mouth
I must say Rabbit rehome and our website/National website are our main ways of advertising, posters in vets/local shops don't tend to work sadly Where have you advertised so far? What is your suggested adoption fee? Edited to add, we ask for a suggested adoption fee of £40 for a rabbit. All rabbits are neutered and vaccinated against Myxo and VHD, our adoption fee doesn't even cover the neutering
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The Duchess
Wise Old Thumper
Just curious, but what are you asking then Ambience?
We ask £50 for a rabbit that is neutered and vacc'd for both Myxo and VHD. If we get more we are incredibly grateful but don't usually.
You can't expect to cover your costs with adoption fees either - just goes a bit towards it.
Thanks for the insight. The veterinary costs are quite high here so it costs us more than £65.00 per rabbit to do all the required vaccinations, neutering etc,healthchecks and surgeries etc- i.e if a dental.
Would £50 be a more reasonable rehoming fee, i've noticed other rescues rehoming at around this?
We are setup as a charity non profit, but just as a limited by guarantee also. The constitution will be changing shortly to reflect our aims more accurately however. Perhaps i should leave out the Ltd when rehoming.
We also rehome a fair few bunnies from word of mouth
Where have you advertised so far? What is your suggested adoption fee? Edited to add, we ask for a suggested adoption fee of £40 for a rabbit. All rabbits are neutered and vaccinated against Myxo and VHD, our adoption fee doesn't even cover the neutering
Yes that would cover vacciantions here also, but not neutering.
We are advertising on rabbitrehome only at the moment and word of mouth. I did have a tesco delivery driver enquire about a bunny believe it or not, but he then didn't get back to me.
I have yet to have the poster designed for the vets, that will be happening shortly. I know when i go in i don't pay that much attention to the posters though.
Bunny Buddy
Wise Old Thumper
I'm not sure how much of this matters to most people when looking for a rescue animal, I know it wouldn't matter to me (if I even understood the implications of it), what would matter would be how you operate ie I wouldn't get an animal from these places that masquerades as a rescue but does a bit of breeding for the fun of it "to fund the rescue". People don't know much about you, maybe that's part of it.
I don't know how much the rehoming fee matters, Bunny Camp is the nearest to you that I know of and they have fees of £65 for a doe, £55 for a buck. The rehoming fee includes castration/spaying, VHD and Myxi jabs.
When an animal comes in i'm not charging anything currently. I ask for an adoption fee of £65.00 per rabbit that covers mixi, vhd, healthchecks, any dentals.
The £65.00 doesn't cover costs though. I would prefer to reduce adoption fees if it meant rehoming out more quickly and making space for new buns in need.
I think perhaps the recent request for 6x2x2 accomadation with a 6x4 run was the thing that put off a lady recently. She was fine about the amounts as far as i was aware.
The Duchess
Wise Old Thumper
It will. Our vet costs are approx £120 for a straight forward just neuter, vaccinate and rehome. So the donation is only ever a contribution to the next rabbit coming in.
The Duchess
Wise Old Thumper
I don't know of any rescue that 'charges' for rabbits coming in. You are lucky if you get a donation.
Re the accommodation - it shouldn't matter if it puts them off - you need to consider the rabbits and not whether the new home thinks this is too much to ask. If it's too much to ask, then they don't understand what rabbits need.
The right home will come along for the right rabbit in time, sometimes quite quickly and sometimes it takes a bit longer, but you have really to remember that you are educating the new owners (something they don't get from pet shops or breeders) so if you don't stick to your guns, then what chance do the rabbits have?
It is hard at first thinking is this home better than no home, but in my humble opnion, you should seek the best home possible for every rabbit.
Helen
We don't breed rabbits. We insist upon neutering on arrival except where a rabbit has a severe health problem, in which case they are kept seperately as sanctuary animals. Sometimes it is dangerous to put an animal with a health problem under anesthetic, so this is the only time we wouldn't.
We have a no kill policy and will nurse an animal through any health problems when they arrive. Some rescues will pts for dental/behavioral problems - we don't.
All the rabbits here are neutered immediately they arrive. At the moment we have no unneutered rabbits. It is the first thing on the agenda when a rabbit comes into the rescue.
Becky86
Wise Old Thumper
I agree, the hutch sizes do put alot of people off. I've spoken to a lady tonight who has a lonely female bunny and wanted to adopt one of our males. She said she had a 'huge' hutch, i asked her to measure it as i won't even do a home visit unless the accommodation meets our min requirements (which is what you have stated). She said the hutch was 4ft x 18" deep. She argued with me saying it was plenty big enough for a rabbit so i took the time to explain about minimum requirements and why a rabbit needs space etc. Of course she isn't having a rabbit from us, but at least i have tried to educate her and what i've said will hopefully be on her mind etc when shes looking for another rabbit.
You need to stick by what you say/do. Your a new rescue so i'd imagine rehoming will be slow at first.
Also, i have never, in my whole 5 years of fostering, had a donation from anyone who has bought a rabbit in
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BB Mommy
Warren Veteran
Unfortunately the adoption fee never comes close to the real "turn around" cost.
When we adopted out our fees were £40 for a single or £70 for a pair (neutered/vacc'd) which came nowhere near the true cost.
A lot of people are put off by accommodation requirements, but as Duchess says, if they can't meet minimum requirements they're not the right people anyways.
When we adopted out our fees were £40 for a single or £70 for a pair (neutered/vacc'd) which came nowhere near the true cost.
A lot of people are put off by accommodation requirements, but as Duchess says, if they can't meet minimum requirements they're not the right people anyways.
Yes i'd rather take the rabbit in if it's at risk than ask for a donation. I'll just stick with the way things are for now.
I want the very best for all the animals i rehome and am prepared to wait for the right homes to come up. I just wondered if it was normal that rehoming is slow at the moment. I've heard it is at the vets etc.
Okay i'll put it down to the people then rather than our requirements. I wouldn't be prepared to reduce the accomadation requirements as to me 6x2x2 with a 6x4 run attached or equivilent square foot is just adequete for now.
I kind of expected someone coming through a rehoming site to be aware of the rescue requirements in terms of accomadation sizes.
Everywhere is different in what their expectations are, it is really useful to have accomodation to show people that you would rehome to this gives people ideas and helps them to understand what you want and why you want it.