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QUESTION - How to choose a rescue to adopt/recommend

The Duchess

Wise Old Thumper
If you were suggesting a rabbit rescue to friends or looking to adopt yourself, What are the 5 most important things you would want to see in that rescue?

You can only choose the five MOST important to you. If you are on Facebook, feel free to complete my questionnaire on my rescue page as I can then use this info to find out how people perceive rescues and what sort of service they expect or ought to have.

Link to questionnaire here
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rabbit-Crossing/224203434290058
 
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1. Good sized hutches with large runs attached.
2. Friendly volunteers
3. Cleanliness


Sorry cant think of 2 more!

Reason I put 'Friendly Volunteers' is because I had a very uncomfortable experience with a very grumpy volunteer when adopting one of my buns. :oops:
 
If I was adopting my 'requirements' are slightly different, but as a general rule, cleanliness and a stimulating environment and alert, interested, healthy looking rabbits.

(for me I tend to take the unadoptables, i.e. the 'unhealthy' ones and nurse them back to health).

I also think, that any rescue, the person you are talking to is hugely important. They need good interpersonal skills, be polite, friendly, non judgemental, informative, etc so as not to drive people away and make people want to come back and make people want to approach you if they have a problem before, after or during adoption.

Not sure that's 5 things though. :lol:

ETA- looking from the point of view of an average adopter, having them vaccinated and spayed/neutered makes it easier for them. Doesn't bother me because I can sort that, but for the average adopter I do think it's important. Think I'm looking at this from both sides of the fence. :lol:
 
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Mine would be...

1. That the rescue practices what it preaches in terms of size requirements, neutering, vaccinating etc.

2. That the rescue actively promotes rabbit welfare and works as a charity i.e. re-invests donations back into the animals

3. A bonding service is available for existing buns

4. The rescue will always take the animal back

5. That a level of back up is available in terms of support/boarding/health related issues etc


ETA just read some of the others and forgot to mention cleanliness/animal health etc, which I'd just presumed as a given!
 
I chose 6 :oops:

-That they neuter and vaccinate prior to re homing
-That the rescue has a minimum housing requirement in line in the welfare standards.
-That the rescue offers education and advice even if not adopting.
-That the rescue will guide the owners about the right rabbits for them.
-That the rescue isn't overfull or unable to to manage the rabbits in care
-The rescue will spend time getting to know the rabbit's personality

:wave:

Here's a few more :oops:

They offer a bonding service, Be polite and take a bun back.
 
Helen, your questionnaire was astronomonic! I don't think, to be honest, that the majority of people looking to adopt would consider the majority of those things when choosing a place to adopt from, to be honest.
 
If a rescue does vaccinate their rabbits for both VHD and Myxo, what if the owner says "we'll take them for their jabs when they're due" but don't.?
 
some of the options overlapped a bit..such as rescue neuters and vacs..then rescue vacs for both..so I went for 1st option
and rescue matches rabbit to new owner.. & rescue gets to know rabbit
Good question though
 
1 - I would want to make sure I was aware of any health problems and the rescue didn't rehome sick or injured buns without fully disclosing the problem

2 - I would want to be sure the rescue had good quarantine and infection control, especially if I was to take my buns there for bonding

3 - Homecheck, I would always want a rescue to homecheck to make sure the bun was suitable for my set up, is also shows a rescue really cares what happens to the bun

4 - Advice, when I first got Gus the lady who ran the rescue I got him from was great at giving me advice on how to best look after him, and didn't mind when I phoned up in a panic over silly things. I think this is essential for new owners

5 - I like to see a rescue have at least some accommodation the same size or larger than their minimum rehoming requirements.


It also helps if they are nice and offer me tea ;)
 
1 - friendly and knowledgeable staff
2 - clean accommodation
3 - healthy rabbits (as in, well looked after, not neglected with no vet care when ill)
4 - spayed / neutered before rehome. Ideally, I'd prefer vacc'd too, but I adopted bubbles un vacc'd and it didn't bother me. she is also microchipped which was a nice surprise when I was told
5 - Information packs. This isn't something I had considered before bubbles, but elaine gave me a huge info pack with loads of leaflets in it. It was actually really useful.
 
A rescue that is approchable - ie they wont just say no you aren't suitable, they will be willing to work with you to improve things.

A rescue that knows the bunnies inside out and can therefore match the perfect bun to the owner.

A rescue that is honest - if the bun has a habit of nipping, possible health issue I'd like to be forewarned, not so I can choose not to adopt but so I am prepared if I do.

A rescue that spays and neuters.

Not for myself but if I was recommending it to another person a rescue that can help bond is a plus.
 
The options, from what you put on your questionnaire, that I chose were

-They neuter and vaccinate prior to rehoming
-That the rescue offers education and advice even if not adopting
-That the rescue will guide the owner about the right rabbit for them
-That the rescue offers a support network prior and post adoption
-That the rescue has spent time getting to know the rabbits before rehoming (which I took to mean personality, needs, home wanted, health issues and passing that info on until I saw a different option about ongoing health problems)

Out of your options, I think the average adopter finding a rescue for themself would be interested in the requirements and if they were manageable, and from your list, low adoption fee, health checking, awareness of ongoing health problems, some want the education and the follow up, that the bunnies can go home the same day, stuff like that. Essentially, the stuff that affects them most, not the welfare of the rabbit.

Not all adopters are like that obviously. I have come across some awesome adopters who are only interested in whatever is best for the bunnies and how to give them the best life :)

I also do stand by what I said about the person you are talking to, but that wasn't on your list.
 
Thank you all for your feedback. Feel free to add your own points to the list of options on the questiionnaire.

I agree that the answers will depend on the person looking and so for some, possibly the first time they've gone to a rescue, they will be seeking very different things to those who have done it before and who have used different rescues.
 
I agree that the answers will depend on the person looking and so for some, possibly the first time they've gone to a rescue, they will be seeking very different things to those who have done it before and who have used different rescues.

Exactly the requirements of a first time adopter are very different form an experience owner, which is why I left out neutering/vaccinating/bonding as I could do those myself if needed where as knowledge of a particular rabbit is vital, especially if to be bonded with an existing rabbit
 
That they neuter and vaccinate prior to rehoming? (shows responsibility to the rabbit)
That the rescue has a minimum housing requirement in line with welfare standards? (This is a must - would be no good if they re-homed to anyone who'd consider a 3ft hutch)
That the rescue offers a support network prior and post adoption? (This is important to know that the adopters are not 'on their own' if issues arise)
That the rescue makes sure the owner is aware of any ongoing heath issues? (Would be unfair to adopt an ill rabbit if the rescue knows about ongoing issues and this leads nicely to the next option)
That the rescue will guide the new owner about the right rabbit for them?

This also made me want to select the option that the rescue has spent time getting to know the rabbits before rehoming? - although it's not nice to see rabbits in rescue - it is nice to know that the rescue know the bun enough to be able to have them suitabily placed and get to know of any existing problems. Behavioural or medical.
 
These are in no particular order:-

Neutering and vaccination

Honesty about health problems but also that a bunny savvy vet is used as we rehomed a bun with obvious dental disease in her incisors, detected by our vet the day after we got her ( if only we had known what we were looking for!) and we were told her teeth were fine and had been checked under GA at neutering. Not that that stopped us keeping her:lol: but would have been nice to know what we were getting in to!

Knowledgable and friendly staff who encourage rather than judge and provide an aftercare service if needed.

Help with bonding/ not rehoming single buns unless essential

An obvious interest in where the buns will be going, housing, adopters knowledge, etc. We have rehomed with homecheck and without and have no preference form our point of veiw as long as the interest is there. If the rescue has no interest in where the buns are going then how do I know they have had any interest in their welfare while the buns have been with them??
 
My 5 essentials, in no particular order :

1-The Rescue Homechecks

2-The Rescue neuters and vaccinates

3-The Rescue has suitable accommodation for it's animals in terms of size and cleanliness and actively promotes up to date welfare advice for the animals they rehome.

4-The Rescue will not knowingly rehome an animal with a health problem/injury without full disclosure at the time of adoption. Ongoing support to be given should such an animal be adopted.

5-The Rescue will offer ongoing support if requested and will always take an animal back should the Adopter's circumstances change.


Does help if the people running the Rescue are not ogres too !! :D
 
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