A thought for rescues....

In our search for a husbun for Miss Marnie Moo, we visited CRRC in Chichester on Sunday. They had some lovely buns, but none we thought was 'right' for us and her.

One thing we did think though, is that it while it was lovely to give the prospective bunnies cuddles, it would have been nice to have been able to put them down in an area and see how they interact with us....especially when it comes to Rosie.

Just to see if they are inquisitive, or shy or nervous....and to see if they freak out when Rosie comes anywhere near them. I understand that in a rescue environment they may not show their 'true' presonality, but it would have been nice to see what they do if you know what I mean.

I tried asking and explaining this the the girl who was showing us round...but she didn't seem to get what I meant...and kept talking about thier bonding process.

I was just wondering is any rescues did this....or if it was something you could/would think about if it was suggested.

Bluesmum said:

In our search for a husbun for Miss Marnie Moo, we visited CRRC in Chichester on Sunday. They had some lovely buns, but none we thought was 'right' for us and her.

One thing we did think though, is that it while it was lovely to give the prospective bunnies cuddles, it would have been nice to have been able to put them down in an area and see how they interact with us....especially when it comes to Rosie.

Just to see if they are inquisitive, or shy or nervous....and to see if they freak out when Rosie comes anywhere near them. I understand that in a rescue environment they may not show their 'true' presonality, but it would have been nice to see what they do if you know what I mean.

I tried asking and explaining this the the girl who was showing us round...but she didn't seem to get what I meant...and kept talking about thier bonding process.

I was just wondering is any rescues did this....or if it was something you could/would think about if it was suggested.

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yup we do it ..

Yup we do this too.

Yes I do this here and it's crucial in helping the people looking to adopt to see if the rabbit or rabbits would suit their family or lifestyle.

I have done this not just to encourage new people to adopt but to prove to people that the rabbits they fell in love with weren't actually suitable too. One family liked a pair from my page on Rabbitrehome and loved them on site, but I explained their temperament wasn't right for a young family. Only after they visited Bobtails to compare notes (after visiting here and spending time with the rabbits in their wendy house) did it become apparent how very different they were; because the bunnies that they met (and handled) at Bobtails were 'perfect' for them being fearless and happy to be cuddled. The bunnies here went on to the perfect type of home too so I lost nothing and gained friendship of the lady who I hadn't rehomed to - she comes to me for advice, nail clipping and boarding and has also brought the school bear here for an education visit

I have wendy houses for many of our rescue bunnies so that people can sit in with them, but also have two runs available for rescue rabbits to use, and that are big enough (tall enough too) for people to sit in and interract.

It's a very important point you make - you cannot choose a rabbit by looks alone, it has to be the whole package (in my humble opinion) and quite often people end up here adopting a bunny they didn't think that they would, but fall in love with their personality(s).

Yes, we do this, not that we rehome that many, and so does Jane Dexter

Camp Nibble do this too, always had all bunnies we've adopted run around with us first x

I'm so glad it's not me being mad Was really very difficult to explain to the girl and in the end I gave up.
I thought it would be a fairly logical thing to do to be honest....and was a little surprised they didn't :? It was our first experiance of visiting a large rescue and I didn't really know what to expect....Kris was my only other rescue as such....and she was more of a friend.....so after lots of talking we pretty much knew what we were getting with Ollie and Marnie came from Liz. At that point it wasn't really that important temperment wise....as we didnt have Rosie. All they had to do was make our little man happy.....and not hate people.
Like you've said, it's really important for me as a potential adopter with a small child to see how the new bun interacts with her.

The Duchess said:

Yes I do this here and it's crucial in helping the people looking to adopt to see if the rabbit or rabbits would suit their family or lifestyle.

I have done this not just to encourage new people to adopt but to prove to people that the rabbits they fell in love with weren't actually suitable too. One family liked a pair from my page on Rabbitrehome and loved them on site, but I explained their temperament wasn't right for a young family. Only after they visited Bobtails to compare notes (after visiting here and spending time with the rabbits in their wendy house) did it become apparent how very different they were; because the bunnies that they met (and handled) at Bobtails were 'perfect' for them being fearless and happy to be cuddled. The bunnies here went on to the perfect type of home too so I lost nothing and gained friendship of the lady who I hadn't rehomed to - she comes to me for advice, nail clipping and boarding and has also brought the school bear here for an education visit

I have wendy houses for many of our rescue bunnies so that people can sit in with them, but also have two runs available for rescue rabbits to use, and that are big enough (tall enough too) for people to sit in and interract.

It's a very important point you make - you cannot choose a rabbit by looks alone, it has to be the whole package (in my humble opinion) and quite often people end up here adopting a bunny they didn't think that they would, but fall in love with their personality(s).

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I totally agree with all of this.

We're lucky to have walk in enclosures at the RSPCA so anyone who wants to meet a bunny goes in his/her/their enclosure and I talk them through how to do that so it has least negative impact on said bunnies.

We get a lot of people come with very specific ideas of who they want and why and that's based on seeing them through the bars and based on what they want and think they see. When they talk to me about that then I explain why they aren't appropriate and who might be better placed and why. Often people do not accept this when they hear it from me, however, when they have the opportunity to go in with the rabbits and get bitten or chewed or ignored it a, proves to them I know what I'm talking about and b, shows them that that rabbit isn't for them. Once we match the right rabbit to the right home often at the post adoption home visit people tell me that they are glad they had my help to choose the right bunny because they work perfectly for them, for example. It also establishes trust in the relationship.

If someone is very set on having bunnies that are not appropriate for their home and won't listen and refuse to see when they meet them, then we won't let them adopt those rabbits.

The experience of going in with them is invaluable because as well as seeing the potential adopter with the bunnies and meet their needs, you can also see how the bunnies act around the adopter and if it's the right family for them. You can't guage either of those things from handling them. I will teach people how to handle the rabbits they have chosen, but we don't generally handle until they have chosen the rabbits they want.

Sky-O said:

I totally agree with all of this.

We're lucky to have walk in enclosures at the RSPCA so anyone who wants to meet a bunny goes in his/her/their enclosure and I talk them through how to do that so it has least negative impact on said bunnies.

We get a lot of people come with very specific ideas of who they want and why and that's based on seeing them through the bars and based on what they want and think they see. When they talk to me about that then I explain why they aren't appropriate and who might be better placed and why. Often people do not accept this when they hear it from me, however, when they have the opportunity to go in with the rabbits and get bitten or chewed or ignored it a, proves to them I know what I'm talking about and b, shows them that that rabbit isn't for them. Once we match the right rabbit to the right home often at the post adoption home visit people tell me that they are glad they had my help to choose the right bunny because they work perfectly for them, for example. It also establishes trust in the relationship.

If someone is very set on having bunnies that are not appropriate for their home and won't listen and refuse to see when they meet them, then we won't let them adopt those rabbits.

The experience of going in with them is invaluable because as well as seeing the potential adopter with the bunnies and meet their needs, you can also see how the bunnies act around the adopter and if it's the right family for them. You can't guage either of those things from handling them. I will teach people how to handle the rabbits they have chosen, but we don't generally handle until they have chosen the rabbits they want.

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This is a good point - I am the same. And, in addition to this, I do like the opportunity of seeing how the humans are with the rabbits - in otherwords, it's part of my adoption 'checking'. If I don't the body language or the attitude or indeed the type of handling that I see, I will 'fail' people, very gently by explaining what it is that I don't think is a good match. For example, where people clearly don't have an empathy for the rabbits and are maybe doing it for the kids anyway - that is not going to work for me. The adults have to show a definite interest too otherwise we know what is likely to happen when (if) the child loses interest, the parent will be forced to take over responsibility for absolutely everything and of course it becomes a chore and eventually the rabbit may end up being given up.

I also want to see how the kids behave with rabbits as some are wonderful, careful, gentle and understanding of the bunnies they are meeting, and some simply grab at them. This helps me decide if I'm going to rehome at all.

By asking adults to sit in with their chosen rabbits, I am also able (I think) to guage if the potential owner is going to be cut out to handle a rabbits sufficiently to check, nails, bums, tums and eyes. Because if the owner is scared stiff to pick up a rabbit, they either need to be shown and encouraged or told that a bunny may not be for them.

I know when I went to CRRC with a friend to look at the cats we were encouraged to enter the enclosure and interact with them.

When I went to choose my foster bun they were in temporary runs which were just used for Sundays so they weren't big enough for me to get in. I think the main runs at CRRC are hutch/run combined (their recent newsletter had photos as they are new) and so you and Rosie could go in with the buns.

It may have been better to make an appointment when there were just the three of you visiting. Sunday afternoons gets hectic and they don't have so much time to spend with you.

I will make sure I make an appointment to go and see the piggies, rather than just going up on a Sunday so that I can interact with them.

The deciding factor on Pat and Bob when I met them at Rabbit Residence was that when I walked into their run, which was about 20ft long at the time, they both came bounding up to my feet, stuck their chins on the ground and begged for nose rubs. I figure they picked me and not the other way round. At RR you are very much encouraged to really get in there and say hi to the rabbits - except for the one that bites viciously of course haha!

catxx said:

The deciding factor on Pat and Bob when I met them at Rabbit Residence was that when I walked into their run, which was about 20ft long at the time, they both came bounding up to my feet, stuck their chins on the ground and begged for nose rubs. I figure they picked me and not the other way round. At RR you are very much encouraged to really get in there and say hi to the rabbits - except for the one that bites viciously of course haha!

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Now you see that is the one bunny that I would be attracted to and want to bring home :lol:

The Duchess said:

Now you see that is the one bunny that I would be attracted to and want to bring home :lol:

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haha! Rocket is a feisty boy in a trio, he will try and attack you through the bars, VERY territorial little boy with a bit of a sad past. He's got his own mini comic! haha!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150695755443114.418066.252174403113&type=3

catxx said:

The deciding factor on Pat and Bob when I met them at Rabbit Residence was that when I walked into their run, which was about 20ft long at the time, they both came bounding up to my feet, stuck their chins on the ground and begged for nose rubs. I figure they picked me and not the other way round. At RR you are very much encouraged to really get in there and say hi to the rabbits - except for the one that bites viciously of course haha!

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Yeah I was going to say The Rabbit Residence always encourage the visitors to go and interact with the bunnies and usually give the visitors herbs or veg to encourage the bunnies over.

Rhianna said:

I know when I went to CRRC with a friend to look at the cats we were encouraged to enter the enclosure and interact with them.

When I went to choose my foster bun they were in temporary runs which were just used for Sundays so they weren't big enough for me to get in. I think the main runs at CRRC are hutch/run combined (their recent newsletter had photos as they are new) and so you and Rosie could go in with the buns.

It may have been better to make an appointment when there were just the three of you visiting. Sunday afternoons gets hectic and they don't have so much time to spend with you.

I will make sure I make an appointment to go and see the piggies, rather than just going up on a Sunday so that I can interact with them.

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The new set ups are hutch on top of runs if you know what I mean...and the run isn't big enough for you to get in.
The 'inside' set ups are long and thin but tall.....I'm talking about 3ft wide...so I would have struggled to get in with them.
The piggie set ups were quite small....and I don't know what they're like handling wise :?

Sundays are the only day you are allowed to visit the bunnies. I rang on the Wednesday and he said that we could only come on the Sunday. We would have like to have been there on our own

I think the hutch/run combination is like the one I have for Furby and Faye - and it is difficult to get in there.

The cats must have a bigger area - they had avairy type panels so I could stand up in their run.

I work most Sundays so will find it difficult to visit then. Need to sort out the bigger hutch first.

There must be a companion for Marnie somewhere. There has to be. Will e-mail the woman who used to run the rescue I volunteered at as she sometimes knows of buns who need rehoming for one reason or another. She works at a vet too.

Sadly that's a bit off putting! I was told to ring and make an appointment to go there, if they only do that on a Sunday which is basically their weekly open day then that is utter madness! For rescue workers and buns and prospective bun parents combined!

I like the way other rescues comments on here do their visits...makes perfect sense to do that.

Karen which vets does Elaine work at?

purplebumble said:

Sadly that's a bit off putting! I was told to ring and make an appointment to go there, if they only do that on a Sunday which is basically their weekly open day then that is utter madness! For rescue workers and buns and prospective bun parents combined!

I like the way other rescues comments on here do their visits...makes perfect sense to do that.

Karen which vets does Elaine work at?

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She used to work at Harbour in Havant but she may well have moved to another branch by now. Haven't visited her for ages but have tomorrow off work so may well rectify that