rabbit rescue
Hi there,
ive just joined, but thought i would introduce myself here as to the questions regarding rescues. I cant speak for every rescue, but my policies are as follows.
I neuter and vaccinate every rabbit before i rehome them.
I do not put any rabbit down unless it is either suffering physically from an illness that cant be helped. i.e. I recent had to put down an 18month old rabbit due to congenital teeth problems. I thought long and hard before doing this, but on the advice of my vet, I felt i had no choice.
He had 7 operations to remove teeth, molars in rabbits are not closed rooted as in many small furries, their molars keep on growing, if a rabbit with this problem is bred, the trend continues. My vet and I felt we had did absolutely everything possible, but the pain and suffereing continued. and with so many anaesthetics, i felt i had no choice but to think of poor wee dougal.
i am self funded, i do not recieve any money for what i do, if i have rabbits needing vaccinated or neutered, they stay with me until i can afford to do so, even if a home is available. this is my way of trying to reduce the sheer numbers. There is no point sending a rabbit out to be rehomed if there is the slightest chance it can have babies.
oh accomodation, my rabbits have a large stable, and i try to integrate singletons as soon as possible due to their sociable nature, so more often than not, i rehome them in pairs rather than as a single rabbit. I feel its unfair to rehome a single rabbit if this is the only rabbit going. so homes are much harder to find, as when ive introduced successfully, the bonding is already evident and feel its unfair to split them. If i have a rabbit that for some reason cannot be rehomed due to health problems, it stays here as a permanent resident, i dont put them down.
due to my rural location, i have to vaccinated every six months.
I have records of all the animals who come to me, a questionaire is issued to the people who are bringing animals in, ie. contact numbers are optional, i dont force the issue. I just like as much information as possible foods, eaten, diet it has been fed etc.
I sometimes get animals in appalling conditions, neglect cruelty etc, many people condone me not reporting such issues to the sspca as in some cases, the cruelty and neglect is evident. the reason i dont do this, is word gets out you are reporting people, i cant take the chance of animals being dumped anonymously anywhere else other than a rescue. id rather take the animal do what i can for it.
I do have waiting lists for animals coming in if the need arises, or for people waiting on a specific animal/breed.
i have a rehoming questionaire asking why they want a particular animal or breed.contact numbers, email etc. I stay in touch with all the animals rehomed, and offer 24/7 advice 24 hours aday.
I also ask them to sign a declaration they wont breed (if for some reason its not been possible to neuter) or show ( i find showing causes too much stress to an animal) and they declare they will return the animal to me if for any reason they can no longer keep the animal. I also ask what size their hutches/runs etc are, if they dont have one large enough the rabbit stays put, until they have suitable accomodation. There is nothing worse than seeing a rabbit stuck at the bottom of the garden in a hutch bored to death.
I cant always do home checks and have to rely on gut instinct in many cases, having spoken to people on the phone and in person you get a feel for how you feel the person wishign to adopt is suitable. I confess i do tend not to rehome to people who are asking for a specific breed. I wonder why they want a specific, when there are so many lovely animals, what difference does breed or colour make??
Not sure what else to write in response to some of the questions, as i say every rescue is different If anyone wishes to ask a specific question, im happy to answer to the best of my ability
Donna
Scotrat Animal REscue