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You may be wondering how people can abandon their lovely little cute fluff balls. I wonder this every day when I look at Bauer. However, people do and these bunnies need our help! Also, the benefit to most adoptions is that the bunnies come neutered/spayed so we would not have to pay more for that! :)
Here is some great advice from the House Rabbit Society on how to tell if the rabbit is a domestic abandoned rabbit:
"How do you know if the rabbit you see is a stray or even domestic? Here are some guidelines. Appearance: The obvious domestic stray is a lop-ear, albino, or spotted individual. Less obvious in appearance is a domestic rabbit with agouti coloring. Agouti is the natural coloring of many small animal species, including cottontails and jackrabbits. If appearance doesn’t tell you, observe the rabbit’s behavior. Although many house rabbits don’t enjoy being held, surprisingly many stray rabbits solicit interaction, rescue, and handling by human passers-by. (If you do pick up a stray, be prepared to hug the rabbit safely to you if he suddenly changes his mind.) If a stray is following you or hanging out near your back steps, you can bet it’s not a cottontail. But is the rabbit abandoned, or could he have escaped?
To understand how helpless a domestic rabbit is when “set free,” observe your house rabbit’s behavior. When faced with a strange environment, she will proceed cautiously from “home base.” Frequent retreats are made, to memorize the route. Why? If danger appears, home base can be achieved in a flash. A wild rabbit’s life would depend on it.
A domestic rabbit turned loose has no home base, and little time to find one before dark and predators set in. A wild rabbit would have a lifetime of famil-iarity with the area, plus reflexes and instincts domestic rabbits lack. Reluctance to leave “home base” is why you can figure most stray domestics have not willingly left home. Unless from a nearby home, they are displaced.
The bottom line is, any loose domestic rabbit you encounter needs your help. For written information on catching stray rabbits, contact your local HRS chapter."
Bauer, the bunny in my all my blog posts is agouti colored. He looks like a natural, wild bunny. Thank goodness I love him and would never let him go!
I did not adopt Bauer, I got him at a little mom and pop pet store in my city. However, the next bunny I get WILL be a rescue bunny. <3
Also, for your reference here is the information on ADOPTION POLICIES:
1. Primary Caregiver. When a rabbit is adopted from HRS, the primary caregiver must be a responsible adult. The rabbit should be treated as an integral part of the family, i.e., no group ownership (such as a classroom pet). We do NOT adopt rabbits as pets for children. The rabbit must be wanted by the entire family.
2. Indoor Housing. Adopters of HRS rabbits must understand that our rabbits are to live as household companions. This means that they must have their primary living space indoors, and must spend every night indoors. During the daytime, adopters can allow their rabbits outdoor daytime exercise. If this is the case, the rabbit must be provided with an area with secure fencing, and adequate supervision. Fosterers may require additional safety precautions appropriate to their locale.
3. Social requirements. If the rabbit is going to be alone (i.e. without the company of people, a cat or other household pets) for the majority of the time, then we recommend that the adopter adopt a second rabbit as a companion to the first.
4. Neutering. Sexually immature rabbits of mixed sexes can be adopted together as long as the adopter agress to separate them when the males are 3 1/2 months old and to neuter them as soon as the testicles have descended (usually around 4 months). Except for medical reasons, females are to be spayed within 30 days of reaching 6 months old. These same requirements exist even when an adopter has only adopted a single immature rabbit. Even when the rabbit will live alone, spaying and neutering after sexual maturity is still required.
5. Returns. If there are such problems with the adopted rabbit that the adopter needs to return the rabbit, we ask that you give the fosterer some advance notice. Some common sense and courtesy is expected. Once an animal is adopted from HRS, the space vacated is usually filled within a week. A return requires two preparations: a space must be opened by a new adoption, and another rabb must be "bumped" from the rescue list at the animal shelter. Nevertheless, all rabbits adopted from this foster home must be returned to this foster home in case of insurmountable problems.
6. Exchanges. HRS does not exchange animals. Exceptions may be made when:
a) The fosterer and adopter are working together on making a match between an adoptee and a pre-residing rabbit AND
b) In the fosterer's judgement, a different match would be less stressful to the animals.
7. Adoption fees. HRS adoption fees are donations that cannot be refunded. We are a federally recognized tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Donations made to us are no more refundable than they are to any other public charity.
***Thank you for reading this blog, and educating yourself on the adoption process of bunnies. Check out the following websites in order to find the right adoption agency for you! ***
http://rabbit.org/adoption-resources/
http://www.therabbithaven.org/
http://www.rabbitcare.org/
http://www.saveabunny.org/adopt
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/eastbayrabbit.html