Requirements and Procedures for Adopting Rabbits

The Northwestern Satellite of the Colorado House Rabbit Society can place rabbits anywhere along the I-70 corridor between Frisco and Grand Junction, and within 100 miles north or south of Grand Junction. Other western slope areas will be considered as long as you have a vet available who is rabbit-savvy. All adopters will be required to attend a tune-up class in Grand Junction. Classes are offered several times a year. We place rabbits only in pairs and only as house rabbits; i.e., they may not be left outside in a hutch, pen, or running freely in a fenced yard unless an adult is present with them at all times. There are several reasons we place only in pairs:

In nature, the European wild rabbit from which all of our domestic rabbits are descended, bond for life. So it is an innate need for rabbits to have a companion.
Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning their most active times are in the twilight periods - early morning and evening. Their deepest sleep occurs in the afternoon. Companionship requires another crepuscular creature so they can snuggle together when sleeping, play when awake, share food, etc. No human can satisfy a rabbit's need for constant companionship.
From experience, we have found paired rabbits are healthier and live longer than singles. There have been many instances where a companion rabbit's constant support has been the deciding factor in a sick rabbit's recovery.
A single rabbit is a bored rabbit. A bored rabbit is a rabbit who gets into a lot of trouble. Many people who started with a single rabbit and eventually adopted a friend for him or her have said things like, "I wish someone had told me that two rabbits are half the trouble of one rabbit!")

If you have a rabbit needing a friend, we can work with your rabbit to find a friend who will accept, and be accepted by, yours.

We cannot place rabbits in homes where anyone smokes. Rabbits have very sensitive respiratory systems. If someone smokes, but always does it outside, no matter what the weather, we can place with you. But if residual smoke is obvious in the home when we deliver the rabbits, we will not leave them with you.

If you are interested in adopting rabbits from us, please don’t begin these procedures if you are planning a trip in the next two months or if you will be too busy to accept the rabbits within a week of choosing them. Wait until you get back, or until things settle down for you.

Also, if you rent your home, please get written permission from the manager of your property before you proceed any further. We will need this, or a copy of your lease, if it states clearly that you can have two rabbits inside your home. It must also state this permission will not be revoked as long as you live there. Please don’t skimp on this requirement or try to interpret a phrase in the lease to include rabbits if it doesn’t really do so. It must be totally clear to us that you have permission to have two rabbits inside your home.

We cannot place rabbits as classroom pets. Please see our article on Classroom Rabbits.

Rabbits are not good companion animals for young children. It is all right to have young children in the family as long as you take appropriate measures to protect both child and rabbit, but if you intend the rabbits specifically for the child, he or she should be at least 8 years old. And you, as the adult, should plan to care for the rabbits, letting the child help, but taking responsibility for their care yourself.

Please do not get rabbits, or any animals, unless:

Your situation is reasonably stable. People right out of high school should postpone animals until they are well settled and have a stable job;
You are committed to keeping them for their entire lives, maintaining time for them, taking them with you if you move, and solving any problems which may occur, as you would for a child;
You have the financial ability to provide veterinary care as needed, including annual check-ups. Veterinary bills are no less for rabbits than for dogs or cats. From a medical point of view, rabbits are considered exotics and require veterinarians who have had special training in treating rabbits;
You understand that children (even teen-agers) haven’t the maturity to be responsible for another life, and you, as an adult in the family, are the one responsible for the care and keeping of the rabbits;
You understand children may grow tired of any animal, but an animal brought into the home is part of the family, not a toy to be discarded, and an animal is never to be removed from the family for any reason for which a child would not be removed.

ADOPTION PROCEDURES

General

We conduct an interview to learn more about your situation, to be sure you understand what is involved in having a house rabbit, to answer your questions, etc. (This can be done via e-mail or US Mail. E-mail will move things along more rapidly than US Mail.) The purpose of the interview is to be sure you have considered everything we can think of that will affect the success of your adoption, and to educate you in any area that will help make your adoption successful and joy-filled.
Assuming that both of us want to move forward after the interview, we then have you visit the foster rabbits.
We give you educational materials, discussing certain aspects of them that you need to know to be prepared for your rabbits.
The rabbits will be delivered to your home.
You will return after a few weeks for a four-hour "Bunny Tune-Up" class, where you will learn much more about keeping your rabbits healthy and giving them as long a life as possible.

Pairs

If you find a pair you want, we ask that you make a $40 deposit to hold them.
We then ask that you get ready for delivery of the rabbits within a week.
We deliver the rabbits when you are ready, and at that time the contract is signed and final payment made.

Singles (a partner for your rabbit)

Rabbits can be very picky about their partners, rejecting some suitors and accepting others. The rituals of bonding can be complex and people can interfere with the courtship by stopping some behaviors which look dangerous but are not and failing to recognize other behaviors which can lead to serious fights and injuries.

Therefore we do the pairings at our facilities. We show you rabbits we believe would be appropriate partners, and you choose three, indicating your first, second, and third preference. We begin with your first choice, going to your second and third choices only if the earlier choices don't work.

We keep the rabbits for several days to solidify the bonding, in order to minimize the territorial issues when the rabbits go home, and then we deliver them to you. This period may be as short as four days or as long as several weeks; the average is about six days.

Typically, the time needed if your rabbit is a female is less than if your rabbit is a male. Males are likely to have more territorial issues when they get home than females. This is because, in nature, the female European Wild Rabbit (from which all of our domestic rabbits are descended) build a burrow, and goes out to find a male rabbit she likes, and then brings him home. His job is then to guard their territory. So a resident male has to work through the confusion of his instincts when a female he loves comes onto turf that he had already established ("I love her, but she shouldn't be on my turf"). This confusion usually passes within an hour or two of coming home, but only if the bonding is sufficient for his attraction to the female to overcome his sense that she shouldn't be on what he views as his turf.

Fees

Adoption fees are $100 for a pair of rabbits, $75 for a single, which includes the pairing. For this you get:

rabbits already spayed and neutered
rabbits delivered to assure their transition to their new home
the "Rabbit Packet" (detailed information about caring for and training rabbits)
three sessions of education:
1. when you select your rabbits
2. when the rabbits are delivered to you
3. when you come back for the “Bunny Tune-Up” class
a year’s membership to the chapter, including the newsletter
phone line and e-mail to help solve any problems that come up throughout the lives of your rabbits
a 24-hour emergency line if you need help with a sick or injured rabbit

This is over a $300 value! We also ask you become a member of the national HRS ($18), which does work benefiting rabbits everywhere, and sends you the quarterly “House Rabbit Journal.”

Holidays

If you are planning to give your child or children a pair of rabbits on a holiday (e.g., Easter or Christmas), it is best to give them some of the supplies the rabbit will need on the holiday, and a note saying that they will be going to help choose the rabbits. It is best that you be able to judge how the rabbits and your children will interact before committing to a particular pair.

Homes and Supplies for Your Rabbits

We can provide nearly everything you need for your rabbits, including condos (cages), food and water crocks, hay, pellets, litter boxes, litter, etc. These sales help support the Northwestern Satellite of the Colorado House Rabbit Society, although you are welcome to shop elsewhere for these things. We do encourage you to not shop at stores which sell any small animals. Such sales are the primary reason for those same animals ending up in shelters. When you support such stores, you are supporting the cruel practice of selling animals without any investigation of, or concern for, how they will fare in the future.

We have large, cream-colored epoxy-painted, folding dog crates for sale as rabbit homes. They're expensive - $197 (including tax) as of June, 2006. But they are very nice for bunns and look nice in a family room.

You can also put "Neat Ideas" cube panels (sometimes called "Creative Cubes") together with nylon wire wraps, and make an incredible condo in a matter of an hour or so for a fraction of the cost of a ready-made cage. You can see an example at our foster facilities or see the "Neat Ideas Cubes" website for ideas, photos, and instructions.

If you are still interested in adopting a rabbit or a pair of rabbits from the Northwestern Satellite of the Colorado House Rabbit Society, go to: Application to Adopt a Single Rabbit or Application to Adopt a Pair of Rabbits