Requirements and Procedures for Fostering Rabbits


Fostering is a very important part of our program to help rabbits. Our shelter has limited space; it serves the rabbits best if only adoptable rabbits are housed there. To best serve all the rabbits needing our help, we have two Fostering Programs designed to supplement our shelter care.

TEMPORARY FOSTERING
When rabbits first arrive, they usually need care for several weeks before they are ready to be adopted. Some need to regain their health; some need to grow old enough to be spayed or neutered; some need to be socialized; some simply need to wait until we can get them into our veterinarians to be spayed or neutered. And some need to be removed from animal shelters where they will otherwise be killed for lack of space!

Our Temporary Fostering program meets these needs. Temporary Fosterers pick rabbits up from our Broomfield shelter, keep them for whatever length of time is needed (usually around a month), and then exchange these rabbits when they’re ready to return to the shelter for other rabbits needing foster care.

PERMANENT FOSTERING
Many rabbits come to us in their mid-to-senior years when they are more likely to need costly medical care. Some come to us with chronic conditions requiring on-going medical care. Such rabbits are much less likely to be adopted because of their higher medical expenses. Often these rabbits have been house rabbits most of their lives and are quite well-behaved, affectionate companions, but through no fault of their own have been abandoned by their previous caretakers.

Our Permanent Fostering program meets the needs of these rabbits. Permanent Fosterers provide a forever home for these rabbits just as an adopter would, but HRS pays for their medical care, as long as the Fosterer takes the rabbits to the veterinarian we specify.

QUALIFYING TO BE A FOSTERER
Fosterers for either program must meet the same standards as our adopters. See links to the special Foster Applications below. If accepted, Fosterers must go through our “Rabbit Packet” with an HRS Educator and take a Bunny Tune-Up Class. This class is free to anyone who has adopted a rabbit from any animal shelter. Call any of the satellite contacts for dates and times when classes will be given by this satellite..

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT FOSTERING

Note:   Foster rabbits should be kept in an area entirely separate from any other rabbits you have in your home. The presence of other rabbits in your home will cause all of them to mark territory with urine.

Application to become a Temporary Fosterer
Application to Application to become a Permanent Fosterer