Rescues
This page is dedicated to rescue bunnies and helping owners who need their rabbits rehoming. You’ll find available rescues at the bottom of the page. These are rescues, NOT my pedigree bunnies. I have taken these rabbits in from owners who are struggling.
How do I rehome my rabbit?
As I take in the odd rescue bunnies now and again when an owner is in need, I am often asked if I will take in bunnies by people in need. Unfortunately, I am asked to take in more bunnies than I have room for. During term time at uni it is very rare I can take in any bunnies due to high workload and exam pressures. I process (take in and rehome) more rescue bunnies than I do my own bunny babies. This can be a huge strain on my own finances as I can not receive funding/charity due to me being a breeder (my prime hobby).
I will always help bunny owners as much as I possibly can as I understand life can be full of surprises and it is better to ask for help than sink further into despair on your own. I have compiled this page for those who need their bunnies to be rehomed but are perhaps overwhelmed not knowing where to start. I find a lot of owners do not realise the following are even options open to them, so hopefully this helps.
Return Bunny to Breeder/Pet Shop
Your very first port of call when you need to rehome your rabbit/s is to go back to your original breeder or pet shop. Breeders like me for instance will snap up their home bred rabbits and make room for them. You do not need to have an elaborate reason or feel like you need to explain yourself, “unforeseen circumstances” will suffice. Pet shops have the most ideal set up to adopt out their returned bunnies. For example, pets at home has specific display cages solely set aside for the rabbits that are returned or those it just can’t sell. And so they should! Return your rabbit to the pet shop who sold them to you. Of course you should not be expecting any money for the rabbit but you should expect the pet shop to find the rabbit a home for you. If you have a lop eared rabbit, there are actually a lot of pet shops who will be willing to help you regardless of where you had bunny from. Places like "Just for Pets" in Swadlincote have wonderful staff and if they can, they will take in unwanted bunnies to find them homes. They also DO NOT pressurise new owners to committ to two bunnies.
Advertise for a New Home
If for some reason the above does not work out for you, then it is time for you to advertise. The most obvious reasons for adoption adverts to fail to find homes for bunnies is due to inadequate photographs taken of bunnies and price wanted. The photograph you take of the bunny is THE MOST important factor in your advert. You need to have very good lighting and clear shots of bunny. People will likely travel a long distance to meet your bunny and they won’t consider this if your pictures are blurry or the background is messy looking. The price of bunny should reflect what you’re offering; lop eared bunnies will always sell better but an older bunny no matter its breed will never fetch the same amount as it would have as a baby. Be realistic. That said, DO NOT give your pet for free. I follow lots of rescue centres and keep in close contact with local bunny rescues so I know that small animals and kittens are regularly used as bait in dog fights. Dog baiting is where bets are put on which animal will live the longest before it is killed by a fighting dog. Heartbreakingly, this is a real threat.
Another tip is to give enough information on your advert regarding your rabbit, as much as you can. If you don’t, you will have the same questions asked by people over and over again. It is infuriating for me to see “no more time wasters” written on adverts. People have a right to enquire and not buy that pet; if your advert is incomplete or missing vital important information then it is quite possibly you who is wasting people’s times haha. I am of course referring to breeders writing this but the same principle applies. Save yourself time and write a good detailed advert. If people can’t be bothered to read it all then obviously they aren’t going to be bothered to care for a rabbit anyway. Be aware of people wanting your rabbits for breeding purposes. These are never going to be the right kind of breeders and your rabbit could be passed from Pilar to post. As a breeder myself, I would never ever breed from a rescue as it would undo YEARS of hard work. People who want to breed rabbits should be obtaining breeding stock from someone who exhibits rabbits, no exceptions.
Websites I use to advertise bunny rabbits: pets4homes.co.uk
This website is completely free to advertise and completely free for people to respond. Please DO NOT list your pet for "free to good home". I often list rescue rabbits for a price and when new owners come and meet the lovely families I do not take anything for the rabbit, so that owners have that money to then spend on vital neutering.
Behavioural Issues
If you can not find a suitable home for bunny still then yes you may have to now start contacting rescue centres. It may be the case that your rabbit has behavioural issues, in which case rehoming rabbits to pet homes is not an option (say for example, if bunny has bitten). If you are wanting to rehome your rabbit because of these behavioural issues please be aware that in 99% of cases where rabbits are aggressive, it is due to the way the rabbit is kept. i.e. incorrect living conditions, cramped living conditions, neutering needs. The only exception to this I have found in all my years are Netherland Dwarfs, in my experience they can just be a nasty little breed of rabbit (probably mostly down to bad breeding), I do not mean all nethies are like this but the problematic bunnies I had come to me who could not be rehabilitated and thus never pet homed were all netherland dwarfs. I have never ever come across a lop eared bunny who could not be rehabilitated (the main reason for aggressive behaviour in the lops was completely inadequate living space). As soon as the rabbit was given the correct surroundings and diet all was well.
Rescue Centres
Be aware this is the last resort for a reason; there are long waiting lists for bunnies to go to rescue centres. If your bunny has bitten your bunny is more likely to get a place but please do not jeopardise your bunnies future by pretending they have bitten.
Good luck & if you still need help please don’t hesitate to contact me.
I will always help bunny owners as much as I possibly can as I understand life can be full of surprises and it is better to ask for help than sink further into despair on your own. I have compiled this page for those who need their bunnies to be rehomed but are perhaps overwhelmed not knowing where to start. I find a lot of owners do not realise the following are even options open to them, so hopefully this helps.
Return Bunny to Breeder/Pet Shop
Your very first port of call when you need to rehome your rabbit/s is to go back to your original breeder or pet shop. Breeders like me for instance will snap up their home bred rabbits and make room for them. You do not need to have an elaborate reason or feel like you need to explain yourself, “unforeseen circumstances” will suffice. Pet shops have the most ideal set up to adopt out their returned bunnies. For example, pets at home has specific display cages solely set aside for the rabbits that are returned or those it just can’t sell. And so they should! Return your rabbit to the pet shop who sold them to you. Of course you should not be expecting any money for the rabbit but you should expect the pet shop to find the rabbit a home for you. If you have a lop eared rabbit, there are actually a lot of pet shops who will be willing to help you regardless of where you had bunny from. Places like "Just for Pets" in Swadlincote have wonderful staff and if they can, they will take in unwanted bunnies to find them homes. They also DO NOT pressurise new owners to committ to two bunnies.
Advertise for a New Home
If for some reason the above does not work out for you, then it is time for you to advertise. The most obvious reasons for adoption adverts to fail to find homes for bunnies is due to inadequate photographs taken of bunnies and price wanted. The photograph you take of the bunny is THE MOST important factor in your advert. You need to have very good lighting and clear shots of bunny. People will likely travel a long distance to meet your bunny and they won’t consider this if your pictures are blurry or the background is messy looking. The price of bunny should reflect what you’re offering; lop eared bunnies will always sell better but an older bunny no matter its breed will never fetch the same amount as it would have as a baby. Be realistic. That said, DO NOT give your pet for free. I follow lots of rescue centres and keep in close contact with local bunny rescues so I know that small animals and kittens are regularly used as bait in dog fights. Dog baiting is where bets are put on which animal will live the longest before it is killed by a fighting dog. Heartbreakingly, this is a real threat.
Another tip is to give enough information on your advert regarding your rabbit, as much as you can. If you don’t, you will have the same questions asked by people over and over again. It is infuriating for me to see “no more time wasters” written on adverts. People have a right to enquire and not buy that pet; if your advert is incomplete or missing vital important information then it is quite possibly you who is wasting people’s times haha. I am of course referring to breeders writing this but the same principle applies. Save yourself time and write a good detailed advert. If people can’t be bothered to read it all then obviously they aren’t going to be bothered to care for a rabbit anyway. Be aware of people wanting your rabbits for breeding purposes. These are never going to be the right kind of breeders and your rabbit could be passed from Pilar to post. As a breeder myself, I would never ever breed from a rescue as it would undo YEARS of hard work. People who want to breed rabbits should be obtaining breeding stock from someone who exhibits rabbits, no exceptions.
Websites I use to advertise bunny rabbits: pets4homes.co.uk
This website is completely free to advertise and completely free for people to respond. Please DO NOT list your pet for "free to good home". I often list rescue rabbits for a price and when new owners come and meet the lovely families I do not take anything for the rabbit, so that owners have that money to then spend on vital neutering.
Behavioural Issues
If you can not find a suitable home for bunny still then yes you may have to now start contacting rescue centres. It may be the case that your rabbit has behavioural issues, in which case rehoming rabbits to pet homes is not an option (say for example, if bunny has bitten). If you are wanting to rehome your rabbit because of these behavioural issues please be aware that in 99% of cases where rabbits are aggressive, it is due to the way the rabbit is kept. i.e. incorrect living conditions, cramped living conditions, neutering needs. The only exception to this I have found in all my years are Netherland Dwarfs, in my experience they can just be a nasty little breed of rabbit (probably mostly down to bad breeding), I do not mean all nethies are like this but the problematic bunnies I had come to me who could not be rehabilitated and thus never pet homed were all netherland dwarfs. I have never ever come across a lop eared bunny who could not be rehabilitated (the main reason for aggressive behaviour in the lops was completely inadequate living space). As soon as the rabbit was given the correct surroundings and diet all was well.
Rescue Centres
Be aware this is the last resort for a reason; there are long waiting lists for bunnies to go to rescue centres. If your bunny has bitten your bunny is more likely to get a place but please do not jeopardise your bunnies future by pretending they have bitten.
Good luck & if you still need help please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Available Rescues
Below is a list of the current rescue bunnies I have who are looking for their forever home 💕
(Please note: I have NOT bred these rabbits, they have come to me from other people who can’t cope anymore. If you are looking for adult rabbits for breeding purposes or my own pedigree bunnies please contact me as I do not generally advertise these)
(Please note: I have NOT bred these rabbits, they have come to me from other people who can’t cope anymore. If you are looking for adult rabbits for breeding purposes or my own pedigree bunnies please contact me as I do not generally advertise these)