The need is greater than ever. We have close to 200 rabbits that need foster homes. Some need some extra watching to make sure sore hocks heal, Penicillin shots to clear up runny noses, careful eyes to make sure ear infections do not return. Some need a home and a human to get used to the companionship of people rather than just other rabbits. Some just need a place to hang out and get some love and veggies before they can be placed in a Petco or a home. If you have ever considered fostering, long- or short-term, now is the time! Fostering is simple, and so very rewarding. Here are some details so you can determine whether fostering is right for you:
Housing
We prefer our rabbits to be housed in pens or condos, as opposed to cages. This is a very simple, easy to manage setup that can be placed anywhere you have a couple extra square feet of space!
RabbitCondo.com has a great tutorial on
how to build your own condo out of wire grid cubes. Alternately, you can use those same wire grids to make a pen. This only requires one box of grids, a handful of zip ties, and some clips (lobster claw style or binder clips work great). This pen style is also great to keep or move outside to give your fosters (or your own buns!) some outside playtime. Remember, dappled shade (part sun, part shade) is best, or give them someplace shady to go to get out of the sun if they choose. Petco.com also sells
puppy play pens that are perfect if you’re not the assemble-it-yourself type! We can help you figure out the best way to adapt the space in your house for fosters, and there are tons of cheap options.
Litter Training
Litter training a spayed/neutered rabbit is as easy as pie, and some unaltered rabbits actually take to it easily without any real persuasion! We use oak or pine pellets to line litter boxes, but Carefresh type products are acceptable as well. Never use cat litter or anything clay-based for a rabbit’s litter box! Soft wood shavings like cedar should also be avoided. The most economical way to do bunny litter boxes is by buying wood pellets from Tractor Supply or your local feed & tack store. Oak pellets are sold as fuel for pellet stoves, but make sure you buy the all-natural, no additives variety (some brands add lighter fuel, which is not great for anyone to be standing on). These are only available in fall and winter, but stock up on them while you can because they last almost twice as long as pine pellets! Pine pellets are sold as pelletized horse stall bedding, the most common brand being Equine Pine. Each of these products comes in a 40-50 lb bag, sold for around $5. Much cheaper, and longer-lasting, than any alternative!
Litter boxes should be about twice the size of your rabbit. Inside the litter box, against one of the short sides, you’ll place their food and water dishes. This is the easiest way to train a rabbit to use their litter box, as they naturally want to poop and pee where they eat and drink. Hay should also be added either to the litter box or in a hay manger that hangs on the side of their environment, over the litter box, so they must be in the litter box to eat the hay.
Spays/Neuters
If your foster bun is already spayed/neutered (and over half of our current population is already), then all they need is a safe place to hang out until a Petco opens up for them to go and get seen by potential families everywhere. If your foster is not yet altered, you will work with Lindsay to schedule a surgery date. One week of healing and quiet time is required post-surgey, and then they’re considered ready to go!
What’s Included?
As a brand new foster, we will send you home with a water bottle or dish, litter box, 10 pounds of food and a couple pounds of hay. You will be responsible for feeding your fosters past that point. This is really not expensive, though — a 50 pound bag of pellets runs about $16 and a 50-ish pound bale of hay is only $13 through our current source. That will feed one or two buns for a very long time!
All medical expenses of fosters are covered by WildRescue, just like they would be if the bunny were still living at the Rescue. We can provide pain medication for the two days post-surgery. If you are not comfortable administering shots, there is an oral version of the same medicine. You will be responsible for transport of your rabbit to/from any vet appointments unless other arrangements or carpools have been made.
Ok, So Who Can I Foster?
Yard Bunny Boys – EASY COMMITMENT
All of the boys in the large yards outside are already neutered! So the easiest thing you can do as a foster parent is take in one or two of these cute boys and get them used to being in a home. Help them learn to love human interaction, talk to them, give them good food, hay, yummy greens, affection, treats, and in every way possible SPOIL THEM! Once you think they are doing well in a home environment, we can move them into an open Petco for adoption into a forever home.
Yard Bunny Girls – MODERATE COMMITMENT
Most of the girls in the large yards outside are not yet spayed. As a foster parent to these girls, you could take one or two into your home and work on all those great things listed for the boys: Love, good food, etc. Once you think they are adjusting well to a home life, get with Lindsay to make an appointment for your girls to be spayed. They need one week of recovery post-spay, providing a heating pad and pain meds for the first couple days, and special attention to make sure their eating habits pick right back up. Once they are healed and happy, they will be ready to move into an open Petco for adoption into a forever home.
Challenge Bunnies – HIGHER COMMITMENT (but very rewarding!)
Some of our bunnies are needing extra special TLC to get up to adoptable status. This includes BABIES – and there happen to be about a dozen of those needing a foster home right now! There are some that are especially shy or maybe a little too aggressive and they need your help trusting humans. There are also some that need supportive medical care and extra special watching on minor issues. All of these bunnies deserve and need wonderful homes, but they will need a loving, dedicated foster parent to help them along. Maybe that’s you!
Contact Us for More Info!
Julie is your point person for fostering.
Contact us and let us know you’re interested in fostering, and we will pass you on to Julie for further information and help setting up your foster space! Fostering can be done once, a few times a year, or you can become a revolving door for fosters – the level of involvement is really up to you. It truly is rewarding to know that you get to play a part in getting these wonderful little guys into their forever homes. Please consider fostering for Rabbit Rescue and
contact us with any questions!
