Rehome Pets
Worth ruling out first
- "He's boring / he hides." Usually a rabbit kept alone in too little space. Neutering, a companion and a much larger area transform most rabbits' behaviour.
- Aggression, spraying or destructiveness. Very often hormonal and resolved by neutering. Worth doing before concluding the rabbit cannot stay.
- The child lost interest. Extremely common, and honest. If nobody in the household will engage with the rabbit, rehoming is the right call — a rabbit ignored in a hutch is worse off than one rehomed.
- Allergies. Often it is the hay rather than the rabbit. Changing hay type or storage sometimes resolves it entirely.
Bonded pairs — read this first
Bonded rabbits must be rehomed together, without exception. Rabbits that groom each other, eat side by side and lie in contact are genuinely bonded. A rabbit that loses its partner frequently stops eating, and in rabbits a stopped gut becomes life-threatening within a day or two. Rebonding is difficult, slow and sometimes impossible. Advertise them as a pair, say clearly that you will not split them, and decline every offer to take just one.
This halves your pool of adopters and it is still not negotiable. Be upfront in the listing so you are not arguing about it later.
Preparing your rabbit
- Neutering. Changes behaviour substantially, prevents accidental litters, and greatly reduces the risk of uterine cancer in females, which is very common in unspayed does. Neutered rabbits are far easier to place.
- Vaccinations up to date. Myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease are fatal and vaccination is routine in many countries — ask your vet what is recommended where you are.
- A health check, with particular attention to teeth. Dental problems are extremely common in rabbits and often invisible at home until the rabbit stops eating.
- Write down the diet: hay type (which should be the bulk of it), pellet brand and daily amount, and which fresh greens the rabbit is used to. Sudden diet changes cause gut problems.
- Note the setup the rabbit is used to — indoor or outdoor, litter-trained or not, how it reacts to being picked up.
Writing the listing
- Photograph at ground level in natural light. Include a photo of the current housing.
- Give the breed or best guess and adult size — people badly underestimate how large some rabbits get.
- State age, sex and neuter status.
- Say plainly whether the rabbit likes being handled. Most do not, and pretending otherwise leads to a returned rabbit and a frightened one.
- State whether it is litter-trained, and whether it lives indoors or outdoors.
- If bonded, say so in the first line.
- Say what you require: constant access to a large exercise space, not a hutch alone.
- Give the reason you are rehoming.
List your rabbit
Reach adopters who search by species and distance, and screen them properly first.
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Screening adopters
- How much space would the rabbit have in total, and would it have access to that space all the time?
- Indoors or outdoors? If outdoors, what protection is there from predators, heat and cold?
- What would you feed? (Hay should be the overwhelming majority. An answer led by pellets or muesli mix suggests they have not researched.)
- Have you kept rabbits before? What happened to them?
- Which vet would you use, and do they see rabbits regularly?
- Do you know rabbits need vaccinating, and against what?
- What would you do if the rabbit stopped eating? (The right answer is same-day veterinary attention. This one question separates informed keepers from the rest.)
- Do you have other rabbits, and are they neutered? How would you introduce them?
- Who is the rabbit for?
Warning signs: a hutch-only setup, plans to keep the rabbit alone in a small run, an adopter who says rabbits are low-maintenance or a starter pet for a young child, interest in breeding, any reluctance to say where the rabbit will live, or an enquiry made around Easter with a child in mind. Be alert too to anyone acquiring rabbits cheaply in quantity.
Rabbits are not good pets for small children. Most dislike being picked up, and a struggling rabbit can injure itself or scratch a child badly. If an adopter describes the rabbit as a pet for a young child, probe hard — the placement usually fails.
Transport and settling in
- Transport in a solid carrier with a non-slip base and hay to hide in. Keep the car cool and quiet; rabbits overheat easily and are badly affected by stress.
- Move bonded rabbits together in the same carrier — separating them for the journey can break the bond.
- Send the current hay, pellets and any familiar bedding or hideaway. Familiar smells help, and an abrupt food change causes gut problems.
- Hand over the vaccination record and the written diet and routine.
- Advise the new owner to leave the rabbit undisturbed in its new space for the first few days, letting it approach rather than reaching in for it.
- Tell them explicitly: a rabbit that has not eaten or produced droppings for twelve hours is an emergency. This is the single most useful thing a new rabbit owner can know.
Frequently asked questions
Must bonded rabbits be rehomed together?
Yes. Separating a bonded pair causes real distress, and a rabbit that loses its partner often stops eating, which becomes life-threatening within a day or two. Rebonding is difficult and sometimes impossible. Advertise them as a pair only and refuse offers to split them.
How long does it take to rehome a rabbit?
Two to eight weeks is typical. Bonded pairs, large breeds, and rabbits that dislike handling take longer. Rabbit rescues are frequently full, so private rehoming is often the faster route.
Is a hutch enough space for a rabbit?
No. A traditional hutch alone is far too small. Rabbits need permanent access to a large exercise area, not an hour out per day, and welfare guidance in several countries now reflects this. Ask adopters specifically about total space and whether access is constant.
What should I ask someone adopting my rabbit?
Total housing size and whether exercise space is always available, indoor or outdoor, diet, previous rabbits, which vet, and whether they know rabbits need vaccinating. Ask what they would do if the rabbit stopped eating — the correct answer, same-day veterinary attention, tells you they understand gut stasis.
Are rabbits good pets for young children?
Generally not. Most rabbits dislike being picked up, and a frightened rabbit can injure itself struggling or scratch a child. Rabbits are prey animals that prefer interaction at ground level. Be cautious about adopters who describe the rabbit as a pet for a small child.
