THINK TWICE BEFORE ADOPTING
Our founder, Jackie Fang, had always analogized rehoming our rescued rabbit to walking our daughter down the aisle. We have taken care of her to the best we could and when it’s time to rehome her, we give her a kiss on the head, tell her to behave and even give her new family a hug. It’s with this attitude that we take our adoption process very seriously. With over 500 adoption requests received this year, we have our fair share of encounters with some ‘mis-guided’ adopters. Today, we will like to share some of these ‘interesting’ adoption requests and help to educate prospective adopters to think more sensibly before they commit to adopting.
1. ADOPTION IS CHEAPER!
It is true that buying a rabbit from a petshop can cost >$300 while adopting from us is $50. But keep in mind that a rabbit is a 10-years commitment and the total amount spent on their daily supplies & their medical needs can amounts to more than $10,000! If you are already being calculative about the cost of the rabbit or comparing adoption fees to find the ‘cheaper deal’, you are likely not prepared for the long term relationship.
2. I ONLY WANT BABY RABBITS!
Young rabbits grow out of their baby phase at 4 months and immediately turn into a defiant adolescent that spray pees everywhere and do everything you tell him not to. If the babies are not properly weaned (common in pet shops), they may not be healthy and that requires lots of medical attention to keep them strong. For these reasons, BW will never adopt out our baby rabbits unless they are fully grown, properly sterilized and has a clean bill of health.
3. PURE BREEDS ONLY!
Some experienced owners have affinity towards certain breeds and we do our best to help. But for inexperienced owners who ask for them for novelty sake, we hope that they are fully aware of the challenges they are going for. From respiratory problems in NDs, ear infection in Lops to challenging grooming for Angoras, adopters should really do their bit of goggling to be prepared with the amount of care they need to provide.
4. THE RABBIT IS FOR MY CHILD!
Sorry to burst the bubbles but most rabbits do NOT like children. Rabbits thrive in a quiet environment and prefer not to be carried or even touched unless they trust you. A crying toddler or a hyperactive child will scare the crap out of them and parents will soon find them ‘not fun anymore’ and will start neglecting them. BW is all about cultivating love for animals in our younger generation but unless the parents are experienced rabbit owners, we will recommend they venture into rabbit care when their children are at least 7 and can be properly guided to care for rabbits together.
5. I WILL PLAY WITH IT BUT MY MAID WILL TAKE CARE!
Well, it’s nice to have an extra pair of hands to help with domestic chores but we should never entrust our own responsibility to domestic helpers. For all experienced rabbit owners, we know that their appetite, their energy level, their pee/poo production are indicators of how healthy they are. If your helper is doing all these, how are you able to monitor your own rabbit’s health? If you don’t have time and rely on domestic helpers to care for your pets, we will suggest you re-consider your decision.
BW will continue to do our best to educate our adopters before they commit to adopting but we also hope that you can SHARE this post so prospective adopters can be well-prepared. We certainly do not give our rabbits to anyone who wants it. We are looking for a well-prepared forever home where both the rabbits and the humans will have a good time together.