Rabbit Adoption
House Rabbit Connection is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, and the MA/CT chapter of the House Rabbit Society. As we have been getting many more adopters this year (2022), and because there have been many questions about how people can adopt a rabbit from us, we figured it was time to explain things in more detail.
Rabbit Adoption Process
If you are interested in adopting one of our rabbits, please call us at (413) 439-7472 OR email us at info@hopline.org. (You do not need to do both—it does not make things go any faster and can actually cause a delayed response.) Please read below for information prior to contacting us:
When you call or email us, one of our volunteer Hopliners will get in touch with you to start the adoption process. This involves getting your contact information and asking questions regarding your household and level of experience with rabbits. These may seem like very personal questions, but they are necessary for us to ask them. We ask for your mailing address so we can send an adoption packet to you. We need to know about children or other pets in your home because not every rabbit responds well to them. We need to know if you own or rent your home because we do need proof from renters that they have permission from their landlords to have a rabbit in their home. Besides asking questions from you, our Hopliners are also happy to answer any questions you may have about rabbit care, especially if you have never owned a rabbit before.
From there, our Hopliners give your information to our adoption team, and a team member will then contact you to discuss adoption in more detail. They may ask more questions about your household or about your level of experience with rabbits. This is so we can get a better view of who you are and if the rabbit you are interested in will be a good fit for your home. Our goal is to find forever homes for our rabbits; we want you to be happy with your rabbit, and we want your rabbit to be happy with you.
If all goes well, the final step is the meet-and-greet (or bunny date). This can be done at the foster home of the rabbit, or at the home of one of our volunteers, or at another location that is convenient both for the potential adopter and for our rabbits being transported. For bunny dates, a neutral location may be chosen instead of the foster home to be sure that neither rabbit has already claimed that space as “theirs”.
PLEASE NOTE: Masks are required, and no more than two members of your household (including you) will be allowed to attend.
If everything is good and you, the adopter, are happy, you fill out and sign the official paperwork, pay the adoption fee ($60 for a single rabbit, and $110 for a bonded pair), and you bring your new rabbit(s) home.
DOs & DON’Ts:
DO be patient with the process. Our adoption process moves a little slower than some people expect. Because we are all volunteers and we work with foster homes, we have to work around many people’s schedules when it comes to contacting potential adopters and setting up meet-and-greets (for people looking to adopt) or bunny dates (for people who are looking for a bondmate for their current rabbit). While we do our best to contact people in a timely manner, sometimes it can take a few days for our adoption team to contact every applicant, especially when there are many applications coming in. We take every application in the order it is submitted, so there may be more than one person looking to adopt the same rabbit, and it may mean that the rabbit you want has been adopted by someone else before they can get back to you. If that is the case, our adoption team will be happy to recommend a rabbit that is still available, or you can choose to keep your information on file in case a different rabbit interests you (in which case your application will be in line ahead of others) or you can choose to withdraw your application altogether.
DON’T have your children call or email us. While we love to know that young people are so enthusiastic about owning a rabbit, we cannot adopt to anyone under the age of 18. You as the parent need to be the one to contact us because you are the one who will be legally responsible for its care and well-being—and we need to know that you are willing and able to take that responsibility. Please remember that a rabbit is easily a 10-year commitment, and may still be around even after your child has grown up and is no longer interested in them. If you want your child to be involved in the process, we are happy to answer their questions once we’ve talked to you or have them come to the meet-and-greet (if safety allows).
DO have your current rabbit spayed/neutered before contacting us looking for a bondmate. We cannot adopt to people whose current rabbits are not spayed/neutered. If the cost of spay/neuter is more than you can afford, we may be able to help; call or email us for details.
HRC’s Successful Adoptions
A photo gallery of HRC’s successful house rabbit adoptions. This is still under work updating.
Post-Adoption Questionnaire
We want to hear how you are doing with your adoptee(s)!