We provide humane solutions to feral rabbit management
- Identify and target ‘problem’ areas with over-populations of feral or pet rabbits.
- Promote the idea of ‘rabbitats’ (sanctuaries and micro-sanctuaries) and build a base of potential hosts.
- Help potential hosts decide on whether a rabbitat is a good fit and if so, how many rabbits are sustainable.
- Educate and supervise the rabbitat hosts.
- Advise on interactive and sustainable designs.
- Advise on proper containment including escape-proofing and predator-proofing.
- Consult with experts in landscaping, fencing, nutrition, health and colony behavior.
- Advise individuals on the laws in their communities.
- Work with local governments as required or necessary.
- Advise on reducing maintenance and long term costs.
- Research and solicit donated/low cost sterilization and other vet care.
- Solicit deals or donations of fencing, ground wire and other building materials, food, etc.
- Organize volunteer labor pools to construct or help construct the rabbitats as required.
- Draw up and execute a Rabbitats contract requiring hosts to check in regularly on a website forum, inform the Rabbitats organization of rabbit illnesses or deaths and surrender rabbits to the organization or sources approved by the organization at the time of the surrender in the event they can no longer care for them.
- Encourage and advise municipal animal control and other shelters
- Provide the best design for the area and resources.
- Educate the communities re: rabbit abandonment prevention.
Long Term Solutions
Rabbitats wants to rescue the rabbits but we also seek to stop the flow.
We are lobbying for controls on all rabbit ‘sales’, not just pet stores. Rabbitats believes first and foremost that all animals should be ‘adopted’ and not ‘sold’ and that all transactions involving live animals need to come with screening, education and accountability.
Rabbitats would like to see a free and easy registry system with all animal guardians required to register and track their charges from the breeder to the animal’s death.
We encourage mandatory education for rabbit guardians, sellers and re-homers. Young rabbits when not sterilized can go through a period of unruliness lasting several months. A guardian not realizing their little pet will again be sweet and friendly can end up dumping the bunny in a park.
We encourage and facilitate low-cost spay/neuter and vaccination clinics and other supportive programs for rabbits.
We want diligent ‘pet dumping’ laws, surveillance, reporting options, enforcement and heavy fines.
Rabbitats recognizes that laws and education alone will not keep people from abandoning their rabbits in some manner, be it turning them loose in a vacant lot or rehoming the pet to an inappropriate situation or leaving them to languish or even starve in cages in their homes when they no longer have the ability or desire to care for them, thus we encourage city shelters to accept owner surrenders (most currently do not) and be given more resources to do so.
Rabbitats also encourages rescues and shelters to create supportive climates for people seeking to relinquish their pets.
We endorse outdoor homes, especially those with the capacity to house groups or colonies of rabbits: The prominent House Rabbit Society ably promotes rabbits as house pets for interactive enjoyment and the rabbits’ safety, but we also support safe and enriched outdoor ‘rabbitats’, enabling fans of nature, wildlife, animals and/or gardening enjoy their company in a natural environment.