We need your help!
What is fostering and how do I get started?
By fostering a rabbit, you provide a nurturing home environment and socialization to help prepare the rabbit for permanent adoption into a loving home.
What is the time commitment?
Our foster parents provide a clean, safe, loving, indoor environment for homeless rabbits on a temporary basis, with the ultimate goal of adopting them into loving, permanent indoor homes when the rabbit is ready and a suitable match is found. Foster stays may be anywhere from a few days, weeks, months, or more, depending on the situation. We try to match our foster rabbits with foster parents based on the individual needs of the rabbit and the experience, preference and availability of our foster parents.
What if I’ve never cared for an indoor pet rabbit before?
If you are new to rabbit care, you still can foster. Our foster coordinator will be happy to help you! We will provide educational materials to help you learn about rabbit care. Please watch the video, provided by the House Rabbit Society (HRS), at the bottom of this page. We also STRONGLY recommend that you take the free, online Rabbit Care 101 course offered by HRS. Sign up here.
What if I have other pets?
It’s best to keep your foster rabbit physically separated from your own pets (preferably in a different room), at least initially. Some foster rabbits are accustomed to other family pets. Our foster coordinator will help you decide if your home with pets is a good fit for one of our rabbits.
What is the financial commitment?
We provide a basic set up (see picture below). You are asked to provide daily greens/vegetables which costs about $7 per week. Since we are completely volunteer and donation based, if you can donate future supplies to help the bunny, that’s great! Otherwise, we can assist with pellet food, litter, and hay if it’s not in your budget.
What do I need to do on a daily basis?
The job of a rabbit foster parent is to provide daily care and socialization, offering the rabbit a sense of security and routine. Rabbits are provided daily food pellets, fresh greens, hay, water and exercise. Fosters keep the rabbit’s area clean and reinforce litter box training. Your main job is to make sure the rabbit is safe, cared for, socialized and LOVED….it’s a very rewarding job!
What supplies and space do I need?
The rabbit will need at least a 5’x5’ quiet, protected space indoors. We will set you up with an exercise pen, food and water bowls, litter box, and starter litter, hay, and food, as shown in this picture. We provide protection for your floors if needed. A cardboard box hideaway and an old rug, towel, or blanket should also be available. The rabbit will need daily exercise in a safe area once you are comfortable with handling the bunny outside the enclosure.
The video series on rabbit care, below, will help you get your home ready for a bunny.
Interested? Fill out the Foster Application to get started, and our Foster Coordinator will be in touch.
New Beginnings Animal Rescue for Rabbits 