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 role of a foster parent/family?
People who foster our rabbits 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 adopter is found. Foster homes are expected to actively socialize foster rabbits and provide daily enrichment to help prepare them for adoption. This includes regular interaction, gentle handling when appropriate, exposure to normal household activities, and opportunities for exercise and exploration. The goal is to help each rabbit build confidence, develop positive behaviors, and become well-adjusted for life in a permanent home.
Foster families should also provide regular updates regarding the rabbit’s personality, habits, preferences, litter box use, and interactions with people. This information helps New Beginnings Animal Rescue match rabbits with the most appropriate adoptive homes.
What is the time commitment?
Our rabbits may stay in foster homes from 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?
All foster rabbits must be housed indoors in climate-controlled living spaces. Outdoor housing, garages, sheds, porches, hutches, and cages are not permitted. If you are new to rabbit care, you still can foster. Our Rabbit 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?
Your foster rabbit must be physically separated from your non-rabbit pets (preferably in a different room), at least initially. Some foster rabbits are accustomed to other family pets. If you own rabbits, foster rabbits must remain completely separate from them unless specifically authorized by the Rabbit Coordinator. This includes preventing direct contact, shared exercise spaces, and bonding attempts. Our Rabbit 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. In addition, foster homes are expected to monitor health and behavior, administer approved medications when necessary, transport rabbits to scheduled veterinary appointments when possible, and maintain regular communication with the rescue. (Note: All veterinary care must be approved by New Beginnings Animal Rescue in advance except in true life-threatening emergencies.) 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 Rabbit Coordinator will be in touch.
Approval to foster a rabbit may require photographs, video walkthroughs, virtual meetings, or home visits to verify housing arrangements and safety requirements. Submission of a foster application does not guarantee approval. New Beginnings Animal Rescue reserves the right to approve or decline any foster application at its sole discretion. All foster rabbits remain the property of New Beginnings Animal Rescue.
New Beginnings Animal Rescue for Rabbits 