Where is my Bunny?!

Once you make the commitment to take care of a rabbit, the next step is deciding where to get your rabbit. There are three places (that I know of) where you can get a rabbit - the pet store, the animal shelter, and other rabbit owners. .

Pet Store. The pet store is an obvious choice for animal acquisitions but it is not always the best choice. When I started looking for a rabbit to buy, I noticed that there were no rabbits to be found in most pet stores (petsmart and petco). So, I researched it. Many pet stores were banned from selling rabbits because the accommodations for the rabbits were so terrible. Rabbits are often kept in cages that are intended for dwarf hamsters and the cages are not cleaned as regularly as needed. Pet store rabbits may also be sold sick because the salespeople are unaware of any condition or sickness that the bunny may have. Most pet store bunnies come from bunny mills where rabbits are allowed to breed in mass quantities and the quality of their care cannot be accounted for. Baby bunnies are often separated from their mothers before they are weaned at 6 weeks and sold to stores so that they will be cute and desirable. This practice often leads to bunnies with weaker immune systems and more health problems. If you are intent on getting your bunny from a pet store, research rabbit care as much as you can and interview the salesperson before you buy and make sure they know what they are talking about. Ask for the age of the rabbit (they have to be at least 6 weeks old), breed, gender, general care instructions. If the salesperson cannot answer these questions with ease, DO NOT buy the rabbit no matter how cute he is. If the salesperson seems credible and you are comfortable with purchasing from the pet store, make sure you don't let the sales person talk you into buying items that you don't need like vitamins (bunnies don't need vitamins), salt licks, etc. These bunnies will range in cost by breed but the ones that I have seen are approximately $100. It's so expensive because the stores claim (maybe truthfully) that the bunnies are purebred.

Animal Shelter. The second choice for rabbit acquisition is the animal shelter. This definitely a better option than the pet store (in my opinion). Rabbits are generally older and have had proper veterinary care. Some people don't really want to adopt a bunny from the animal shelter because are no longer babies and they think that the older rabbit will not "imprint" on them and love them as much as a baby bunny would. The truth is, baby bunnies will not "imprint" on new owners any more than older bunnies and the amount of love that the bunny feels for you depends on the personality of the bunny and the quality of care you provide. The great thing about shelter bunnies is that they have already developed a personality, unlike most baby bunnies. Most of the volunteers who work with the rabbits on a regular basis will be familiar with their personality quirks and will steer you towards a bunny that fits with you. Another plus to adopting a shelter bunny (and it's a big plus) is that the majority of them will have been spayed or neutered. That means that you don't have to shell out the big bucks for the surgery later. One things about shelter bunnies is that they often come in a bonded pair. This means that two bunnies have lived closely with each other and would not be happy if separated. If you are not ready to commit to two bunnies, try and find a rabbit who is either new to the shelter and came in alone or one that is a loner. The adoption fee can range anywhere from $20 - $60 and sometimes the fee is optional and they ask that you give any amount you can to help keep the shelter running.

Other Rabbit Owners. The third choice is craigslist.org or some similar site where rabbit owners can post rabbits that are available. The people who typically post rabbits for sale on these types of sites are either a.) breeders who know their stuff, b.) families who realized too late that the two bunnies they had in the same cage were not altered and that they were different genders, and c.) people who can no longer take care of the rabbit that they have and don't want to send them to the shelter. The important thing in this process is to make sure that the bunnies were treated well and are healthy. It's also important to ask the seller if the rabbit has had any health problems that they are aware of. Also, make sure that baby bunnies are at least 6 weeks old and weaned from his mother. My bunny was a mama's boy and stayed with him mama for 8 weeks. The sellers usually ask for a re-homing fee that will be around $15 - $30.

I'm sure there are a lot of other places to get a rabbit (FFA carnivals, etc.) but I am not familiar with them.

Good luck in your bunny search!