Thanks to our collaborative work with the University of Auckland, we are able to rehome rabbits who have been used or bred for science in the Auckland region.

Key details about the rabbits available for adoption:

• Gender: Both female and male rabbits are available.
• Breed: All rabbits are New Zealand White Rabbits (they have a white fur coat and pink eyes).
• Health: Once adopted, all rabbits must be desexed and vaccinated. They haven’t been used in invasive procedures, so they can live happy, normal rabbit lives in their new homes.
• Location: All rabbits are in Auckland and must go to local foster or forever homes.

These rabbits need foster or forever homes with people who are experienced in caring for rabbits. They are not for first-time rabbit parents!

What you need to know about these rabbits:

• As you know, rabbits are social animals. You will need to commit to bonding the adopted rabbit to another rabbit.
• These rabbits are not used to open spaces and will be shy to begin with. Due to their previous living arrangements, we require them to be kept indoors. Outdoor enclosures may be acceptable if correctly set up, please enquire with us regarding this matter.
• Provide lots of space for your rabbits to run and jump around.
• These rabbits will need to be vaccinated and neutered within a month of getting to their new home with you.
• The rabbits we get to rehome are never to be used for breeding and, of course, are not to be used as food.

What you need to provide:

Housing

Sizing and Safety:

• The minimum required space for rabbits is 3m x 2m x1m(H). The more space a rabbit has to exercise the happier they will be, so bigger is better. 
• Rabbits must have space to run, jump, rear up and binky.
• A free-roam area or room is best. It needs to be bunny-proofed, including crevices, furniture, cables, carpets. 
• If rabbits have access to outside, ensure their space cannot be dug out of, and no predators (cats, dogs etc.) are able to get in. Outside time will need to be introduced slowly, and access back to their safe space must be available at all times.

Comfort:

• Provide soft flooring for your rabbits, hard floors like wood or tile will hurt their hocks.  Use foam mats and different carpets to encourage the use of different parts of their hock.  
• Provide a dust free straw for bedding to keep them nice and warm. If rabbits have access to outside, ensure their sleep area is raised up off the ground and is a weatherproof space.  
• Provide a litter tray for toileting filled with hay. Rabbits like to chew while they go to the bathroom so clean the litter often. Ensure the litter doesn’t include unsafe materials like pine and cedar shavings or any litter that is clumping.

Safe Spaces:

• Rabbits use high spots in the wild to check for danger. Provide spots for your rabbit to exhibit this natural behavior. 
• Rabbits naturally live in large, branched-out underground borrows, so provide places for them to hide. Things like boxes, tunnels, and baskets with hay are great.

Outside Time:

• Check for toxic plants or other things that your rabbits should not be chewing on. See this page for lists of safe/unsafe garden plants and weeds 
• Ensure outside time is supervised and the outdoor area cannot be escaped from or accessed by predators.  
• Watch your rabbit for signs of trying to dig out of their outside area.

Enrichment

• Rabbits will get bored without enrichment, provide them with ways to play.
• Provide things like snuffle mats, stacking cups, dig boxes and high up leaves or foods to encourage rearing up.
• The Bunny Batch has some great suggestions for enrichment for your buns here.

Food and Water

• Provide constant access to fresh hay. Hay is a crucial part of a rabbit’s diet and is also important for dental hygiene. We recommend using a hay feeder to ensure they always have access to unsoiled hay.  
• Rabbits should have a cup of fresh green veges or weeds every day.  
• Ensure that foods with naturally occurring sugars are only fed as a treat 2 or 3 times a week. You can see a list of rabbit safe foods here. 
• Rabbits who have access to fresh grass will drink less water, but all rabbits must have constant access to water.  
• Water bowls are recommended as it is a more natural way of drinking. Water bowls can be knocked over so a bottle can also be provided.

Companionship

• Rabbits are social animals and require the companionship of another another rabbit.  
• Rabbit bonding can be a slow and difficult process. Ensure you have separate spaces to keep the rabbits while they are bonding.
• ‍Under no circumstances are stress bonding methods to be used.
• For assistance with bonding we recommend contacting Jojo at The Bunny Batch. She provides a bonding service and has a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Regular Care

• Monitor your rabbits temperature in hot weather. Provide a fan or air conditioning to keep them cool.
• Ensure anything within chewing distance is safe for rabbits.  
• Keep an eye out for common health problems like respiratory infections, GI stasis and sore hocks.  
• Since rabbits are prey animals, they will do their best to hide pain or signs of disease. For subtle illness-signs, have a look at the bottom of this page. 
• If your rabbit has not eaten for more than 10 hours, this is an emergency and your rabbit should be brought to the vet immediately. For more information see here.
• It is important to find a vet that specializes in rabbit care. 
  

HOW TO APPLY

If you are an experienced rabbit owner living in the Auckland area, please contact us today: adopt@nzavs.org.nz