Here’s why fostering matters
Photo caption: Butterfinger relaxes in his foster home.
Fostering is one of the most meaningful ways you can help a rabbit in need. A foster home gives a shelter rabbit the opportunity to relax, build confidence, learn to trust people, and show their true personalities, making them more likely to find a loving forever home.
Every rabbit who goes into foster care also frees up valuable space at our shelter, allowing us to rescue even more rabbits in need. It’s a simple act of kindness that creates a ripple effect, changing the lives of not just one rabbit, but several.
Fostering can also be incredibly rewarding for the person or family that fosters the rabbit. There’s nothing quite like watching a shy rabbit grow more confident, discover the joy of binkies, or finally flop over for a comfortable afternoon snooze because they know they’re safe. Helping a rabbit blossom into the wonderful house rabbit they're meant to be is an indescribable experience. And for anyone thinking about adopting but aren’t quite sure whether a rabbit is the right fit for their family, fostering is a wonderful way to experience the joys (and responsibilities!) of rabbit care before making a lifelong commitment.
One of our longtime foster volunteers recently reflected on how fostering changed not only the rabbits who stayed in their home, but also themselves. They share,
“Before I fostered a rabbit I believed it would be too hard to love an animal and return them to the shelter. After fostering four last year, I see the many ways a rabbit’s permanent adoption can be helped by short-term foster care and how I also learned the same lessons as them.
In just a few weeks a rabbit, who by nature is at the bottom of the food chain, can recognize reliable feeding times, opportunities to play, and a genuine safe space as reasons to trust. A person respecting their space and allowing for the natural progression towards seeking interaction without pressure allows rabbits to move forward and eventually ask for their physical touch needs to be met. They are willing to connect even when human hands have caused pain before. They express their feelings immediately, stay with an emotion until it dissipates, and have the capacity to forgive. These lessons have reminded me that I too am not broken beyond repair despite what has happened in the past.
House rabbits have the interesting dichotomy of looking cuddly and touchable but needing a hesitant self-preserving personality. I learned to adjust my expectations for a house pet from one that would build a bond easily by seeking out affection to recognizing a rabbit’s need to ensure safety first. Now I see each petting session as a win which makes it more likely this animal will find a forever home. When I find them napping with eyes fully closed and all four feet in the air I know I also have the capacity to determine what makes me feel secure even if that differs from traditional or societal norms.
Every one of the house rabbits I’ve shared my space with were adopted after returning to the shelter. I believe my willingness to completely bunny-proof an area in my house, feeding and cleaning reliably, and providing the least amount of stress and demands possible helped each to increase their capacity for socializing with people.
Rabbits spend an average of over 200 days in the shelter. The fact that only a few weeks in a foster home can be transformational is a reminder that we all can change trajectories with a bit of loving care. Slice, Butterfinger, Anne Rice, and Houdini accepted my care, and they inspire me to do the same for myself.”
Photo caption: Houdini makes herself right at home in her foster home.
Fostering one animal won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal. If you can open your heart and your home to a foster rabbit from House Rabbit Society, we would love to talk more with you!
Learn more about our foster program and submit a foster application today at houserabbit.org/foster. We’re located in Richmond, California, just north of Berkeley, but welcome fosters from all over the San Francisco Bay Area.
What We Provide: We’ll equip you with all the supplies you need to get started, including an x-pen, litter box, bedding, food pellets, hay, blankets, and bowls for food and water. As a foster, you also receive a 15% discount at the HRS Hop Shop if you'd like to purchase any additional toys or treats while you foster.
What You Provide: The time, space, love, and care your foster rabbit needs, along with their daily veggies (approximately $5-10 per week, depending on where you shop and what you purchase). Getting socialization in a foster home is so important, especially for rabbits who are shy or have other behavior needs and helping them become more comfortable with people. You can help a foster rabbit blossom into the wonderful house rabbit they’re truly meant to be!
Questions? Email foster@houserabbit.org or stop by our facility to talk in-person with HRS volunteers and staff and to meet the rabbits. We’re open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm.
Hopefully we’ll see you soon!
