Q&A with rabbit foster mum, Ambassador Honor Carter

Our 9-year-old has been obsessed with rabbits from a young age. Every birthday and Christmas he would write a wish list and “bunny” would always be his number one present! I have been reluctant in the past because any animal requires a lot of time and attention, therefore I wanted to make sure he was mature enough to take on the responsibilities of owning rabbits. When I saw an email from SPCA about your fostering program, I thought ‘what a great way to see if a rabbit works in our household!’ It was also a chance to check whether the children would continue to take on the responsibility throughout the two month foster period.

In February we took home our first rabbit, a young male on his own, called Boogie. We adored him, he was a baby when he arrived with us. Once we decided he was staying, we sought another foster that would stay permanently too, pending the bonding process going well. We got Maple in June, and she’s now been adopted too! We have just collected a third foster last week, this time a beautiful big Flemish Giant, but he won’t be staying, he’s just a foster!

The SPCA team were incredible. They are so organised and helpful with what is involved with their fostering program for each animal. They are careful to check fostering households to ensure the animal is well cared for and in the right environment. We were provided all information around feeding and caring for our foster rabbit, and SPCA provides all equipment and food required for the fostering period. It was a very easy and smooth process because we were fully informed as to what to expect and all supplies were organised and ready to go upon collection at no cost to us. I would highly recommend fostering, it is truly such a rewarding experience.

I had rabbits as a young child but I had forgotten how wonderfully social and intelligent they are. They each have such different and quirky personalities and when they feel happy and safe they are playful, cheeky and funny. They thrive off social interaction and love any attention like scratches on their face and cheeks or being groomed with a brush. Our two rabbits have very different personalities, one is bold and cheeky, the other is shy and sweet, but I loved getting to know each of them for different reasons. I think it’s important to note that rabbits do require a lot of work, between feeding, enrichment toys and particularly cleaning their environment. They are much happier as a male/female bonded pair and they require large 2x3m enclosures rather than small inhumane hutches.

We have four boys, and the excitement levels were huge when we told them we were going to foster a rabbit! However I was concerned that their interest levels might drop after a few weeks, which is why fostering is a great opportunity to see if an animal works for your family and whether your children will take on the responsibility. Our 9-year-old consistently plays with the rabbits so between all our boys, they get plenty of love and attention. We keep them in an indoor/outdoor area attached to the house, so they are very much a part of the family as they are always in view. Our younger boys (3 & 5yrs) need to be reminded not to yell and jump around when visiting the rabbits as they get scared easily. I ask the boys to take the rabbits some food as a treat and make sure they are sitting down to feed them so it’s a calmer environment. Giving the children a job or food is a wonderful way to make them feel responsible and gives them focus. SPCA also has some great resources on their Kids’ Portal about rabbit care, tailored to kids and making learning about them fun.

As animal lovers, we have learnt we are not very good at saying goodbye! Our first foster Boogie was confident, cheeky and very affectionate. He was very social and confident around our children and our dog; therefore he slotted in perfectly to our family and we just couldn’t say goodbye!

We wanted to find Boogie a wife because we had learned more from the SPCA about the bonding process and how much happier rabbits are if they have a life partner. Boogie was quite a dominant male so we were worried he may be difficult to bond with, however the SPCA team are incredibly knowledgeable and very good at selecting the right partner for your rabbit. When Maple arrived at SPCA, she was shy and gentle therefore the team contacted us to see if their personalities would bond well together. I took Boogie to the Centre for a ‘date’ with Maple and their interactions looked positive, so we agreed to foster Maple and start the bonding process.

When Boogie arrived with us, he was confident, bold and very cheeky. If I was patting Boogie and our dog Herbie came near, he would charge at Herbie and chase him out of the room... I had never witnessed anything like it! Poor Herbie was scared of Boogie and because Boogie enjoyed my attention, he would regularly chase the dog in order to get my attention. Interestingly though, once Boogie was bonded with Maple, he never chased the dog again as he appears to be happy with Maple’s attention instead of mine.

Yes, there are a few things people may not be aware of… I know I wasn’t! If I could share any pieces of information to consider before fostering, they would be:

1. I think people consider that children will look after pet rabbits and do the jobs but in reality, as parents you end up doing the lion’s share and it is more time-consuming than many may realise
2. Normal vets for your dog etc. probably don’t see rabbits, and you may need a vet who specialises in rabbits/small animals – just something to think about!
3. Rabbits are complex to work out with their little personality quirks, marking/scenting everywhere etc. and even with vets they are complex and can be costly, but being such a joy to have around, I absolutely think they’re worth it!
4. Children need to be calm, quiet and patient around rabbits, otherwise they scare them and they quickly learn not to hang out with them when a child comes close!
5. Bonding can be off-putting to some as it’s a bit of a process, but the reward definitely outweighs the effort as they are so happy together and it makes me feel much more relieved as an owner.

If you are keen to give rabbit fostering a go, it’s a great way to test the waters of what rabbit ownership within your household and family would look like.

Read more about what’s involved in the fostering experience, and if it’s something you’d like to look into, browse the current foster roles with your local Centre to express your interest, and our friendly foster team will be in touch!