Friends of Unwanted Rabbit Foster Agreement
Role: As a FUR foster you will provide a loving, indoor home for a FUR rabbit until the rabbit is adopted. Fosters are required to bring their foster rabbits to adoption events once they have been spay/neutered, recovered, and vaccinated against RHVD2. Please be sure you are able to commit to fostering until your foster rabbit(s) are adopted. Rabbits rescuedunder FUR are the property of Friends of Unwanted Rabbits. Background Information: Please go to our website at friendsofunwantedrabbits.org to find out more about FUR and rabbit care. Rabbit care articles will be provided to you. When in doubt please ask! Direct all questions to the Director Kimberly Wheatfill by calling 916-710-1322 or emailing her at friendsofunwantedrabbits@gmail.com. Rabbit Care: You will need the following initial supplies: •Exercise Pen •Water bowl •Timothy based Rabbit pellet such as Oxbow Bunny Basic T or Sherwood Pet Health •Timothy Hay – this should ALWAYS be available to the rabbit •Litter box – please place the litter box in the area where the rabbit prefers to go to the bathroom, usually in a corner of the pen •Litter - Wood Stove Pellets are a good inexpensive litter that contains the urine odor. Other types of safe litter for a rabbit are Carefresh and Yesterday’s News – these are used to line the litter box along with a GENEROUS handful of hay at one corner of the litterbox or in a basket above the litterbox. The hay helps encourage the rabbit to use the litter box. •Toys – rabbits need something to do! Also, a rabbit’s teeth never stop growing so they need appropriate things to chew. Cardboard boxes make a great toy for a rabbit to hide in chew on and sit on top of. FUR has some supplies available to fosters to borrow while they are fostering a rabbit, such as exercise pens Rabbits younger than twelve weeks should be fed baby bunny pellets and Timothy hay only. Please do not feed your foster rabbit any other food. Rabbits can be introduced veggies onces they turn 12 weeks of age. When interacting with the rabbit please sit on the floor. Most rabbits do not like to be held and will struggle when being picked up. If a rabbit falls, she can easily break her back as rabbits have delicate skeletal systems. Please be sure to support the rabbit’s hind legs so she feels safe. Only Adults should be handing the rabbit, children are not allowed to pick up the rabbit. If you have children, encourage them to sit or lay on the floor and let the bunny come up to them to be pet. However, we do encourage you to interact with your foster rabbit several times a day as early socialization is very important. Supplies: Supplies such as food, litter, timothy hay and vegetables are provided by the foster as a donation to FUR. However, if you need reimbursement for supplies please let Kimberly Wheatfill the Director know and a reimbursement can be sent to you or supplies mailed directly to you. Publicity: As you get to know your foster rabbit please share pictures and fun stories for our social media pages. Text pictures and videos once a week to Kimberly at 916-710-1322. Pictures and videos help to get our rabbits adopted. Spay/Neutering and Vaccination against RHVD2 of Your Foster: All rabbits are required to be spayed or neutered before being adopted. At the appropriate time an appointment will be made to have your rabbit altered and vaccinated against RHVD2 at one of our approved veterinarians. When it is time to have your foster rabbit altered the FUR Director will schedule the appointment and advice you on how to care for the rabbit post-surgery. Fosters are required to provide transportation to and from all Vet appointments. Give Spay/Neuter and RHVD2 certificates to friendsofunwantedrabbits@gmail.com.If you need assistance with transportation, please contact the Director Kimberly Wheatfill. Medical Concerns: If you think that your foster rabbit is sick and needs to be seen by a Vet, immediately contact the Director Kimberly Wheatfill by calling (916) 710-1322. (DO NOT TEXT IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY, CALL). If your foster rabbit doesn't eat, drink, poop or pee in a 12 hour period it's an EMERGENCY. All Vet appointments and medical treatment must be authorized first by the Director of FUR. Kimberly Wheatfill. Adoption Events: You are required to bring your foster rabbit to Adoption Events and at times on non-scheduled Adoption Events. Notice will be given to you as soon as possible when someone is interested in meeting your foster rabbit. Failure to bring your foster rabbit to adoption events, or when someone is interested in adopting outside of an adoption event will result in Friends of Unwanted Rabbits removing the rabbit from your home. Bring exercise pen, litter box, a blanket for the floor, toys, water bowl and timothy hay to the adoption event and set up your foster rabbit. Email a description of your foster rabbits personality to friendsofunwantedrabbits@gmail.com so that a sign can be made to attach to the x-pen. Care for foster rabbits during vacations: FUR does not provide bunnysitting if you are on vacation. You will need to provide care for your foster rabbit. Please let Kimberly know at least four weeks in advance if you are planning a vacation. We sometimes have volunteer who can bunnysit. Arrangements will be made based on individual circumstances for the rabbit’s care. What if it’s not working out: Please discuss your concerns with the Director, Kimberly Wheatfill. We will attempt to take the rabbit as soon as possible but timing is difficult to predict so please be prepared to continue to house your foster until another foster home can be found. Our foster homes fill up quickly, so we are not always able to take the foster rabbit from you immediately but will work with you as best we can. What if I fall in love with my foster rabbit: We LOVE foster fails! If you are going to fail at anything in life, foster fail. You can absolutely adopt your foster rabbit. Contact the FUR Director, Kimberly to let her know your foster bunny has stolen your heart and you want to adopt. Questions? Please do not hesitate to contact the FUR Director, Kimberly Wheatfill, at friendsofunwantedrabbits@gmail.com or (916) 710-1322.