- Sherborn Woods' Foster Program -
Why Foster
At Sherborn Woods Rabbitry, we are dedicated to providing our rabbits with the best care possible. Our does live together with their sisters, daughters and/or other does with whom they are well bonded. While we give our rabbits a lot of love, affection and care, our does appreciate and enjoy having a large space to live in with their bonded sisters. However, providing this type of living arrangement isn't possible for bucks. Once a buck reaches his "teen" years, he no longer gets along with other bucks. Their territorial nature impacts the ability to live harmoniously with each other. While bucks can live harmoniously with another doe, other problems can arise with such an arrangement. For starters, this would lead to too many babies born, and boy rabbits who live with girl rabbits are very messy. Not only does close proximity to a doe cause a buck to mark his environment, it also causes him to mark his mate... yuck! So, in the name of safety, cleanliness and population control, our bucks generally live alone, but with lots of attention from their humans.
This led us to think about developing a Foster program, where we find families to "foster" our bucks during their fertile years, and agreeing to keep and care for them thereafter. Furthermore, this would allow our bucks to have special one to one attention with their humans. Then, the fostered buck would return to the rabbitry 2-3 times a year, each time for only 3 days, to have a "play date" with some of the does.. a win-win situation for all.
How the Foster Program Works
This is a new program, so much of it is still in the works. As you can imagine, sharing custody of a pet requires a great deal of trust for both parties. As such, going through the application process and committing to the terms might not work for everyone. In general, a foster family does not pay for their rabbit, and in return, agrees to take full responsibility for the care of the bunny/rabbit as they would for any pet of their own. The foster family agrees to transport the rabbit back to Sherborn Woods Rabbitry twice a year (dates predetermined by SWR) for 2 to 3 days at a time. Other breeding sessions (up to three more in a calendar year) may occur, but SWR would be responsible for that transport. For this reason, preference is given to families who live within the vicinity to our rabbitry.
Interested families should contact Sherborn Woods Rabbitry for additional details. This is a fabulous way to have a wonderful pet and support the quality of life of the dear animals who help provide other families with healthy, well-adjusted domestic pets.
Our hope is that more rabbitries and breeding programs use foster families to support responsible breeding practices.
This program is designed for bucks that Sherborn Woods Rabbitry would normally keep. Please do NOT ask if you can foster one of the bunnies on the Current Bunnies page.
