Adopt a bunny!
Interested in adopting a bunny? We’re excited to help!
We’d love to help you find the newest member of your family. Sunshine Rabbit Center adopts rabbits to safe homes with bunny-savvy humans. It’s ok if you’re still learning. We’re here to help!
Check out the Adoptable Bunnies page for a list of our currently available rabbits - or follow us on Instagram (@sunshine_rabbit_center) for daily updates! All of our bunnies are rescues. They come from rocky beginnings but now they’re looking for someone like you to help them feel safe and loved. New bunnies are coming to the rescue all the time, so we encourage you to visit Sunshine (Wednesday - Sunday, 11:00 - 5:00) to meet our available buns and see who captures your heart.
Important info: Please be aware that we do not adopt out baby rabbits or unfixed rabbits. While we often have a variety of breeds at the rescue, we encourage families to choose their bunny based on personality and fit, not breed. Except in rare cases when an adopter has prepared and communicated extensively before arriving, we do not offer same-day adoptions; please expect the adoption process to take roughly one week.
How to adopt a bunny from Sunshine Rabbit Center:
STEP 1: Come meet the rabbits & learn about safe bunny care! Stop by any time during our open hours (Wednesday - Sunday, 11:00 - 5:00) to meet our current adoptable bunnies and talk with the staff about providing a safe home for a bunny. Time and space permitting, we’ll set up a spot where you can sit with different rabbits. If you want to be sure you’ll have a chance to sit with the buns, contact us at (562) 231 7116 or contact@sunshinerabbit.org.
STEP 2. Fill out an adoption application online or in person. We’ll contact you in roughly 3 days letting you know we’ve received your application and reaching out with any follow-up questions.
STEP 3. Prepare the rabbit’s space & send photos of your setup. Once your application has been reviewed, we’ll ask you to email or text us photos of the area where you’ll be keeping your rabbit. See below for what we ask for in a safe home setup. We sell most items you’ll need at reasonable prices in our shop.
STEP 4. Take your new family member home! Return to Sunshine to fill out adoption paperwork, pay your adoption fee ($90 for a single rabbit, $150 for a pair), and bring your bunny back to their safe, happy home.
What does adopting a bunny cost and what does it include?
Our adoption fee is $90 for a solo rabbit and $150 for a bonded pair. If you’re thinking of adopting, there’s no fee to apply or to visit the rabbits. All adoptable rabbits are adults or adolescents who have been spayed/neutered (fixed), vaccinated against RHDV2, and assessed by a vet. If you bring a single bunny for matchmaking and bonding at Sunshine, we waive the adoption fee. And if you participate in “Veg with Bunnies,” you can put your donation toward the cost of adoption.
The adoption fee you pay at a non-profit rescue (like us!) may sound a little high, but adopting from Sunshine actually saves you a lot of money, compared to buying a rabbit from a breeder or even getting a baby bunny from a flea market. Bunnies from breeders and flea markets aren’t spayed/neutered or vaccinated, and the cost of the surgery plus the RHDV2 vaccinate can be between $500 - $1,500 here in Southern California.
At Sunshine, your adoption fee also includes ongoing support, education, and community. Our adopters are our family for life. We offer services like grooming, boarding, affordable supplies, bunny socials, and educational talks. We love it when our adopters stop by with updates. We love our bunny families just like we love our bunnies!
What are our requirements for adoption?
We want to make sure that our adoptable rescue bunnies are entering homes where they can live long, happy, healthy lives. We know that many potential adopters are still learning about safe bunny care. We’re happy to answer any questions about these requirements and how they help your bunny thrive.
Bunnies must have a minimum 4’ x 4’ (16 square feet) space as a “home base,” usually surrounded by an exercise pen (x-pen) or other indoor fencing - a spot with their items that they can return to when they’re not out free roaming or playing. Ideally, they should also have daily time in a safe, larger indoor environment outside of their home base. Bunnies should not live in cages or hutches. (Indoor hutches may sometimes be used if hutch doors are open and bunnies have consistent access to additional space.)
Bunnies must be headed to homes where they will live primarily or exclusively indoors. Some adopters do give their rabbits supervised outdoor play time. However, a rabbit’s primary living space should be inside.
Bunnies must have primary caretakers who are adults or responsible teens. If their primary caretaker is a teen, an adult must be a secondary caretaker and assume financial responsibility for the bunny’s needs, even after the teen heads off to college.
Bunnies must be headed to homes where they will not be unsafely exposed to other pets, such as dogs and cats. Bunnies can sometimes live in the same household as other pets, but they need to be introduced carefully and be housed separately until they can safely share space.
Bunnies must be safe from harm by small children, who can be over-excited or accidentally rough toward bunnies. Families with small children should expect that children will require education and supervision to interact with bunnies in a safe way.
Bunnies must be given consistent and appropriate love and attention. Bunnies are social and they need company. Bonded rabbits can offer each other companionship but single rabbits need regular interactions with their humans. Rabbits are fragile and shy; most do not like being picked up and some don’t enjoy being pet. It is important to be gentle, patient, and calm when spending time with your rabbit.
If a bunny is headed to a home with another rabbit (or rabbits), the bunny must be formally bonded with the other rabbit (or rabbits) in the home. Sunshine does rabbit bondings in-house at our facility. Bringing home a bunny and introducing them to others without proper bonding can lead to serious injury.
Adopters must be committed to providing appropriate ongoing care for their rabbit, including daily care (healthy food, regular litter changes, grooming) and medical care (annual visits, vaccine boosters, vet care for larger medical issues).
What do we look for in a bunny safe home?
As part of the adoption process, we’ll ask you to share photos of your home space so that we know you are ready to safely take a bunny home. Here’s what we are looking for:
An indoor space in a temperate-controlled part of the home where the bunny will be seen and interacted with by human family members. Living rooms, bedrooms, and home offices often make good spots for a bunny. Garages, outdoor spaces, spaces that become very hot (over 80 degrees), and anywhere the bunny will not be seen by family members are not good spots.
A minimum 4’ x 4’ (16 square feet) “home base” for your bunny with their key items. Even if your bunny will be fully free roam, there should still be a designated area in your home with these items.
An exercise pen (x pen) or similar indoor fencing (like plastic or metal grid squares) that block off your bunny’s home base. If your bunny will be free roam, you do not need this, but remember to bunny proof your space for your bunny’s safety.
No cage or small hutch. We do not recommend hutches in general, but they may be appropriate as part of your bunny’s home setup if the hutch door is left open for your bunny to come and go into a larger play area.
Soft flooring in your bunny’s space. This could be a washable rug, blankets, towels, or similar. Most rabbits prefer to be on soft surfaces. Rough or hard surfaces can wear away the fur on the bottom of their paws.
A litter box with paper bedding (to absorb urine) and hay (a bunny’s primary food source). We recommend an open litter box without plastic grating, so that the bunny can stand on paper or hay, which is safer for their feet.
Heavy ceramic bowls for food and water. Bunny’s should not drink out of hanging water bottles. Heavy ceramic bowls are best because they will fling lighter bowls with their teeth and make their space messy.
A “hide,” like a cat tunnel or an upside down cardboard box with holes - somewhere your bunny can tuck themselves away and feel safe and hidden.
Toys and enrichment items. You don’t need to buy every toy under the sun for your bunny - but it’s important to offer them a few items for chewing, digging, and tossing at any given time. Bunnies are smart and curious. Without enrichment, they can become depressed or destructive.
Deciding whether adopting a bunny is the right fit for you:
The Sunshine staff and volunteers are always happy to talk with you about rabbit care and what to expect when you bring a bunny into your home. We strongly encourage you to consider the following factors in deciding whether adopting a rabbit is right for you:
Domestic rabbits should live indoors. This greatly increases their life span and quality of life, since there are many predators and other dangers outside in Southern California. Our bunnies are indoor rabbits who thrive in temperature controlled spaces they share with humans, like a bedroom, family living room, home office, or even a whole apartment or house.
The average life span for a healthy indoor rabbit is 8-12 years. We’ve seen buns live up to 15! That’s great news, because it means your bunny will be around a long time. But it also means that adopting a rabbit is very a big commitment.
Bunnies are prey animals, so they need to feel safe. They do best in a calm environment without a lot of loud noises. Bunnies can live happily in households with small children or other pets, but they need to be introduced slowly so that everyone in the house - humans and animals! - can interact with the bunny safely.
Bunnies look cuddly but they don’t always love cuddles. Lots of rabbits enjoy gentle pets from humans but most don’t like being picked up or carried. Bunnies feel most comfortable when they can keep all four feet on the ground.
Rabbits need to see “exotic vets,” so their medical bills can be high. Sometimes finding a rabbit-savvy vet is challenging. If you live in the Long Beach, Los Angeles, or Orange County areas, see our list of nearby vets that offer rabbit care services like spay/neuter and RHDV2 vaccination.
Rabbits are a big commitment! We encourage you to learn more!
Before you take the leap and decide to adopt, we encourage you to learn more about rabbit care. Potential adopters are often surprised about how much work and care rabbits require.
The House Rabbit Society has fabulous resources for families deciding whether to adopt a rabbit. Please visit their page to learn more about rabbit care and the commitment of bringing a bunny into your home.
You’re welcome to visit us (Wednesday - Sunday, 11:00 - 5:00) with questions. You can also call (562 231 7116), email (contact@sunshinerabbit.org), or by DM on Instagram (@sunshine_rabbit_center).
