RABBIT OWNERS: PLEASE BE AWARE OF RHDV2 - A FATAL VIRUS TO RABBITS THAT IS GETTING CLOSER TO LOUISIANA
For more info on how to get on our list to be notified when a vaccine is available in our state Click Here
Click Here For Latest Info On RHDV2 And Its Symptoms
Magic Happens Rabbit Rescue stays full and keeps a waiting list. However, we do work to find homes even for those who aren't in our foster homes yet (see below for more information). We do not have a public shelter, we are a network of foster homes that keep several rabbits and guinea pigs in our homes year-round. Most of our foster pets are located in and around Baton Rouge, LA, including Baker and Covington. We can only keep as many as our foster homes can hold, and that number fluctuates depending on home availability as well as if rabbits/guinea pigs are housed together. Even though we have so many up for adoption, we have to keep a waiting list of rabbits and guinea pigs asking for our assistance as the intake requests outnumber the adoptions, just like cat and dog rescues. We regret telling any pet no for the time being, but we must take proper care and provide appropriate housing, food, and vetting for the ones already in our care. Summer is the hardest time as adoptions are less frequent (vacations, summer camps) and intake requests increase (college students moving, gets too hot for outdoor rabbits), but we keep the list going year round.
Please read on for solutions or for information on how to add your rabbit to our wait list.
It is illegal in Louisiana and much of the US as pet rabbits are domestic animals, not wild animals (they have been bred to have different body types and lost some of their natural instincts). Besides legal issues, you can read more reasons why here.
Please do not release your rabbit into the wild. It is not only illegal, exposing them to predators both natural and domestic, but they now have a high chance of catching an extremely contagious and FATAL virus called Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV). We do NOT have access to a vaccine here in Louisiana at this time (5/20/2020). For more information on this virus and the symptoms click here: https://rabbit.org/rhdv/
While it may difficult for you or those in your household, sometimes finding another suitable home for your bunny can be the best option for both your family as well as the bunny's well-being. Feel free to read more about MHRR and some of our feedback on the About MHRR page.
When your pet is surrendered to MHRR, he or she will be kept in an approved foster home with one of our volunteers. You can print out our Custody Transfer Form and bring it with you or fill it out online in advance. Once you have been notified that we can take in your pet, we'll discuss options on how to bring your pet to us. If you would like to send the cage, please notify us in advance. Previous owners are always welcome to call or email to check up on their bunny.
Magic Happens does NOT charge surrender fees like some rescues. However, you may consider sponsoring its snip (if it is not yet spayed or neutered) by donating the amount needed for its surgery. Visit our Sponsor-A-Snip page for more information.
If you are surrendering your rabbit due to moving, read this article by the HRS on getting your landlord to say YES to rabbits.
If you are surrendering your rabbit due to allergies, please read our page on Rabbits & Allergies first.
Also browse our community outreach section to see if we can help!
If you have a rabbit you would like to surrender/add to our waiting list, you can fill out our online form. This is the best and fastest way to get your rabbit added to our wait list and it is checked daily, emails usually take several days to respond to. Once you have submitted a form, we will then contact you to confirm that you've been added on the list, and get photos from you then (or email them to the email address listed in the Wait List Form). Rabbits with photos and detailed bios are more likely to get adopted off our wait list sooner than others.
If your request is urgent, please check it off on the form, let us know why, and if it is time sensitive give us a date/time frame.
Even though we may not have a spot in a foster home open, we do still try to help find an adopting family for our waiting list rabbits. We ask for information & photos if possible for the list in case we get inquiries for particular breeds or personalities, and we also put them in the public's eye on our Facebook page. If photos are sent, we put them in a dedicated Waiting List photo album on our Facebook page. We occasionally find an adopter before a rabbit's turn is up on the list, especially if it is a commonly requested breed or very friendly. If this happens, we require that the adopter submit an adoption application prior to us taking in the rabbit. If approved, the rabbit will be brought to our veterinary clinic for a health check and spay/neuter if not already altered, then the new family will be able to take their new bunny home.
We do prioritize for urgent or time-sensitive cases, and pets in animal control facilities where euthanasia is a possibility are top priority. Rabbits and Guinea Pigs being returned from adoption are also top priority. Otherwise we try to take in pets in the order of date the requests were received. The wait for a spot in a foster home sometimes depends on the size and number of pets being surrendered, as some foster homes cannot house pairs, etc. While we are blessed to have spare cages in storage for emergencies and such, we already have as many as we can fit space-wise inside our foster homes so donating a cage or habitat will not lessen the wait time.
If you choose to try to re-home your rabbit yourself, you may choose to try try social media, online ads or local pet stores. PLEASE be sure to ask an adoption fee to help ward off those with ill intentions. If you are in the New Orleans area, you may also check with Jefferson Feed, Louisiana SPCA, or BunnAgain Rabbit Rescue in Paradis. Other rescues that accept rabbits include Acadiana Humane Society in Lafayette, and Holley's Hopping Habitat Rabbit Rescue & Education Center in Haughton, LA, though most foster-based rescues stay full like us as well. PLEASE do not set a rabbit "free" as it is not only illegal to dump domestic pets but they have a poor chance of survival alone. As a last resort, please surrender them to your local animal control facility, as we work with the majority of them across southern LA and they will usually hold until we have room for intakes.
If you would like to be added to the wait list and contacted when we have an opening, please fill out our online form by clicking here.
We are now equipped to take in Hamsters on a regular basis, and we are getting more adoption inquiries. We have taken in the occasional gerbil and hedgehog as well. Please contact us via text if you need to surrender a Hamster, Gerbil or Hedgehog. You can text (NOT CALL) us here: 225-341-2866. You can also message us via Facebook here (you do NOT need an account to do so): m.me/magichappensrescue
Please fill out the forms above if you need to surrender a rabbit or guinea pig, those forms are checked on a daily basis and give us the information we need.
We are NOT equipped to take in: Rats or Ferrets.