Adopting rescue rabbits in Bournemouth: rescues, pairs and costs

The live line under the short answer counts the rabbit listings we hold today within about 25 miles of Bournemouth, and every one on our Bournemouth rabbits page links to the rescue that cares for it. A listing is often a pair, so there are usually more rabbits than listings. You apply to the rescue, not to us.

Rabbits are social animals, and the welfare charities agree they should not live alone. RWAF, the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund, puts it simply: "Every rabbit needs a friend." It adds that rabbits kept in pairs must be neutered, and that two rabbits who haven't met can't just be put together: bonding them can take time and patience. PDSA says that however much attention we give a rabbit, we can't replace the company of another rabbit, and that rabbits shouldn't live with guinea pigs.

That is why most of the rabbits listed near Bournemouth go as pairs or a group. If you already have a rabbit, ask about a single one: Waggy Tails' listing for one of its males says he could be bonded with a female, and a rescue may want to see how the two get on before he goes.

The steps are close to adopting a cat or dog, with one extra: the rescue looks hard at the space you have. Allow a few weeks rather than a few days.

1. Choose a pair, or a rabbit to join yours, on our Bournemouth rabbits page or the rescue's own site.
2. Get in touch. Contact Waggy Tails's office about a small animal, or fill in the form on a rabbit's profile at Margaret Green.
3. Have a call and a home check. Margaret Green does this by Zoom or a home visit and talks about your home and garden.
4. Meet the rabbits at the centre, by appointment, and bring up any rabbit you already have so the rescue can advise on an introduction.
5. Reserve, pay the fee and take your rabbits home, then book their annual vaccinations with your vet.

Rescues ask a fee or donation, not a sale price. Neither rescue near Bournemouth publishes a rabbit fee: Margaret Green discusses its fee when you reserve, and Waggy Tails asks you to contact its office. Nationally, Blue Cross rabbit fees start from £60, or £90 for a pair.

The fee goes towards vet work the rabbit has already had: at Margaret Green it covers neutering, vaccinations, worming and flea treatment, health checks and microchipping. After that, the vaccinations are yours to keep up every year; PDSA says costs vary between practices, so ask your vet.

We don't list any animals for sale. Every rabbit on our pages is with a rescue and goes to a new home for an adoption fee, often as a bonded pair, after a check of your space.

A rabbit bought on its own will need a neutered companion, its vaccinations and a home big enough for two. RWAF asks owners who rehome rabbits privately not to let them go to a solitary life in a hutch, and the same thinking applies to buying one.

The home check is about these needs, so it helps to have them sorted before you apply.

• Space. RWAF recommends a single enclosed area of at least 3m x 2m by 1m high for a pair of average size rabbits, sleeping quarters included. PDSA gives the same 3 x 2 x 1m minimum and adds "the bigger, the better". A larger breed needs more, which is why Waggy Tails says its bigger male needs lots of space.
• Food. RWAF says grass and hay "should make up the majority of what they eat and must always be available", with fresh greens daily and only a small portion of pellets. PDSA says carrots are a treat, not a staple, because of their sugar.
• Vaccinations. PDSA says pet rabbits in the UK should be vaccinated against myxomatosis, RVHD-1 and RVHD-2, from around five weeks old with a yearly booster, and that house rabbits need them too because the diseases spread through insects, wild rabbits and even on clothes and shoes.
• Time. PDSA says domestic rabbits can live 7 to 10 years. They need daily cleaning, feeding and attention, and regular vet checks.

A few more places to look, none of them a rabbit we list near Bournemouth.

• Hampshire Paws Animal Rescue, a foster-based Hampshire rescue, had rabbits on its own adoption page when we checked on 1 November 2026; its listings name towns across Hampshire, so check where a rabbit is before you apply.
• Blue Cross rehomes rabbits, from £60 or £90 for a pair; search its own site for rabbits near you.
• Looking for a cat or a dog as well? Margaret Green and Waggy Tails rehome both: see our guides to cat rescues and dog rescues near Bournemouth.