Meet the two longest rabbit residents at the New West Animal Shelter

Imagine spending most of your life—so far—at a shelter.

For two rabbits, Cedric and Cecilia, it’s their reality: the pair was surrendered as babies, and while there are a number of amazing rabbits up for adoption, New Westminster animal services officer Margie Fox has a soft spot in her heart for the bonded bunnies. 

“Their previous person purchased them as babies off a website, and then maybe didn’t have the life experience [to raise them],” explains Fox, who notes their human had to make the difficult decision to surrender them after losing their housing. “[They] had nowhere to go with these two rabbits. They surrendered them to us as babies—but as older babies—and now they’re over two years old. And they’re just lovely rabbits with great, great personalities, so friendly, so gentle.”

"They've ... basically grown up here," she says.

Cedric and Cecilia aren’t the only ones: there’s Strawberry, described as a curious, brave, and smart bunny who likes to chew on her hay, pellets and veggies. Maybe Stevie Nicks, an English spot, is more your pace: she’s a quiet and independent bunny who gets along well with her brother, Axl Rose. Fox believes there’s somebunny—erm, somebody—out there for all the rabbits in their care, even though they’re some of the least likely animals to get adopted when compared to cats and dogs. 

It’s why Fox is excited for the upcoming open house on Saturday, Dec. 10, which will also include the Cafe Rabbit event: from 10am to 2pm the shelter will be open for people to adopt rabbits, or to ask questions about fostering and volunteering. 

The initiative is part of a month-long event called Everybun Wants a Home for the Holidays. Those who’d like to adopt a rabbit can get 50% off the adoption fees, along with a free adoption kit that includes rabbit pellets, hay, and a toy. The adoption kit was sponsored by Oxbow Animal Health and Bosley’s Columbia Square, and the kit includes a $25 gift card to spend at the latter. 

“Unfortunately, we do find that rabbits just don’t get the same interest that cats and dogs do, so we have to highlight them and just try to promote them for adoption,” says Fox. 

Fox says there are often a number of misconceptions around rabbits: some people believe that the animals should be outside, when they should actually be indoors with their humans. They also do well in spaces like apartments or townhouses; places that don’t always have a yard. 

“They can actually be very affectionate, very outgoing,” says Fox. “I think a lot of us just think of rabbits sitting in a cage, and that they are ‘boring’ pets, but they are just bored if they’re sitting in a cage.” She says enriching a rabbit’s life with toys and spending a little bit of time with them can make all the difference in their lives.

As is the case with a number of municipalities in the region, stray rabbits are still an issue in New Westminster.

“We have seen an increase of stray rabbits, so rabbits who are loose outside. When I started 12 years ago, we got a few calls about rabbits being loose. It was not nearly as common as it is now,” explains Fox.

While there haven’t been relatively recent strays, there have been some disappointing outcomes. 

“We did have a report of a rabbit who we tried to locate, that volunteers even tried to catch, but sadly it was hit by a car, so that rabbit’s outcome was not good,” she says. “That’s why we try to get them off of the streets. They are domestic animals. They are pets, or offspring of pets. We don’t want them out there procreating and out there being at risk of getting hit by vehicles or hunted by predators.”

Two rabbits that recently came into the shelter’s care were both pregnant, with one of the rabbits losing some of their kittens. Had it not been for rescues helping the shelter with placements, Fox says it would have been a challenge for their already stretched space. 

“Sometimes people may think they’re doing a kind thing by releasing a pet; it didn’t work out for them … but they let a rabbit go free, and nothing is further from the truth. It’s cruel, and it’s dangerous for them.”

There are nine rabbits ready to head to their furever homes, with two of those in foster care. 

“Maybe you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I can adopt a rabbit,’ but we can start you off fostering, and then maybe adoption could be a possibility. Or if not, it can just be a foster placement. We’re very open-minded about getting these rabbits into loving homes.”

To learn more about the opportunities to adopt a rabbit, visit the City of New Westminster’s page.