Why We Were Founded

Special Needs Older Rabbits Sanctuary (SNORS), registered charity number 1163102, was formed to help rescues with special needs or older rabbits. Over 67,000 rabbits pass through UK rescues each year, with many of them having health issues. While rescues work tirelessly to rehabilitate and re-home these rabbits, some have problems that will remain with them for life. Reputable rescues have a ‘no kill’ policy and many find themselves having more and more permanent residents because their needs are too costly, and complex for them to be adopted to an inexperienced home. Sadly these rabbits are often left in rescue until the end of their lives.

SNORS was founded in April 2015 to work in partnership with rescues, to offer rescue rabbits with complex health needs a specialist and loving permanent home. This partnership benefits the rescue by freeing up space to re-home many more rabbits, as well as providing relief from the financial burden that caring for rabbits with long term health conditions bring. SNORS works in partnership with responsible rescues that neuter and vaccinate all rabbits, and home check to minimum RSPCA standards.

SNORS has existed in an unofficial capacity for over 10 years, where the founders were drawn to taking in rabbits with specialist needs. This has led to a wealth of knowledge and passion to help more complex cases. Making SNORS an official organisation was a big decision but a vital one in terms of being able to help many more needy rabbits. The full cost of owning rabbits is often misunderstood, the full cost of offering a home to rabbits with known health issues is well understood by SNORS. An important part of what we do is ensuring we will only take on a rabbit if we have sufficient funds to meet its needs for life.

What We Do

Here at SNORS we offer an end of life loving home for special needs or older rabbits. Rabbits get love, care, and bunny companionship in a domestic environment. Our dedicated founders have over 20 years rabbit experience and are supported by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic team of vets. All our rabbits are free range with their own spacious indoor accommodation and access to an individual large outdoor run. We believe in providing our rabbits with an abundance of quality hay, limited pellets, and home grown herbs and vegetables. Environmental enrichment is a must and all our rabbits have toys, tubes, digging boxes, and hidey holes both indoors and outdoors. We want to make all our rabbits comfortable, happy, pain free and loved for the rest of their days.

We only re-home rabbits from reputable rescues that neuter, vaccinate and home check to minimum RSPCA standards and not from the general public. This is because we feel to free up a permanent rescue space in a reputable rescue will save countless lives.

Our Objectives

• To give end of life love, care and companionship to rabbits in need of an experienced home environment which would otherwise not be re-homeable
• Only re-home from reputable rescues (we are unable to take rabbits from the general public)
• Ensure rabbits are given appropriate and prompt medical treatment by a qualified veterinarian
• Not to allow suffering and ensure that once our rabbits have no quality
  of life, with veterinary agreement, we will have them humanely put to sleep
• Only take in rabbits where space and funds allow
• Actively fundraise to cover our veterinary costs
• Communicate the rabbit welfare message via our Facebook posts
• To be open and transparent in what we do
• To enjoy, love and respect the rabbits in our care

How You Can Help

As elderly and special needs rabbits often have significant medical needs our main aim is to cover our veterinary costs. If you would like to help with our fundraising efforts please see ‘How You Can Help.’