Ōtautahi Animal Refuge and Education Trust Ltd - OAR, an exotic pet refuge and educational charity, based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Please help by donating, adopting, fostering, or even sharing our info. For even one it can mean everything. RABBITS
Ōtautahi Animal Refuge (OAR) only adopt our rescues out to the most loving forever homes, therefore our rabbits are conditioned to live indoors*, alongside you and your family, much like your cat and dog**
If you are interested in adopting from OAR, please message us and we will s
end you an Adoption Application. If you are interested in a particular rabbit please organise with us to see them. Please contact us for an update on available rabbits for adoption. Please note that this page is run by volunteers, and while we try our best we all have commitments outside of this. If you wish to surrender a rabbit to us, please note that there maybe a wait time before we can take them. You can speed this wait time up if you have your pet desex and vaccinated before surrendering them. We are always in need of donations. Though we appreciate anything you can give, we prefer you to give a smaller sustainable amount, over a long time, so that we can create long term lasting change in these animals lives. If you have items to donate, please see our list of much needed items.
*We train our rabbits with litter trays, but do expect some territorial messing when you initially have them becoming comfortable in your home, this should stop fairly quickly, if you find it becoming a problem, please contact us.
**Unfortunately in some cases the family dog maybe not be suitable to live alongside a rabbit, this may be due to a high prey drive. If you would like some help introducing your new bun to your existing pets, just let us know.
“Thanks to an incredible response so far, we have nearly raised enough for Jasmine’s first surgery next week! She will be going in for pre-op bloods, X-rays, and dental/facial surgery. All going well, she will go on to have ear surgery. We couldn’t do this without our amazing supporters and followers. Please help us raise the remaining money for Jasmine’s treatment by making a tax-deductible donation to Ōtautahi Animal Refuge and Education Trust Limited
15-3976-0186947-00”
05/11/2025
We desperately need your help funding 4-year-old Jasmine’s upcoming veterinary costs🥺 The estimated total cost of her treatment is $3500 (ear and dental surgeries, medications, laboratory tests). Can you donate any amount to help Jasmine? https://oar.co.nz/?page_id=42
When making your donation, please specify
Jasmine in the reference.
Account number 15-3976-0186947-00
10/10/2025
Our wee Arlo is ready for Halloween! This cuddly cutie decided to be a vampire this year. Due to some suspected trauma, he and his brothers HATE having their ears touched. A visitor to our refuge did not know this, and when they pet him in the wrong place, he decided to bite them. It was not our proudest moment (if you're the one he bit and you're reading this, we're SO sorry). Other than that one chomping incident, Arlo is a very chill little dude, who enjoys pats and snacks like they're Halloween treats! If you're interested in adopting our fluffy friend, please email us at [email protected]
09/09/2025
We have some wonderful news! After a few months on trial, we can confirm that our beloved Ash has been adopted. He and his wife Dora are an inseparable pair, who do everything together. Dora is the dominant one, while Ash is quite happy just to be with her. They are loved by their new family, and are quite the pampered duo. This is the best outcome we could ask for, and we are sure Ash will have an amazing life in his new home.
If you're interested in giving a bunny a home, please email us at [email protected]
05/09/2025
It's Aslan's last day as Bunny of the Week, and what a cute week it's been. We've learned the peculiar history of Jersey Woolies in New Zealand, and gotten to know Aslan a little bit better. If you're interested in adopting this fluffy boy, please email us at [email protected]
We'll be back soon with more bunny content, but for now, please enjoy these cute pictures of Aslan (featuring his brother Arlo).
04/09/2025
If you're interested in adopting Alsan, please email us at [email protected]
03/09/2025
Our Bunny of the Week, Aslan, is an identical twin. He and his brother Arlo are both grey Jersey Woolies, and have no unique features that identify them. So, we rely on their very distinct personalities! Aslan is confident, bold, and some might say brash. He wants what he wants, when he wants it and is more than happy to adorably let you know. One very cute feature that is unique to him, is that he likes to give kisses. Even when we first got him, while he was being manhandled and shaved, he still gave the person shaving him kisses. He would even give strange new volunteers little licks, while his brother stood by cautiously. He is an adorable wee man, who is incredibly sassy. If you're interested in adopting this kiss bandit, please email us at [email protected]
02/09/2025
Our Bunny of the Week, Aslan, simply cannot be contained (no matter how desperately we try). He hates being cooped up in his enclosure, and demands full run of the refuge. He has so far managed to escape every pen we've put him in, even when we block the edges with fencing. His favourite place to go is the girl's room, where he tries to flirt with the much older women. Thankfully, they are all desexed, and while he's an expert at breaking out, he's not all that good at breaking in. We would love for him to go to a home where he has run of the place, or has a room to himself with a closable door. If you're interested in this bunny escape artist, please email us at [email protected]
01/09/2025
Meet our Bunny of the Week, Aslan! Aslan is our resident trouble maker, a confident wee man who loves to cause chaos. He has made quiet an impression, as he is an excellent escape artist and loves to give people kisses. He is a six month old Jersey Wooly, vaccinated and (after one failed attempt) desexed! If you're interested in this adorable rapscallion, please email us at [email protected]
29/08/2025
It's Bean's last day as Guinea Pig of the Week! We love her so very much, and hope you do too. If you're interested in adopting this sweet wee girl, please email us at [email protected]
We'll be back soon with more rescue animal content, but for now, please enjoy some ginger Bean cuteness!
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Contact The Business
Send a message to OAR - Otautahi Animal Refuge and Education Trust:
Ōtautahi Animal Refuge (OAR) – non-profit organisation, originally Ōtautahi Rabbit Rehoming, was established in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) Aotearoa (New Zealand) in September 2017. In 2019 we underwent new Management and a Mission, to provide a sustainable service devoted to creating real lasting change for the lives of domestic animals, particularly rabbits, in the Christchurch and surrounding areas.
Our Community Outreach Programme plays a vital role in our mission; with education through a direct hands-on approach, we can reduce the breeding, abuse and neglect of domestic animals.
If you are considering surrendering an animal, would like to adopt through us, or have some questions regarding your existing pet, you can arrange a free appointment with a friendly professional volunteer.
This is a free service to work with you directly, helping you achieve the best outcome possible for both you and your pet. If you would like to take advantage of this, we also offer nail trimmings and limited first aid care within this service.
We are a completely volunteer run organisation, and through our volunteers we are able to have a personal rehabilitation programme with each animal in our care.
We do not offer our animals up for adoption before they are ready; for some this is fairly quickly, others can take many months to recover and show happy healthy behaviour.
All our rabbits available for adoption have not only finished their rehabilitation, but also de-sexed, vaccinated and litter tray trained. They are to be indoor pets, living inside your home with you and your family.
Though OAR is primarily focused on the rehabilitation of neglected rabbits and ex battery hens, we work with a variety of domestic animals including ducks and guinea pigs, but at this stage we are not able to take cats or dogs, please contact another local rescue for this option.
Though there may be thousands of lives we cannot save, by changing how we as a society feel about our domestic pets, we can create a ripple effective changing the lives for countless individuals.
