The adoption agreement itself
The central document is the adoption agreement or contract. Read it before signing, not after: it usually states the adoption fee, that the rescue retains an interest in the animal's welfare, what happens if you can no longer keep the pet — many rescues require the animal to come back to them rather than be passed on — and any conditions such as indoor housing or bonding requirements. Keep your signed copy permanently. It is your proof of how the pet came to you and the document you will need if circumstances ever force a difficult conversation about returning them.
The agreement should identify the animal precisely: species, breed or type, colour, sex, approximate age, and any distinguishing marks. For a small pet who looks much like others of its kind, that description, paired with photographs the rescue holds, is the identity record. Check the details on the day and flag anything wrong while the rescue can still correct it from their files.
Health, neutering, and vaccination records
Rescues usually neuter rabbits before rehoming and will have had at least one vet check done. You should receive the vaccination card or a written vaccination history, neutering confirmation, and notes of any treatment given in care — dental checks and molar treatment, parasite treatment, or care for surrender injuries and neglected coats, which are common in rescue intakes. Guinea pigs are not routinely neutered or vaccinated, so for them the key papers are the vet check findings, weight on intake and at adoption, and any treatment notes.
Ask directly what is known and what is not. A rescue can only pass on the history that came with the animal, and honest paperwork says "history unknown" where that is true rather than guessing. That honesty is useful: it tells your vet which checks to prioritise at the first visit, and it sets the right expectations about age, which for many rescue small pets is a careful estimate rather than a fact.
Microchip transfer and identity
If the animal is microchipped — most rescue rabbits are — the rescue should either start the registry transfer with your details or give you the chip number, the registry name, and clear instructions to complete it, with a deadline. Do not let this drift: until the record shows your name and number, a found pet traces back to the rescue or a previous owner. Keep the rescue's confirmation that the transfer was submitted, and verify it yourself a week or two later.
Bonding paperwork deserves its own attention. If you are adopting a bonded pair, the records should name both animals as a bonded pair and cover both fully — two health histories, two descriptions. If the rescue bonded your new pet with one of their own animals for you, ask for notes on how the bonding went and what signs of a breakdown to watch for in the first weeks at home.
The history and care handover
Finally, expect a care handover: current diet in detail, housing setup used in rescue, handling tolerance, and behaviour notes from the foster carer or rescue staff who knew the animal daily. Those observations — hides from sudden noise, takes greens readily, dislikes being lifted — are the difference between a settling-in week that works and one that frightens both of you.
File the whole bundle together and book a first vet visit within a few weeks, taking the rescue papers with you. KinsLe's Transferrable Profiles are built for this moment, moving the pet's profile from the rescue to you with its history, records, and routines intact, so the careful record the rescue kept does not end at the adoption door.