Rabbit-Sitting (like babysitting, don't take it litteraly:)

:wave: hello im new here. i dont want to go into any chit-chat, id just rather get to the point!!

well recently my neighbors went out of town and told me to watch their two rabbits. well i cant pass up that offer!! i love them!! (lol) anyways, i get them and im holding the older one who is always looking lonesome and not wanting to come out... i noticed their nails were LOOONG!!! so i call up the local humane society and learn how to trim them. my mom and i are trimming them...(forgot to mention im 14)... and they do well.
next thing i notice is sid (the older one), his booty is all icky. well wiggles (the younger one), his booty was fine!!
so i headed to the store today and bought them new stuff. i could tell they were neglected. if this doesnt sound neglected to you, something may be wrong. i KNOW some of their basic needs (not all or else i wouldnt be on here ) and this is what their conditions were. ::
(two males, separate cages)

-no toys
-regular food and water
-no veggies or fruits
-pine bedding (in the older ones cage. the other one has all wire and no bedding what so ever.)
-havent been out of their cages in ... who knows when!?
-in a garage w/ cold, rainy weather and a little tiny heater set on low for both of them.
-no one to play w/ them.

now before we bag on the family, their dog is super healthy and is like part of the family. i dont think small pets are fit for them. 1, because i dont even think their dad wanted them in the first place. 2, because they have 6 people in their family and a little baby. 3, because they're always busy with their religion and school.
they were actually given to them because people were allergic and i think one was from a breeder or something. now im not sure of their ages, but i will try to get that as soon as possible.

sid, the old guy, his health doesnt seem to well. i got him all cleaned up, and his bottom cleaned up (which the girl who im watching them for said that it was like that since they got him... btw - he's long-haired and wiggles isnt) anyways, he was more active.... but then he just hid from me while wiggles hopped all up and down and ran around because he hasnt been out in so long.
something's wrong and i cannot take him to the vet. i think its just old age... but still! i was about crying when i was talking to my mom about their conditions!!!!! everything was sad... did they have to live like that their whole lives??? seriously, i had to lay down newspaper because it seemed like wiggle's feet would start hurting from standing on wire 24/7.

ive been going over there HOURS a day to get the out and warm them and feed them fruit and let them run... and it has only been two days. we are going to let them stay the night at our house, but we cant tonight and we'll only be able to this weekend... (still, im happy!!) my mom said "no" to their first offer to us. they said that we could have the rabbits, but ya know..... she thought their living conditions were fine, and they werent.
but now they have a lot of toys and extra treats and vitamins. i also bought a book on them. (now can u tell im addicted to animals!?!?)

well i dont want to completely bore you with this thread, and i hope you took the time to read over it (if you did, thanks a bunch!! )

please reply ASAP!!

-shelby

could someone PLEASE get back w/ me!? i only have 2 weeks!!!!!!

Hiya,

I'm not entirely sure what your question is

About the dirty bottom, that's probably diet related. The most important part of a rabbits diet is lots of hay. That's high in fibre and also helps wear down their teeth so they don't grow too long. If they don't get lots of fibre they produce lots of sticky poop which makes a mess. You can also get dry foods with different fibre levels - usually the pellets are better than the mixes. You have to be really careful changing rabbits diet (apart from hay you can feed as much of that as you like). So, don't give them much fruit if they are not used to it. Also leafy greens are better than fruit as fruit is high in sugar so more likely to upset their tummies.

Cleaning the dirty fur is important - well done. Otherwise flies can lay eggs in it and hatch into maggots - not at all nice. If he has long fur you might find trimming the fur around the bottom helps him keep clean.

If they are willing to give up the rabbits and you can't take them then I can help you find someone that will. Just let me know where you are

Tamsin

Totally agree with Tamsin about the solution to solving the dirty bottom, this is easy to resolve given the correct diet. If you immediatly cut down the rabit food and feed lots of hay within a few days this should improve. By chaning the food to a higher fibre diet this will also aid the digestion of the rabbits, this needs to be done slowly over a 10 day period.

I am not sure from your post how much pellets the rabbits are getting, they should be getting a small amount only, 50g maximum each, less is actually better for them as they will eat more hay.

Tamsin - these rabbits are in Illinois in USA

I think you should be very proud of yourself for trying so hard to get these 2 little bunnies up and running again! I can understand that your neighbours are very busy, but then they shouldn't have accepted the bunnies if they couldn't take care of them.
I can understand why your mum doesn;t want to just take them in, as it is a big responsibility, but of course, as they seem to like you, and you seem to like them, it would seem like an ideal solution. But ther are always rescue places you can contact and the rabbits can be placed there until they find a good new home, with people who will want to spend time with them.
I do feel sorry for those rabbits... I know mine lives on our balcony and is always out of his cage, running around, and I probably tend to over-fuss, but i'd rather it was that way then actually not taking care of him at all!
I can imagine it's a very difficult situation for you, but at the end of the day, your mum has the final say on this. You could always arragen sthg with your neighbours so you can go around there to take care of the bunnies at the weekends etc, but if there are any bills to pay for the vet (if they happen to get sick), then of course they need to cover that.
Remember that if these bunnies are always stuck in a cage, they are pbably ecstatic to see you, even if it's a couple of times a week! So don;t feel bad if you can;t be there more often! Ypu're doing your best and I'm sure that's good enough for them!
Well done though! You seem like a very sensible and caring young person...

I think you did a good job cleaning the bunny's bum, as it can become quite serious if it stays that way. It might be a good idea to check it once in a while just to make sure...
As for the food, I know my bunny only ate hay and pellets (I give him the ones that all look the same so he can select any favourite bits, and therefore has all the vitamins he needs), but now he likes fresh stuff too. I tend to give him greens mainly (celery leaves, the green leaves on carrots which they love, dark salad - never iceberg lettuce, basil, parlsey, coriander) and always make sure I wash them and dry them before I give them, but I avoid all the stuff that can give them gas as it;'s bad for them (like broccoli, kale leaves, peppers, sprouts).
But the most important thing for them is hay.

Tamsin said:

Hiya,

I'm not entirely sure what your question is

About the dirty bottom, that's probably diet related. The most important part of a rabbits diet is lots of hay. That's high in fibre and also helps wear down their teeth so they don't grow too long. If they don't get lots of fibre they produce lots of sticky poop which makes a mess. You can also get dry foods with different fibre levels - usually the pellets are better than the mixes. You have to be really careful changing rabbits diet (apart from hay you can feed as much of that as you like). So, don't give them much fruit if they are not used to it. Also leafy greens are better than fruit as fruit is high in sugar so more likely to upset their tummies.

Cleaning the dirty fur is important - well done. Otherwise flies can lay eggs in it and hatch into maggots - not at all nice. If he has long fur you might find trimming the fur around the bottom helps him keep clean.

If they are willing to give up the rabbits and you can't take them then I can help you find someone that will. Just let me know where you are

Tamsin

Click to expand...

well im in Illinois, USA and i did trim one's booty (since only one has long fur) and hes all cleaned up. i actually did read they can get flies there - i didnt see any - but his booty has been like that for a LOOONG time they say. and i got their answers on ages -- wiggles is 4 and has been w/ them for 3 years and sid is probably 6-8 and has been w/ them for 5 years.

sorry i guess i didnt throw in a question

christelle said:

I think you should be very proud of yourself for trying so hard to get these 2 little bunnies up and running again! I can understand that your neighbours are very busy, but then they shouldn't have accepted the bunnies if they couldn't take care of them.
I can understand why your mum doesn;t want to just take them in, as it is a big responsibility, but of course, as they seem to like you, and you seem to like them, it would seem like an ideal solution. But ther are always rescue places you can contact and the rabbits can be placed there until they find a good new home, with people who will want to spend time with them.
I do feel sorry for those rabbits... I know mine lives on our balcony and is always out of his cage, running around, and I probably tend to over-fuss, but i'd rather it was that way then actually not taking care of him at all!
I can imagine it's a very difficult situation for you, but at the end of the day, your mum has the final say on this. You could always arragen sthg with your neighbours so you can go around there to take care of the bunnies at the weekends etc, but if there are any bills to pay for the vet (if they happen to get sick), then of course they need to cover that.
Remember that if these bunnies are always stuck in a cage, they are pbably ecstatic to see you, even if it's a couple of times a week! So don;t feel bad if you can;t be there more often! Ypu're doing your best and I'm sure that's good enough for them!
Well done though! You seem like a very sensible and caring young person...

Click to expand...

awh thank you everyone :]

i have been researching them a lot and my mom may give it... though im not getting my hopes up just in case... but i cried when i first saw their nails and the bottom of sid. they get to run everyday and im getting ready to go over and visit them.

and yes, wiggles gets all jumpy and happy and ready to get out of his cage when he sees me!! (sid is more laid back) i talk to them and tell them everything that goes on and what days im planning on taking them outside (like today since the weather is perfect!!) i just hope my mom falls in love w/ them... i do understand how big of a responsibility it is to have them... but im into that kind of thing

i will keep everyone posted and thank you for all the kind, understanding comments!!

christelle said:

I think you did a good job cleaning the bunny's bum, as it can become quite serious if it stays that way. It might be a good idea to check it once in a while just to make sure...
As for the food, I know my bunny only ate hay and pellets (I give him the ones that all look the same so he can select any favourite bits, and therefore has all the vitamins he needs), but now he likes fresh stuff too. I tend to give him greens mainly (celery leaves, the green leaves on carrots which they love, dark salad - never iceberg lettuce, basil, parlsey, coriander) and always make sure I wash them and dry them before I give them, but I avoid all the stuff that can give them gas as it;'s bad for them (like broccoli, kale leaves, peppers, sprouts).
But the most important thing for them is hay.

Click to expand...

(sorry this is the last time im commenting again lol its been 3 now...) i dont think they've ever had hay in their lives. im really starting slowly w/ the food because i know its hard to change a diet.

the owners always gave them a full bowl of pellets for about however long it takes them to eat em. id say the bowl holds about 2-4 cups of food. possibly 3 the max, but right now im trying to give an estimate by memory.

i have a feeling that is bad.

still doing well then!
For the pellets, one big handful a day should be enough for both of them. The most important thing is the hay, and then of course a few greens a day (mainly leaves), I pbably give my bunny a small handful of these a day...
poor things, i feel so sorry for them!