My little Hope

Hiya everyone, I am new here so I dont know if I am posting in the right place. Firstly, I dont have rabbit experience. Many, many years or dogs, cats, horses, rats, gerbils, mice even helping on farms, and saving wildlife. But rabbit is new to me, so although I feel most in animal awarness/common sense, I appreciate all animals have their own requirements. Which is why I am here, to get your advice.
To cut the story short, I struggled for a week to get a sick baby rabbit from a pet shop- I have to buy a cage in the end, but anything to get her our.
She is approx 12 weeks old ( I got her brother aswel, dont worry not together) she was outside in a hutch without a living area, just a little plastic iglooo for shelter. We have had some really cold weather over the last couple of weeks aswel. I was told she just wasnt growing very well.... Excuse me for being stupid, but shouldnt she then be in the warm with loads of warm bedding???? Not growing would be an understatment, when I finally got my hands on her I nearly cried. You can feel EVERY bone in her frail body and she was lathargic.
I put her in a small warm cage in my bedroom with lots of hay. I offered her a water bottle and boy did she drink. But then when I attatched it she seemed to get frustrated with it, so we have given her a bowl aswel and she seems happy. She kept me awake all saturday night nibbling on her hay -Something else that there seemed to be a lack of in her hutch before.
I am taking her to the vets today for a full health check, now she has a bit of strength.
I would love your advice how to treat this special little girl, I have given her a constant supply of hay, and I put a small handfull of pellets in twice a day. We were told she had been given veg, so I gave her a small piece of carrot, but I think I have maybe over loaded her little belly too quick as she was a bit loose next morning.
She also looks like she may have been bullied as has scrape, and nick on one of her ears. She also has bald patches - mites??, and the hair on the back of her very skinny neck is greasy/wet looking.
Should I just keept her diet to hay and pellets?? I read porridge for fattening up, but is this ok for babies???
she has no muscle and finds her evening hop around the lounge quite difficult, but she has got alot brighter.
I will post her photo as soon as I can get my daughter to do it fo me ;-)
Oh, and as you can see from the title, her name is HOPE..

Hi, and welcome to the forum Thank goodness for people like you. It seems as though you are doing everything absolutely correctly, and I hope the check up at the vet has a good outcome.She may not have had many veges which is why, as you suspected, her tummy couldn't cope with the carrot. For now, give her a good handful of high fibre pellets and keep her stocked up with hay. You could try very gradually introducing some greens but only one small piece at a time. A tsp of porridge oats once a day i.e. Scotts porridge oats or similar..(not readybrek or any of the instant ones) mixed with some boiling water and left to cool is very good at helping underweight bunsters. You should also make a written complaint to the local council who issued the shop with its licence, and call the RSPCA cruelty helpline with the details of what you've seen at the shop.

Wow hello and welcome. What a lucky bunny and what a lovely name for her.

She sounds like my lovely Arthur was. The baldness will go. He had mites too and bites from other bunnies but he has grown up to be a very handsome chap.

Sounds like your doing everything right, good for you.

xx

What a very lucky bunny to have been rescued by you.
I don't really have anything to add, just keep up the good work! The vet visit should help, as will all the love and kindness this little girl will be experiencing.

Well done, you sound like youre doing a good job. I'd definately report the shop to the RSPCA. :evil:

Bless poor little Hope, I think we need to see some piccies.

Just to update, been to the vets tonight and they have had a health check. Hope has no obvious signs of anything suspitious going on, so we are going to treat her for mites, give her a bit of a bath ( as she is very dirty/smelly) and then continue with her build up diet, I have a couple of sathets of a build up mix to offer her. and lots of hay. We will see how she goes, and play it by ear. Still working on the pics.

Well done she'll be pleased you rescued her!

Good for you!
Fingers crossed she keeps improving,what a lucky little bunny she was that you came along!