Bunny Rehabilitation

There are lots of sanctuarys for elderly and disabled buns and i think they do a fantastic job, and there are hundreds of rescues, again doing a wonderful job. Is there anywhere for the rehabilitation of aggresive buns? Somewhere they would be safe either for life or until they were able to be re-homed?

I found this sanctuary the only takes in agressive bunnies http://www.freewebs.com/daisiessanctuary/

Hugo's There said:

I found this sanctuary the only takes in agressive bunnies http://www.freewebs.com/daisiessanctuary/

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Thanks Liz, really interesting site. I wonder how busy they are.

We keep any aggressive buns that come in here as part of our Fat Fluff group - Apache came in and ate me on his first night and I adopted Tammy cos she was a biter - both were / are very happy as part of a larger group and enjoy the bunny company and are kept in their place by Jacob and Shadow

You thinking of starting one up Phill?

abbymarysmokey said:

You thinking of starting one up Phill?

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Well i always said i would never want to be a sanctuary but i see more and more buns advertised as aggresive and 9 times out of 10 i have found that they re fear aggresive and not actually aggresive. i like to think i am quite good with the ''aggresive'' buns and that alot of the time once someone understands there agression they can become very well adjusted rabbits, they may never be the friendliest buns in the world but they wont want to bite there owner at every opportunity. I wanted to let my numbers drop but if i'm honest i just can't do it, not with so many rabbits needing homes, and not if i can afford to keep them, and especially if i can take them in work with them and then find them a good home. But it is going to take alot of hard work, research, planning and most of all my payrise! i'm just trying for the moment to get as much info as possible. I don't want to start something and end up not being able to cope or afford it. :?

The cost would be up to you whether or not you were going to neuter and vaccinate them when you took them (as as you know this can sometimes be the problem with aggressive buns), you also need to set a limit of what you could afford but then there is alaways that one or two that just might need taking in and it escalates.
You would be good at being a sanctuary for aggressive bunnies Us people who like aggressive buns are few and far between but it is very rewarding seeing them turn around.

kayj said:

The cost would be up to you whether or not you were going to neuter and vaccinate them when you took them (as as you know this can sometimes be the problem with aggressive buns), you also need to set a limit of what you could afford but then there is alaways that one or two that just might need taking in and it escalates.
You would be good at being a sanctuary for aggressive bunnies Us people who like aggressive buns are few and far between but it is very rewarding seeing them turn around.

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This, i have to say is my main concern, feeding and bedding rabbits is not a problem, if i didn't have vet bills i could afford to keep up to about 60 at a time, but i have to consider the vet costs as that is, as you said kay, usually or at east contributory to an aggresive buns problem. If i could run it in a way as you do with the boarding, a rehabilitation service along side a sanctuary and charge for that it would help towards costs. I know that my landlord wouldn't mind me doing this and if it were sucessful enough he has a 1200sq foot barn that i could rent from him at £120 a month (which as space goes is cheap) but i couldn't afford to rent a barn with just me supporting everything, my pay just wouldn't stretch that far. Currently i can afford to keep a maximum of 22 rabbits but only have the space for 20 all with access to runs. i would need to take into account my own buns of which there are )or will be) 18 so i could take in either 1 pair with access to a run or 2 singles operating on a rota for the run. i have another spare 6ft x2ft hutch which could house anothe rpar or single but agian would have to have limited run time. If i had further hutches and runs obv i could house more but wouldn't want to purchase these until i could afford to. i could also build another pen in the shed which would give me 2 hutch and run combos and two hutches creating 4 spaces effectivly.

theres alot to think about

Why don't you just test the water a little and advertise that you rehabilitate aggressive rabbits and see what response you get at least then you know whether it is worth doing or not. Alot of people (I don't mean on here) would rather just give an aggressive rabbit up as they don't live up to their expectations of being cute cuddly pets (which is what they have bought them as:roll.

It might be worth talking to your vet and seeing if he/she could give you any discounts if you started a sanctuary. If you're bringing in a bunch of bunnies for surgery and vaccines, I bet they could help you out some. It's at least worth checking into.

And I think it's an absolutely wonderful idea. I always feel so bad for animals that are misunderstood. It really is a language barrier, and it's hard to find the people that can translate. You just speak their language, and they could really use you.

sidereus7 said:

It might be worth talking to your vet and seeing if he/she could give you any discounts if you started a sanctuary. If you're bringing in a bunch of bunnies for surgery and vaccines, I bet they could help you out some. It's at least worth checking into.

And I think it's an absolutely wonderful idea. I always feel so bad for animals that are misunderstood. It really is a language barrier, and it's hard to find the people that can translate. You just speak their language, and they could really use you.

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That is so well put Sidereus7 - have to say I almost always believe humans are at the route of why some animals, not just bunnies, are agressive & behave the way the do

I also agree it's worth seeing what discounts your vet could do for you - given that their business would increase through you doing this

kayj said:

Why don't you just test the water a little and advertise that you rehabilitate aggressive rabbits and see what response you get at least then you know whether it is worth doing or not. Alot of people (I don't mean on here) would rather just give an aggressive rabbit up as they don't live up to their expectations of being cute cuddly pets (which is what they have bought them as:roll.

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That's a really good idea

I've been toying with the idea of a mini sanctuary for rabbits with dental problems (no more than say 4-6 at a time), but am also put off by the step into the unknown re. costs and potential demand for spaces

kayj said:

Why don't you just test the water a little and advertise that you rehabilitate aggressive rabbits and see what response you get at least then you know whether it is worth doing or not. Alot of people (I don't mean on here) would rather just give an aggressive rabbit up as they don't live up to their expectations of being cute cuddly pets (which is what they have bought them as:roll.

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This is a really good idea, doing this i would have the space for 3 at a time, i could advertise i the local pet shops and send info to all the vet surgerys in dumfries......

Bunnyaddict said:

That is so well put Sidereus7 - have to say I almost always believe humans are at the route of why some animals, not just bunnies, are aggressive & behave the way they do

I also agree it's worth seeing what discounts your vet could do for you - given that their business would increase through you doing this

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I feel like so much stress is caused by miscommunication. The OH was trying to herd the bunnies back to the bathroom the night before last. He kept trying to chase them, and then he tried using a towel to "shoo" them in. They would just run and hide in corners. He got frustrated after about 10 minutes of this and woke me. I stood at the door to the bathroom and said, "Milo!! Eddison!! Bedtime!" And they both came running over to me happily, and went inside.

He just stood there, dumbfounded. :lol:

I just try and think of how a bunny would like to be treated, and what's the easiest way to convince them to do something. But sadly, I think many people don't know how to think that way and just end up frustrated.

So I reiterate, this is a truly awesome idea Phill, and I really hope you can put it all together.

Also, I wonder if a company could give you a discount on buying multiple hutches/runs as well!

i think i will investigate Kays idea for the meantime and work out how to advertsie, what my ''bunny behaviour clinic'' would be fore, what i want to accomplish etc. I would need to have loads of stuff worked out before i started like how to assess the buns, what would i charge for it (cause i would need to charge something) or cold i just say donations? i would need to treat each case individually,no two buns are the same or have the same problem... I think i need a ''business'' plan.

Sounds a great idea Phill! Am sure you would be great at it. Id certainly rehome an aggressive rabbit in the future - wouldnt bother me :wave: