Rescues -- Do you ever "trade" bunnies? - UPDATE

I have had Milo and Eddison living side by side since I had to split them up for fighting. They groom each other through the bars, but sometimes fight, and I think they are both starved for bunny attention.

I've been trying to rehome Eddison for awhile, but I haven't had any luck.

There is one good rescue around here, and they said that they are full up on their website as of Christmas time. But here is my possible proposal to them.

I would surrender Eddison to be bonded with one of their single females in exchange for adopting a female they have as a partner for Milo. (This would be pending bunny dating and the types of girls they have available.) They also require a $100 donation with every bunny they take in to pay for supplies, so I would be paying that as well.

As a rescue, would this be ok if everything hypothetically worked out bonding-wise? Or am I missing something where this is a terrible idea?

(Also, I'm unable to afford 4 bunnies, and Milo being a male was a surprise. So this is why I'm trying to rehome Eddy and get a girlfriend for Milo It's been a very hard decision to come to, but I know it would be best for them both. )

hmm ..it would depend on the resvue policies .

we have a policy stating that if someone gives up an animal to us for rehoming they can then not adopt from us .
we have overturned this on 2 occasions but only after lots of thought and only because of the reasons involved.

it would depend on the rescue i think .

bunnymadhouse said:

hmm ..it would depend on the rescue policies .

we have a policy stating that if someone gives up an animal to us for rehoming they can then not adopt from us .
we have overturned this on 2 occasions but only after lots of thought and only because of the reasons involved.

it would depend on the rescue i think .

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Oh, that definitely makes me feel terrible.

I really want to try and rehome him on my own, but I've gotten few responses to my postings of him on petfinder, and the people who responded weren't suitable at all.

Maybe I shouldn't even ask them.

sidereus7 said:

Oh, that definitely makes me feel terrible.

I really want to try and rehome him on my own, but I've gotten few responses to my postings of him on petfinder, and the people who responded weren't suitable at all.

Maybe I shouldn't even ask them.

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no ...you shouldnt feel terrible ... you are doing what you feel is best for your bun .

if it were us you were coming to we would consider what you wanted to do ..
dont know if we would do it as we dont know all the details but we wouldnt say an outright no .

i wouldnt call it trading in one bun for another though ...makes it seem a bit callous . when it isnt

bunnymadhouse said:

no ...you shouldnt feel terrible ... you are doing what you feel is best for your bun .

if it were us you were coming to we would consider what you wanted to do ..
dont know if we would do it as we dont know all the details but we wouldnt say an outright no .

i wouldnt call it trading in one bun for another though ...makes it seem a bit callous . when it isnt

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That's why I put "trade" in quotes. I couldn't think of a better way to describe it.

I got Milo to be a girlfriend for Eddison. They got along well until Milo's plums came down. Then they fought to the point of drawing blood. One fight resulted in Eddison needing x-rays for a possibly dislocated shoulder. My vet and I both agreed that this pair is not going to work, and it would be dangerous to push it. I can only afford to have two bunnies, and I think Eddison and Milo would really be better off with girlfriends of their own.

So since I bonded much closer with Milo (and he with me), and Eddison is more of a bunny's bun than a people's bun, I thought Eddison would be better to rehome than Milo. I have been looking for a good home for Eddison for 6 months, and I've met so many horrible people.

I certainly don't mean to "trade" bunnies. I've had Eddison for 2 years, and it really breaks my heart that all of this fell apart. I just feel like I'm out of options.

(Sorry for the long story. I just feel awful about all of this and I really want to do what's best for them both. Having to choose between the two of them was absolutely awful. )

i think you should ask your rescue ...but explain all like have here .
they may expect a good donation off you though .

hope you get sorted ... :wave: good luck

I did it years ago i was only about 15 I had a himi marked bun called Oscar jones he was very territoral used to attack and spray me,Little did i know then neutering would of worked,But i took him to a rescue and rehomed two does from them

are they both neutered?

I hope your able to rehome him soon, i would speak to your local rescue and ask about your 'trading' and see what they say.

LilVicky said:

are they both neutered?

I hope your able to rehome him soon, i would speak to your local rescue and ask about your 'trading' and see what they say.

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They're both neutered. (I'm from the US, so they're not vaccinated as there are no vaccines here to be given.)

They're both well-tempered too. It's just the fact that they were two boys that made the bonding fall apart.

I think I will call them tomorrow and see what they say about it. But I think I'll definitely have to tell the whole long story for them to get the whole situation.

i hope something works out for you, when my two girlies had a big fight i was gonna give petal back to the breeder but i just couldn't in the end, i sat there in tears cuddling her. i ended up keeping her, i've now got 3 bunnies. i'm by no means saying this is what you should do just want to say i know how difficult this decision is and i hope it works out the best for you and your bunnies

Ted an Petal said:

i hope something works out for you, when my two girlies had a big fight i was gonna give petal back to the breeder but i just couldn't in the end, i sat there in tears cuddling her. i ended up keeping her, i've now got 3 bunnies. i'm by no means saying this is what you should do just want to say i know how difficult this decision is and i hope it works out the best for you and your bunnies

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Thank you. I considered a trio myself, especially after one of the people who offered to take Eddison. She ended up being an animal hoarder, anxious to shove Eddison in a 2'x1' wire cage in her backyard with several loud, poor-trained dogs. I got home and cuddled Eddison in tears, telling him over and over again that I would never ever let him go to that horrible woman. But I think a trio with two males who are already inclined to shed blood would result in them fighting for the lady bun.

I'm glad you got to keep your Petal. (She is lovely ). You did what's best for her, and I hope that I will find what is best for Eddison too, even if it means saying goodbye.

aw it is so heart wrenching. i hope something works out for you and even if the rescue could try a trio bond. bonding a male and female first and then add in Eddison. will keep my fingers crossed for you hun. big hugs

Good luck with it all.

We have done this a couple of times when a bond has broken down but the owner doesn't have room for four bunnies.

I really don't see a problem with it, it means the bunnies involved don't have to live alone and it doesn't result in an increase in bunnies in rescue. The adoptee still has to pay the adoption fee.

We have done something similar for a lady with two does that won't bond.
We've bonded one of the females with a male,and have agreed to take her other doe (housebun) once it is warm enough for her to live outside.
Ultimately its about doing the best to enhance each bunnies life.

Just to update this, I got a call back from the owner of the rescue. She is a wonderful woman and seems to take great care of her buns.

She listened to my whole story and she said that she would be open to doing that, but they don't have very many single females right now. (Although they have LOTS of single males).

She said in the mean time, I could send her a picture of Eddison and a little bio for him and she would post it on her site. Then, if a space opened up, she would be willing to try bonding him with a girly.

While this is really hard, I'm glad I found a rescue that is willing to work with me to find Eddison a fantastic home with a lovely lady. I'm so happy that there are wonderful people out there running rescues.

I'll keep this thread updated if anything happens.

Thats sounds really promising. So glad you have found someone who genuinely cares about bunnies

that is fantastic news ...i thought they would help but didnt want to get your hopes up .

aw thats great news it really does help knowing where their going etc. i hope it all works out for you.