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Getting a new room mate

I hope that I am posting this in the correct area. I look forward to all feedback. I have not started researching this yet but I figured it would be a good idea to consult Rabbits United also.

I have a female dwarf rabbit, age unknown (long story), who is spayed, litter trained, and lives in a bunny proofed room (my bedroom). She gets along fairly well in there but due to my daily responsibilities I don't get to spend as much time with her as I'd like to. However, I get in what I can. I was thinking that I could get her a room mate.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am an animal rights activist. I am not looking to use another rabbit as a tool in any shape way or form. My intentions are to do good. I was thinking that giving an animal a home (and I would only go to a shelter or someone who is looking to get rid of their rabbit) is better than living in an abusive home or shelter (my rabbit's name is Roger by the way... and yes she is female).

Now, I will not be able to pay medical costs for this new rabbit. But, I was thinking that it is better to give a rabbit a home than let them live a boring life in a shelter. Even if that means that once they become terminally ill I cannot pay for expensive procedures. Now, I can still pay for food and the odd vet bill (including euthanasia) but money is tight.

All opinions are appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Oh, and keep the comments clean:bunny:;)
 
Hmm.

Im glad your looking at getting your bunny a friend, as you probably know rabbits prefer company of their own kind and are social animals :)

However, im not sure about the whole not being able to afford vets bill situation :? I dont think a rescue would rehome knowing you arent willing to pay vets bills :( What about insurance? Could you afford the £8 odd a month to have the new bunny insured, then if something did come up, you could potentially be covered? Would you be able to afford the extra 3 vaccinations a year which new bunny would need?

I think its good your thinking of your current bunny (who sounds very well looked after and spoilt), as rabbits definately dont like living alone :(
 
Hmm.

Im glad your looking at getting your bunny a friend, as you probably know rabbits prefer company of their own kind and are social animals :)

However, im not sure about the whole not being able to afford vets bill situation :? I dont think a rescue would rehome knowing you arent willing to pay vets bills :( What about insurance? Could you afford the £8 odd a month to have the new bunny insured, then if something did come up, you could potentially be covered? Would you be able to afford the extra 3 vaccinations a year which new bunny would need?

I think its good your thinking of your current bunny (who sounds very well looked after and spoilt), as rabbits definately dont like living alone :(

agreed a rabbit in rescue wil lat least be able to receive vet bills and it isnt a boring life in a good resceu in saying that yes its great you want to get your bunny a pal, however i think you need to put away a small amount each week or month so that you have a savings account should anything go wrong. i would not rehome a bunny to someone who i thought would pts rather than treat their rabbit, i would also be concerned about payment of adoption fee, treats adn toys, holiday boarding, any illness being treated immediatly, and vaccinations.
 
In all honesty I would re think the idea if you are unable to actually care for the new bunny if it did become ill, as this could happen at any time.
It would not be fair on the bunny to be taken home by you if you can not afford to look after it, even if it did have to wait another couple of months in a shelter to be taken home by someone else who could pay the vet bills if need be.
If you needed a life saving procedure and you couldnt afford it, wouldnt you like your loved ones to take care of you? This is the same for any potential new bunny you get they would need to be able to depend on you for the care it deserves.

I am sorry if I have been harsh that is not my intention, I am just urging you to think of the new bunny.
 
Hmm, yes I see where you are heading. But, how many good shelters are there? I am on petfinder.com right now and I see approximately 5000 rabbits in my area that need homes. There are probably others that just aren't in the shelter yet.

Don't sheltered animals get put down fairly soon? Additionally, a happy life that is ended by euthanasia is better than a boring life ended the same way. I would not let the "new" rabbit suffer.

Perhaps I was not completely clear about the vet bills. I would do my best. But, I am a student right now. Perhaps by April I can figure out my financial situation. So, perhaps I won't even be doing this. So, how about we put the moral issue aside and I agree that if I cannot pay for the rabbit then I won't get him/her.

How would two rabbits in a room get along? Anyone else done this before? I am sure that everyone has good experiences/information to share. Any advice and information is absolutely appreciated.
 
In all honesty I would re think the idea if you are unable to actually care for the new bunny if it did become ill, as this could happen at any time.
It would not be fair on the bunny to be taken home by you if you can not afford to look after it, even if it did have to wait another couple of months in a shelter to be taken home by someone else who could pay the vet bills if need be.
If you needed a life saving procedure and you couldnt afford it, wouldnt you like your loved ones to take care of you? This is the same for any potential new bunny you get they would need to be able to depend on you for the care it deserves.

I am sorry if I have been harsh that is not my intention, I am just urging you to think of the new bunny.

Aren't more put down than adopted?
 
We have never put down a healthy rabbit.
Two times we have euthanised a rabbit, and both had terminal illnesses which they were near the end of.
Once a bun comes to me, it stays here until a suitable home is found.
 
are you in the UK?

I foster for a rescue, non of our rabbits ever get pts. We have 2 rabbits that have been with us over 2 years :(
 
Then maybe ask which rabbits have been there the longest and ask what they intend to do with them? If they do not have much time left at the shelter then ask them their opinion on what you are proposing?
I just think that this should not be done until you have the funds behind you to be able to do ALL that is possible, not just all that you can if the bun did get ill.
 
I wouldn't get one if you can't afford the vet bills. I think bunnies in rescues are pretty well looked after from what I can tell on this forum. Rehoming them simply means the people who run the rescues can take in more rabbits who are in need. I am sure they get their medical needs fully attended to. I reckon they probably have a decent quality of life

If you could guarantee that you were getting a rabbit who would never need any medical attention whatsoever and then die of old age at a convenient point, well I suppose that would be okay. Realistically, that is very unlikely to happen. I really wouldn't take on another rabbit without the funds to support it.
 
aside form vet fees, 9im asuming you are in the uk?) try rabbit rehome for rescue rabbits, then you need to take your rabbit aklogn to the lcoal resccue to try an initial speed dating session if this is not possible choose a bun with a temperment to suit yours.
you need to ensure both rabbits are neutered and then ensure that you have a completly neutral space for bondgin (this is an area where neither rabbit ahs been before or one you have neutralised using white vinegar spray or other to take away all smells this includes litter trays and toys and food/water dishes or bottles,

then once this is complete the bunnies need to both be put in the small neutral pen and monitored for 48 hours minimum normal dominance behaviour should be allowed, ie humping chasing nipping but fighting should never be permitted and injury should not occour. if they attempt to fight seperate them then try again, they should come to accept each other, ideally ge tthe rescue you are adopting from to bond for you , the normal adoption fee is around 30-£50 for a singel bunny as it goes towards the vet care neuter adn vaccinations that the rescue will have already provided,

regarding your statement that arent more put down than adopted, certaintly not in the uk..rescues will have a set qouta of how many thay can take in and stick to that healthy animals should never be wuthanaised, this simply would never be done, they would stay in rescue sometimes for several years until rehomed. some become sponsor bunnies but they arent put down. regardng a boring life in rescue the rescues i have visited and iv visited several over the years have large accomodation 5-6ftx2x3ft hutches with access to runs daily and are fed a high quality food and given medical treatment they need on tap. they obviously have fresh hay and water too and are cleaned out regularly there would be no point to a rescu which didnt provide this as they are no better than where a bun has come from.

as im sure you are aware rabbit savy vets cost the earth for serious things such as emergnacy appointments these alone can be a minimum of 100 pounds straight up before you see the vet and of course vaccinations are a regular occourance,

personally i could never put to sleep an animal i oculd have made better if i had more money it jsut would not sit right with me. i always ensure i can do the best by my pets. i hope that your bunny finds a bunfreind (opposite sex airings are best) and that you do save a bunny from being pts at one of these awful shelters you talk of i cnaonly assume this is usa? and if not then you consider deeply before taking on any mproe financial burdon. i think a rabbit who has the option of living a hapy long life who waits in rescue several years for a home or one who goes to a home then gets a disease adn is pts with out trying shows a lack of love on the owners part, there is always times where bunnies need pts to end suffering and i dont agree with thos ewho try everything to save an animal when it s quality of life is going to be at best poor eveni f it survives but ido feel very strongly that no animal should nt be given a chance where ever possible. and if it were me id rather that rabbit was safe adn loved in a rescue than possibly ebing pts because the owner could not afford treatment. sorry if that sounds awful. personally if i ended up in that situation and i know times can change where i no longer had the funds if my rabbit got ill i would contact the rescue i got him/her from offer a donation of what i could towards costs and ask if they could have him/her back at least i would know the bun was safe.
 
It's all very well saying that you'd be giving them extra time if they were going be put to sleep at the shelter any way but what about all the conditions that are not life threatening. Are you going to put your rabbit to sleep because you can't afford treatment for a problem that is easily resolvable?

What about the emotional well-being of your current rabbit? Rabbit are social creatures and form close bonds. Putting their partner to sleep when it's not strictly necessary seems unfair to me.

Then there is your own feelings to consider. It's all very well saying academically you'd put to sleep if anything went wrong but how would you feel knowing that if you had $50 you could save your rabbit.

If you want to help out I would suggest fostering, fundraising or volunteering at a rescue. People taking on animals that they can't cope with financially is a major problem for rescues.
 
I want everyone to know here that my intentions are good. I am an animal rights activist and I do believe in thinking outside of the box. So if anyone here is thinking "what an idiot" please remember that thinking outside of the box is important. I am not saying that I am going to do what is proposed.

Tamsin, I appreciate your post the most. Way to get to the point. I wonder what would be better. A somewhat shorter life with me where there is lots of petting and time spent together or a longer life spent in a cage with little to no mental stimulation. I live in southern Ontario, Canada and the rabbits here just have boring lives in a cage (but I plan on researching this).

I feel like it would be better to take in another rabbit even though I cannot pay for medical bills beyond 100 dollars. The other rabbit that I already have is being taken care of very, very well and if I get another she will not be cared for any less. As for Rogers emotional attachment to another there is a fine line in ethics here. What is more important? Making another rabbit happier for sometime and then letting them die ultimately hurting Roger somewhat (Roger is female by the way) or letting the other rabbit die in a shelter all by themselves? Who is more important? Roger, or the other rabbits? Here the rabbits are in cages. They don't get to come out and play.

Many say that they wouldn't like the idea of putting an animal down when they know that if they had another fifty bucks they could save them. But, I don't like the idea of letting an animal die a lonely death in a shelter after a lifetime of misery. The answer here is not obvious. I'd really appreciate it if more people would admit that. This is most definitely a complicated ethical issue.
 
Additionally, if I understand what fostering is correctly then I don't see how that would be much better than what I am proposing. I seriously doubt that I am going to find anyone good enough to take care of the rabbit. But, I am not sure. When you say fostering do you mean taking care of the rabbit until I am able to give them to a permanent owner?
 
There is more than one type of shelter :) Many rabbit specific rescues take rabbits from shelters that put to sleep, foster out the rabbits while they are neutered and any health problems treated, then place the rabbits in loving permanent homes (where their owner can afford vet bills). The rabbit you think you are 'saving' could well have ended up going through this process and been provided with a long term permanent home.

I think it's a little of an exaggeration to think none of the rabbits owners/rescues in your area are any good :) There are a list here you could try contacting/volunteering for: http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=31574&forum_id=13 By becoming a foster carer instead (your vets billed are paid) you could help many rabbits.

If you are set on getting your own rabbit, why not save up for a year first. That should give you a nice pot of cash to spend on vets bills, you could also look at insurance.
 
Tamsin, I appreciate the information. I am looking into fostering a rabbit considering the veterinary bills would be paid for. I can afford to provide food and whatnot. Right now I have a rabbit of my own. Her name is Roger (the previous owner did not know she was female... the previous owner was abusive by the way). In a few days she will be having a 730 dollar dental procedure. In total everything will cost 1200 dollars.

I am not writing this to brag. I am writing this so that people know I am responsible and that my intentions are good. Although, my suggestion in the original post may have seemed ridiculous I think that a great way to produce results is to think outside of the box. Challenging the core values of the movement is important as it ensures those values do not become impractical and outdated. So, please nobody be offended. I'd like to state again that I am an animal rights activist and I place the same value on non-human animal life as I do on human life.

I appreciate everyone's time and comments. I hope there are no hard feelings. I really value my place in this forum.
 
I also live in southern ontario! and i can assure you, her statement is not exactly an exaggeration. During my research i have been able to find about three suitable rabbit rescues in all of ontario, most of these are about three to four hour drives - which could be far to stressful for an already stressed out bunny.
The closest shelters i have visited myself are the OSPCA & the Toronto Humane Society.

At the ospca, the rabbits sit in a small tank-type thing, they are given proper food & nutrition and are all spayed however im not sure how much time they are given to run around...

And the THS, well, pft, they just got shut down a few months ago for misconduct. I would be a little scared going there, and i've looked online at their pets and they have at least 50 rabbits for adoption. Who knows who actually looks after them, as the cats and dogs barely get any attention.

The trouble with Ontario, is for some reason rabbits arent as popular ...or i guess a better word would be "better understood", thus they dont get as much care. If you walk into a pet store, your lucky to find half an aisle worth of bunny things, and of course thats all mixed in with the hampster/ferret/guinea pig stuff.



Anyways, in terms of your question i get what your saying! I too feel the same urge you have to save all the bunnies and bring home some friends for my single little man. however not only am i a student and have no funds for it, but i also have no room! so because of this, ive made myself a one year plan. First, once im done college im getting a job (that ive already been interviewed/accepted for) and moving out with my boyfriend.
Once i move out its savings time! im probably going to start out by buying two hampsters or something, i miss having those around. Then, once i know i can afford all the vet bills for my rabbits i plan on buying an already bonded pair, or adopting this adorable rabbit i know of that has only three legs :(
i cant decide, this is all a dream of course. I hope sharing that with you can inspire you to maybe hold off a bit? i know we dont want to but we have to think of whats best for our animals.

and your questions about the rabbits sharing a room can be answered by any of the forums with "bonding" in the title
 
I also live in southern ontario! and i can assure you, her statement is not exactly an exaggeration. During my research i have been able to find about three suitable rabbit rescues in all of ontario, most of these are about three to four hour drives - which could be far to stressful for an already stressed out bunny.
The closest shelters i have visited myself are the OSPCA & the Toronto Humane Society.

At the ospca, the rabbits sit in a small tank-type thing, they are given proper food & nutrition and are all spayed however im not sure how much time they are given to run around...

And the THS, well, pft, they just got shut down a few months ago for misconduct. I would be a little scared going there, and i've looked online at their pets and they have at least 50 rabbits for adoption. Who knows who actually looks after them, as the cats and dogs barely get any attention.

The trouble with Ontario, is for some reason rabbits arent as popular ...or i guess a better word would be "better understood", thus they dont get as much care. If you walk into a pet store, your lucky to find half an aisle worth of bunny things, and of course thats all mixed in with the hampster/ferret/guinea pig stuff.



Anyways, in terms of your question i get what your saying! I too feel the same urge you have to save all the bunnies and bring home some friends for my single little man. however not only am i a student and have no funds for it, but i also have no room! so because of this, ive made myself a one year plan. First, once im done college im getting a job (that ive already been interviewed/accepted for) and moving out with my boyfriend.
Once i move out its savings time! im probably going to start out by buying two hampsters or something, i miss having those around. Then, once i know i can afford all the vet bills for my rabbits i plan on buying an already bonded pair, or adopting this adorable rabbit i know of that has only three legs :(
i cant decide, this is all a dream of course. I hope sharing that with you can inspire you to maybe hold off a bit? i know we dont want to but we have to think of whats best for our animals.

and your questions about the rabbits sharing a room can be answered by any of the forums with "bonding" in the title


Hey! I appreciate the post:) Something caught my eye though... I am a feisty little one like that ahahahah. When you say that you want to "buy" hamsters and rabbits do you mean from a store or through an adoption program? Please, I urge you not to support pet stores. It breaks my heart seeing the animals in there but to support the business is to support a truly harmful industry. But, I am not jumping to conclusions as to what you said! I am just asking:).

Don't worry. Now that I have more knowledge I am not going to do what I proposed. That is why I posted here. I realize that I am fairly ignorant to the workings of adoption/foster/etc programs and figured I would consult those who know better than me.

I am very interested in foster work but will not be getting involved until I am moved out and fully prepared. With the new knowledge it is not best to do so. I will be following Tamsin's advice:)
 
definitely not buying from a pet store! but, it is a purchase when you adopt. i guess thats why i said "buy" rather than being more specific.

I already have my eye on a few bunnies in RR. i wish i could have them all :(
 
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