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A complete and utter failed fosterer

Rhianna

Wise Old Thumper
For the first time ever I thought I would foster some buns so I took on three from Starlights - Cherry, Berry and Apple. I fell in love with Apple and thought she would make Bumble a wonderful wife so asked to be able to adopt her, which was agreed.

For lots of reasons I haven't been able to bond them and now the trio are so happy and content together I think it would be unfair to separate them. I was only meant to be having them for a month but because of Starlights closing I've had them for considerably longer and both babies are now bigger than their Mum.

There is a charity near me who give vouchers for neutering dogs, cats and bunnies. It means I would have to use their own vet but I had three kittens spayed using the scheme. I know bunnies are more difficult to spay and I will check with him his success rate. If he does a lot of bunnies - which he probably does as he is the only vet the charity uses - then I will be able to get all three buns spayed at a fraction of the cost my own vet would charge, and so will then just have an additional three lots of vaccinations to budget for, which isn't so bad.

The charity helps people who work as well as those on benefits so I do qualify. I would still have to pay - just not so much - and I could then get my own vet to do the vaccinations. I was given some money for my 50th birthday recently and I've got a couple of private counselling clients too, after a long time with no-one so it is do-able financially. The vet comes to me anyway and three more buns won't make that much difference.

I've been paying for the additional food and hay for them all so that won't make any difference and I will be getting them insured - just in case. I am not going to risk any huge vet bills.

I am hoping to be allowed to adopt them all - but I will definitely be a Failed Fosterer then. If I'd only had them for the month I wouldn't have got so attached but now they are part of the family.
 
Oh Karen that is so lovely of you. I can't believe the babies are now bigger than mum. They really do sound like a happy family and I know you couldn't resist falling in love with them.
 
Awww, I don't blame you at all. I had three starlight fosters but sadly lost one a little while ago and have decided to keep the other two!! So I am a failed foster too!! :D
 
They are in a run in my lounge which is far too small now the babies have grown up.

They had a tunnel in there and unbeknown to me they had chewed it and I found Cherry with part of the material caught around her neck. She was so scared and the more she ran away from me the tighter it got. I was soooo relieved to free her and it made me realise how much they all mean to me.

Every day I've been thinking - they will be going soon - so I've not worried too much about the small run. On Tuesday Sam (Bluesmum) is coming over and we are going to try and move some of the lounge around so I can attach another pen to the one I have and double their space.

Once the weather improves next year if I am still at this house they will move outside in a spare hutch I bought off another member of RU.

I am planning to move next year into a smaller house with a much bigger garden and I will then attempt to bond all nine buns together (leaving George and Gemma inside) into a huge shed and run set-up. They will all have much more space then. I've bonded a six so how hard can a nine be?:):) I love seeing big bunny groups but if anybun isn't happy then I will have the spare hutches and runs for them to live separately. When I had a six they were all really happy together, so here's hoping.

That's a way off - have to sort out the chaos of my current house first.
 
You're a lovely failure! :love: I failed with Florence the cat, and I'm hoping to fail with foster bun Sophie, if she bonds with Barley :)

Wow, 9 buns together! :shock: That would be awesome! :love:
 
Wow, 9 buns together! :shock: That would be awesome! :love:

It's one of the reasons I want to move. I'd love a set-up like Lara's but bigger as I will have a lot more bunnies living in it. It would make life a lot easier for me as I have arthritis in my shoulders and knees and cleaning out hutches takes longer now and in the rain I get soaked. I am aiming for a huge shed with levels and an attached enormous run the bunnies can access 24/7. My buns all have runs but they are not as big as I would like and most of them have to be shut in at night as they are not fox-proof. Only Furby and Faye can access their run all the time.

I will be reducing my mortgage as I am getting a smaller house so I will have enough left over to pay to get a bunny palace built. I will help too to keep the cost down a bit.

If the garden is really big I intend to start bunny boarding too.

I'm aiming to cat proof the garden as well to keep my cats safe from harm as they are not used to roads and I am likely to be living near one. At the moment I live by a railway and they are used to that.

I'm looking for a new home with my fur family in mind - and to reduce my monthly outgoings so I will be more comfortable financially.

My house at the moment is full of clutter so is going to take some sorting - hence Bluesmum coming over to help me. She is a wonderful friend:love:
 
I am a failed fosterer too... that is why I ended up with 11 buns... Isabelle, Snoopy, Minky and Rupert were all fosters
OH says if I keep any more I have to sleep in the shed for 3 nights with them :lol:
 
Help me rabbit forum - I'm a very very wobbly fosterer. My little starlight foster jumped over a metre pen and spent the night with the neighbours who didn't eat him (though they didn't like him very much) - is this a sign - is he trying to tell me something?????:)
 
Help me rabbit forum - I'm a very very wobbly fosterer. My little starlight foster jumped over a metre pen and spent the night with the neighbours who didn't eat him (though they didn't like him very much) - is this a sign - is he trying to tell me something?????:)

Aaaw. Bumble keeps getting in with Molly, Munchkin and Dylan and I just can't see how he is doing it. He then attacks Molly so I have to separate them.

I think you should keep your foster - he is definitely telling you he wants to stay and be part of a bunny group. It must be so hard for single bunsters to see other bunnies together and not be able to join in (unless they are buns who prefer being single).

One more bun won't make much difference - which is how I could end up with eleven!!

I will think long and hard before fostering again. I don't think I am very good at it:oops:
 
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