Choices

Looking at my circumstances now I have three choices for Ada, two of which seem unsatisfactory for her and the third of which makes me look bad to other people. I hadn't expected to end up living in such a small space at the time when I got rabbits.

Living and working in a small space with an animal who needs a lot of attention and who because of her small size could be too easy for me to trip over etc when I'm not well isn't a good solution for either of us. There is no way I could manage another rabbit in that space and as it is she will need to be caged or put in the bathroom for hours at a time so I can get things done without being under strain. She comes up to me almost constantly if I'm in the same room as she is (which some people would love) but it's very different to previous experience of being around pets - cats - who are content to do their own thing a lot of the time. She clearly needs companionship a lot; it's good for me having a pet and I will be lonelier without one but I can't provide that level of attention.

See if it's possible to put her outside (and possibly get a companion for her) but there won't be the space for an RWAF approved size hutch and run and there could be days when I'm not up to going out and checking and doing all the extra physical work needed in the winter - when it sounds like you have to check them often and do all sorts of extra things. Also would be difficult to get a wholly secure setup because it's all paved (i couldn't change it because it's rented), in an area with a lot of foxes and cats about. And it seems awful, evil, frankly to subject her to the proximity of predators when she doesn't have lots of space to run away and hide and has previously been used to the safety of indoors. She should be inside or in a great big shed thing.

Permanent / semi permanent foster, where I would pay a contribution for food, all the insurance and the cost of any vet bills not covered by insurance. She remains my responsibility. I have talked about this with one of my best friends, who loves Ada and is very much missing having small furries around since her old pets died in the last couple of years, but she isn't sure she'd be able to do it at the moment because of family issues. But she wouldn't be able to afford a companion for Ada. If I am considering what's best for the rabbit - rather than how I will look to others, I'm sure that fostering her out is the right thing - though of course it may take a while to find somewhere that's right.

I'm confused

Do you mean Foster her out whilst you are ill and then have her back :?

Jack's-Jane said:

I'm confused

Do you mean Foster her out whilst you are ill and then have her back :?

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I use the term foster because I would remain responsible for her costs for the rest of her life or until she came back to me. (Or unless the new person was loaded I suppose.) I think of rehoming as being where the new owner would take on all costs as well.

Unless she were going to a friend who had no other rabbits, I would assume it would have to be permanent even if I were in more suitable accommodation in future - the main object of having her live elsewhere now would be so that she could have a companion and a better quality of life and in future it would be unfair to take a bunny away from someone else or to separate her if she had bonded.

Could you not keep her indoors, but have a big base for her so you didnt need to let her free-range as much? Could you get rid of some of your furniture to make room for this bigger base?

nessar said:

Could you not keep her indoors, but have a big base for her so you didnt need to let her free-range as much? Could you get rid of some of your furniture to make room for this bigger base?

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I've already got rid of about 50% of the stuff I owned to move to somewhere smaller and I only have the essentials. I would have to get rid of the sofa, or the TV and stereo (sorry hardcore pet people but I couldn't - I do need those given that I spend so much time at home not in great health) or the table I need for work - which folds up anyway.

Vita said:

I've already got rid of about 50% of the stuff I owned to move to somewhere smaller and I only have the essentials. I would have to get rid of the sofa, or the TV and stereo (sorry hardcore pet people but I couldn't - I do need those given that I spend so much time at home not in great health) or the table I need for work - which folds up anyway.

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Could you wall-mount the tv (you can get cheap wall-brackets) and get a deep shelf to put the stereo on? Just trying to think of the best way to optimise the space you have, shelves and deep bookcases/shelving units are great for clearing floor space. Or you could attach wood to the top of a dog crate and use the top of that for additional storage for the stereo, and then have a pen attached to the dog crate.

nessar said:

Could you wall-mount the tv (you can get cheap wall-brackets) and get a deep shelf to put the stereo on? Just trying to think of the best way to optimise the space you have, shelves and deep bookcases/shelving units are great for clearing floor space. Or you could attach wood to the top of a dog crate and use the top of that for additional storage for the stereo, and then have a pen attached to the dog crate.

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The amp is too heavy to go on top of a dog crate and it would be a terrible place for the speakers because they would reverberate on top of the rabbit. It is possible they could go in the bedroom but that would mean they weren't around in the sitting room/ kitchen when I had friends over.

These wall brackets though - how much of a mess do they make of a wall? Are there huge holes or might they be easy enough to polyfilla well like picture hooks? The TV is massive so it would need to be a strong brackets (I've regretted buying it for years but it doesn't seem cost effective to get rid of it for a slightly smaller one)

ETA She would still be a lone bunny though, and she seems so social, that's really sad.

you don't mention permanently re-homing...

whereabouts are you? there might be someone nearby who could help in some way.

bizarre - i only saw the o p, no replies, and now when i look there are replies from ages ago... must be me... sorry1

happybun said:

you don't mention permanently re-homing...

whereabouts are you? there might be someone nearby who could help in some way.

bizarre - i only saw the o p, no replies, and now when i look there are replies from ages ago... must be me... sorry1

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If she were bonded with another rabbit elsewhere that would in effect be permanent rehoming - I was just calling it fostering because I'd expect to be paying for many things for her. It would probably also increase her chances of getting a home (though I wouldn't want to pay a random person, it would need to be a friend or someone from here.) AndI wouldn't want to lose a link with her completely and 'permanent rehoming' does sound like that. I would want to know how she was doing.

Vita said:

The amp is too heavy to go on top of a dog crate and it would be a terrible place for the speakers because they would reverberate on top of the rabbit. It is possible they could go in the bedroom but that would mean they weren't around in the sitting room/ kitchen when I had friends over.

These wall brackets though - how much of a mess do they make of a wall? Are there huge holes or might they be easy enough to polyfilla well like picture hooks? The TV is massive so it would need to be a strong brackets (I've regretted buying it for years but it doesn't seem cost effective to get rid of it for a slightly smaller one)

ETA She would still be a lone bunny though, and she seems so social, that's really sad.

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The holes will be from the fixings, so quite big screw-sized, easy enough to polyfiller and paint over I'd imagine. You can get ones that will go up to 60inch, although obviously the ones for really big tvs tend to be more expensive. If your tv is LED you can get away with a lightweight mount that costs more but will mean a lot less holes, like this one: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/samsung-wmn2000cx-xc-tv-bracket-for-58-63-televisions-10788201-pdt.html
Otherwise I'd go for something like these, depending on the size of your tv of course: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/logik-lfl11x-tv-bracket-for-37-60-televisions-10788143-pdt.html or up to 42inch: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/samsung-wmn2000cx-xc-tv-bracket-for-58-63-televisions-10788201-pdt.html

Didnt realise you meant a proper sound system with an amp! If you have a subwoofer that should go on the floor, so you cant get it all on a shelf.

You're right, she would be alone, but perhaps your circumstances will change and she'll get a friend in the future, and besides, it often takes months, sometimes years, to rehome buns, so this could even be a good idea to set up whilst you are looking for a home for her, if you choose to go down that route.

With the tv out of the way, could you have the table permenantly up, but part or all of underneath the table as part of a base for her? I saw a similar thing done with a desk once, and it made good use of space, although obviously you'd have to attach something to it if you arent going to be able to give her free-range much because of your health.

Thanks again.

Is there anything else <i>apart from another rabbit</i> (preferably something which is a finite expense and doesn't take up lots of space or move fast) that might distract her sufficiently so she isn't forever nudging at me or doing other things (bad things like chewing stuff) that require my attention? She is a very social animal and one of the main problems here is that she doesn't have company.

Vita said:

Thanks again.

Is there anything else <i>apart from another rabbit</i> (preferably something which is a finite expense and doesn't take up lots of space or move fast) that might distract her sufficiently so she isn't forever nudging at me or doing other things (bad things like chewing stuff) that require my attention? She is a very social animal and one of the main problems here is that she doesn't have company.

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Is there any particular reason why you are not able to just let her nudge you and to maybe provide her with some things which are OK for her to chew :?

Maybe a 'proper' Rehoming may be best for both of you if so. I think unless you home to a friend then it is probably more appropriate to relinquish all rights and responsibilities. If you were to be paying for her Vet care then should you change your mind and want her back you would have some weight in legally being able to do just that. I personally would not feel happy with that situation. But that may just be my feelings, that if in a year or two the owner wanted the Rabbit back they could actually take her as they would be able to prove having contributed financially toward the Rabbits care and in the eyes of the law have retained a degree of ownership.

Retaining contact with the new home is one thing, but retaining a degree of ownership of the Rabbit is, as I have said, not a situation that would sit comfortably with me if I were to take her on (which I cant!!)

If you were to rehome her you could do a Home Check and maybe seek the advice of a Rescue re what sort of questions to ask a prospective adopter.

I hope that you can come up with a course of action that will benefit both of you

Good Luck

Whereabouts are you located? Someone nearby may be able to help

Jack's-Jane said:

Is there any particular reason why you are not able to just let her nudge you and to maybe provide her with some things which are OK for her to chew :?

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She would come back literally two minutes later - or less - if you mean I was giving her things when she came up to me. It's impossible to concentrate on anything. And I need the best conditions possible to concentrate on things as it's often already difficult because of neurological problems. I can concentrate OK around a cat or two when I stay with friends as they aren't so insistent on very frequent direct attention and will just go off and do their own thing for quite a while after a brief pat, or just sit quietly beside me. (I get the impression that many rabbits are the same as posters often say their rabbits aren't especially interested in them. There's no problem giving her things to chew, but unless she is in a small space with them, she quite frequently chooses to chew other things instead. Which would be less of a problem if it weren't a rental. My furniture though, at least.

I'm just not quite sure what other single house rabbits do all the time when they are in the same room as their humans. ??

Friends have advised me to give it a go for a while longer and see if we can get used to it, which I think is a good idea because I would miss her and feel ashamed in front of most people I know who have pets.

I really wouldn't want to give up all responsibilities and rights.

How many rooms do you have and what room is she in?

Would putting the table in a different room to her be a good compromise? Then you could still give her attention, but when you need to concentrate to do your work at the table then you could remove yourself from where she is.

I'd reccommend apple sticks to help her chew the right stuff, satisfies the chewing instinct and I havent met a bun yet who didnt love fresh apple sticks!

I dont think getting her another companion of another species would help, perhaps a cat, but then you might as well get another rabbit, and imo cats are worse for tripping people up.

I see what you're saying. Even when I had a single house bunny, she wasn't that interested in me. It really sounds like your bunny is craving company of the bunny kind.

nessar said:

How many rooms do you have and what room is she in?

Would putting the table in a different room to her be a good compromise? Then you could still give her attention, but when you need to concentrate to do your work at the table then you could remove yourself from where she is.

I'd reccommend apple sticks to help her chew the right stuff, satisfies the chewing instinct and I havent met a bun yet who didnt love fresh apple sticks!

I dont think getting her another companion of another species would help, perhaps a cat, but then you might as well get another rabbit, and imo cats are worse for tripping people up.

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2 rooms and a bathroom.

She's never liked apple sticks! She likes chewing some other things if they are in a small pen / cage space with her, but she ignores even them if she has lots of space.

Cats are bigger (therefore more visible if feeling dizzy etc) and don't do so much sudden darting most of the time, so I'd be unlikely to get tripped up by one provided it wasn't deliberately trying, but I wouldn't dream of keeping a rabbit and a predatory species in the same household unless there was lots of space for them to live completely separately and never even set eyes on one another. Also a cat in a rental is probably a bad idea because they can be so destructive.

Also, I would prefer to offer support with vet fees at the very least simply because she has been unwell in the past and I feel that she would have a low chance of being taken on if people were worried about insurance not covering her. Even though everyone who's met her says she is a particularly lovely bunny and they seem to think it would be easy to find a home for her because she's so friendly and pretty and soft.

I have a house rabbit and she has the run of downstairs when I'm in, mainly the lounge/diner and conservatory. She loves chewing lining paper so I've put all plastic corners up to stop her.

When she's out I put a bag of hay on the floor as she loves digging around in it and she races up and down, normally crashing into the skirting. If I sit on the sofa I sometimes get a nudge and then sit down on the floor with her. She loves apple sticks which I give her but also loves her willow tunnel.

I'm often stroking her or sitting on the floor with her so she can jump over me but sometimes she's happy jumping around on her own and then going for a sleep.

cpayne said:

I have a house rabbit and she has the run of downstairs when I'm in, mainly the lounge/diner and conservatory. She loves chewing lining paper so I've put all plastic corners up to stop her.

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Thanks! It's interesting to know these things. She is such a beautiful little fluffball.

What are these plastic corners and where did you get them?