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Tips for Passing a Homecheck - Cages U/D Maybe too soon....

Schtoffen

Mama Doe
Hi everyone.

Even though Big's only just left us I'm very keen to get a new hubby for Little as I don't want her to be lonely and I don't want her thinking she owns the place.

I've got my eye on a British Giant at a rescue nearby (although the animal shelter have still not managed to let me know if he's available or not after calling and emailing) :roll:

They ask to do a home-check...which is fine... but I'm wondering whether there's anything that they'll specifically be looking out for that could cause me to fail. I mean, I think my set up is awesome, but I know they have their rules... If you fail, is that it, or do you normally get the chance to rectify the situation?

There's a bedroom that is entirely for bunnies, although there is some stuff stored in there that they can't reach. The floor is carpet, and distinctly chewed at the corners. The rest of the flat is laminate flooring, but covered with rugs. When bonded, they would get to free range their room and the hall when alone, and also the living room when we're home.

There's one cage (standard P@H type) that has in it their hay and litter boxes, and they're never shut in it. I'm just wondering if they'll insist on my getting a second cage (for the bonding process). I'd plan separate them using puppy pen panels (one in the hall, one in the bunny room - switching over frequently to share smells), and gradually increase their supervised time together. During this period I'd give newbun the cage and Little would just have a litter box...

Do you think only having one cage will count against me? I can get another but it's a bit pointless and just takes up space...

I probably wont even end up getting him; they also insist you bring your bunny in to meet newbun to see if they get on. I don't see this going well as even Little, who's got the sweetest nature ever, if likely to kick off once she's been in the car to the sanctuary for 40 mins (it's in the middle of no where!!).

Any advice gratefully received.
 
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Oh goodness, I'm so sorry to read you have lost Big :cry: How wonderful of you to put Little first though and put her needs above your grief.

The thing with rescues is that they don't WANT you to fail. They're not coming to catch you out at all. Even if you had something out of line with their rules, I would think they'd be happy to let you change it and reassess, after all it shows you care enough to make improvements.

I'm no expert on bonding, but is there a reason you're not starting them off in a neutral place, like the bathroom? If someone comes into Little's territory she might kick off. I wouldn't worry about the bedroom at all, it sounds fine. Could you have a chat to them about the 40 min drive and see if they would make an exception? Have you tried Rescue Remedy to calm Little in the car? I had a very stressy bun who hated cars but we had to get regular taxi's to the vet.
 
Oh goodness, I'm so sorry to read you have lost Big :cry: How wonderful of you to put Little first though and put her needs above your grief.

The thing with rescues is that they don't WANT you to fail. They're not coming to catch you out at all. Even if you had something out of line with their rules, I would think they'd be happy to let you change it and reassess, after all it shows you care enough to make improvements.

I'm no expert on bonding, but is there a reason you're not starting them off in a neutral place, like the bathroom? If someone comes into Little's territory she might kick off. I wouldn't worry about the bedroom at all, it sounds fine. Could you have a chat to them about the 40 min drive and see if they would make an exception? Have you tried Rescue Remedy to calm Little in the car? I had a very stressy bun who hated cars but we had to get regular taxi's to the vet.

Thanks for your reply.

I could try the neutral space again thing but honestly I was just to go with what I did last time - last time the neutral space made no difference, Big still attacked like mad, there were just more poos everywhere. What really cinched it was continually swapping their houses over, and feeding them side by side (with bars between them).

Doesn't RR have alcohol in it? Drunk Little..... lol
 
Fair enough, everyone has their own way of doing it :)

Yep, the flower extracts are in grape alcohol :D The amount in it is so small though that it's fine for buns, I checked with the vet. A drop or two in drinking water does the trick.
 
Fair enough, everyone has their own way of doing it :)

Yep, the flower extracts are in grape alcohol :D The amount in it is so small though that it's fine for buns, I checked with the vet. A drop or two in drinking water does the trick.

Aahhh okay, I didn't know that!

I'm already cringing thinking about the many ways Little will embarrass me if I take her in to meet newbun. She's wonderful but also quite possibly criminally insane. :lol:
 
Aahhh okay, I didn't know that!

I'm already cringing thinking about the many ways Little will embarrass me if I take her in to meet newbun. She's wonderful but also quite possibly criminally insane. :lol:

Insane buns are the best! As long as she doesn't start humping his head or peeing in people's shoes you should be fine :lol: I did have a giggle at the thought of a drunk, staggering bun though :lol:
 
Insane buns are the best! As long as she doesn't start humping his head or peeing in people's shoes you should be fine :lol: I did have a giggle at the thought of a drunk, staggering bun though :lol:

She pees in waterbowls sometimes. She likes jumping in bins and throwing everything out of them. She likes jumping on peoples backs and shoulders. She likes stealing things bigger than her and running off with them. She randomly gets petrified of her own shadow and thumps like crazy and tears around the room at 100mhp.

I love her but she's mad, bad and dangerous to know.
 
i would buy a cheap puppy pen to bond them in thats what I did for yuri and jake the rescue who brought Jake over thought it was fine as they would be going into their bun room once bonded
 
aww Little sounds like Freddie!!!
He lives in the hallway just now and I constantly hear him tearing up and down it in the middle of the night!
And he likes to binky into the living room door.
He's a bit of a creep as he sits outside the bathroom door and scaratches at it till you come out :lol:

Your set up sounds perfectly fine, bonding can vary from bun to bun so I would try them in a neutral space first. that p@h cage will be excellant space for bonding.
If you neutralis it you can introduce them in the bathroom then pop them into that while they are getting bonded, then just gradually increase the space with puppy pens.
Obviously if it doesn't look like that technique will work then you can do the one you did before. :thumb:
 
I started the bonding with jake and yuri in this
jj.jpg


the rescue i got jake from were happy about how i was bonding them
 
Ergh... already feel like giving up!! Looked on every rehoming site I can think of an been to the adoption bit of P@H.... only found two buns I like, one (The giant) already has someone interested...and the other is a long way away and I don't drive...

I'm starting to feel like not a very nice person. There are sooo many buns needing homes but I just don't like any of them! :(

I met a sweet little Dutch boy needing a home last night, but he just looked like someone else's bunny to me. Cute enough, but no 'click'.

Maybe I a breed prejudiced owner! :shock:
 
I've not come to give advice as such, just to say that I got my British giant from P@H, and despite all of the rubbish advice they've given me, I couldn't have asked for a nicer bunny. You've probably seen me showing him off in the stories section. :lol: (http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?384436-Some-snaps-of-Benji!)

He isn't nervous around people at all, he came completely healthy and he loves strokes with his mum! :love:
I didn't plan to get a giant bunny, it took me three months to save up and get all the things I needed. I was lucky they hadn't already sold him.
I know most of the P@H around here keep one giant rabbit and get a new one whenever they sell one, so if you were kind of wanting a giant, you could ask them. If you were wanting to get a rescue pet, that's fantastic, but I fell in love with my Benji when I first saw him at P@H. :love:

I think it sounds like you have a fantastic set up, the rescue shelter I was at the other day seemed to think me and my boyfriend were amazing rabbit owners, even though I've only had mine for four months. I've got two runs to keep mine separate when I start bonding them, but the rescue shelter I'm going to aren't insisting on doing a home check, just for me to send them photos.
Benji at the moment lives inside, because of the cold weather, but when his mate arrives, they will both be going outside while I bond them. I like to bring my buns inside in the evening when I get home from work, so that they get used to being with people and socialise, and I was actually considering doing what you said, keeping one in a cage and letting the other wander around. I'd keep Benji out of the cage, he already knows the rules for the house and the other pets, whereas the new rabbit I'm getting won't. Plus Benji would be hard to cage at his size. :lol:
 
I was looking at Benji earlier!! He's stunning :love: That's the kind of bun I'd want to adopt :D

I would like a giant because they're lovely and I think it would be good for little who's used to having a bigger, more calming influence around. What I really want is a BH buck if I'm honest, but I know that they almost never turn up at rescues and I'd be waiting on one forever.

The rescue that has the giant kept asking me my cage dimensions. I explained over and over that the cage is just a giant litter box and it's never closed because they free range but they still insisted on knowing the dimensions :shock:

Here's my next best option though. Cutie or what?

http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutani...ch/details/-/Pet/CLOGS/ref/BSA2006240/rehome/
 
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I was looking at Benji earlier!! He's stunning :love: That's the kind of bun I'd want to adopt :D

I would like a giant because they're lovely and I think it would be good for little who's used to having a bigger, more calming influence around. What I really want is a BH buck if I'm honest, but I know that they almost never turn up at rescues and I'd be waiting on one forever.

The rescue that has the giant kept asking me my cage dimensions. I explained over and over that the cage is just a giant litter box and it's never closed because they free range but they still insisted on knowing the dimensions :shock:

Here's my next best option though. Cutie or what?

http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutani...ch/details/-/Pet/CLOGS/ref/BSA2006240/rehome/

To be honest, I think they should be glad you're taking such an interest.
I would have thought that giants were the last to go, since they need so much space and not everyone can offer it.

Wow! He's gorgeous :love: I love giant buns!
 
The Giant has been in the home for ages, I guess it's just bad luck someone has suddenly shown an interest. In the mean time, poor little Clogs needs a home (what an awful name - I'll have to change it!!). They also don't require you to bring your bun in - much more sensible I think.

No idea what breed Clogs is though....
 
The Giant has been in the home for ages, I guess it's just bad luck someone has suddenly shown an interest. In the mean time, poor little Clogs needs a home (what an awful name - I'll have to change it!!). They also don't require you to bring your bun in - much more sensible I think.

No idea what breed Clogs is though....

Well they might not decide to take the giant, sometimes people don't realise how much space they need. I didn't realise how much money I would be investing, but he's worth it. :lol:
Poor Clogs, that is an unfortunate name! I understand where they are coming from, but in my opinion it's a terrible idea to bring your bun in. For a start, it's not in their own home/environment, so they may act different once they are back in their own home. Plus, it's a total inconvenience for your bun and can stress them out unless they are used to frequent travelling.
I hope you get a bun you love soon. :D
 
I was looking at Benji earlier!! He's stunning :love: That's the kind of bun I'd want to adopt :D

I would like a giant because they're lovely and I think it would be good for little who's used to having a bigger, more calming influence around. What I really want is a BH buck if I'm honest, but I know that they almost never turn up at rescues and I'd be waiting on one forever.

The rescue that has the giant kept asking me my cage dimensions. I explained over and over that the cage is just a giant litter box and it's never closed because they free range but they still insisted on knowing the dimensions :shock:

Here's my next best option though. Cutie or what?

http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutani...ch/details/-/Pet/CLOGS/ref/BSA2006240/rehome/

OMG so adorable that I actually just gasped in awe :oops:
 
He's sweet looking isn't he.... I've sent a tentative email to them explain the circs and they've asked for pictures of the bunny room etc. I'll spruce it up this evening and take pics (although it's been insanely tidy since Big passed :cry: )

So many people texted me when Big died saying 'Let me know if I can do anything to help!' - perhaps that will extend to driving em to the Isle of White!!
 
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