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I've been asked to take on a bun..

tashp90

Warren Veteran
She's just over 1, unspayed, and due vaccs. A friend of a friend contacted me and asked if I would take her as they're not allowed pets in their new home. They want her to go to a loving home, and are trying to avoid putting her into rescue etc.

She looks like a lovely little thing, maybe a little overweight. I'm just not sure. I told them that if I have her, she'll be bonded with my two, so there would be no going back for them.
Just seeing her is tugging at my heart strings :oops: but I'm after some advice please :D

I'm moving into my new house at the end of my (fingers crossed), so space then won't be an issue, and isn't an issue at the moment for the three of them but I have a couple questions:

1- should I get her spayed straight away, or at the same time as I get Maizie, and Daisy done (providing the bond goes well)?

2- I'm hoping to adopt Del Boy from Binkyhelper once Maizie and Daisy have been spayed, would a quad bond work with 3 females and a male if they are all neutered? I'm absolutely besotted with Del Boy, and have my heart set on him if he is still available when my two are spayed.

Luckily I work from home so essentially have all the time in the world to spend with these buns, and on bonding etc.

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:wave: Can I ask how long you've been keeping rabbits? I am just asking because it seems that you've only had your buns a month.


I just ask this because I know how amazing it is to have pets when you haven't been able to have them before and I also know that it's really easy to overcommit yourself.

I have done this on a small scale myself.

I ended up with 13 small furries (3 chinchillas, 2 rabbits and 7 guinea pigs) in the space of four years. It was fine, although the housework suffered. I am a mortgage payer (no landlord to please), have no human dependents and like you work largely from home.

The crunch moment for me came when I adopted (from a rescue) a supposedly female chinchilla to bond with my female-female pair. It turned out that the chinchilla had been wrongly sexed. Not only that, it came with no medical history and tragically died following castration because it had already been castrated and was under the anaesthetic for too long (while they looked for them). I realised then that taking on an animal has to be a very considered decision, particularly if you are going to get animals neutered and try to bond them. The risks are high.

Don't bite off more than you can chew with your bunnies. You have to nurse both of them through spays and then rebond them. This will be a really big responsibility and take a lot of energy. Don't make it more difficult for yourself until you have achieved this. Personally, I find the responsibility of caring for animals who are poorly enormous and this seriously limits the number of animals I am able to have at any one time.
 
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:wave: Can I ask how long you've been keeping rabbits? I am just asking because it seems that you've only had your buns a month.


I just ask this because I know how amazing it is to have pets when you haven't been able to have them before and I also know that it's really easy to overcommit yourself.

I have done this on a small scale myself.

I ended up with 13 small furries (3 chinchillas, 2 rabbits and 7 guinea pigs) in the space of four years. It was fine, although the housework suffered. I am a mortgage payer (no landlord to please), have no human dependents and like you work largely from home.

The crunch moment for me came when I adopted (from a rescue) a supposedly female chinchilla to bond with my female-female pair. It turned out that the chinchilla had been wrongly sexed. Not only that, it came with no medical history and tragically died following castration because it had already been castrated and was under the anaesthetic for too long (while they looked for them). I realised then that taking on an animal has to be a very considered decision, particularly if you are going to get animals neutered and try to bond them. The risks are high.

Don't bite off more than you can chew with your bunnies. You have to nurse both of them through spays and then rebond them. This will be a really big responsibility and take a lot of energy. Don't make it more difficult for yourself until you have achieved this. Personally, I find the responsibility of caring for animals who are poorly enormous and this seriously limits the number of animals I am able to have at any one time.

You've actually just touched on one of my biggest concerns.

Maizie and Daisy are my first buns, I've had hamsters, and dogs my entire life so know how much of a commitment animals are. Maizie, and Daisy are my primary concern. I won't do anything that would jeopardise their care, or wellbeing.

I know what you mean about over committing. It would be so easy to take all of the rabbits in need on, luckily I have voices of reasoning ie my best friend, and my mam who I would always consult on such matters. I'm also fairly good at looking at things objectively, and have to be 100% sure about things before I commit to them, not just pets, but every aspect of my life.

My major concern is the rabbits health.
Now, when I went to see Binkyhelper and Del Boy, Donna said that she would have her vet send over all of his medical.noted from the time she's had him. She also gave me the confidence that if my circumstances change, she would not only take Del Boy back, but Maizie, and Daisy too.
From what I've seen of this other bun she looks to be overweight, although I can't tell from the photo. They've told me that they use sawdust, which instantly had alarm bells ringing in my head. I've asked about her health, and they say no issues, but I don't know whether that's true, or their ignorance to potential health issues.

I've asked my friend to go and see her, and given her a list of little signs to look out for about the way she is kept, and the rabbit herself, which I've collected from the internet as indicators of illness. I won't do this myself as I'd find it harder to keep my objective perspective.
I don't think I could ever take on a poorly bun knowingly, as I'd be afraid, and constantly on edge with them.

As for caring for my two once they have been spayed. I already have a plan for this.
It won't be for 2/3 months, and by then we'll be settled in my house.
My plan, is to keep them together mostly. As long as I am with them, I will keep them together, as it means I can keep an eye on them and that they aren't doing each other any damage. As they share my living area, and will in the new house too, this will be the majority of the time. If, and when I pop out, and when I go to bed, my plan is to separate them, but only with puppy panels or something similar, so that they can still smell, and see each other, and even lie together, but aren't able to physically play or anything.

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I sort of agree that you might be biting off more than you can chew..what is daisy and Maizie fallout before they are neutered? What if they are very difficult to rebond, or won't rebond? Adding in a third female and a male could mean you end up with 4 singles, are you prepared for that? Not just space wise but it's a lot of time and work! Could you maybe foster this buns and try to find her a new home, keeping her separate from your two?
 
:wave: I think you need to give this serious thought. I've always taken the easy way out and adopted neutered buns from rescues. IMO having an animal spayed and overseeing the bonding is a huge responsibility: I don't think you will realise how stressful it is until you have been through it. By all means think about adopting Del Boy from Windwhistle as you will have the back up of that rescue if things go wrong, but just try to take things one step at a time concerning your capacity to nurse and care.
 
:wave: I think you need to give this serious thought. I've always taken the easy way out and adopted neutered buns from rescues. IMO having an animal spayed and overseeing the bonding is a huge responsibility: I don't think you will realise how stressful it is until you have been through it. By all means think about adopting Del Boy from Windwhistle as you will have the back up of that rescue if things go wrong, but just try to take things one step at a time concerning your capacity to nurse and care.

My massive issue with this bun is that I don't know any of her health history, and don't really have any way of finding out. I am considering contacting rescues myself and taking her to them so I will know that she is being well looked after, even if it's not by myself. I just don't trust the people who currently have her to be responsible enough to ensure she goes to a good home if I say no.

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My massive issue with this bun is that I don't know any of her health history, and don't really have any way of finding out. I am considering contacting rescues myself and taking her to them so I will know that she is being well looked after, even if it's not by myself. I just don't trust the people who currently have her to be responsible enough to ensure she goes to a good home if I say no.

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That's a really good idea!
 
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