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What would you do?

J

jredk04

Warren Scout
Hi everyone.

Hubby said YES!!! :shock:

as you may know, hubby has been a bit slow on the uptake with the bunny thing. BUT things have changed. So much so, he's agreed to let me buy the cage and have a housevisit... and last night he said YES I can have a house rabbit! I’m over the moon.

Now I have a dilemma. :?

To date, I have been doing my research, posting questions on this site etc and making contact with suitable rescues. Today, I’m ordering my cage, rabbit run etc. Yesterday, i spoke with a lovely lady. She has lots of rabbits that need forever homes. Unfortunately, the rabbits when rehomed do not include vacs & neutering/spaying and she has no rabbits in at the moment that have been 'done' so if i were to adopt one of her rabbits the deed and associated worries would fall to me (the donation per rabbit is v small compared to other rescues so the 'cost' involved is not an issue). But the emotional rollercoaster would need to be taken into consideration.

Anyway, i'll get to 'the what should i do?' part.... she has some black baby buns that have been hand reared and need forever homes. (Thank goodness we don't have video/pic phones!!!!!!) To - date i've not considered having a baby bun (circ 13 weeks). I've been planning on a 12month+ male, neutered vac bun with a personality to suit my set up (16month old son, 2 cats rabbit littertrainable/house trainable).

Now, if i were to change my preconceived idea - it would mean that i would have a well handled bun whose health history to date is known. i'd get the pleasure of getting to know the bun from 'the start', without the health problems associated with neglect and poor diet etc.

On the down side, I have been lead to believe (thro' research) that getting a baby bun to have as a houserabbit is hard work. i would have to go thro the trauma of neutering & potential problems associated with anaesthetic, litter training, housetraining...

what would you do? what have i not considered? what are the down sides of getting a baby?

Budgets are TIGHT (i don't work and rely on hubby's income) I am planning on taking out pet insurance for the first year on any rescue bun whatever the age but there would always be the excess to take into consideration...

I wouldn't describe myself as a 'fluffy' person in dire need of experiencing the baby bun stage of my houserabbit's life but i'd be lying if i didn't say that i find it a tiny bit appealing. hence the dilemma!

please feel free to give me some advice/thoughts of whether I should

a) go for it, get a baby, accept neutering worries, accept housetraining may be an uphill struggle...

b) STOP stick to original plan and find the right bun with the personality, history, age and background to suit my set up. And risk the unknown health history element.

Yikes, can’t believe I’m allowed a bun! All comments are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Julie
:D :D :D
 
oh how exciting!!!!
right , claude my blue rex got him at 8 weeks (oh so cute!) he was very easy to litter train just used to leave the odd current here and there before he was neutered!
what i did was leave him in his cage for a couple of days then when i know which corner he toileted in i put his litter tray in that corner, when you let him out for the first time you need the leave the cage door open and let the bun ventre out on his own remember though when there babies they may have the odd accident if there too far away from there cage to get back to use the litter tray so let them ventre one room at a time. ive found after having miffy boys are much cleaner than girls.
when i got william he was 10 months old but he had never lived indoors he was an outdoor bunny and had always lived in a hutch,he didnt like being indoors for about 2 weeks he got very stressed,he dug his vet bed and through his litter tray across his cage i never got him to use a litter tray he had to have his cage full of megazorb instead of the vet bed.
you never know though you vcould get a older rabbit that is already house trained, i think its nice to get a baby though and train them yourself.
 
I'd suggest sticking to your original plan as your "set up" is quite specific i.e. your 16 month old son, 2 cats etc. You need a bun that is docile, litter trained and that doesn't mind cats or being handled. When you've got a toddler crawling around, you don't want him to come across sloppy poos and the like. These cute black babies are a real shot in the dark, however adorable.

You may have to search long and hard for the right bun. When I saw Brody as the RSPCA I noticed the pile of sloppy poos in the hutch but didn't know that was a potential problem (now I've got her I woudn't change her for the world though but she's an outdoor bun so her toilet habits don't cause me grief in the house). Good luck and let us know how you get on.
 
Well, to be honest, it all boils down to what you think is right for you and what you believe is right. I am also in the current situation of starting to look around for another bun to join my current two. I have seen loads of young buns looking for homes on various pet rescue web sites most of which are in rescue or foster as a result of boredom rather than neglect. Most of these are unneutered and unvaccinated. However, I believe that I should support those rescues that do make the effort to make a difference by ensuring that every animal that leaves their premises is neutered and has had a health check - this means that the adoption fee may be higher than the other option but the rescue would still not recoup their costs. Why not compromise and go for a young (less than one year) bun that is already vaccinated and neutered that you see what their personality is like already. In your case, with a toddler in the house, a fully grown bun would be less likely to be squeezed.
Good luck - have fun choosing!! Let us know where you live and we can all help you find your perfect bun.
 
Four of our bunnies we had from about 8-10 weeks old, two we got from about 5-6 months old.

They're all destructive little gits. But they're all quite fuzzy and lovely too. I don't think it makes an enormous difference, but I would think that it would be good if you can miss out the chewy frantic puberty stage...
 
Hi there, yay your getting a bunny, your getting a bunny!
I keep saying never again to young bunnies but I seem to end with a youngster again, Harley being the latest at around 6-8 months old. Youngsters are hard work but it depends on how you cope with it. At this moment in time Im not speaking to Harley. He has his bed in my bedroom for health reasons. His bed is a puppy playpen (will post pics soon) covered with panels so he can't jump out. He has taken to pushing the sides as he did it once and top fell in so he could escape. He does this at 2am and then again at 5am through to 6.20 when I get up. Last night he spent in a pet carrier in the hall. He has also become rather horney and if I stand still he nips at my ankles and lower legs. Trying to wash the dishes is quite difficult :lol: Anyway I shout at him, call him all sorts of name, push him away with my foot or if he's just circling me ignore him.
Nipping ankles, circling feet (while your walking), spraying urine are all typical oh my balls just dropped behaviour for males, it starts at about 4 months maybe a bit later. Females can be quite different some are agressive, some just sulking and run away and some it doesn't bother. So if you take a 12 week old baby, in about 4 weeks time you need to consider neutering. Doesn't give you long to save up, a female won't be so bad, they can/do spray but not to the extent males will. If you get an agressive female you will have to supervise constantly or keep her away from your child incase she boxes him/her and scratches-bites him/her. At 12 weeks old you can't predicte whats going to happen when hormones hit. Personally I'd wait it out for an older one but while you wait it out start putting some money away to cover neutering. If a pre-neutered one hasn't come along by then then you can look at un neutered as you will have the money to cover it. Or you could ask if there is any over 6 months old, laid back un neutered bunnies, not all bunnies spray. If this bunny isn't hormonal/spraying that will then give you time to save up for the op.
Good Luck and don't feel guilty about saying no, they are young they will get homes.
Angela
 
In my experience, you'll know your bun when you see them.
Dunno how it happens, it just does.

Doesn't matter if they are 8 weeks, 8 months or 8 years old. You don't care. You love them on the spot and what ever happens you deal with it.
Sort of like husbands :wink:

This bun is joining your family, he is staying for a long time.
You can plan ahead and have an idea about what you think would be best but in my opinion, an animal joining your family is an emotional issue not a practical one.

Good Luck. Have fun. They change your life for the better.
Lucky bunny!
 
jredk04 said:
Hi everyone.

Hubby said YES!!! :shock:

as you may know, hubby has been a bit slow on the uptake with the bunny thing. BUT things have changed. So much so, he's agreed to let me buy the cage and have a housevisit... and last night he said YES I can have a house rabbit! I’m over the moon.

Now I have a dilemma. :?

To date, I have been doing my research, posting questions on this site etc and making contact with suitable rescues. Today, I’m ordering my cage, rabbit run etc. Yesterday, i spoke with a lovely lady. She has lots of rabbits that need forever homes. Unfortunately, the rabbits when rehomed do not include vacs & neutering/spaying and she has no rabbits in at the moment that have been 'done' so if i were to adopt one of her rabbits the deed and associated worries would fall to me (the donation per rabbit is v small compared to other rescues so the 'cost' involved is not an issue). But the emotional rollercoaster would need to be taken into consideration.

Anyway, i'll get to 'the what should i do?' part.... she has some black baby buns that have been hand reared and need forever homes. (Thank goodness we don't have video/pic phones!!!!!!) To - date i've not considered having a baby bun (circ 13 weeks). I've been planning on a 12month+ male, neutered vac bun with a personality to suit my set up (16month old son, 2 cats rabbit littertrainable/house trainable).

Now, if i were to change my preconceived idea - it would mean that i would have a well handled bun whose health history to date is known. i'd get the pleasure of getting to know the bun from 'the start', without the health problems associated with neglect and poor diet etc.

On the down side, I have been lead to believe (thro' research) that getting a baby bun to have as a houserabbit is hard work. i would have to go thro the trauma of neutering & potential problems associated with anaesthetic, litter training, housetraining...

what would you do? what have i not considered? what are the down sides of getting a baby?

Budgets are TIGHT (i don't work and rely on hubby's income) I am planning on taking out pet insurance for the first year on any rescue bun whatever the age but there would always be the excess to take into consideration...

I wouldn't describe myself as a 'fluffy' person in dire need of experiencing the baby bun stage of my houserabbit's life but i'd be lying if i didn't say that i find it a tiny bit appealing. hence the dilemma!

please feel free to give me some advice/thoughts of whether I should

a) go for it, get a baby, accept neutering worries, accept housetraining may be an uphill struggle...

b) STOP stick to original plan and find the right bun with the personality, history, age and background to suit my set up. And risk the unknown health history element.

Yikes, can’t believe I’m allowed a bun! All comments are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Julie
:D :D :D
Click to expand...

Hi

I'm a new member and I've had bunnies for nearly eight years, babies as well as mature one's from rescue centres and I would hold on for the right bunny from a rescue. Don't put too much pressure on yourself as it's your first bunny. The rescue will match you up with the right one for you and it will be worth the wait - I didn't have a bunny until I was the big 40 always dogs and now I'm hooked !!
 
Given the cat and toddler situation I would definatly stick with your initial plan. A baby bunny is very tempting to a cat whereas an adult rabbit will get some respect because of its size (as long as it is not a dwarf). Also your toddler could easily hurt a baby bunny. Again size is likely to instill a bit more respect. You will also get more of an idea of the rabbits personality. I rescued some young rabbits which were fine with me until their hormones hit, when they became confirmed human haters, an attitude that was unchangd by neutering. You really can't afford to end up with a rabbit that will lunge at your toddler and bite. Although these were all female, some males can be quite nippy too.

You will have to be prepared for chewing whatever the age. My Isadora(a year old when I got her) is adicted to stripping anything off anywhere if she can get her teeth into it. She is bigger than my last paper stripper and more determined so the ragged bits in my kitchen are rising higher and higher. To top this she got into the kitchen cupboards the other night and discovered cereal. There were tins all over the floor in the morning and up ended boxes and ripped open packages. No food on the floor though - she ate everything she found!!

It is definitely worth it though :lol:
 
Hi, great news!

I think you need to take into consideration what you think your son will be like with a bunny, You need to teach your son from the start how to be when your bunny is out. Some people think a small bunny is better with children, others a large. I think large as they can't pick them up!

When my second child came along my previous housebunny was 18months old, he was always very well behaved tho. I can't remember my daughter taking much interest when she was younger.

My daughter is now 6 and she still has to be reminded often to "leave her alone" I tell her to let Blueberry come to her.
I've always told her not to pick her up.

With my Blueberry she is 5 m, she hasn't had many accidents with her litter trainning only about 3 and has just reached her hormonel stage, she hasn't been aggressive tho, but you do need to take that into consideration with a doe.

Also as a childminder I have usually got several under 5's in the house during the day so Blueberry mainly comes out morning and evenings, (she has a large enclosure in the kitchin. When she is older I am hoping to give her more freedom but I have to think about the age/personality of children I'm caring for.) So maybe you could try that for a little while?
hope this helps.
 
Great news a new arrival.
We got Roo when he was 8 weeks old, small black and beautiful( he is a black rex), litter training was fine, he has two litter trays he told us where they should go. He only misses the litter tray occasionly like when he decides rather than sit in the litter tray and eat scrummy hay i will sit outside and eat and we all know that when rabbits eat they also like to poo.
We got Roo neutered at 8 months because he was trying to mate with my husband spraying him all the time ( not good when you are trying to convince hubby what wonderful creatures these are). Also the price for neutering can be different out local vet charges £39.00 and that included follow ups and the vet is rabbit friendly. There is a vets which is further away but works with one of the resues and he only charges £25.00 but is to far away for me to get to.
Also what about nail clipping are you going to do this or are you going to take you new rabbit to the vets, an older rabbit that is used to be handled may let you do this, then again a young rabbit can be encourage to enjoy cuddles and again may let you do this. Roo does not like to be pick up so i have to sneak and clip which is fun, it takes about a week to do his nails.
Roo is now just over a year old and i would not change him for the world. But i think you have to decide what is best for you.
Hope this helps
 
i think the benefit of an older neutered rabbit is you know what you are getting personality wise. Its much harder to tell what a baby is going to be like when its grown up and neutered in a years time.

Yorkshire has several rabbit rescues so it may be worth visiting a couple and holding out for what you have orginally planned for. After all that was your carefully considered choice with out the pressure of 'cute babies available now' to subvert you ;)

Tam
 
What a response :!: :D .

Thank you all so much for reading and responding. truly terrific to get such a range of opinions. thank you very much.

Yikes I’ve some thinking to do.. :?

Am now absorbing all comments and then going to bed to sleep on it!

thank you again.

it's definitely NOT an easy decision.

I am visiting the rescue in question on sunday and seeing the baby buns as well as the older ones. i'm taking hubby with me who will make sure that we're not making a rash decisions and i will be sharing your reponses with him in the morning. A lot of points have been raised here that require further thought.

Once again. I'd like to thank everyone on this forum for their help, advice and support to date. joining this site is proving to be invaluable.

off to bed now, been a long day. :D
 
Totally agree with Holly, the perfect bun might need to be searched for but he/she is definetly out there. Take the time to interact with the rabbits and go with your gut.
We honestly didn't have a plan/spec with Branwen. She was just the only one there and we loved her.

Branwen and Casey were both just over a year when we got them but not yet neutered. So yup had to sort that ourselves, it really wasn't that big a problem.
As for the problems; chewing, litter training etc. It really depends on the rabbit's personality; Bran was a cherub for everything, but Case is a terror.

Taking on any animal is a leap of faith, they will all have little quirks and issues. And you can never be fully prepared (might think you are, then they just go prove you wrong).
It's all part of the learning experience, good luck and enjoy it.
 
here's a pic of the outcome...

his name is Jack.

Thanks for all your advice.

84eac244.jpg


arrived Wed 6 October
 
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