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Caramel Update and Advice Needed

Natalie

Warren Scout
Well I'm pleased to say that our elderly little rescue bun, Caramel, is doing relatively well, all things considered. I can't believe we've had her for nearly five months now!

She has adapted to indoor life remarkably well, and really does seem to enjoy the space. She's in a 6 meters x 4 meters, converted loft (proper staircase up, not a ladder! lol) We've kitted out her space with loads of hideaways, tunnels, a great big litter tray with hay feeder attached, chew toys, hay stuffed toys etc etc, and because she is indoors I get to spend soooooooo much more time with her than I ever would have been able to if she where outside. She has access to the entire space, all of the time. Once the weather improves she'll be able to spend time in her outside run again during the day, but she will always be brought in at night. I feel so much happier having her safely with us indoors :)

So now I'm enjoying being able to go up and be with her at any time of day or night. First thing in the morning I'm up there in my PJ's lol, last thing at night I have been known to fall asleep on the floor with her lol. As well as just going up to spend time with her during the day I also take stuff up there to do, like if I'm going to have a long phone chat or when I've got internet stuff to do that I can do on the iPad. She loves being pampered, hates being picked up!

For anyone who doesn't know, the reason we can't have her downstairs with us is because we have rescue dogs. And if anyone is wondering why we took on a rabbit when we had dogs, well I have to admit it definitely wasn't something we had planned to do, but when we moved house a little while back, we became aware of this poor little bun who was really not getting a good level of care so when the opportunity arose we offered to take her on.

Some of you may remember that we had quite a scare when her heart rate dropped to 80 beats per minute (should be about 230) She was kept in at the vets and had loads of tests, ECGs, ultrasounds, blood tests and x-rays. We honestly thought we were going to lose her. But she got through it and is now on diuretics (frusol) 3 x daily. The easiest way to give her the meds is on her greens, so I feed her three times a day, which she always enjoys :)

So yeah, so far so good, I mean, I just love her sooooooooooo much, she is totally and utterly adorabubble - although also quite a stubborn and determined little madam :lol:

Anyhoo, the good news is that my youngest daughter and her partner have now bought a house and are hoping, once the house is ready - it needs a LOT of work - to adopt a couple of rescue buns themselves. Probably a bonded pair. Soooooooooo as some of you may know, it has always been my dream to be able to get Caramel together with another rabbit/s. However, as she has been diagnosed with this heart problem, I have been advised by my vet to keep her as calm and stress free as possible. Originally the first vet we took her to when we first adopted her, felt that she was just too old to bond with another bunny :( so it's not made any easier with the added problem of a weak heart.

So, might any of you experienced bunny parents have any thoughts on whether it would be okay to introduce Caramel to my daughter's bunnies when she gets them, and if you do think it's possible, how to go about it? We will make sure that the new buns are completely up to date with vaccinations of course. The vet we take Caramel to now has said it might be possible and suggested that if my daughter comes over with the smell of her bunnies on her, that would be the first step, which seemed like a good idea to me.

I've just always so wanted to let Caramel be with her own kind, as much as I try to spend as much time as possible with her, I don't think I'm any match compared to her being able to be with other bunnies. I know that it's not a simple process and some might think we shouldn't try, but it would truly be the icing on the cake if Caramel could get to spend time with other bunnies again - apparently she was with another bunny originally but he passed away some years back and she's been on her own ever since.

Many thanks

Natalie and Caramel :)
 
Well I'm pleased to say that our elderly little rescue bun, Caramel, is doing relatively well, all things considered. I can't believe we've had her for nearly five months now!

She has adapted to indoor life remarkably well, and really does seem to enjoy the space. She's in a 6 meters x 4 meters, converted loft (proper staircase up, not a ladder! lol) We've kitted out her space with loads of hideaways, tunnels, a great big litter tray with hay feeder attached, chew toys, hay stuffed toys etc etc, and because she is indoors I get to spend soooooooo much more time with her than I ever would have been able to if she where outside. She has access to the entire space, all of the time. Once the weather improves she'll be able to spend time in her outside run again during the day, but she will always be brought in at night. I feel so much happier having her safely with us indoors :)

So now I'm enjoying being able to go up and be with her at any time of day or night. First thing in the morning I'm up there in my PJ's lol, last thing at night I have been known to fall asleep on the floor with her lol. As well as just going up to spend time with her during the day I also take stuff up there to do, like if I'm going to have a long phone chat or when I've got internet stuff to do that I can do on the iPad. She loves being pampered, hates being picked up!

For anyone who doesn't know, the reason we can't have her downstairs with us is because we have rescue dogs. And if anyone is wondering why we took on a rabbit when we had dogs, well I have to admit it definitely wasn't something we had planned to do, but when we moved house a little while back, we became aware of this poor little bun who was really not getting a good level of care so when the opportunity arose we offered to take her on.

Some of you may remember that we had quite a scare when her heart rate dropped to 80 beats per minute (should be about 230) She was kept in at the vets and had loads of tests, ECGs, ultrasounds, blood tests and x-rays. We honestly thought we were going to lose her. But she got through it and is now on diuretics (frusol) 3 x daily. The easiest way to give her the meds is on her greens, so I feed her three times a day, which she always enjoys :)

So yeah, so far so good, I mean, I just love her sooooooooooo much, she is totally and utterly adorabubble - although also quite a stubborn and determined little madam :lol:

Anyhoo, the good news is that my youngest daughter and her partner have now bought a house and are hoping, once the house is ready - it needs a LOT of work - to adopt a couple of rescue buns themselves. Probably a bonded pair. Soooooooooo as some of you may know, it has always been my dream to be able to get Caramel together with another rabbit/s. However, as she has been diagnosed with this heart problem, I have been advised by my vet to keep her as calm and stress free as possible. Originally the first vet we took her to when we first adopted her, felt that she was just too old to bond with another bunny :( so it's not made any easier with the added problem of a weak heart.

So, might any of you experienced bunny parents have any thoughts on whether it would be okay to introduce Caramel to my daughter's bunnies when she gets them, and if you do think it's possible, how to go about it? We will make sure that the new buns are completely up to date with vaccinations of course. The vet we take Caramel to now has said it might be possible and suggested that if my daughter comes over with the smell of her bunnies on her, that would be the first step, which seemed like a good idea to me.

I've just always so wanted to let Caramel be with her own kind, as much as I try to spend as much time as possible with her, I don't think I'm any match compared to her being able to be with other bunnies. I know that it's not a simple process and some might think we shouldn't try, but it would truly be the icing on the cake if Caramel could get to spend time with other bunnies again - apparently she was with another bunny originally but he passed away some years back and she's been on her own ever since.

Many thanks

Natalie and Caramel :)


Hi Natalie

Lovely to hear from you and Caramel again :wave:

My honest advice?

First wait until your daughter's house is ready before thinking about bonding Caramel with their rabbits. You say there's a lot to do, so it might take a time? Anything can happen in that time - to buns and humans :)

Secondly, if I were to think of bonding an elderly rabbit with a weak heart, I would choose a sedate male rabbit of elder years (maybe not as old as Caramel). My guess is that your daughter wouldn't want her first two adopted rabbits to be too elderly? And an already bonded pair might be too boisterous for Caramel.

But as I say, best not get ahead of ourselves and wait and see what all the factors are before decisions :)
 
Hi Natalie

Lovely to hear from you and Caramel again :wave:

My honest advice?

First wait until your daughter's house is ready before thinking about bonding Caramel with their rabbits. You say there's a lot to do, so it might take a time? Anything can happen in that time - to buns and humans :)

Secondly, if I were to think of bonding an elderly rabbit with a weak heart, I would choose a sedate male rabbit of elder years (maybe not as old as Caramel). My guess is that your daughter wouldn't want her first two adopted rabbits to be too elderly? And an already bonded pair might be too boisterous for Caramel.

But as I say, best not get ahead of ourselves and wait and see what all the factors are before decisions :)

Thanks MM for your thoughts, very much appreciated. We’ll definitely be taking everything very slowly if we do go ahead. But I’m also wondering, failing the possibility of bonding, is it possible for Caramel to just have visual of other rabbits, but not contact? Could that be comforting for her, or would that not be a good thing to do?
 
Aah, its a lovely story, a bunny in her twilight years finding such a good home. In my opinion, I would just get her an elderly friend, as MM suggests to live in the loft with her and keep her company when you’re not able to. Then, if your daughter is in a position to have them, she could take them both on. If Caramel has a short but happy life, that’s the best you can do. There are so many bunnies out there, now, who would benefit from your home and company of Caramel.
Why wait? (Says the woman who got one rabbit and ended up with five lol )
 
Thanks MM for your thoughts, very much appreciated. We’ll definitely be taking everything very slowly if we do go ahead. But I’m also wondering, failing the possibility of bonding, is it possible for Caramel to just have visual of other rabbits, but not contact? Could that be comforting for her, or would that not be a good thing to do?


Visual contact might work. It might be frustrating for both rabbits though, wanting to be together and not being able to.

There's nothing like a snuggle up with your own species :love:
 
I think you'd miss her too much if she went to live with your daughter. I love Caramels story & everything you've done for her. TBH I wouldn't trio or group bond an elderly bun with a heart problem - as said above I'd go with a straightforward (hopefully), boy girl partnership x
 
I think MM's suggestion of bonding her to an elderly and sedate male bunny is a good one :) If I were bonding an elderly bun with a weak heart that's all I'd really feel comfortable doing I think - this would hopefully be a calm bonding and not provide too much stress for Caramel or the other bun.
 
Perhaps you could foster an older bun for a rescue to bond with her? It sounds like you're doing everything you can to give her the best life possible x
 
Thank you so much everyone for your thoughts and advice, it’s really kind of you to take the time to help.

I think that us adopting another bunny will be a hard sell for my husband. He’s very happy we adopted Caramel, the rough handling of Caramel by the previous carer the day Caramel was handed over to us upset my husband very much, so he has always said we did the right thing, but ... he’s not keen to adopt another bunny, mostly because we will then likely find ourselves in the same position a few years down the line. We’ll end up with a lone elderly bunny ... I guess this is a dilemma that many bunny parents face :(

That said however, it hasn’t stopped me looking ... and I found this slightly more mature cutie looking for a home http://www.fatfluffs.com/rabbit/1586/ Has anyone heard of Fat Fluffs Rescue?

Oooo Glingle, I just saw your comment, definitely something to think about, but ... knowing me, I’d find it hard giving the foster bun back :/
 
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