hello im new and needs some advice

hi ive just found your web site and thinks its great and just what i am looking for.
i have had my bunny for 3 1/2 years when i got her and her sister from a lady that was getting rid of them for free i found them in very bad conditions they were living on newspaper no hay and no staw and when i asked the lady to pick them up and put them in the carrier she told me ''oh i dont handle them as they wee when i go to pick them up''this lady had them from 12weeks old and they were now 18 months old and in all that time she had never handled them.
so there i was my first every rabbits trying to pick them up and getting covered in wee and aware not to scare the rabbits too much, any way after a bad start i got them settled in and started to get them use to being handled and giving them a proper diet, sadly after just 6 months one of my little girls passed away it was very quick so didnt even have chance to get her to the vets. That left me with my little girl which i gave all my time and love so she wouldnt be lonely,i never thought of getting her a buddy as she was still very handshy and hated being picked up so i didnt think i had the time to get another one and wanted to give my girl all the time she needed, any way 3 years on she is now a different rabbit she will now be picked up without to much of a struggle and i can clip her nails and she will even sit and be stroked for a short time. I now fell ready to be able to take on another rabbit but i am unsure of what to do?do i get another rabbit in its own cage and never mix them or i have read a bit about pairing them but i have had different advice of this (my rabbit is not neutered)
i would love to give a home to rabbit who has had a bad start just like my two but am unsure of which is best?
any advice will help me and sorry my first post went on a bit
many thanks

Hi and welcome. Be careful on here - it's very addictive :shock: :lol:
It's very possible to get another bun and pair them up. This will be easier if they have both been 'done', boy/girl pairings are probably the best, but obviously make sure at least one of them has been neutered/spayed.
There are lots of rabbits needing new homes. If you have a search on rabbit rehome, you can find details of some of them, and alos find the rescue centres in your area. Some rescues will let you take your bunny along to choose their own friend and will do the pairing for you.
Ruby (in my sig) came from a rescue just 3 months back, she has been paired with Bobby. A few scuffles to start with, but now they're best of friends.
Everyone is great at giving advice here, so ask any questions that you want. I've learnt so much from these bunny mad people!

hi

Hi and well done for rescuing your little girl - you've worked real hard with her by the sounds of it

Lots of people have an unspayed female with a neutered male - the best thing would be to take her along to a rescue that has a neuter policy and let her pick a boy she 'clicks' with - being aware that he will still be fertile for 6 weeks after his op - check the dates with the rescue!

She will be very territorial and not welcome a strange rabbit to her patch, so make sure you introduce them somewhere she's never laid claim to, maybe a friend's house, or your bathroom etc - Some people have success when taking the 2 rabbits for a very long drive (or bus ride if you haven't a car) in a big pet carrier - They tend to be scared of the ride and befriend each other. If you then put them into the new place when you get home, and watch carefully that there's no bloodshed, they should get on alright after a couple of days in the new space - If you then put them in a totally new cage or hutch together, or thoroughly clean and paint hers(assuming they haven't fought more than the odd nip or bit of chasing/fur pulling) they should be OK

well done for giving these bunnies a wonderful home

I think Elve's advice is really good and she has basically said it all

The other think you maylike to consider is getting you bunny spayed as 8 out of 10 female rabbits will develop a uterine tumour and spaying more or less prevents this.

Good luck

lol Pam

hi welcome to the forum! i think it is great that you have taken that rabbit from such a horrible place and have brought her round so that she does like human contact.

i know i am biased as i help out at a rescue and foster lots of bunnies but i do think that you should go to a rescue to give another bunny a good home.

a rescue can give you advise on which bunny would be best for you and can help with the introductions, and will be neutered and vaccinated!

where abouts are you?

sophie

I had one of my bunnies neutered at 3, she was a nervous rescue bunnie too! I would get your bunny a friend from a rescue for the same reasons as stated before, lots of choice, lots of bunnies needing homes, and help with the pairing!

Hi welcome to the forum nice to see you , What a great job you did, well done. There are so many rescue centers that could help you find the perfect partner for your girl. A castrated male will be the best choice. Were are you?
val

Yes well done blue - sounds like you have done a good job with your bunny. Welcome and keep us informed if you find a nother bunny x

hi thanks for all your advice i am feeling happier about getting another bunny. i did start looking for a new bun in the summer unfortunatly i didnt have bery good experience i went to a very well know rescue which i wont name and they tried to rehome me a male rabbit that had been done just that weekend and told me that they would be fine together i had told them i had a unneutered female and it was only because i do know that they are still able to make little buns after there op that i said no but it makes me worried that if i hadnt know this i would have taken that lad home and im sure would have end up with a lot more bunnys a few weeks later. so not the best start in looking for new bun which is why i was so glad to find this forum, i have a few more qustions about getting a second bun
1 should i get a second cage so that i can interduce them slowly?
2 also there are so many to choose from do different breads have different temperments?
3 i live in the west midlands area and dont mind traveling in that area to find the right bun where do i start looking?
4 i dont mind taking on a older or problem bun as i sure they are harder to find homes for and after what i went throught with mine i dont mind a challenge
hope you dont mind me asking all these problems but i want to get this right

you would need some way of separating them in case they dont get on and also to get them used to each other to begin with. Either a second cage or some sort of playpen that you can use to halve a space they can share.
You could always have a look at the 'rabbits in need' section of the forum and see where the rescuers are and if any are close by.
Is leicester too far? Jill (Honeybunny) is a rescuer there and is on the forum.... or elaine in manchester... hmmm kayj is up that way too i believe.. im useless at geography tho and im sure there are plenty more on here. Good luck

Hiya! I'm glad to hear you are considering giving a home to a rescue bunny, sounds like you did a great job with your bun

You definately will need a second cage for the new bunny to go in before being bonded, and as a precaution if they need to be seperated for any reason after bonding.

Very small breeds eg netherland dwarf and polish tend to be the more lively and jumpy. Very Large breeds like giants etc need a lot of space and food! Popular medium sized breeds are lionheads, mini lops, dwarf lops, dutch, english. Bare in mind lionheads, angoras and other long haired breeds will need to be groomed a lot.

If you look on the top right hand corner of this forum page you will see a 'rabbit rehome' button you can search for rabbits all over the uk, and specify things like, breed, sex, nuetered.. You wil find all sorts of buns, including ones looking for experienced homes

Good luck!

SCrescue are in Birmingham and have lots of cuties to rehome listed in the Rabbits in Need section.. maybe have a look there or give SCrescue a pm

well after taking in all your advice i have decided that the first course of action will be getting a second cage, so ihave been looking throught the ads for a second hand hutch which i thought would be best as i hope not to be using it for to long BUT i have found a big problem every time i find a hutch which i think is ok i suddenly find that there is a free rabbit with it, i feel that the rabbit is just like a free gift to the buyer who is buying the cage, i have just found a hutch on the free ads with a run for 10 pounds and i thought great that will be just right and then i read on to find that it comes with a little male rabbit unsure of what to do as this is not the way i wanted to get a second bun but am worried that for just 10 pounds what kind of home will he find very tempted to get him and try and bond him with my girl when he has been done and just hope they like each other if not will be on the look out for 2 other buns so they are not lonely
WHAT TO DO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately this is a really common problem (disgusting isn't it, to try and dupe people into taking unwanted pets :twisted: ) and there are a few people here recently who've rescued free ad bunnies. As you say, you don't know where they're going to end up.
If you think you can, it would be great to rescue a bunny. I wouldn't trust that these people have got the sex right though, so it may be worth checking yourself that it's a boy.
Let us know how you get on.