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A bunny needs my help, but not sure if I can give him/her a good home - need advice!

A

Alleycat

Alpha Buck
The pet shop where I buy my hay and bedding normally has a healthy turnover of rabbits, but I got in this morning at 11am (they open at 8am), and a little baby bunny who was probably taken to early from its mother looked flopped out,but was in fact dead :cry: Upon closer inspection, there was no food, no hay and no water, and as the little one was sharing with another bun, it probably died from lack of food and water as the other bun, while still a baby, was quite a bit bigger... It was sad enough that the little ball of fluff had died, but the fact the owner hadn't spotted it for 3 hours made it even more heartbreaking :cry:

I don't speak Serbian yet, but I did manage a rant in Russian (reasonably similar to Serbian) and sign language, and when I got back at least there was food and water, but this bun has been there for a while, and I should probably take him or her home as I have lots of space and as for some reason he or she does not seem to be purchased by anyone.

My issue is that he or she is a lot younger than my two residents, and in addition, King and Sharik aren't that strongly bonded. They live in two rooms and on a large balcony at present, so it would be no problem to put the new bun in the smaller of the rooms, but as I work 13 - 14 hours days now, and Sharik's hormones still haven't quite calmed down after the spay, I worry that the little one will be left alone too much.

Any thoughts?
 
To be honest, although it might be left alone for large periods, at least you will make sure the bun has food and water! And will probably have a lot more space with you. Once hormones have calmed down too, hopefully you can bond together and so being alone wouldn't be a long term situation.
If you can afford another mouth to feed I say go for it! You can offer them a life 100x better than their current one at the pet shop.
 
goodness, have you always been in serbia? i hadn't realised. if you take this bun, will future buns be better off? you might find yourself with twenty if you keep going back...
 
I'd be very careful with presuming it died due to dehydration or malnutrition. There is the possibility it died due to illness and the other may be carrying or may also be ill. If you do take it on then you need to be able to be very thorough with quarantining so that you're not risking your current buns.
 
Alleycat said:
...I worry that the little one will be left alone too much.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Being left with a dead companion and no food and water isn't much of a life either. The life you can offer may not - in the short term - be ideal by Best Ever Rabbit Welfare standards but it's likely to be a hell of a lot better than the life it is likely to get.

If you can accommodate a third, go for it. Those are my thoughts. Good luck with deciding what to do. :)

ETA: but Sky-O (unsurprisingly! ;)) makes an excellent point for consideration.
 
happybun said:
goodness, have you always been in serbia? i hadn't realised. if you take this bun, will future buns be better off? you might find yourself with twenty if you keep going back...
Click to expand...

No, I just came here from Ukraine... and no, it won't solve anything in the long run, apart from giving one more bun a loving home...

Sky-O's post made me think though, but I hate leaving him/her there...
 
How did the move go? I how you are all settled.

What I am about to easy is going to sound harsh. How many rabbits can you take on? 1, 2, 20? Because I fear that this bunny will be replaced by more and in a month, there will be another one like this one. Another two months there will be another lost soul.

I am in no way saying that you shouldn't take on this bun, just that, as we all have to do, realise that there are far more rabbits needing help than any of us can cope with.

Nice to see you again!
 
Personally I wouldnt, I know its heart breaking :( but you have to put your rabbits first. As Sky-O said it could be carrying disease, so I definately wouldnt get it unless your rabbits are vaccinated (not sure whether myxo and vhd are a problem where you are?) and you can keep them bun well away from your own. If your two have a fragile bond, the smell of another rabbit could break it as well.

Its horrible to do, I know, but sometimes we have to walk away and put ourselves or our own pets first. The problem with pet shop buns is that buying them encourages them to breed/buy in more, and keep them in the same conditions, and you cant buy every one they have.
 
I think you are right - probably a better bet would be to bring one of my larger cages in to the pet shop along with some nice bowls that they can actually drink from, and try to make life for them as good as possible in that horrible shop...

It was the first time I have seen a dead bun though, and it ruined my day - particularly the fact that the owner didn't notice it for three hours, and that the other bun had no food or water :(

ALiduncan - yes, we are fine here, even got Sharik spayed :)) I wrote a thread a couple of weeks back!
 
That's great things are going so well in Serbia Alleycat :)

I wonder if maybe you could try and work with the pet shpo to improve the lives of the animals in there and educate them so that you're making a difference in many animals lives as opposed to 'just' this one.
 
Sky-O said:
That's great things are going so well in Serbia Alleycat :)

I wonder if maybe you could try and work with the pet shpo to improve the lives of the animals in there and educate them so that you're making a difference in many animals lives as opposed to 'just' this one.
Click to expand...

Yes, I will, but I need to learn Serbian first :)
 
nessar said:
Its horrible to do, I know, but sometimes we have to walk away and put ourselves or our own pets first. The problem with pet shop buns is that buying them encourages them to breed/buy in more, and keep them in the same conditions, and you cant buy every one they have.
Click to expand...

This. My girlfriend and I bought our first bunny from a pet shop because we were woefully uninformed and, quite frankly, blind and stupid. Three days in, our beloved bun died in horrible pain, convulsing in my girlfriend's arms. After talking to a vet and showing him pictures, he told us that our rabbit was, at the max, 3 weeks old: not even weened, it was shipped to the pet shop to be bought by gullible people (us) who would be wowed by its cuteness. This is when I vowed never to buy anything from a pet shop again (least not a pet), even if it means animals suffer now. I have absolutely no doubt that your heart is in the right place, but even if you are not actively supporting practices by adopting this bun, you are doing so in an indirect way, by giving them your dollars.

Now, you might not have the luxury I have of buying your hay and feed in bulk (I live in farm country and can order pellets from retailers), so I can't fault you. It's a sad catch 22 situation for sure :(
 
Sky-O said:
I wonder if maybe you could try and work with the pet shpo to improve the lives of the animals in there and educate them so that you're making a difference in many animals lives as opposed to 'just' this one.
Click to expand...
That's an excellent idea. When do the language lessons start, Alleycat?! ;)
 
Sky-O said:
That's great things are going so well in Serbia Alleycat :)

I wonder if maybe you could try and work with the pet shpo to improve the lives of the animals in there and educate them so that you're making a difference in many animals lives as opposed to 'just' this one.
Click to expand...

This is what I agree with Alleycat, I believe in serbia rabbits are thought of more as fodder than pet, strike me down if I am wrong......I do think though, if you can add the Alleycat touch, it could mean big improvements for any prospective buns.

Like others have said you will end up with an apartment full of the furries if you try to make life better for each one that goes through the pet shop doors.

Maybe introduce yourself to the pet shop owner and volunteer to drop in a couple of times per week, show them this forum and supervise their stock. Obviously go gently gently at first to win the owners trust but I'm sure you can charm your way in there and help educate them. I know from what you have posted you work long hours but if you haven't conjured the charm of trust within a couple of weeks then I would say its a lost cause.

Just a thought and hope it helps :wave:
 
Strangely enough, I have seen many people at the vets here getting their buns vaccinated, and they all seem to take very good care of them, so it is probably better than Ukraine at least :)

I will learn better Serbian and then turn up at all the pet shops in town, and be a pain in the ass until they relent and start treating their buns better. I wish I could volunteer, but no time unfortunately :(

Tatihou, you speak Serbian? :D
 
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