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Hmm introducing.. Unnamed Christmas Present!

At least she has you to look out for her now. Keep her away from those meanies tho!!

Her fur will still need to grow back before she goes outside and by that time, there may be a temp difference - maybe you can re-assess that when it grows back?

I have no idea how old she looks - i've not got any experience with young bunnies at all. Sorry!!

You are doing the right thing by coming on and asking for advice - that's fantastic!! She's going to be one happy, well cared for bunny!! She's an absolute stunner too!!

My brothers have always been this way, constantly throwing sticks and rocks at my WILD RESCUED HORSES and generally all round torturing my animals. I dont trust them to even go near my animals, last time i left an animal with them for care, they didnt feed her. :(
anyways, it may take a while for that fur to grow back, we'll see how long, but most probably she will be an inside bunny this year... whis is fine by me, i have a spare room at home which i can do up. Im 16 and i live alone in a 2 bedroom house.... So i have a spare room....
thanks so much for the help and support! :)
 
You mentioned chopped up hay, just a note that generally, unless they have dental problems already, long strands of hay are the best. They enjoy them more and they are better for wearing down the back teeth.

I hope she doesn't end up with any lasting problems. sounds like you are doing a good job with her so far.
oh okay! the chaff is pre mixed into the pellet mix, is that okay? i assume its to add fibre. I will try get some hay tomorrow or something. but being boxing day it might be a bit hard...if i cant get hay is there a suitable substitute? fresh grass or what?
 
oh okay! the chaff is pre mixed into the pellet mix, is that okay? i assume its to add fibre. I will try get some hay tomorrow or something. but being boxing day it might be a bit hard...if i cant get hay is there a suitable substitute? fresh grass or what?

You can substitute grass but with her being so young it will probably be too rich for her tummy. As you are in Oz you might be able to find some drier older grass that is almost hay like that might do for today. :)
 
You can substitute grass but with her being so young it will probably be too rich for her tummy. As you are in Oz you might be able to find some drier older grass that is almost hay like that might do for today. :)

we dont have very good quality grass in the area where i am... but it probably still is too much, ill look for the hay tomorrow when we go to the pet store(toys and some wood chews for the bunny, i think? is that a good idea?), but if not ill look in the garden for some drier grasses... :) thanks so much! its like 11pm now so i cant look now...but tomorrow morning...
 
we dont have very good quality grass in the area where i am... but it probably still is too much, ill look for the hay tomorrow when we go to the pet store(toys and some wood chews for the bunny, i think? is that a good idea?), but if not ill look in the garden for some drier grasses... :) thanks so much! its like 11pm now so i cant look now...but tomorrow morning...

I generally find mine prefer fresh wood than stuff from the pet shops but you could always buy a few different things, see what she likes. Don't give her a lot of treats though, generally shop bought brightly coloured treats are full of junk, a tiny peice of fruit is a good, very occasional, treat but obviously wait until she's older and her tummy has settled into adulthood :)

We have a website over here called The Hay Experts. I'm not suggesting that you necessarily order from them as you're abroad, but they sell lots of natural things that are good for bunnies rather than the sugar laden things, so it might give you an idea of the sort of good things that might be available.
 
Gosh I don't know where to start or what to say in this thread :cry::cry::cry: you must stop your brothers from hurting/torturing or threatening animals and pets - they're all helpless creatures and rely on us to look after them.
 
You are going to have to be very careful with her because of this - the stress of it alone .... rabbits can die from stress. Did they shave the underneath of her feet and legs, as in the bits touching the floor?

She is too young to be away from her Mother - I can tell that at a glance. You need to keep stress to a minimum, dont hold her or play with her - rabbits are experts at hiding stress and illness, as prey animals. Leave her in a quiet place, with a hiding place, a bowl of water and some hay. Give her a soft fleece blanket to lie on - I imagine carpet will irritate her skin. Feed her only the pellets she is used to, nothing new. Give her unlimited pellets for now - if a rabbits gut becomes empty they can go into stasis and die. Get down to the pet shop as soon as it opens and get her some hay, lots of hay. Dont feed her veg. I would also be wary about chaff, it is a food for horses and I believe it is richer than hay. See if you can find out where they got her from and go to that shop and ask what she was fed on - if they give you any advice check it on here first though - they are NOT reliable or responsible if they are selling baby rabbits that young.

I would not use the heat lamp. Room temp is hot enough and you could easily burn her skin. It wouldnt be so much of a problem if she had fur.

Can you find the brand of food you are using online and link me to it? Would be good if you can post the nutritional information too.

What are her poos like, can you take a picture without disturbing her, with something for scale?
 
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Gosh I don't know where to start or what to say in this thread :cry::cry::cry: you must stop your brothers from hurting/torturing or threatening animals and pets - they're all helpless creatures and rely on us to look after them.
i cant do anything about it, they've always been like that and i dont have the physical power to stop them...and never have.. :( luckily my brothers all live away from home so its only holiday times that they are around...
i stay near my bunny at all times, she isnt ever alone with my brothers.... i dont trust them one bit...

You are going to have to be very careful with her because of this - the stress of it alone .... rabbits can die from stress. Did they shave the underneath of her feet and legs, as in the bits touching the floor?
I already waxed one brothers legs...xD but anyways, they arent allowed near my animals, i have stinky girl deodorant and pepper spray if they ever try to hurt me or my animals...
They only shaved her body, not her head, tail, bum, girly parts, nor legs. They didnt shave the bits touching the floor.


She is too young to be away from her Mother - I can tell that at a glance. You need to keep stress to a minimum, dont hold her or play with her - rabbits are experts at hiding stress and illness, as prey animals. Leave her in a quiet place, with a hiding place, a bowl of water and some hay. Give her a soft fleece blanket to lie on - I imagine carpet will irritate her skin. Feed her only the pellets she is used to, nothing new. Give her unlimited pellets for now - if a rabbits gut becomes empty they can go into stasis and die. Get down to the pet shop as soon as it opens and get her some hay, lots of hay. Dont feed her veg. I would also be wary about chaff, it is a food for horses and I believe it is richer than hay. See if you can find out where they got her from and go to that shop and ask what she was fed on - if they give you any advice check it on here first though - they are NOT reliable or responsible if they are selling baby rabbits that young.
Okay, i thought that hiding the stress might be the case(some horses do this too, ive worked with quite a few horses that hide their emotions). i will try keep her in her cage at all times? She does get VERY curious and want to come out though, and when she was out today she was going around slowly most of the time and sometimes having a few hops and jumps(not very big though)...
The chaff was pre mixed into the pellet feed? Ill try get a picture of it but it's one of those clear plastic bag ones from the vet that i think the vet might have the info or whatver? it isnt on the bag... Im gonna guess it's like a starter mix for small/young bunnies? GUESS only..:( Ill try see whether my brothers can remember where they got her from, it sounds like it was a home...with an unspayed female :( irresponsible.. :(


I would not use the heat lamp. Room temp is hot enough and you could easily burn her skin. It wouldnt be so much of a problem if she had fur.

Can you find the brand of food you are using online and link me to it? Would be good if you can post the nutritional information too.

What are her poos like, can you take a picture without disturbing her, with something for scale?

I couldnt find anything on the bag so ill have to ask my brothers about it... Sorry :( Ill try see if they know anything.

Most the poos are hard little balls, she does about 5-7 at a time, and that's almost constantly...they are about 3mm wide.... but there were a few softer ones which stuck to her fur...but i read somewhere that those are neccessary for digestion or whatever?
She's drinking a little bit and eating almost constantly...her pellet bowl is never empty....
ill try getting a picture but it's 12:40am haha soo sorry about the bad lighting!?
 
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this is a really interesting, if disturbing, thread. i hope you can save your bunny and go on to have a wonderful relationship with her. you certainly seem caring. i fully understand that you can't change your brothers' behaviour - well done for not being like them. i don't have any advice to add, but i do wish you and your bunny all the best, and hope it all turns out well for you both.
 
If its in actual rabbit food I imagine its chopped up hay, maybe alfalfa? If you dont already have enough, see if you can get enough for around 4 weeks. I'd keep her on this stuff for at least 2, maybe more, and then slowly change her over to something you know is a good brand with a high fibre content.

Yes, she needs to eat the soft ones, assuming they are caceotrophs (spelling?). They usually eat them straight from their bum, so they dont stick to their fur. Not eating them is usually a sign of a bad diet, poorly/sensitive tummy or stress - but dont worry, she's not in danger. Tummy upsets are very common in baby rabbits due to changing their homes and food in quick succession, and their young stomachs being sensitive. It should be fairly easy to sort out, and I expect you may see a difference in a few days when she is settled and when she is eating her hay. Make sure you clean her bottom for her of the ones she is not eating, and check twice a day to make sure she doesnt have flystrike -this video explains it well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FC2TVwgJxo Although make sure you dont put your rabbit completely on her back when checking, as you'll 'trance' her, which is very stressful and a 'play-dead' fear response, so should only be done when necessary e.g medical reasons. Its good that most of her poos are solid. If you see any watery diarrhea take her to the vet asap.

As for caging her, I'd let her come out as she pleases, but not get her out as such, just leave the door open so she has the choice, and can always go back if she gets scared. Its a good sign that she wants to explore.

By the way, if you can get baled horse hay (which I assume you can as you have horses) it will likely be better quality than bagged stuff you will find in a pet shop.
 
By the way, if you can get baled horse hay (which I assume you can as you have horses) it will likely be better quality than bagged stuff you will find in a pet shop.

Oh Nessar, you have a fabulous knack of noticing things. :thumb:

Yes if you can baled hay it's usually far better than pet shop, it's what I feed my four on.
 
Keep an eye on the squishy poos, but all rabbits do a type of poo called caecotrophs and in rabbits removed from mum too early they seem to be exceptionally and common and prevalent and not sortable by dietary adjustments, so it's a case, often, of being super clean and tidy with them and they will right themselves when the bunny is a bit older. If you start seeing them not looking formed or smelling or runny puddles of poo then she needs to see a vet.
 
S/he looks gorgeous. :love: Even if she is missing her fur coat. She is probably really young so the effort you put in with her over the weeks and months will be repaid as she grows up. As they are social animals and ideally live with companion/s, you're going to be her companion.

She'll bond strongly with you if you take the time and are really gentle with her so she feels secure and grows in confidence. You could well end up with a bun that will adore you and follow you everywhere.

I hope all goes well for you both and... happy Christmas!
 
yea, my brothers have always hassled all my pets, throwing rocks at my horses, killing my baby chickens, etc... They're getting better, but are still very much boys...something i've had to deal with my whole life, sadly. :(

No, only one of them is a "boy". The other two are adults and there are absolutely no excuses to be made for them. If they have "always" exhibited cruelty to animals there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with them. Cruelty to animals is one of the biggest warnings about psychopathy, and virtually all known serial killers started out being cruel to animals.
 
My god I have to say this thread has really upset me, I appreciate it isn't your fault about the animals you have had being hurt by your brothers, but they need some serious help. How can anyone hurt innocent animals it's SICK:(:(:(:(
 
Sad though it is what's happened the main thing is that you are here and obviously care for your animals. You've already had some great advice - this forum is great for advice so if you have any more questions / concerns feel free to ask xx

Hope she'll be ok anyway and welcome to the forum xx :)
 
Oh my goodness :( this is so sad! Well done for seeking advice...she really needs you to provide for her and she needs to know she can trust you and that she is safe!
 
You've had some great advice so far! Just to say that what your brother's do isn't "boys will be boys". It is not normal for anyone, male or female, to act that way towards any animal. If I was in your position I would advise local police of their actions as if they'll be that cruel to animals what's to stop them doing to people? and then disown them. Someone in that messed up a frame of mind does not belong in my family!
 
That really is cruel of your brothers & isn't typical boys' behaviour- it's weird. Who would even think of shaving a baby animal?

Thank goodness you are a caring person, so glad you came on here. I hate to think what else could have happened to her. If you do get her an outside run, do you think she'd be safe in there or would they play any more "tricks" on her?

They haven't been very nice putting you in that position, of being responsible for a little animal that has already been badly treated, then making you worry that they may hurt or eat her! No wonder you get anxious, anyone would!

If you are worried about her safety, there's no shame in taking her to a rescue centre either. I have just taken on a rabbit and have been looking on sites like you have for advice on how to care for them and there's an awful lot to learn. Good luck :)
 
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