Hi,

When you say box do you mean cardboard or are you referring to the cat carrier? It isn’t humane to keep a rabbit in a cardboard box for any length of time, especially if you have to close the lid. A box that size is a very small space to keep a bunny and is there no part of your house you could keep her? either a bedroom/bathroom etc. If you leave her in a room with the cat carrier open she will most likely use it as a toilet and refuge but won’t be confined to a small space.

She is most likely shivering due to stress. No offence, but your friend should have made it their priority to ensure their rabbit was going to have somewhere comfortable to live and I’m not sure how they managed to ‘forget’ the cage. Going away from home to a bunny is a very stressful affair so she needs to be somewhere quiet and warm so she can adjust in peace. Keeping her in a little box if she is not used to such confined spaces is likely to upset her even more.

Good on you for offering to look after the bunny but please don’t confine her to such a small space for long periods of time.

You need to address the shivering first and now!! Are her ears cold???

If I remember correctly you said you had done a lot of research on rabbits? I think you should do your absolute best to educate your friend on the care of his/her bunny. An well meaning but uneducated owner is sometimes as bad as a neglectful owner. Rabbits are way more complex than people think.

hmm I agree. It worries me that your friend doesn’t seem to understand the need of the bunny and yes the shivering needs attention as it isn’t normal.

Personally I would line the floor in the bathroom with newspaper and keep her in there. She will initially toilet everywhere because it is a new environment. Far better to clean up some mess than have the bunny in a box.

Are you keeping her in the house? I agree even the bathroom is better than in a box. Is she eating and pooping? Water in a bowl is fine and natural. Are you keeping the area you keep her clean? The box is an awful idea. Can you put a litterbox in the bathroom with her?

If I were you, I would buy an xpen or cage and then have your friend reimburse you for it!  What about food?  Did she bring any? What are you feeding the bunny? That’s really extremely irresponsible on your friend’s part. In fact, if she didn’t bring a litter box, litter or any hay I would get her to reimburse you for that too.  That poor little rabbit will be miserable without the basics! 

I too would really like to see you place the rabbit in the bathroom or buy an x-pen. A carboard box is not humane for a rabbit to live in, are you able to offer the rabbit the right food and hay? To be honest a bowl is just fine for a rabbit to get water from and they do not have to have a water bottle.

Don’t worry about her licking the pipes. Bunnies do that sometimes anyways. Mine likes to lick a 100 year old blacksmithing ladle. As for poops everywhere, at least they’re easy to sweep up and you can put them into a makeshift litter box that has torn up newspaper and some hay on top. Maybe the bun will get the idea.

I agree with Markusdark, if you’re really worried about the bunny licking the pipes, wipe them with some white vinegar.

Hmm, you didn’t mention the snorting and gagging after drinking water. That is really odd. Is Spinner sneezing at all with any discharge? Hmm, younger siblings in the house could potentially let the rabbit out of the bathroom. Say do you have a baby pen around the house that isn’t being used anymore, since you mentioned younger siblings? That would make a great enclosure. Even temporarily you can buy some wire cube storage panels and zip-tie them toegether or make a cage out of them for not a lot of $. I think I would just go ahead and take the initiative and buy a better cage for the rabbit, but I realize it is harder for you to do that since you are not old enough to drive yet. Will anyone be going on errands soon?

I know it can be hard to educate people older than you, but you have done your best, just be gentle and patient and keep nudging in the right direction. Hopefully they will come around.

ok if she is gagging after she drinks and shivering, I would start to have some serious health concerns. Are her ears cold?
A healthy non-stressed bunny shouldn’t be doing either of those things. A lot of bunnies use bowls and not bottles, so that should not be making her gag.

I agree with the others – wipe down the pipes with white vinegar and let her have the bathroom. Leaving her in a box or a cat carrier for a week is not a good idea at all.

I understand that this girl may be 6 or 7 years older than you, but I also know that you’ve become attached to Spinner and want her to have a good life. If you really think she won’t go to the sites, then maybe print out some info for her.

no 68 degrees is not too cold for a rabbit at all, but if her ears are very cold it’s not good at all.
Do you have a heating pad that you can wrap in a towel for her?

You need to make your mom understand that it is cruel and unhealthy for her to be a tiny cat carrier for a week.

No it’s not ok to stay in that carrier for even a day longer.  If I were closer, I’m in California, I’d buy you an xpen!  Is there anyone you can borrow one from?

Woohoo that’s great! Do you have an old sheet you can put under it to help elminate your clean-up time? I too am a bit concerned about the health of the rabbit. Stress can also cause some of these problems as well and I think it would be best to have a rabbit savvy vet give the rabbit a check-up as soon as you can. Maybe you can persuade the owner to do that, just mention that you are concerned about the health of the rabbit. If the rabbit is gagging, have you watched him drink? Does he submerge too much of his nose?

Hmm, I am wondering now if this might be an inexperienced bunny with water in a bowl who gets water in the nose. You might want to try getting another shallow dish or container with low sides to put water in (non-breakable) and see if that helps. Is there any discharge from the eyes?

You’re doing great! Does he have any hay to eat (sorry I don’t recall)?

O.K. cool! How is Spinner doing now in the nice big play area? Do you have a few toys in there too? I bet it’s great seeing him in there!

i apologize for my post. 

O.K. time to take a step back, I know this is frustrating but here is a reminder:

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That’s fantastic!  Great job.  You made my night!

That’s awesome! Be sure to keep an eye on Spinner for anything unusual like not eating pooing, drinking or peeing or if that gagging continues.  Do you know of a rabbit savvy vet in the area or can we help you out with that?

O.K. I took a quick look around and here is what I found as far a vets go:

http://www.rabbitsinthehouse.org/vets.html

If it does get concerning, you can also give the HRS there a call (the link takes you to their web site).  Under contacts you can highlight HRS contacts.

O.K. well I need to go to bed now, I have to get up early for work. I hope that everything continues to go well and Spinner does great.  Please keep us updated!

bigsis7- I just wanted to tell you that it’s great that you’re trying so hard to take good care of your friend’s bunny. Thanks for listening to all the tips that everyone is giving you and trying hard to get everything right for the bunny. I hope things are looking up!

Bigsis, how are things going? Has the gagging after drinking subsided?

That’s great! How is Spinner taking to the pen now? All comfy and cozy?

Awe what a stinker! That is definately typical rabbit behavior! You might want to soak up some of the urine with a paper towel and place it in the litter box to begin litter training and be sure to place a little hay on top too. : ) That’s great things are going well!

She certainly sounds happier – you are doing a great job!

Awe that is just too sweet!

She might be gagging because the bowl is too deep and the water level is low. If her nose touches the water then fill it up a little more. My bun did that but I filled the bowl and she stopped. An idea for a temporary cage is if you have those metal cube shelf things that you put together, you can make like a pen or maybe a bigger cage so at least your mother might be more comfortable. Also, If you absolutely cannot change the buns living situation (cat carrier or box), Let the bun out for like four hours a day. Like while your doing your homework or watching TV. Just watch her/him, keep her/him near you.

My mother always loved to look at cute animals but doesnt understand the concept that they are living creatures that need to run around and stuff so she constantly tried and still tries to control everything and everywhere they go. She wont let me put another litter box anywhere outside my room because she thinks the buns will feel that it is ok to run around and pee. She is trying to make me keep them only in my room when they are so used to being free. It sucks but at least this wont last long for you. If you cannot convince your mother to let her out in a room or bathroom. At least let the bun out some time of the day for a few hours. It is still very inhumane to keep a bun in such a confined living space for a week.