Huh? I’m confused. What happened to the huge cage you built? What do you mean the rabbit has to go outside? That would be horrible! You are really putting these rabbits through a lot of stress and I would think hard and long about whether you are really ready for the responsibilty.

hmm… I’m really hoping you and your sister can maybe arrange her room so as the large cage maybe fits  better. I really hope you don’t subject your bunny to going outdoors! How would you feel if you had to live outdoors after all these years?  Not to mention it’s really not healthy nor safe for a house rabbit to be outside.  Maybe you could consider a rabbit rescue in your area if your sister can’t accomodate your bunny too.

Hmm, what about having the cage go up vertically to give the rabbits more space without it taking up more room? 

I would definitely not put the rabbit outside, if you can’t keep it in your room and you can’t keep it in your sisters room and your parents won’t allow it to go anywhere else in the house…I would definitely look into surrendering it to a rescue.  That rabbit has been through so much lately, I really don’t think putting it outside would be a good idea. 

If you surrender the rabbit the rabbit could go to someone who has the space to take care of it inside and who doesn’t have allergies. 

Yeah…I agree with TuckerBunz if your family can’t come up with a better solution.
Just remember, Outside buns have no fun! <<< sorry my inner nerdiness came out there.

Panic… please understand where we’re coming from for a moment…  many people on this board work in animal and rabbit rescue.  they donate time, money, and items to animals in need.  the people who can’t do this for whatever reason are still VERY devoted to their own pets.  they would miss a meal before they would allow their animals to.  they would forego medical treatment for themselves if they had to get their rabbit, dog, cat or bird to the vet.  that’s just the way it is.  we feel so strongly about what we do and that is why we have taken the time to try and help you learn the right and wrong way to care for your bunny.  if we didn’t care, we would have stopped offering advice.  it takes a lot of time and thought to respond to your posts, b/c while we don’t want to discourage you, we would like for you to think out what you do and how it makes your bunny feel.  your rabbit only has YOU.  you are responsible for her health, her diet, her behavior, her joy, her depression.  it is like having a baby.  there’s a good reason why young teenagers should not have babies.  personally, i do not think you should have a rabbit at this time in your life.

it concerns me and many others on this board to no end that time after time your pet is placed in dangerous situations.  your rabbit should not go outside to play because your yard is not secure.  your rabbit should not be housed outdoors under any circumstances.  your rabbit should not be bathed.  period.  your rabbit should see a well-educated RABBIT VET to figure out the eye problem and to do a full-exam (bloodwork, fecal test, etc.)  a full exam should be done every year without fail.  your rabbit should not be put with your dog.  your rabbit needs to be bonded with your sister’s before being put in together.  your rabbit needs at least 4 hours of playtime outside of the cage per day.  i believe that if you are not able to provide each and every one of these things (in addition to proper diet) for BOTH rabbits, they should BOTH be surrendered to a shelter.  i hate to say that.  but i think they would lead a happier and healthier life if given that opportunity.  i think that you care about your rabbit more than your sister does hers, just for the simple fact that you are trying your best (at times) to do the right thing.  please do the right thing and consider surrendering both rabbits.

Panic, I agree with Beka (Beka I could not have said it better, thank you). Maybe it is time to consider giving the rabbits up to a shelter or another home where they can be better taken of and where the financial situation with care is not so difficult. It is very frustrating when you come here and we try to teach you how to properly care for a rabbit time and time again and they are seemingly always in harms way or in serious need of care from a QUALIFIED rabbit savvy vet. There is an endless stream of concerns with the situation surrounding the rabbits and their whole living situation and care. I realize you love your rabbit (your sister too at least in some small way), however I just do not think it is the proper pet for you, especially at this stage of your or your sisters life . So please give some serious thought to the life your rabbit is going to be subjected to, especially being shoved outside and at the very least, find a new home for the rabbit.

Panic, I as well have to agree with the other members. If you truly love your bunny than you would get her the proper vetrinary care, and if you truly loved your bunny you would find her a new home, where she can be cared for properly.
I’m sorry if this offends you, but I really think you need to think about her and not yourself.

she really does need the vet. she needs to have yearly exams. she needs proper diet and exercise. your resistance to this is what concerns us.

and i don’t think you’re a bad person at all. quite the opposite. i am pleased that you do come on here looking for advice. keep doing everything you can to make sure that she is properly cared for and continue to ask us if you have any questions. if you think that you might be doing something wrong or you’re unsure, PLEASE ASK FIRST before continuing. and please keep in mind that if you ever do feel like you’re in over your head, you can surrender her to a rescue and they will find her a good home.

I think it’s great that they are in there together and getting along and that your sister got over wanting them both in her room. 

That’s all everyone was saying…just that IF she wasn’t going to be in there that giving her to a rescue would be better then her living outside. 

That’s all

that cage looks fantastic! is it in the living or family room? they do seem comfortable with each other… just keep an eye out for any fighting.  oh… and you might want to move that plant off of the cage so they don’t chew on it.

Hi, Panic,

It’s clear that you are doing your best and you are very frustrated with all of the issues that have come up. I am glad to see that you still come onto the site and are so willing to learn as much as you can, even though the advice is not always easy to hear. I think Beka said it very well for many of us who are concerned about your situation and see the big picture, rather than the day to day events that you cope with which makes it harder for you.

I wonder if you need to make a stronger attempt to enlist your mother’s support in the raising of both of your bunnies, as she raises you and your sister. Learning to be responsible for a living being is a difficult process for an adult (your mom is going through that with the two of you, and there’s no how-to book for bringing up girls), so it’s a bigger task for you to take on than it looks at first. I had guinea pigs for pets growing up, and my own in my room as a teenager, and it was as much as we could handle at the time. And they are very easy compared to bunnies. If your mother is willing to put the rabbit outside if you can’t care for her (Mom sounds exasperated) than she is not as informed as you are about the needs and care of bunnies. She needs to know how important constant care is for the bunnies, how much you need her help in finding solutions that work for the whole household, and how to put the pets’ needs at a higher priority, much as she would do if you or your sister were sick. Vets are expensive, but are very, very necessary. It’s something you have to plan on using regularly, the way you would plan on buying new shoes each year because you’ve outgrown your old ones. It just comes with the budget for living things.

Sometimes doing what’s best for someone else, even someone you love deeply, is a painful choice. You might have to make a very adult decision to care for your bunny with the greatest of love – to give her up to adoption by a rescue for a home that can meet those needs. It is your job as bunny’s mother to choose the road that makes her happy and healthy, and put her comfort over your own feelings.

But I still believe that a heart to heart talk with your parents, explaining that you and your sister are in over your heads and really need their understanding and help, is a step you can take now. They can hear how much you dearly love her, and what her daily care requires. Beka listed it very well. You could even print out that part of this post to educate them more. Ask them if they can agree to help you with bunny care under their supervision, as you show your willingness to learn and do the right things.  But you need some good hands on help. It will break your heart if you decide to give her up, but it will devastate you even more if she fails to thrive. And remember that she will not be your last pet, and if she does need a new home you can consider an easier pet, like a little guinea pig. Think over what’s been said here and know that you are truly among friends who care about your bunny and you. (((Hugs)))

i just thought of something. how about you get a small notebook and make a list of some questions you want to ask the new vet (like about the toe). it could even be some of the same things you ask us here. i think it would be helpful for you to get second opinions, and have your mother present so she can hear first-hand from an expert. that’s spectacular you are taking them both to a vet. how did they do in the cage together overnight? i really wouldn’t worry about doing another level right now. let them get used to the cage and continue to bond. if you go messing around with their space, they might not like it.

I am very glad to hear the bunnies are both able to stay inside. It looks like from the photo they are bonded, which is great. They’re not fighting, right?

I can tell you really care about your bunnies – but it really is very concerning to me when these health issues come up and the bunnies don’t get into a rabbit savvy vet. Part of our responsibility as pet owners is to ensure our bunnies are being fed healthy food, getting lots of love and exercise and that they have medical care when they need it.

I like Beka’s idea of writing down questions before your vet visit since it can help you learn and hopefully reinforce all the important things to your mom. It is really important to see a vet who knows about rabbits. It’s kind of like asking a foot doctor to cure your ear infection. the doctor may know a little about it – but not enough to give you the right kind of care.

Hi!

Didn’t want to say much else other to reiterate what others have said. Your cage looks great, my suggestion is to extend the lower level if you can as opposed to moving upwards. It’s great that they have different levels but they don’t really have much hopping space on a level that is only 2 1/2 foot by 2/12 foot. I would make the bottom level four cubes by two if possible. I know it makes the cage even bigger but it’s better for them to have more room to hop from one end to the other. 🙂

Is that a recent picture?  Babs eye looks crusty in that picture.  I know that you know how important it is to take her to the vet.  But do both you and your parents realize that by letting her eye condition go on for so long it is possibly causing permanent damage to her eye?  Depending on what is wrong with her eye- she can either lose partial site, blindess or even need to have the eye removed.  Rabbits do not show pain like other pets do- but keep in mind it hurts her just as much as it would hurt you if your eye looked like that.

What type of over the counter eyedrops are you using?  I was under the impression that over the counter does not have any antibiotic properties for infection or any antiinflammatory properties for swelling/pain.  A lot of OTC stuff is for moisture or rinsing- and her eye looks moist enough. Can you please tell us what you are using..how long you have been using it.. and how much longer you are going to try?

I have an additional thought, so maybe a fellow Canadian can address this (I believe you’re in Canada)?  What about getting pet insurance for your buns?  It costs me about $12/month per rabbit.  If you get an allowance, maybe you can use it to pay for the insurance, so that the medical options can be more in your hands.  I used to babysit in my way back teen years…I believe I made about $2- 3/hr (doesn’t that age me?).  I think that it s/b pretty easy to come up w/ the $12/month. 

It’s definately hard when you are under your parent’s roof and have to deal w/ their rules.  However, I always suggest to teen/tween clients that anyway you can bring “family time” into the picture, parents tend to melt.  Can you suggest that you guys plan regular bunny family meetings to discuss concerns/issues in a round table fashion?  How about starting a rabbit care book club forum, where you two come up w/ the articles to read & you all discuss on a given day?  Can you put together specific academic/ care info together…after all parent’s LOVE education! 

I guess from a therapy/ education perspective….you can’t keep going to a Pepsi machine looking for a Coke!  If something isn’t working, it is in everyone’s interest to figure out a new way to resolve the issue.  So I think your method for discussing these issues w/ your family isn’t working, so you need to figure out a different way to get your point across.  Trust me I’ve worked w/ many an adolescent client w/ these issues & things can really change if you can start to look at everything from a diff perspective.  This is really what everone has been trying to say, consider all the different perspectives.

PS I love the cage!  It’s a really cool set up!  You guys did a good job…good team work.

We’ve looked a lot and haven’t found any pet insurance in Canada that will cover bunnies – just cats and dogs.

If the drops were working- her eye would be better.  If the drops were working you would not need to take her to the vet when the drops were gone.  You are obviously convinced that your rabbits eye is fine.  Even though I feel sorry for your rabbit- I am not going to waste my time replying to your continual rabbit “emergencies”/situations anymore. 

I am fairly impressed with your cage. We too have spent some time building such a structure. We call it a condo since the rabbits can come and go as they please. I am not sure if you already addressed some of these issues in all the replies but, hope it is okay to ask:

Where did you get the multi level cage? Did you build it? It looks like the same “squares and connectors” we used. Did you have to reinforce the connectors and if yes, how? We used electrical wire ties. What are the levels made out of and how are they supported? I noticed some kind of covering that looks like felt. Did you supply openings/access at every level and if so, how did you do this?

Our condo got in the Colorado House Rabbit Society Newsletter and we have gotten some questions about how we built it. Just wanted to see some of the other ways people are building these.

Thank you for the description of the ^.^ (I am not up on the text messaging speak so I am not sure what ^.^ means, if that is what it is. Is there some place I can learn these symbols so I can converse with my nephews and nieces?)

Anyway, good job. I was not sure that using squares and connectors for the floors at each level would be sturdy enough. But you say it is. That is good to know. I read on another subject someone was getting ready to make a cage out of wood. I hope they check out this subject. Squares and connectors seem a lot easier than making a cage from wood.

I’m in Canada and can vouch for the fact that Pet Insurance doesn’t exist for rabbits – not yet anyway.

And for the “reinforcing” of the grids for house-making, I used dowels to support the grids used as level floors – makes them a lot more stable. Look under “bunny info” up above and click on “Cool Habitats” for tons of wonderful picutres of bunny abodes people have made.

most people also secure the grids with zip ties or cable ties to stabilize. the plastic connectors don’t always hold up…i actually have a hard time getting them securely connected without pinching my fingers. using wood dowels for the platforms are excellent too.

This is great. I have been getting questions about how to build these because some of the people at the House Rabbits Society where I volunteer know that I built one. I have wondered about better ways of doing things. I can now refer them to this site. A couple more quick questions even though we are deviating from the original subject. I am not sure what cable ties or zip ties are. I will of course query the internet but thought I would ask here as well. The only other issue I had besides reinforcing the connectors was doors. What did you use for hinges (zip ties perhaps?) and latches?

I should not have asked those questions. I immediately left this subject and checked out the “how tos” at the bottom of the “Cool Habitats” page. The electrical wire ties I was referring to are small versions of cable ties. They are also used for the door hinges. Spring clamps are used for the latch. This is the case for at least the first couple I saw. What is really nice is that I now can refer people to this site for the easy to follow instructions to build one of these. Thanks again.

these are zipties.  you push the one end into the opening int eh other and they eventually lock closed.  the only way to open them is to cut them off.

for hinges people use these closed loosely… and then you can secure the opening with a dog leash clip that you can buy at the store, and a similar clip.  that way you can unclip the door and it will swing open.

i use wood clamps, smaller ones than these, to secure the doorway.  i “borrowed” them from my hubby’s tool closet.

Cute bunnies  

one word…WHEW! (wipes forhead and sighs in relief)  

I’m glad it worked out.