New Rabbit Owner - 2 rescued rabbits from a home seizure

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 20sd replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 17 years ago by Lily.

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- 02/09/2009 at 2:03 PM
  sharper
  Participant
  150 posts
  Hi everyone!!
  
  I’m new here and it actually was hard to find a rabbit owner forum that was actually active! Glad to find this place!
  
  About 8 years ago, I adopted a dutch rabbit from the SPCA, and he wasn’t the best for a first time owner. He needed an experienced owner. He wasn’t tame, bit, growled, boxed and kicked often. Even though he was neutered, I still couldn’t get him litter box trained and he was heavily destructive despite all the toys and interaction I gave him. I gave him back to the SPCA and told them that he needed a more experienced rabbit owner to work with him. After that, I gave up my thoughts of having a rabbit. It was just a bad experience.
  
  About 6 months ago, I started wanting a rabbit again. I started wondering if maybe there are some easier rabbits out there to work with. I started my research about that time and had been looking at rabbits ever since.
  
  About 2 weeks ago, I was watching the local news and they did a story over a 150 animal seizure out of a rural mobile home. Apparently they were using the animals to breed them for a big local flea market. Watching the story was breaking my heart. There were so many animals kept in the worst conditions. news article here - http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/012709dnmetanimals.46c695e.html
  
  The shelters were overran from the seizure and were transporting them out to others that had the room. I went to the main shelter that took the animals in and was just going to take a “look.” I really doubted any of the rabbits were tame or in good condition to adopt.
  
  wow, was I surprised! They brought out a reddish brown rex female rabbit. I held her and she immediately showed affection. I rubbed her head and around her ears and she started to close her eyes. Then another woman came out with a chocolate rex rabbit that was a bit smaller. My boyfriend held her, and even though she seemed a little nervous, she still chilled in his lap. She just seemed to be breathing a little faster. They were just the sweetest things.
  
  Now I only wanted to adopt one. But they really wanted me to get both as they seemed bonded. The shelter had recently spayed them and if I just cover the $20 spay costs of each rabbit, they would waive the adoption fees. I put them down in a closed off meeting room. They got on the floor and were excited to have room to run and jump around. Then they laid down with their back feet behind them and their bellies on the floor. I was trying to choose which one I liked better, but my boyfriend wasn’t helping with the “lets get both!” idea. lol
  
  So we brought both girls home and they seem happy to find new homes, away from all of the barking at the shelter. We named them Hailey & Bailey. We aren’t sure how old they are. The shelter really couldn’t give me an approximate. So I’m not sure if they are still young and have growing to do or if they are full grown. I have no idea how to tell! Bailey (smaller chocolate one) seems to be 2.5-3lbs and Hailey is about a pound heavier. And I’m not sure if they are full rex or mini rex. Does anyone know how I can tell?
  
  Also, on Saturday night, I noticed Hailey’s ears were dirty. But when I got a closer look, it was obviously mites! I made the mistake of waiting till the next day to do anything about it. It seemed like it got 3 times as worse the next day, with a little bit more crusty stuff in her other ear. Found out I could put some drops of olive oil in her ears and rub them. I also had some Ivermectin on hand from when one of my rats had mites back in the day (yeah, i have 2 pet fancy rats). I tried to give Hailey just a tiny bit on the end of my finger through the side of her mouth. But she put up a huge fight about it and I never was able to give it to her. She boxed me and gave me a little warning nibble on the arm and ran away from me. So I was only able to give her the oil drops and she let me rub her ears. They felt warm, so I’m worried if maybe she has an infection too. That was last night, and I checked on her this morning and I can’t believe how big of a difference just some oil can do! A bunch of the scaby stuff is already gone. She seems more alert today, too.
  
  Anyways…I got a couple pics of my new girls last night. This is Bailey – her first day in a play pen (aka baby gated kitchen). She’s timid at first everytime I get close to her, but then a couple minutes into it, she comes up to me. Here she is backed up and scoping me out:
  
  And then she saw some hay and ran over to get her grub on.
  
  Hailey was still pissed off when I wanted to take her pic. We had just got done with the oil drops and ivermectin fiasco. So she’s sulking in the litterbox and giving me evil looks. It wasn’t a bonding experience. I just hope she forgets it ever happened soon.
  
  Another thing is I read I can’t give rabbits veggies until they are adults. I honestly can’t tell how old they are. I’m not sure if it’s okay to start giving them veggies or not. What do you think?
  
  Thanks for any advice you can give a new rabbit owner!
- 02/09/2009 at 2:14 PM
  hooty22
  Participant
  606 posts
  Wow you have some real beauties there!
  
  I would slowly introduce them to some greens, just to prevent poopy butt. I would try something most buns seem to enjoy, parsley or romaine lettuce. Try maybe less than half a cup in an attempt to introduce them and not throw their bellies off too much…
- 02/09/2009 at 2:42 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  Welcome to Binky Bunny and thanks for sharing your story!
  
  Your buns are real Beauties!!! That first pic of Bailey is absolutely gorgeous! She looks like a little bunny cherub (never though a bunny could look like a cherub but that’s what she reminded me of immediately). I actually stole that pic for my desktop (I stick a diff bun pic on there everyday). I’m so glad you decided to get them both!
- 02/09/2009 at 2:44 PM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  They are gorgeous! I live in Dallas as well and read about this – so sad. I’m so glad you adopted a pair of them.
  
  You may want to treat the ear mites though – try Revolution – even though you were able to rid the ear mites in the area you can see I have to wonder if they will come back and if there are further down in the ear canal where you would not want to put any oil. I would treat both girls too since they are together.
  
  I would go ahead and very slowly introduce veggies – try a small amount – one at a time.
  
  Also rexes can be prone to becoming overweight so you definitely want to measure out pellets – make sure too that you are giving timothy pellets rather than alfalfa pellets.
  
  I’m not sure how to tell if they are mini or standard – I guess since you don’t know the ages you don’t know if they will grow more or not which I think is the only way to distinguish mini from standard. I have a standard and she’s about 6 or 7 pounds.
- 02/09/2009 at 2:57 PM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  want….to….pet….the….bunnies…..specially……velvety…..one…….SO PRETTY!!!!!
  Congrats on being a bunny owner again! And thank you for adopting! You seem to know a lot about being a bunny owner already!
  Welcome to the forum and glad you found us!
- 02/09/2009 at 3:11 PM
  sharper
  Participant
  150 posts
  thanks everyone for the welcomes and advice!
  
  I’ll try giving them a little veggie this evening and keep an eye on them. I’ll look into some Revolution, also. Do I just put it on the back of their shoulders like you would a dog or cat?
  
  And ya know, I have no idea if the pellets I’m giving them are timothy or alfalfa. I’ll check the bag as soon as I get home. I do know the hay I’m giving them is Timothy. And with as fast as they have been eating the pellets, I really haven’t measured. I just have been giving them a small handful about twice a day. Thanks for the heads up, I’ll keep a better eye on how much they can have.
- 02/09/2009 at 3:11 PM
  KatnipCrzy
  Participant
  2981 posts
  Wow, they are very beautiful and lucky to be rescued!
  
  I would call your vet about getting them in to be treated for ear mites- both rabbits should be treated. Since they have been together it is likely that the mites were passed to the other bun and if both are not treated at the same time it can pass back and forth. And there are some great products out there like Revolution that don’t require daily medication- though some ear cleaning may be required.
  
  It is possible for pets to get a infection secondary to the mite infestation- but treating the mites first is typical. There are some medications like Tresaderm (another prescription) that can treat ear mites, and certain ear infections (is quite commonly used with Ivermectin therapy).
  
  Because of their weights- I guess I would assume that the bunnies are “adult” because usually by 7 months or so most owners are feeding their bunnies like an adult bunny- starting to limit pellet amount, switching to timothy pellets and feeding veggies. Also many vets will not spay a bunny under 6 months old- and if they were OK with spaying that leads me to lean more toward “adult” age. I would start them on veggies slowly and see how they handle them. Maybe start with something mild like romaine and feed a small piece like .25 to silver dollar sized the first day, and then if no mushy stool increase the amount. They are probably not used to veggies or at least quality fresh veggies if they came from a hoarder situation- I would assume they either got no veggies or “dumpster” veggies (stuff that could be obtained free).
  
  If the humane society did not check a fecal sample for intestinal parasites- I would strongly recommend having that done by your vet- in case of hoarders with a lot of animals together or a bunny that has been running free ( and even from pet store and breeder- it is possible to have intestinal parasites). If caught before symptoms are obvious- runny, mushy stool or obvious worms, it is easy to get rid of and the bunnies should have no affect from it at all. Coccidia a common bunny parasite can damage the intestine lining if left untreated.
  
  Bunnies can be exposed from environment and infected stool- so one bunny brought into a hoarder environment can infect all the bunnies, cats, dogs and etc.
  
  I hope I did not overwhelm you with info- if you have any questions you have certainly come to the right place! Welcome and we look forward to more pics of your bunnies.
- 02/09/2009 at 3:21 PM
  sharper
  Participant
  150 posts
  I’m pretty sure that since they gave me rabbits after a good health check, and then I look and see a good amount of ear mites, they probably didn’t check them that well. So I’m sure a fecal test wasn’t done either. I’ll call the shelter clinic and check to see what all they did for their health exam. I’ll go grab some Revolution when I get out of work and get both of them started.
- 02/09/2009 at 3:26 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  *SIGH———* So gorgeous! Thanks for taking them in and welcome to you! Perhaps the shelter has the record for the vet who did their spays – this vet may have more of an idea about their age. I know with my bunny, her nails were softer and translucent and teeth whiter when very young and both these have slowy changed – though she is just 1 yr now.
  
  Hope your experience with this pair will be better. 8 years ago, binkybunny.com wasn’t around to help you thru the tough times, so your immediately of to a good start this time! No fear about this site – it is VERY active!
- 02/09/2009 at 10:03 PM
  (dig)x(me)x(now)
  Participant
  2517 posts
  I’m so happy for you and proud that you felt the need to do the right thing!
  
  I found pics of the situation on an SPCA website… wow
  http://www.spca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=rescue_vanzandt0109#custody
- 02/09/2009 at 11:47 PM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  They are BEAUTIFUL!! How great of you to rescue them!!
  
  You’ll want to keep up the mite treatment for three weeks, in both ears on both rabbits (They can spread). Give the ivermectin topically-ie. Put baby oil (olive oil can get stinky) on each ear once a day, and ivermectin on each ear once a day. At least three weeks, becuase of the lifecycle. Playing it safer-a vet trip is in order, but if you can’t right away the baby oil and ivermectin should clear it up.
  
  I think size is how you tell a mini from a full but I can’t help other then that. A vet should be able to guess a bit better on age too
  
  Welcome here!
- 02/10/2009 at 5:43 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  For Revolution you just need to dose them once and then about 30 days later I would do a different dose – you do have to get this from the vet’s office. That would be different than ivermectin and it’s very easy to give – just like you mentioned between the shoulder blades.
  
  I agree too if they did not do a fecal test at the SPCA then it would be prudent to do this as well just for piece of mind.
- 02/10/2009 at 5:51 AM
  sharper
  Participant
  150 posts
  Posted By digxmexnow on 02/09/2009 10:03 PM
  I’m so happy for you and proud that you felt the need to do the right thing!
  
  I found pics of the situation on an SPCA website… wow
  http://www.spca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=rescue_vanzandt0109#custody
  
  Oh wow! Thanks for this link! These pics are heart breaking!
  
  I’m looking at the flash app at the bottom that shows many photos. On page 3: the sixth pic on that page, that looks like Bailey! I can’t believe she lived in these horrible conditions! It’s amazing to see this. I wish I could save the pic, but the application won’t let me
- 02/10/2009 at 6:56 AM
  sharper
  Participant
  150 posts
  Oh I figured out how to get the pics
  
  Here’s my Bailey
- 02/10/2009 at 7:39 AM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  Ah the revolution sounds like a way easier deal then the ivermectin-two doses total! I’d see the vet about that!!
  
  WOW those pictures are heartbreaking-I’m happy they have a great home now!!
- 02/10/2009 at 7:45 AM
  hooty22
  Participant
  606 posts
  I just have to say it again…. BEAUTIFUL!
  
  Its hard to believe that such absolutely gorgeous buns came from such terrible conditions.
- 02/10/2009 at 8:41 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Those conditions are very upsetting. Thank you so much for rescuing them. I will guess they are full-grown (or pretty close to) if they were spayed already. Which would indicate they might be mini rexes (generally 3-4.5 pounds). But, Bailey looks rather “big-boned” so I wonder if she is a mini, or if she just has some more growing to do, or might be a combination of both. I am also bad at distinguishing between mini and standard (I do know I have a mini… lol!)
  
  Once they’re on the right diet, their sizes will probably even out a bit. I wonder how they’re related… they might be sisters, or even mother- daughter?
- 02/10/2009 at 8:51 AM
  xParadise
  Participant
  182 posts
  Oh my goodness, that’s first picture is GORGEOUS! That bunny almost doesn’t even look real.. How lucky are they, getting out of those terrible conditions to become spoiled house buns! They must feel so fortunate to have you. Thanks for rescuing them!
- 02/10/2009 at 11:22 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Ya know what’s really sad? That would be such a cute picture of all those buns, if they were not in that awful “cage”. Look at it and try to imagine all of them but without the bars and playing on the floor somewhere, or outside in the grass. A whole row of inquisitive rex faces… it would be a lovely pic, if not for the surroundings.
  
  sigh…
- 02/10/2009 at 1:37 PM
  bunnytowne
  Participant
  7538 posts
  Awe a happy home for 2 rex’s excellent. The ear mites you can take them back to the humane society since they came that way and the vet there will treat them here they do for free. NO don’t return them just bring them for medications and treatment.
  
  Sometimes as in a rabbit someone gave me years ago had ear mites bad. The vet had the assit. hold her still and he got a huge ugly smelly cluster of mites deep out of her ear. Real deep. That may be the case with yours. Since it was crusty on the majority of the ear.
  
  Awe they are sooooo beautiful and soft looking. Ohhh swoon.
- 02/13/2009 at 1:37 PM
  Lily
  Participant
  340 posts
  Oh. My. God. I cannot belive some peaple, that man who did this to those poor animals deserves the death sentence. It is so great that you saved those two, I always wished that I could have the money and room to rescue more animals from the shelter. I hate seeing articles like this one though, i just cant belive peaple sometimes.
  
  Its great you adopted those two, now they can have a a great life with you!
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