Care & feeding of abandoned Lop

[Chrystie]

My neighbors co-worker contacted her about an abandoned Lop bunny. Her neighbors moved and just left him in the hutch in the backyard. If it hadn’t been for her son hitting a ball over the fence he would have just starved to death. She called the people (I am using that term loosely) and they just said that they didn’t want him anymore and to call animal control. They have two big dogs that would eat the poor little guy so I agreed to go pick him up today.

I am uncertain as to what I should feed him given the fact that we have zero history on his diet and care. Are there things I should do or give him since he has been an outside bunny? I will take him to the vet this week but until then, I want to care for him properly. Should I treat him for parasites or wait? Should I give him pellets or just hay at first?

Help and suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Chrystie

[Vincent]

I’m not sure about the parasite thing

But I would probably start him on hay right away and grass because I’m guessing he was used to eating grass outside as a means to survive?

And then probably a bit of pellets but not very much since his belly is probably sensative right now and big changes can be bad for rabbits. So like just a tiny bit and a bit more every day.

And I’d make sure he has a water bowl since he probably doesn’t know how to use a bottle right now as it is

And if he refuses to eat or drink you shold syringe feed him water at the very least

I haven’t really been in this situation but I’ve read about it a bit and know about rabbits in general.. so that’d be my best guess.

Getting food in him is very important though because his gut will stop working if it doesn’t get food every 12is hours

[sarahthegemini]

Goodness me what callous owners to just leave him. Couldn’t they be bothered to at least dump him outside a shelter. I’m so disgusted! Thank goodness you are willing and able to take him in and care for him! His luck sure has changed now bless him I would suggest just feeding hay to begin with but if he wasn’t given hay before (do you know?) he might not be thrilled and obviously we don’t want him to not eat! That’s a real tough one. I suppose you could give him hay first and see how he responds, and slowly introduce a quality pellet.

I suspect the previous owners did nothing to bond with him (otherwise how could they just leave him?!) so it might take him a little time to get used to human attention.

As he’s a lop, I would try and check inside his ears.

I don’t even know him but I bet he’ll be a real love bug!

Edit: Me and Vincent posted at the same time Syringe feeding would definitely be a great idea if the little guy is reluctant to eat. 

[tobyluv]

Thank you for taking in this poor bunny. I agree that you should give him lots of hay. It could be that he was never fed hay before and just given cheap pellets, but if you have a variety of hay, or can get some, try several kinds to tempt him. I think that a small amount of pellets would be okay to give him. If he was kept in the hutch and didn’t run around in the yard eating vegetation, he likely wouldn’t have worms. Do his droppings look good? If they do, that would be another indication that he doesn’t have any internal parasites. Of course, his droppings may be off since he was abandoned and might not have been fed properly for a while. Check him for fleas and ticks since he was kept outdoors, but you can probably wait for any parasite treatment until you see the vet.  I would also keep him isolated from any other animals that you have in case he has fleas, ticks, mites or anything else that could spread to others.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Some people are so awful. Thank goodness for good ones, like you.

Let us know what the vet says. I’m crossing my fingers he is healthy and can start his new life with you.

[ThorBunny]

Poor darling! I don’t have a lot to add, but I wanted to say thank you for being a good person and taking this bunny on! He will be forever thankful

Let us know what the vet says. Hay is probably the best for now, is important that he is at least eating something and also pooping. Let us know how it goes. <3

[Q8bunny]

Poor darling… hay (or clean grass) is the most important element. Water goes without saying, of course. Pellets introduced gradually next. Then fresh greens and veg with smidgens of fresh fruit or the odd raisin or dried cranberry. All very gradually and in very small quantities.

Like all the others have said, thank the gods that you plopped into this little guy’s life. The vet’s checkup will determine next steps. Since he was an outdoor bun, a dewormer and a mite treatment would be something I’d insist on.

Best of luck! You’re in for a world of heartwarming experiences.

[Boston's Mama]

Everyone covered you well above with the feeding
Thank you for saving him!
Poor wee man
I have some name suggestions if you need some ?
Gered which is Dutch for “saved” if he’s a holland lop?
Deene – French name meaning “hope”
Brayleigh means “ray of hope”

He’s a lucky we guy with a hopeful future thanks to you and his old neighbours

[Chrystie]

Thank you all so much!! The suggestions are very helpful. Hebis being treated for mites and worms and I am happy to report that he is in fairly decent shape. Teeth needed to be trimmed as well as nails and he got a bath and a good brushing!!!! We scheduled his neutering for 3 weeks as the vet wants him to put on a little weight and wants to make sure his digestive system is working properly. He’s eating a little hay and some pellets. While he was very neglected, thankfully it doesn’t appear that he was abused. He has poor muscle and doesn’t seem to be able to jump on or off anything. He’s never had anything to jump on or off of so he’s probably just scared.

He’s a very loving little guy!!! Not afraid or skittish. He fell asleep in my arms and is loving all the attention.

I think we have decided on the name Cosmo. I’ll post pics soon!!

Thanks for all the support!! I felt a bit out of my depth as I am used to healthy spoiled bunnies and didn’t want to make matters worse foe him.

XO

Chrystie

[Vincent]

If you’re working to add some weight onto him oats are really good for that! Just plain pure oats maybe a small handful a day

My buns love it mixed in with their pellets

Glad to here he’s in pretty good shape! And Cosmo is an adorable name!

[Q8bunny]

Yay, Cosmo! Welcome to the neighbourhood, darling boy!

[Boston's Mama]

Love his name can’t wait for photos

[Chrystie]

I thought I would give everyone an update about Wallace. His name changed. The kids liked the name Wallace so Wallace it is. He is doing very well. Has gained weight, was neutered and is still a very loving fun bunny very interested in our other buns but they aren’t quite ready for him yet. We have them all in the same room but we let them out separately.

Thank you all so much for the suggestions. I will post pics shortly.

Chrystie

[Chrystie]

Wallace

[Chrystie]

[Q8bunny]

He has beautiful markings!
So glad you gave him such a happy ever after.

[Theo&Mickey]

He looks sooooo sweet! Lucky boy to have found you.

[Boston's Mama]

Naw he is adorable so glad he found you guys ( or the baseball found him !) and he is loved now
He suits his name

[Deleted User]

He’s so cute!!! Reminds me of my little Quincy, who is also a mini lop broken, but he’s more “orange” than brown! I didn’t come across this post when it was originally done, but I have to say once again- THANK YOU !! This poor little guy… I can’t believe they would value a life so little to just leave him behind, caged up with nothing. That is horrific. I’m so glad you found him before any irreparable damage was caused!

[joea64]

Well done for saving Wallace, and congratulations on his splendid recovery! He definitely looks like a bun who enjoys life these days. (I’d love to have a lop myself, but as a first-time bunny parent, I think I need more experience before taking care of those long floppy ears!)

[sarahthegemini]

What a gorgeous adorable love bunny!! So glad to hear he is doing so well

[Chrystie]

Thank you all so much!!! He has really come a long way in a short time!!! The only problem we are having is he is still spraying. His neuter was 6 weeks ago. Is it just going to take longer for him because he’s 2+ years? All our others were spayed/neutered at 3-4 months so the spraying didn’t last long. He still uses his stuffed animal girlfriend several times a day. Any thoughts.

Chrystie

[Q8bunny]

In some bunnies, hormones can take a long time to settle down. Wait it out, is what I’d do…

[Deleted User]

“his stuffed animal girlfriend” XD XD

[joea64]

“Love dolls” for rabbits…I don’t think I’m likely to hear anything more bizarre this month.

[Q8bunny]

It’s a great outlet for randy buns – especially unaltered ones.

[Author]

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