How do you guys deal with moving?

[Battie]

Hello everyone.

I’m moving, for real this time (I’ve talked about it before but it didn’t happen).  In less than two months I’ll be somewhere new.

The problem is I live in one of the more ridiculously expensive areas in the US.  In most other places I’d live like queen on what I pay for a studio here.  There are very few affordable options here that are not roach-infested dumps, and even fewer of those will allow rabbits.  I have only two possiblities right now, and both have uncertain availability.

Now I completely understand why some people have to make the hard decision to give up their pets.  I believe they truly might not have options.  I’m so afraid I might face the same tough choice.  What am I supposed to do?  Live somewhere cruddy and unsafe because it was the only place I could find that would take the bunnies? :-(  I really don’t want to give them up.   I made a commitment that I’ll do whatever I can do keep, but is there a line?  The pressure is even worse because after a year or so I developed pretty bad allergies to their hay, and I can barely keep that under control, even with the wonderful air purifier.  Honestly, if I was someone else looking at me, I’d think I was crazy.

I’m sure I’m to blame because I adopted them while being a renter, but I didn’t have a true picture of just how bad the renter’s market is here at the time.  Have any of you dealt with this?  How did you get through?

Thanks.

[Monkeybun]

I have found that alot of places that don’t allow pets are more disallowing of cats and dogs than of bunnies. I’d call managers and ask!

And for hay allergies, there are hays that dont seem to affect people as much. Alot of people are allergic to the timothy hay, but not as bad with orchard grass for example. Try different varieties

[Battie]

Heh, if only orchard grass didn’t come in such small, expensive bags!

Managers are weird about bunnies I find.  Some are absolutely agaisnt them, some (like the apartment that might work) say yes and want to charge for them like dogs.  Others like the place I’m in now thing of them on the guinea pig scale and won’t even charge.  Too bad I can’t afford anything decent-sized in this building.

[Monkeybun]

Depending on where you are, you can order some online or such. The rabbit rescue I group I volunteer with does 10lb hay bages every month, and can do custom mixes My buns love the orchard grass there

BB also sells orchard grass

[Deleted User]

Hi Battie, I was wondering how you and your rabbits were doing.
I hear you, about the cost of living being so high, and the safety concerns. I live in Canada, in ‘oil country’ and any dump here too will still take most of a pay check, or all of it, and crime is high and yet you are lucky to even find a place to rent.
I say safety comes first: don’t go living ina place where you are not safe.

About the rabbits I want to say that sometimes I got away with a pet when I was renting by supplying references from places I lived in before, and a vet reference (stating that the pet had no fleas etc), and by paying some extra.

About the allergies, I do recall you had tried different things. I think this will be your biggest hurdle in keeping them as it will make you want them less if you are allergic to them or their feed stuff. Quincy and Beulah are a bonded pair, so if you were thinking of rehoming, there iis that advantage of them being together. You could contact a rabbit shelter and have them courtesy-list them on your behalf while they are still physically living with you. You could be part of the decision of who gets to adopt them. Sometimes this experience too gives another angle on what you want to do. You need to be sure first.

[Battie]

Thank you Petzy, for the advice and for being understanding of a tough situation. Sorry you have to deal with the same housing problems! It’s hard to pay that much even when you technically can afford it, because it just seems wrong! I’ve tried extolling the virtues of my bunnies (even though they are not actually as well-behaved as all that 😀 ), but property managers are having no trouble filling vacancies right now, so it’s hard to get them to listen.

It’s breaking my heart that I think I know, deep down inside, that it’s detrimental to me to keep them. It’s bad when even full-strength Claritin doesn’t solve anything. Between that, the move, and a thousand other compounding reasons, things are not good.

I actually think Beulah would be fine — she doesn’t seem to care who she’s with as long as they’ll play with her–, but Quincy worries me. He’s not affectionate, but he clings to me when Beulah is busy and he was shockingly territorial over me on the bunny dates.

I know that if I have to give them up I’m supposed to return them to the shelter. I’m not sure how closely they’ll work with me to get them a proper home but maybe I can talk to them tonight to see what my options are. I’m glad you said it’s better that they’re a bonded pair. I was afraid that would make it worse. I hope they wouldn’t separate them!

I’d miss them dearly but I think I could find peace if I could know they got a good new home. I feel crushingly guilty over the thought of giving them up, but thinking that I just brought them together, giving even stubborn little Quincy a best friend, and took care of them while I could is maybe a little comforting.

Ugh, this sucks. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I know what I *should* do, but then I think of those cute little faces and cry a little. (Like, literally. It’s a good thing I sit in an isolated area.)

Thanks again for listening.

[jerseygirl]

Would you consider finding some one to foster your pair temporarily until you’ve moved and settled things? That way you can look then at whether you can bring them home or if you have to find them a new home. Instead of doing this before or during moving. I imagine that would be really stressful!

There may be someone who is wanting the experience of house rabbits without making the commitment yet. They might like to foster yours and you just cover their costs as normal. So it’d be like a two-way favour.

For hay, try get in touch with some rescues local to you and see what they suggest. Where they get their hay from. Some even sell hay thru the shelter.

[Beka27]

I like Jersey’s idea of asking someone to foster them for a little while. Especially with your allergies, if you feel 100% better with them gone, that… just might be your answer. Depending on where you move, what the layout is like, if the bunnies have their own space and you have your own “bunny-free” space, that could help a great deal with keeping your allergies under control. I don’t remember what your set-up is like now, but I’m a big fan of a “bunny room”, and I don’t like bunnies in bedrooms. Everybody needs their own space.

Keep us posted. It’s a tough economy, a tough situation. And when you throw in health issues, that makes it even harder.

[Battie]

Yeah… I wasn’t sure I wanted to post this, but I had to make the hardest decision. I know it probably sounds like a sudden thing, but I knew they were hurting me for a while and I waited until I was backed into a wall with the moving thing. If it was JUST the allergies or JUST moving in a bad economy I might have been able to keep fighting, but with everything happening at once I couldn’t justify what keeping them was doing to me.

So I spent the last few nights of last week playing with them and crying a lot. Unfortunately I HAD to bring them to the shelter because that’s where I got them, or I’d have happily worked with the local HRS. Still, I’ve seen what a good job the shelter does with rabbits so I know they’re in good hands. I was so grateful that the woman who worked with me was very kind and understanding of why I had to do this. She interviewed me about both of them and it was helpful to get to talk about their personalities.

I’m missing those little guys terribly, but then last night I suddenly realized that I was breathing freely for the first time in MONTHS. Even powerful allergy medicine couldn’t do that for me.

I know a lot of people feel very strongly against giving up pets for any reason, so appreciate how supportive you’ve been. I know I never imagine I’d be in this position because I also feel strongly that pets are a huge commitment. But by posting this, I can say that there are two LOVELY, happily bonded bunnies up for adoption soon at the Viola Lawson Animal Shelter on Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, VA, if anyone local is looking for new friends. I think my mom is right that it’s best that I just let go at this point, but if I ever found out that they went –together– to a good home, I would have so much more peace about this.

Oops, I’m making myself cry at work again. 🙁 I hope it’s okay if I keep lurking here, and thank you again for your help and support.

[Deleted User]

Will you be able to track who gets them? It would be nice to have an update on them… I adopted a rabbit recently and the owner is keeping in touch with me… it makes the whole thing so much easier on everyone.

[Battie]

I don’t know that they’d ever give out identities, but I can call to find out what happens to them.  I’m trying to decide it that would make things easier or more agonizing. :-/

[jerseygirl]

Hi Battie. I feel for you, this must have been terribly difficult. You given them your best and it’s nice to hear they’re in care with a good place. In these situations, I try offer suggestions that may give a glimmer of hope I guess. But I really do understand when there is no way around it but giving them up for adoption. I hope you didn’t feel “frowned upon” here. Sending you (((Peace vibes))) and I’ll be hoping Qunicey and Beulah find a lovely new forever home soon.

[Battie]

Thank you Jerseygirl. I’m actually very grateful that you’ve all been understanding about this. I’m doing okay. I think knowing that I did all I could helps, though I keep having little pangs. It’s really weird taking down all the bunny guards and such. This little room suddenly looks bare. Speaking of which, I have somewhere between 5 and 7 dozen NIC grids that I suddenly have no use for. :-/ The shelter prefers X-Pens so they didn’t take them with the rest of the bunny stuff. I’m not sure how this would work, but does anyone want them? We could figure something out.

It’s weird too. I thought the sudden change to the room might make me less eager to move, but now that I have a clearer view of the space I’m even more sure about leaving. I’ll probably feel less sad when I’m not looking at where they used to live anyway.

[Monkeybun]

Definitely feel free to stick around. You can enjoy seeing our pics and stories of our bunnies, without having to worry about allergies acting up

*hugs* It was a tough decision, but had to be done, for your sake and theirs.

[jerseygirl]

I’ll probably feel less sad when I’m not looking at where they used to live anyway

True. Have a fresh start.

Re the NIC grids, another member did offer some spares in the Lounge once. I don’t know if you just say you have them and people can contact you thru your profile. So it’s kept within the site guidelines regarding selling.

Or you could sell them via other classifieds.

[Beka27]

Hugs.

I think you did the right thing. It’s never easy to make this kind of decision, but sometimes it’s for the best.

[Deleted User]

No use for NIC grids? They make the best shelves! You should hang on to those.

[Deleted User]

If you really want to part with these grids, I need some bad and if shipping those (Greyhound maybe) would be less than buying new ones I might be interested. This is assuming you are in Canada…but somehow I think you are in the States.

[Battie]

Yeah, I am in the States. :-/ I think the best deal I could work out, within the US, is that the large flat rate boxes are US $13.95. I have a silly aversion to them as shelves because I remember them collapsing a lot in college, but they DID hold up under bunny abuse! I should hang onto a few and see what my storage needs will be.

*hugs everyone back*

[Author]

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