New to the forum and new to bunnies.

[Mr. Herriman]

..where to start.

 My name is Bobbie, I am recently engaged  and my hobby is fish keeping ( over 300 gallons between 20 tank)….and rescuing cats ..we currently have 10!..but many are looking for homes ^_^.  I have an 11 year old blue heeler, who I have had sens she was 4 weeks old.

I have been in possession of my bunny for less than 24 hours.

I picked him up for free off of Criagslist for my birthday  ( my Fiance convinced me to get him ^_^)….he is very big and very fluffy we are guessing some sort of angora cross maybe? never seen an angora this big! 

He is very very dirty his coat is matted in large clumps around his body, he was very neglected. He was rescued form a family who was going to toss him out for the coyotes

 So this nice lady took him home and offered him up for a new home on Craigslist! he came with a large cage, and a few weeks worth of bedding hay and some grain, some grooming brushes, bowels and tarps to cover his hutch.

he is very lovey and seems to enjoy being held, his head is always in my pocket or searching for my hand…tomorrow I will start what i guess will be a long process of cutting away the matted wool and seeing what is under it all..and maybe a warm bath.

 

he is a lovely tan/fawn  color and must weigh about 9 lbs.

 

here to learn.!!!!!

..he has a slight cough? the lady who rescued him said it did not start until she used hay for his bedding?

 

more pics to come later but here he is in the kennel on the ride home…camera phone is not so good.

 

[Roberta]

Hi Bobbie… NO BATHS… Baths are a last resort in an emergency, especially if he has a bit of a respiratory tickle…it could well be caused by the hay but we always suggest a vet check particularly if a bun has been neglected previously.
WELCOME to BB, Your little man is gorgeous. So glad you and the other lady rescued him.

[Mr. Herriman]

alright no bath!…That is why I am here..I was going to get most of the large mats off before that would of happened anyway.

he will be going to our vet soon, I will be calling them tomorrow.

..hoping this site can help me figure out his breed once he is all pretty..I will post more pics of him tomorrow when we bring him in to start his clipping.

currently an outside bunny.

[Ava]

Welcome!

If he has lots of mats, it should be ok to shave him down, it might be less stressful than trying to brush out/cut out a mass of knotted and matted fur. But if you do that, it would be best if he stayed indoors since he will have lost all his insulation. Whether you decide to shave or just brush him out, do so carefully, their skin is thinner than a dog or cat so it’s important to do a small section at a time and slowly. Rabbits stress out very easily, so if he appears scared and whale-eyed(whites of eyes showing), stop for awhile.

It would be best if two people were present, one to hold/comfort him and one to do the work. Make sure if you place him on a table that he’s held securely so he won’t jump off(I would do it on the floor just to be safe). Be prepared for some kicking and maybe some noise such as grunting(it’s normal).

The fluffy breeds I know off the top of my head are Angora, Lionhead, and Jersey Wooly.

[Beka27]

Welcome here! He looks very sad in that picture. I can’t wait to see him when he’s all cleaned up and happy! Thank you for taking this guy in!

[Roberta]

I’m thinking lion head X looking at the gorgeous little guys pic.

[CinnabunMom]

Welcome to BB! Would love to see more pics of the bun once he’s all cleaned up

[Mr. Herriman]

thank you everyone!
I really am over joyed to bring this little..or shall i say big man in to my life!
here are some new pics I took this morning.

Question. If i start slow and take small chunks out at a time would it be ok for him still be out side? his hutch seems very cozy, his water bottle does not even freeze and it has been freezing here. 

 

ok my pics are to large ill down size them and try again

 

 

 

he is sooo big!! 

 

 

[Mr. Herriman]

I guess i should remake his thread in another location that is not the welcome section.

Brought him in the house today and he was so happy! running around and exploring the cats.

he got hot very quickly and we took him back out side.

his mats are to large and he has to much energy for me to cut them out my self, talked to my vet today and they will speak to the groomer tomorrow to get him all cleaned up.

he enjoyed chasing me around the yard and house

a few more questions….he runs around and around and around my legs..even does figure eights threw them? is this normal? he seems to really like doing it.
he comes if you make kissy noises at him and call for him and is always following right behind me!

it seems he has not been out side on the grass for some time so we took him out for a romp…he ran up and down the yard and was making small noises.

[jerseygirl]

Welcome : )

Looks like you’ve done a great job with this guy so far!

The running circles around you and buzxing noise is sort of a love-dance. they do this a lot more when young and intact. But neutered rabbits may too when they’re happy. He sounds adorable.

He looks a bit like the French or german angoras. Could be a cross if some sort, even an English angora mix.

Lots of breeders don’t keep their stock on hay because of their coats and the hay or straw getting caught in it. So possible he’s not used to being on it and it irritated his respiratory system. If outdoors though in winter, he really will need to hay or straw for now. To further weatherproof is keep the hutch out if drafts and cover at night when temps drop.
This being a house rabbit community, we do advocate bringing them inside to live of course. However, I understand if this is currently not an option. It sounds as if this buns has found some caring owners and i hope he enjoys a long, happy life with you. It sounds as if he’s quickly made his way into your heart. : )

[tanlover14]

OH GOODNESS. What a Fluffy big little lovebug!! He’s sooooo cute!!

And he sounds like he’s already happy to be home with you! Welcome to BB! Can’t wait to see pictures of this little guy once all his hair is trimmed down!

[Mr. Herriman]

thank you everyone! he really is a love bug,

he has a vet appt today at 4pm to be checked out and to have the mats shaved off nothing fancy i want as much of his coat for winter as possible.

we rescue cats so indoor bunny is not an option at the moment, but every morning i go out and bring him in and let him run around the yard a bunch..he is sill watching him run around as fast as he can, i don’t think he has been out of his cages much in the past.

his cage seems tiny to me..and yes the hay gets all over his fur, I plan on changing his bedding to something better in the future but for now im looking at his comfort and health.

his hutch is covered by two tarps one that is fixed around the back and sided the other folds up the top so we can close it in at night, we picked up a heat lamp for him after he is shaved down so he dose not get to cold.

thank you for all the kind words i look forward to being part of this community and learning all about proper care and love for these wonderful guys!

even if he does not become a permanent inside bunny he will get lots of inside and out of his hutch time on the lawn ( he came with a 6ft wide round wire pen to be in the grass) …but he follows us everywhere and comes when called.

[tanlover14]

As this bunny was obviously not being given the proper care he needed AT ALL — first things first, and THAT is what is most important. He needs a good vet appointment, a good hair-do and lots of love and care. And that’s exactly what you’re providing him at the moment. As long as you continue to provide him with good care that’s what matters right now.

Have you thought about setting up a small cage inside to bring him in on the really cold days? This could help ensure he doesn’t get too cold outside. Just a thought. Like Jerseygirl said, almost every one of us will advocate bringing him inside BUT whats important right now is that he finally has someone caring about his health and his future, which you obviously do. I’m really glad you decided to help this little guy as he sounds like an EXTREMELY social bun. Just another thought you may have not realized, but bunnies and cats can co-exist peacefully inside. Someone on the threads just posted some ADORABLE pictures of their bunny and cat cuddled up next to each other. AND I was just reading a blog about how a dog and bunny around my neck of the woods just did the same thing! Just food for thought if you’re interested!

Let us know how his check-up goes! Also, have you picked out a name for your little love bug yet?!?!?

[Mr. Herriman]

yes i am aware cats and bunnies can co-exist as well as dogs^_^ my dog and him have already been introduced and he tried to cuddle up to her..she had never seen a bunny before so we are introducing them slowly.

for the cat situation we currently have 10…that is allot of cats, like i said allot of them are rescues and in the process of finding homes, its just allot of animals in the house currently, we might negotiate a cage in the house for cold nights with the mother in-law…witch might work when she falls in love with him like we have. ..he is larger than most of our cats. ..although they had fun following him around the house no one seemed to want to harm him..though we kept a close eye on everyone. ..it was silly watching him explore while being followed by a flock of cats.

and so far we think we are naming him Titan. ..due to his size!

[Mr. Herriman]

ok everyone.. brace your self!!

he was wonderful for the vet and even calm with all the clippers going!…and when we started we were all so amazed on how bad he really was..the mats in some places were 3 inches thick!!!

..he is a little under weight, but given a clean bill of health as long as he puts on a few lbs ..he is 7.35 lbs currently!…any good tips on how to get him to gain? ..foods that might help?

ok here are some pics..i will get better ones with my camera tomorrow, these were with my phone.

the vet was able to leave most of his tummy and legs with fur, but his back side..even his little tail is shaved down the matting was so close to his skin the vet said he would of died from infection or heat stroke by summer!! poor baby. his sneezing is due to his bedding currently and i was told to keep an eye on it.

here he is all shaved down with is Mohawk!

and lounging around at home

he was so happy when we got home he was zooming up and down the halls and threw the living room! ^_^ such a sweet heart, he still gets over heated pretty quickly in the house, so we have a heat lamp in his hutch and wool blankets wrapped around it under the tarps….we will keep an eye on him as the night goes on and we will bring him in if he shows any sighs of being the slightest cold.

[Usagi5]

Wow he looks totally different! He looks so much better though! When my bun was underweight the vet told me to give him canned pumpkin, with nothing added of course and pineapple. I also used oxbow critical care but that’s because my little guy was pretty underweight so I’m not sure if you should use that depending on how underweight he is.

[Mr. Herriman]

yeah..the pile of fur was as big as he was when we were done. ..he seems allot happier.

thank you for the tip with the pumpkin and pineapple, I will look in to getting some.

did you just feed the pumpkin as mush?

[Usagi5]

Yeah I just gave him a spoonful of the pumpkin and then a few pieces of pineapple. The vet also told me I could use canned baby food with nothing added.

[jerseygirl]

Wowzer!
He must feel sooo much better now. Love the Mohawk!

Being a wool breed, he’ll cope outside in a protected hutch pretty well i expect. Rabbits do well in cool weather and struggle more in the heat. I’m not experienced with northern hemisphere cool weather though! Lol
I know people have used heat lamps in sheds for guinea pigs before but the idea makes me nervous. Could it be a fire risk?

Straw is a good insulator I’m told. Over here, we can sometimes get “clean straw”. Bedding straw where the dust is minimized before it is baled. That might be an option for Titan.

Some foods that help with weight gain are also good for hutch bunnies in winter. Also good for wool breeds as they can have more protein in diet then is recommended for other buns.
Alfalfa hay, alfalfa based pellets, rolled oats all will help him gain some pounds. I’ve also heard of purina calf manna for under weight rabbits but I don’t know much about it…
It’s a good idea to introduce new foods slowly and monitor his poos. They can be first indicator when diet is too rich.

[Mr. Herriman]

yeah, the heat lamp is there just in case it starts freezing again and he seems cold, we put cardboard around the hutch sides to keep out drafts, and a pile of shredded news papers but he just put that in his potty spot and peed on them..he sleeps on top of the pile of hay not in it so im guessing he is not getting to cold if he is doing this?

here he is today in the house ^_^ 

[tanlover14]

Oh my goodness! He looks sooo much different and probably feels SOOOOO much better without all that horrid hair all matted up around him!

[Mr. Herriman]

Posted By tanlover14 on 01/24/2013 04:24 PM

Oh my goodness! He looks sooo much different and probably feels SOOOOO much better without all that horrid hair all matted up around him!

 

 

yes he is so much happier!!  running around him and the cats have been playing all day between attempted further grooming attempts.

 

he has so much more energy now..comes when called and is an all around goof…he has yet to try and chew on anything in the house..no peeing just little poops here and there, …I offered him some fresh apple branches in his hutch, but he has yet to show any interest in them or any toys offered he seems to just want contact.

[Snowytoshi]

Unfortunately he probably doesn’t know how to play, some of our adopted buns certainly didn’t when we brought them home. Remember he’s still learning how to be a bunny

[Mr. Herriman]

Posted By Snowytoshi on 01/25/2013 12:55 PM

Unfortunately he probably doesn’t know how to play, some of our adopted buns certainly didn’t when we brought them home. Remember he’s still learning how to be a bunny

 

well i seen him binky for the first time today! ^_^ he is settling in nicely

 

question though..he licks us..allot? when he was being shaved he was licking me allot and when he walks up o us he licks us….is this normal? it seems strange to me.

 

[Snowytoshi]

Glad to hear! It often doesn’t take them long to recover once they’re in a safe, stable envioronment. Licking is his way of saying that he loves you <3 Bonded rabbits will do that affectionately in order to wash their partner, so he's letting you know he trusts you. When he was being shaved he was probably nervous and may have just been licking you because you were familar.

[tanlover14]

He’s grooming you! That’s adorable! My newest bunny Simba does that. During bonding, when he gets nervous about the other rabbits, he’ll do a huge dive into my lap, crawl up my shirt, and start grooming my neck and chest! Hahaha. Your bunny is definitely showing he trusts you and loves you!

Really great job with this bun!!!!

[Mr. Herriman]

thank you everyone!..he really is an awesome bunny!

here are some pics of him being silly around the house, him and the cats have started to wrestle and play! (he is bigger than them)

..oh and the more i clean him the more i realize he had gray swirls on his face and ears..thought it was dirty at first ^_^

 

this is my favorite pic of him so far! 

 

  

 

  

    

    

 

 

 

 

 

[jerseygirl]

Can’t get enough pictures, he’s awesome!

[ninjabun]

Gosh, Titan is soo cute!

[Author]

Messages