Rescued Bunny

[K F]

Hello again.  Well, Chocolate is doing fabulously well now.   But, recently rescued a ‘little’ guy from a pet store.  He actually weighs around 15 pounds, and is very solid.  I’m not sure to the exact breed, except he’s an obvious Lop of some kind.  Whoever had him, let him live in filfth, as his hind end is soiled from sitting in urin and feces.  Plan to give him a bath this morning.  We’ll see how that goes.  lol  He has settled in fabulously well, and acts more like a dog than a bunny.  He has no interest in chewing anything at all, and you can approach him with ease.  When he is approached, instantly droped down, flattens himself out, and closes his eyes.  Can you advise me, on things to check for, to ensure his health?  For example, his eyes are clear, and bright. Teeth good.  Just that back end…  I don’t see any sores, just the discoloration and some matting down there.  Also, an indication of what breed he is would be helpful.  Thank you all so miuch!!!!  Oh, and we named him Hercules. 

 

 

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[osprey]

Wow, he’s a handsome bunny.  If he is that large, maybe an English Lop?  My knowledge of the different breeds is pretty limited.

As to what to look for, keep an eye on that soiled area after you clean it.  If the fur starts to fall out, this can mean he has an infection in the skin in that area.  Make sure that he is not producing sticky or runny stools, these will get stuck in the fur and make the problem worse.

A good checklist of things you can do yourself at home can be found here:
http://www.therabbithaven.org/bunny%20home%20check%20ups.pdf

Good luck with him!

[wendyzski]

Yeah – French or English Lop mix is my guess.

The flattening-down thing is actually a fear reaction – he doesn’t see anyplace to hide, so he’s making himself small in the grass so as not to be noticed by predators.  Yeah – like a 15lb white bunny trying to be flat is going to be very effective.  Still, it’s an instinct so you have to go with it.

[K F]

Hello.  Well, everything I’ve read, and pics I’ve seen in the houserabbit  handbook, suggests that this position he’s laying in is one of comfort.  He does this when relaxing, and no one is directly paying him atention.  He’s really adjusting so very well, so well in fact, that we only return him to his cage at night. He is never without supervision, of course.    But what a good boy. And if you stop petting him, he nudges you for even more pets.  lol  We are blessed to have come across such a wonderful companion in him.  All of our buns are great, but we are so impressed with this ‘little’ guy.  He’s claimed the diningroom as his own (as we have no diningroom furiture), and has his own rug in there now.  Talk about spoiled. 

Thanks to both of you who have posted so far, as to what breed he may be. 

[Gravehearted]

Hercules is so handsome! Poor little guy all stained like that – he must be so happy to be with you guys now. I think wendyzski is right on – he’s trying to make himself invisible. he likely wasn’t handled enough or else may have some abuse in his background. But it looks like you just reposted – that he really is enjoying the affection, so hopefully that means he’s not freaked out.

i think the bunny check up that osprey shared is a great place to start, but it’s also a good idea to have him checked out the vet to see if there are any other health concerns.

At 15 pounds, he’s a pretty big guy! My guess is french lop, since his ears aren’t quite as long as the english lop ears. here are some more big lop pics: http://www.giantrabbitrescue.co.uk/12973.html

[K F]

We are not only planning to get him checked by a vet, but neutered as well.  He shows definite signs of being housetrained, as he has chosen one spot… A rug I set out for him in the diningroom, to leave his little ‘prizes’.  He hasn’t messed anywhere else at all.  What a good bun!!!  I’m going to get a litter box for him, and put it in that area.  Hopefully he will use it.

Of course, he stays in his cage at night.  I won’t leave him out unsupervised.  This morning, when I opened the cage, My oh My!  He acted like a dog, when the owner comes home after being gone for a while.  He jumped out, approached me ever so happily, ran around me several times, and nudged me for pets.  He did the happiest little run I’ve ever seen!  Jumping in the air and all.  What a happy bun!  Every time I move around the house this morning, he’s right under my feet.  I have to be so careful.  He has even been following me into the bathroom.  lol

How did we get so blessed, to have this wonderful creature enter our lives??? 

Oh, and he did well with his bath.  Tried jumping out at first, but when I started to massage his soiled areas with warm water and baby shampoo, he totally relaxed.  Probably felt good to get that cleaned up. 

I am starting to wonder if he thinks he’s a dog.  lol  What an awesome pet. 

 

[K F]

Oh, and here’s a pic of us, after his bath 
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[BinkyBunny]

Aw!!  What a beautiful loving picture!  He is just so happy to be in a wonderful home!  So how is it that the pet store also had rescue bunnies?  Or? 

Someone sure didn’t take good care of him before you, so he is probably extremely happy to have a loving human and is not going to let you out of his sight!

The flattening thing. Bunnies do flatten out for two reasons.  Like the other members said, out of fear and the other reason that you read about – for full relaxation. 

For example, when my bunny Jack encounters something brand new, he flattens out a bit.  He’s insecure and fearful.  He’ll even walk with sort of an arched inward crawl. But then when I start to pet and reassure him, he’ll change to a relaxed flatten out – just wanting more lovin’

I’m just so happy for him and you that you can both experience such joy out of each other’s company.  That’s so grand!

 Oh, I forgot to ask – in the first picture, did he have a runny eye?  How is that now?

 

[KOKKINIKLOSTI]

Well girl, he is crazily in love with you! Running around your feet like that? And i do not blame him for that!

[K F]

Hello.    The runny eyes, was a result of bath time.  He did a bit of jumping early on, and water went everywhere.  I am keeping an eye on it tho, just in case.

See, as far as this pet store goes…  It was kind of a strange situation.  Of course, they have baby bunnies.  So I was browsing around, and my husband says, "Kim, you gotta see this!"  Over on the shelf with the rats and guinea pigs, is Hercules.  I instantly fell in love.  In asking the pet store people about him, they said that someone was moving, and dropped him off there.  They said this person didn’t say much, just kind of dropped him and left.  So I really don’t know about his history.  On one hand, it looks as if someone took a lot of time to train him, because his habits, though he’s not neutered yet, are fabulous!  But with the staining, and bit of matting, you could tell there was some recent neglect for the little guy.  One thing we really wish we knew, was what his name was….

Yes, every time he flattens, it goes like this:  He scratches at a spot, and lays down, FLOP.  lol  I did purchase a litter box, and put it in the spot he has chosen for his potty.  It’s strange..  He will poo in the literr box, but return to his cage to urinate.  Also, he won’t drink out of the water bottle in his cage.  He goes to the cat dish in the bathroom to fill up on water. 

One thing I know for sure, is that he’s captured our hearts.  And he’s very special. 

 

[BinkyBunny]

Aw, Babygurl, what a big heart you have. What a wonderful heartwarming story.  Sounds like he really lucked out in finding a good home (especially when he had to compete with all the cute baby bunnies) and you both are benefiting from each other’s good nature.

[MooBunnay]

Hi!  I just read that post today and it is sooo sweeet that it totally made my day!! I’ve been having trouble getting any of my foster buns adopted, and feeilng a bit down about it in general, but this reminded me of all the nice people out there helping out bunnies, thanks for the pick-up & I’m so glad Hercules is such a good bun.

[K F]

Hi there.  I’m so glad I could make you smile.  Or rather, that Hercules could    Kind of an update on him…  He’s not only mastered the stairs, but has chosen our bed as his comfy laying place during the day.  I’m so tempted to leave him out all night, as I"m sure he’d wind up in bed with us.  lol  But want him to be safe, so we continue to put him in his cage at night.  He has gotten to where he runs to greet the kids when they return from school also.  I really think he doesn’t know he’s a rabbit.  lol  He still, has yet to make a potty mess anywhere in this house, and let me tell you, he has FULL run of it.    We truly feel blessed to have him in our lives.  What an amazing little guy.

Good look on finding homes for your buns.  I’m originally from that area of Cali, but haven’t lived there in so many years, that I don’t know anyone to refer to you to adopt a bun.  Hope you find the best of best homes for them.

[osprey]

We might be getting Albus off of death row and out  today, and into a forever home, so I am feeling releived.  And a bun we took in that was found at a construction site, who we thought was pregnant, is not pregnant.  Whew.

Hang in there MooBunnay, getting the adoptions is really hard.  We have been having good luck with Craig’s List appeals over the last few weeks, but our adoption shows have been really slow.  It seems to go in spurts.

[osprey]

Ooooh, having a 9 pound bunny in bed with you!  Who needs an electric blanket, you’ll have your own bed warmer!

[BinkyBunny]

I love big rabbits!  There is a huge french lop named Sherwood at SaveABunny right now.   If my limit wasn’t three rabbits, I’d love to take care of him.   But it’s out of the question.   So I get my fix every week when I volunteer there.

[wendyzski]

There are two Flemmies at Red Door – sisters, and one has a pending adoption already.  Now I know they are big, and I have seen French Lops (armfull-buns) but I don’t think I could appreciate how BIG they are.  I’m 5’3" and these girls are the size of my torso.  I can’t imagine how much hay they eat!

[Author]

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