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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Question about 1 eared rabbit

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    • Tate
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         I was on Craigslist yesterday and came across an ad for a rabbit that has one ear. The ad only says that he was injured after birth and that he ended up losing his ear. He is 8 weeks old and a Holland Lop. 

        I’m wondering what kinds of complications come with missing the outer part of the ear. How “special needs” is he? I’m worried that he will go to the wrong home that can’t take care of him. Personally, I would take him in a heart beat but I don’t know how I would ever have enough money to take care of three rabbits. I have room and xpens but hay is way too expensive, plus it’s hard enough as it is to afford vet care, even with pet insurance. I am quite tempted to go buy this little bun though and get him to a shelter, as there are a few really good ones around here. What would YOU do (besides keeping him… he is absolutely adorable though and I’m SURE he would make a really really good companion for a little bunny that might be named ChaCha… hint hint nudge nudge).


      • RabbitPam
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          Since you can’t afford him yourself, I would suggest one of two things: either let it go and assume that the owners are invested enough to get him the good home he deserves, which is quite possible. If so, then they should be asking for money for him, so that he is not free and therefore taken by shady characters or irresponsible impulse buyers.
          Or two, contact your local shelter and send them the link to the ad and ask them to let the owner know that if they cannot place this bunny properly that the shelter is there as an option for help in rehoming him.
          What is really not fair to anyone is if you show an interest and then either back out, or take him and then can’t afford proper care for 3 bunnies.

          Unfortunately, we have many members who post here because of ads they have seen on Craigslist and other sites that upset them. The urge to rescue these bunnies is strong, but there are literally hundreds, and we just can’t keep trying to bail out irresponsible owners on other websites. It seems hard, but you really need to stop browsing through those ads. These people know that shelters are an option, but they often write deliberately desperate sounding ads to get someone like you to jump to save the little bunny, and some are even back-yard breeders who do it over and over to make sales. You can’t save them all, and as you pointed out, you can’t even save one, so if you want to contact the owner, just put them in touch with the shelter who can. But wean yourself away from these ads, just as you have to stop visiting pet shops if you know you are likely to go home with a new pet on impulse. It just makes them buy and sell more.


        • RabbitPam
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            P.S. A new owner should take him to a vet for an exam before agreeing to buy him, to get a good idea of whether he is just going through life with one good ear (pretty normal with some adapatation, especially for a safe house rabbit) or if it’s due to a medical condition that needs treatment one time or chronically. It could be a deciding factor in taking him. Just let that be someone else who does this, not you.


          • Beka27
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              I have to agree with Pam. The bunny isn’t your responsibility to save, and it’s not possible to save them all. I would also caution you against taking other people’s rabbits to a shelter. They will have a record that YOU surrendered an animal, and that may make it difficult for you to adopt a rabbit in the future if you chose to. You can however email the owner the info and they could factor that into their decision. With that said, chances are this person is a backyard breeder so you definitely don’t want to support their efforts.

              To address your question, I can’t really think of many issues coming with missing an ear. If anything, maybe some increased build-up that would need to be removed, but nothing too serious.


            • Tate
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                Posted By Beka27 on 06/15/2011 12:41 PM

                To address your question, I can’t really think of many issues coming with missing an ear. If anything, maybe some increased build-up that would need to be removed, but nothing too serious.

                That’s what I’ve been mainly concerned about. “Healthy” rabbits can live just fine with less than perfect care, but I wasn’t sure if there would really be much of a difference with this guy. 

                There is a fee for him- $25 with everything included. The poster also said that he may need some sort of special care so I am assuming they will place him in a “special” home… not just someone that wants a quick pet for their kid. 

                It’s hard because I don’t really have an issue with other rabbits on CraigsList. I don’t feel the need to “save” those ones, but when there’s a pet that seems to have some issue and requires some sort of special care, that’s when it’s difficult to leave them. I have contacted a few different people on CraigsList regarding shelters and have even contacted the shelters and sent them the link to the ad before, but only in extreme cases. I think I’ll leave this one alone and hope they find a good home for him. 


              • Beka27
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                  I hear you… I’m the same way. It is tough when you see someone/something that needs special attention. Many people on this site have bought/negotiated for animals in petstores that were sickly. Sometimes they can rehabilitate them, sometimes they can’t. It is a gamble tho, not only for the rabbit in question, but also for the rabbits you currently have.

                  A little bit off-topic, but I used to have the habit of “rescuing” sickly houseplants from stores. A few times I was able to bring them back to life, but more often than not they were in the trash within a few months… There’s something about seeing a living thing (animal or plant) struggling that pulls on my heart-strings.


                • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                    I hear ya-and agree with Pam and Beka-but what the ad says (he needs a special home, they are charging a fee) at least sets him up a bit. Free to good home is never a good thing…almost never.

                    I can think of a few complications which may be minor
                    1) phantom limb pain-animals and humans can experience pain in a limb that was amputated, it has to do with neural structures in the brain and usually isn’t treatable since it’s not real pain.
                    2) dirt and hair getting in the ear canal-this is likely a slight risk
                    3) communication could be handicapped-they use their ears to communicate internal states and socially communicate so this may be hampered with one ear, though like dogs with no tails he’ll likely do fine.


                  • Tate
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                      Haha, it’s hard! It’s one thing to walk away from just a cute animals that might be fun to have, but it’s another thing when they could potentially need special care. I feel much better that this rabbit should have a normal life though, with even just base requirements met.

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                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Question about 1 eared rabbit