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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Adopting an older bunny?

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    • DutchRabbitsFtw
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         so i was wondering if i should adopt a senior rabbit? before i would have NEVER even thought about getting a rabbit over the age of 2. but now that i think about it… i might have to go to a far away college if i cant get into this college thats near my house. so that might be a problem.

        but my mom said that it would not be a good idea to get an older rabbit because he might get sick a lot (as he is old) and after being sick he might die. but she also thinks its an “okay” idea. i mean i want a younger rabbit because i am ABLE to take care of one and i would much rather get a younger one who has more energy then get an older one who just sleeps all day. some people might get older rabbits because they might be “easier” to take care of but i can take care of a younger one and i would be happy to give him a loving playful home. but with an older rabbit he might just sleep all day and he might get sick a lot and die soon. which would be hard on the whole family.. what should i do? i plan on meeting the older rabbit today at petco. i have 3 rabbits in mind in case the older rabbit isnt for me (they are all under 3 years old) so i still have other options? what should i do? thanks. 


      • Sarita
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          Well, a senior rabbit is considered to be a rabbit over the age of 6 years old.

          Two years old is an adult but not a senior.

          And there is never a guarantee that a rabbit will not contract an illness at any age from a rescue, a breeder or a pet store.

          All rabbits sleep alot and sleep most of the day. If you are adopting, then the rescue will be able to tell you about personality, illness, etc…of the rabbits you are interested in.


        • bunnyfriend
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            I think the best way to find a rabbit that is going to work well in your home is to pick the rabbit solely based on their personality. Forget about breed, size, gender, coloring, age, ect. In my opinion that is no way to pick out a rabbit you are going to be truly happy with. I’ve done this with all of three of the rabbit I have adopted before and have been so happy. A big thing to think about is that a young rabbit does in fact have a high risk of getting sick (the very young ones) and are a complete handful a lot of the time. An adult has a set personality that isn’t likely to change whereas a young rabbit’s is likely to change. All rabbits sleep a lot. Keep in mind that rabbits live 8-12 years. There are plenty adult and senior rabbits that are awesome (I know from experience, I adopted one thinking he was 12, but he was more like 6) and just need someone to give them a chance


          • DutchRabbitsFtw
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              thanks, and no im not talking about really young haha, i am adopting, so the ones i am interested in are over 1 year old but younger than 3. but then heres this senior rabbit. i really dont know which rabbit to get.

              and i know there is no guarantee that a rabbit will not get an illness but what im saying is that older rabbits tend to have more problems, and im okay with that but that wouldnt be the best experience for me as a first time rabbit owner.


            • Monkeybun
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                You’ll have to keep in mind what is going to happen in your future, you said you may have to go away for college: What if your dorm doesn’t allow pets? Would your parents be willing to care for your bunny? What about your social life? You won’t be able to just take off for a couple nights on spring break or whatever and leave the bunny in your dorm. Not to mention allergies. A dorm isn’t a large space, you’d be living right next to your rabbit and its hay, 24/7.

                What about vet expenses? Are you going to be working while at college? Or would your parents be footing the bills?

                Does the shelter/petco/wherever adopt out spayed/neutered bunnies? If not, what are your plans for that?

                Bunnies can get expensive, fast, and take up alot of time. Things to consider before adopting. It may be better to wait until you’re done college if you aren’t sure what may happen.


              • DutchRabbitsFtw
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                  thats one of the reasons why i want an older rabbit, for college. and well i dont want to live in a dorm and i would like to live in an apartment that allows pets.
                  and i plan on keeping the rabbit in my room anyway. and for jobs… maybe… i dont know if i will have a job or not. my mom says that she’ll support me and stuff but i think i can squeeze in a job some where. and yes the rescue i am adopting from does neuter/ spay their pets before letting people adopt them. and i really dont know. after college i (hopefully) will be going to medical school so i have no idea ._.


                • Sam and Lady's Human
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                    Did you figure out your allergy problems?

                    I’d look into getting a already altered bun, save you about 300 bucks (around here anyway). I second the “go by the personality” rule.


                  • DutchRabbitsFtw
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                      well i went to the allergist a few weeks ago and took a skin test, and i got a 6 on rabbits. BUT i also got a 6 on guinea pigs, and horses which i am not allergic to at all (i had a guinea pig and i rode horses a while back) no allergic reaction whatsoever. and i got a 6 for guinea pigs and horses as well. so what i think is, is that i am allergic but its VERY mild, or i might not be allergic but i just react to it? (doesnt make sense, i know -.-)
                      but they also said i was allergic to almonds which i am not. i am allergic to most nuts but not almonds. they also said i was NOT allergic to dogs, but i am allergic to most dogs.

                      so most of the results were very… confusing to say the least. i visited lots of rabbits and i even put my face in this rabbits fur and inhaled. i didnt cough, sneeze or anything. and if i were to do that with my yorkie then i would have been sneezing non stop. so i guess im not allergic? or if i am its very mild? but i might be allergic to timothy hay since i am allergic to most grasses


                    • Sam and Lady's Human
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                        I’d want my money back from that allergist hah. Or at least a retest…


                      • DutchRabbitsFtw
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                          LOL yeah i am a bit wary.. but im looking at my results right now and they said i got an 18 for timothy grass.. which is surprising because i had guinea pigs before and i dont remember reacting to the hay.. but then again that was years ago. the only grass im not allergic to is perennial rye,.. never heard of it but it could maybe go by a different name? can rabbits eat that kind of hay? what about bermuda /bahia hay?, can rabbits eat those? i got a 5 on those hays so i guess its not that bad…


                        • Mandyyy
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                            No need to damper on the elderbuns… I just read a lot of generalizations in your post, which is never a good habit.
                            There is nothing wrong with getting an older bun, and any bun from a rescue or breeder can be sick, not just the older ones. I have a dwarf about 8 and she doesnt sleep all day, she is actually very hyper, healthy, and happy for an older aged bun. She is as playful as a kitten too. There are baby buns who are lazy and sleep all day, and elderbuns who are crazies and run around all day.

                            If I were you I would go into a rescue, ignore age or looks, and just meet each bunny individual and spend some time with each one and see if one clicks with you and your family. It would also be awesome for you to rescue an older rabbit though, since they are often over looked.


                          • DutchRabbitsFtw
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                              thanks! i’ve decided on which rabbit to get.. well actually i have two in mind. a male dutch or a female english spot mix. not too sure which to get. last time i visited the dutch he was losing his litter box habits. but i also dislike the dewlap (i think thats what its called?) in female rabbits. and i know lots of people said to not base a rabbit solely on looks, and im trying not to! also, what does it mean if a rabbit pees on you? just an accident, over excitement…? thanks


                            • Sam and Lady's Human
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                                Were you holding the bunny when it pee’d on you?


                              • Mandyyy
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                                  He hates you. No jk!
                                  I had a bf that came over for the first time and first my GSD was terrified of him (which is really odd) and then he held my bunny Domino (RIP) and she peed all over him! That was the first and last time she ever peed on anyone. We didn’t last long…. Lol.
                                  My female doesnt have a dewlap, her sister did though. The thing with not going on looks, you may think one bun is cuter, but when you actually start learning more about the bunny they may have traits you don’t care for. :/ it’s like not judging a book by its cover. Works the same on animals.


                                • Sam and Lady's Human
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                                    Oh I’m totally a book cover judger. Just saying. But for what its worth, I don’t like dewlaps either, but like with people, you get past the point of seeing how a bunny looks when you get to know and love him/her


                                  • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                      I adopted two seniors, one who was special needs. They are no longer with me. I had them both for about two years. It cost a small fortune in vet bills but that was because Chuck got ill with tilt-that’s not something that happens to old bunnies but something that could happen to any bunny. It was heartbreaking but I don’t regret either of them for a minute-especially Noot who became such a great friend for CHuck. Chuck was in the shelter for two years, blind, one eye only and deaf as no one wanted him. Noot was surrenedered after his partner died and he stopped eating. I gave them everything they could have wanted and though there was heartbreak, bank account break down and sleepless nights I don’t regret it for a minute.

                                      I would caution that you MUST have a good bank account (no less than 1000$ set aside for emergency vet bills, hey it’s a good idea if you have any pet though!) or a parent who could loan you the money should you need it. Chuck’s major costs were pee pads for incontinence and an expensive medicine that was not for his illness but for a side effect. As I said that illness could have affected any age of bunny so it’s a good idea to have money for a vet set aside. If you won’t go through hardship to treat a possible illness then I would say go for it. Aside from some exceptions-fish, Kokanee and Kahlua(my first buns) we only adopt the hard to adopt animals. We want the ones no one else does. It’s heartwarming to see them enjoy life they would not have. It’s better then having a purebred husky-my neurotic slightly emotional dog is so much better. I don’t regret anything but you must be prepared for extra work, extra expense and being creative with solutions.


                                    • DutchRabbitsFtw
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                                        thank you kokaneeandkahlua, but ive decided not to get the senior rabbit, he was sweet but was not litter trained and eh… i dont know.. i would appreciate a bun that was already litter trained.

                                        and my mom was holding him and the rabbit peed on her! so im not too sure which rabbit to get? it was a male dutch rabbit btw. i cant decide from a male dutch rabbit or a female english spot mix rabbit. the dutch seemed a little territorial though… barely. or maybe he was playing i have no idea but while i was there visiting him i put my hand in his hay and tousled it so it made a noise and he came running towards me but i did it a few more time -_-.. cause im dumb like that lol. but i quickly put my hand out when he came towards me 0.o… he was in an open top cage so anyone could pet him, but last time i visited him (i’ve visited him twice) he was in the back of the store (small store but still) and he had a cover on top of the cage, i asked about this to the employee an she said that it was because he knew how to get out of the shorter cages with no top at the front of the store. she also said that he nipped people, when i asked if hes ever bitten anyone… so that sort of made me wary.

                                        and i would get the english spot mix, but she was sort of big (medium sized, but still bigger than the dutch) and she was calm and nice but i would be a little dissappointed if she got a dewlap later on in life (but i guess i wouldnt care since she would be my rabbit). she is around 2-3 years old. and btw all of these rabbits are fixed


                                      • LoveChaCha
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                                          You could always litter train the bunny yourself. All are not perfect, and I am a believer in not having such high expectations when it comes to having a rabbit.

                                          A rabbit will nip because a person is invading its territory. I don’t thing that is wrong – it is like a stranger breaking into a house!

                                          What is wrong with dewlaps? My 2 year old dwarf has a mini one, but it is nothing. She gets a healthy diet. I am really disappointed that dewlaps would turn a potential owner off. It is virtually normal in rabbits – just as long as it doesn’t get too big (bunny going on a diet time).


                                        • Monkeybun
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                                            If she is already spayed, she likely won’t develop a big dewlap if she doesn’t have one now. Unless she gets fed too much

                                            Some bunnies pee when nervous or scared, totally natural. And they can be easily litter trained!

                                            Nipping isn’t aggression, it’s usually a fear thing, or a territorial warning. Most bunnies don’t like your fingers in their stuff. imagine if someone 20x your size went in your kitchen and tossed around your dinner, what would you do


                                          • Beka27
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                                              I also don’t like the look of large “pillowy” dewlaps. I wouldn’t NOT get a rabbit based on that, but it’s just my preference. If a rabbit is spayed at a young age (6-12 months), they’re not going to develop the large dewlap, they may just have an extra fold of fur (like my Meadow does). The dewlap doesn’t get larger once the hormones are gone.

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                                          Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Adopting an older bunny?