so my neighbor had the bunny that my bf and i have been searching for and just couldn't find. a flemish giant. and low and behold they are unable to take care of the poor guy very well anymore, because of some family troubles. so they offered him to us. and we are accepting now that i have everything if feel we need in the house supply wise.

 

so back story, he was originally a food rabbit raised by their son and was given to them for his niece and nephew as a pet. so the care they knew about for him was from a live stock point of view. his cage was outside and he's only been allowed in their house a few times. his cage is wire bottomed, but he seems to be ok potty trained. i do not believe he is neutered, and is about 2 years old. he's been feed on pellets and straw, yes straw. with the occasional apple or carrot treat. for the past 6 months he's has not been outside his hutch. which is of ok size but again wire bottomed. they used to let him run with a harness on a dog run line but he hasn't been able to in a long time.

 

things i'd like to double check on. we will be taking him to a vet, is he to old to neuter? cause i'd really like to do that. what problems can we face either way if we have him snipped?

fleas? he's off the ground but being out side should we give him a mild flea bath? and what kind of flea preventive should he be given?

with the wire bottom and seeing him nipping at his feet i'm sure he has sore hocks. what kind of treatment is there that the vet can give him or is that a time will heal kind of thing? we have him a doggie type kennel with plastic tray bottom for our house with a fleeced blanket covering. which is only for sleep quarters, he'll be allowed to romp around the house during the day. 

diet changing we have pellets and timothy and alphalpha hay  plus salads, and a yogurt treat or two hear or there. is the abrough change to his diet going to be bad for him the in the short term?

 and in bring him into the house can anyone see or think of any other issue that i might have with him? or need to check over with the vet when i take him?

It's great that you are taking in this poorly cared for rabbit.

Two years of age is not too old to be neutered. Do not give him a flea bath or any other kind of bath. Let the vet check him for fleas or other parasites. Advantage or Revolution is prescribed for fleas. You place a few drops on the back of the rabbit's neck (where they can't lick). If you have not made an appointment yet, go ahead and do so. If the rabbit does have any problems, it's best that they can be taken care of as soon as possible.

Since he has never had veggies or greens before, go slow with those, or you could get a tummy upset. Start with one veggie on the approved diet, http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html, then gradually add other veggies one at a time once a week or so. Some fruit is okay, but the yogurt treats are not. Rabbits shouldn't have dairy products. There are some healthy treats from Oxbow or other places if you did want to give him the occasional treat.

If the vet determines that he has sore feet, he may give you some treatment for that or tell you to get an imitation sheepskin rug or other padded blankets for him, such as a Snoozzy.

The vet should check his teeth, ears, eyes, take a fecal sample and possibly take a blood sample, as well as checking for parasites, feeling for lumps and bumps, any skin problems, make sure his weight is correct, etc.

Because you don't know his habits and since he isn't neutered which may cause him to spray, it's best to keep him in one area at first - making sure he has plenty of room, before letting him have the run of your house. An x-pen would be good for that, make sure it's tall enough so he can't jump out. You will need to bunny proof any rooms he goes in - protecting cords, putting up anything that you don't want him chewing on, etc.

Welcome!!! I'm so excited for him to be inside-what a heart warming rescue story!! That lucky guy won't know what to do with comfortable sleeping quarters, no scary noises and people to love him! I can't wait to see pictures!

He's certainly not too old to neuter. The vet can evaluate for sore hocks, but certainly in the meantime you can have a look. If they are open I would put poly/neosporin on them. If they are just red, I would let them be until the vet can take a look.

Diet wise, I'd introduce veggies slowly, keep on with the hay and pellets, and throw out the yogurt drops-those are dangerous. Treats can be small pieces of fruit.

I think he's so lucky, you are asking all the right questions-I'm just super excited that a poor hutch bunny get the indoor life Brilliant!

He is a very lucky bunny to be moving in with you.

You've already gotten some great advice, and I would leave it to the vet to do a thorough exam with instructions on how to proceed if he has fleas, sore hocks, or any other issues. Make sure his teeth get checked and nails trimmed. You can schedule an appointment right away for a neuter if your vet is experienced.

Coming indoors will help him a lot. Since he will be free range in your home, be sure to bunny proof the rooms he is allowed to go into. Particular attention paid to any wires. Go low to your floors and look around to see what is tempting for someone to nibble. There are wire covers you can wrap around lamp and computer cords that are available at Walmarts or Radio Shack.

I also recommend he has only a room or two to start with that he can be free to roam. Bunnies actually like to stay close to home base, your open crate, and explore in ever widening trips. So he will adjust well if he has a bunny room at first, then gets to explore more of the home as time goes on when he is ready. Be sure he can find his way to his litter pan quickly from wherever he has wandered. Does he jump? If he does, eyeball your beds, couches and chairs for edible temptations as well.

Oh, and post pix. We insist on seeing cuties.

can i ask what makes the yogurt drops dangerous or bad? being they are listed as treats for rabbits? or is it just bad for the breed?

we have no floor lamps and the only wires for the other animals in the houses equipment is off the floor or contained behind a mesh barrier. (toddlers had to be kept out of the fish tank cords. however my table and fish tank stands and all the other furniture is wood. should i expect him to chew this? he has hardly any chew marks on his hutch. but is there a way to deter this? like dogs do i just need to make sure he has enough of his own to chew on?

the room he will be housed in will be the living room, and won't have access to the bedrooms cause they have carpet. but he will have the hall, bathroom, kitchen, and after i get it picked up more the laundry room (shed is being worked on so it's a temp storage area) should his cage have a covering over it to make it seem more like a den? it's just a plan wire one like for a dog. or should i put a box hide in it?

i have one litter box and plan to have it to the right of the cage a bit behind it is that to close to his living quarters? should i have it further away?

and i hope to have pictures soon of him. and to get him soon. the weather was bad yesterday, and today they weren't home till late so we didn't want to bother them once they were home. since they are going through a rough time. so we are going to try tomorrow to retreive him. and i hope to get him in to the vet on tuesday.

Yogurt drops are bad because they are a dairy product, which rabbits shouldn't have. It's much better to give him a little fruit as a treat, or to buy some better treats such as Oxbow Veggie treats, Organic Barley Biscuits, or freeze dried fruits. Those are sold here in the BB store, along with SMAKS treats. I've also bought some good treats from the Bunny Bytes site, Fruitables Pumpkin Treats, which come in a few different fruit flavors. If you search here, you can find some recipes to make homemade bunny cookies and treats.

It's very possible that he will chew on your wooden furniture, but not certain. Some rabbits are bad chewers and others aren't. Some may test a few pieces of furniture and find that it's not to their liking. There is a product called Bitter Apple that can be applied to surfaces that you don't want chewed, but most people post that it doesn't work. You have to keep a close eye on him at first and see what he gets up to. You may have to restrict his area if he turns out to be a bad chewer. Of course, also have hay for him to munch on and you can buy apple twigs and/or willow twigs, rings, baskets for him to chew on. Some of those are sold in the store here too.

The cage doesn't have to have a cover, but rabbits do like a place where they can hide away. That can be a cardboard or wooden box, or if the rabbit has free range of the house, it can be under or behind furniture. If he spends any time at all in the cage, make sure that there is a covering over the wire, to protect his feet.

Where you plan to put the litter box sounds fine. If he does get free range of most of the house and you have a bigger house, you may want to have a second litter box in another area.

I'm so glad to hear that this hutch bunny is going to become a house bunny!!!! My friend recently adopted a bunny who lived in a hutch for 6 years and he is now a very happy, very spoiled little house rabbit!

You've gotten some great advice. If you have any questions at all, we are all here to help you.

Looking forward to pictures! We have a lot of Flemish Giant fans here, as most of our buns are much smaller.