Hi everyone,
Currently, I am at a house that I am pet sitting for, trying to figure things out and thought I would hop on here for some insight. The husband of the couple that I am working for brought home a rabbit three years ago after his friend found it wandering around outside. They have rescued horses and dogs in the past and so they took the rabbit. I don’t really know what I was expecting when I was talking to the wife on the phone and once she found out that I had a rabbit, she asked if I would like theirs. The first night I was there I went to go say hello and was shocked at the state of the cage and worse off, the poor rabbit’s claws. Some must have snapped after they got too long, but there were a few that were an inch or so long! The cage smell was horrendous, he’s not litter box trained, doesn’t have any toys, is being free fed alfalfa pellets and hay, and is not neutered (yikes). I am here for 10 days and have spent a lot of time trying to track down a rescue that might help me place him in a forever home, but I haven’t had much luck yet (which I totally understand). The shelter is out of the question; if it came straight down to it I would buckle in and keep him long term, but I would rather not if I can find him a great home. I have been trying to interact with him and I brought him a litter box and some chew toys, but he doesn’t seem too sure about anything yet. Right now, he acts like the public’s stereotypical view of the caged rabbit, other than being very laid back, I haven’t seen much of a personality yet.
Today, I took Simon (my name for him) to the vet for a nail trim and a physical. The vet says they were the worst nails he’s ever seen on a rabbit. Simon did surprisingly well for being in a new place with people holding him and restraining him. The physical turned out fine as well, again another good sign. The next step is to get him neutered, litter box trained and onto a healthier diet.
My problem is that I don’t want another rabbit right now. As much as I love being a bunny slave, I don’t think I’ve ever stressed so much over a pet before. Jaedan has always been the king of the house and I would kind of like it to stay that way. I’m not sure he would appreciate another bun, especially a male. However, I can’t very well leave this poor guy here knowing that he is getting only the most basic of care, and wrong care at that.
If I take him home and foster him through one the rescues (his information gets on their website, I pay for the neutering, vet checks, etc and work on socializing) do I need to worry about Jaedan catching anything? Simon is an indoor rabbit and they would be kept in separate rooms, but would I need to make a rule about washing hands if someone in my family touches Simon and then goes to pet Jaedan. Or would that only apply to the first couple of weeks of quarantine? Is that something I should have asked the vet, but totally forgot to ? Do you think that it is realistic that someone would adopt him at 3 or 4 years old? in terms of turning him over to Timothy hay, veggies, and a little bit of Timothy pellets, would you guys say 2-3 weeks should be long enough?
Or, do I leave him here with the changes I’ve made and check on him every other month and take him in for a nail trim? He is not seeking out attention yet and he seems content enough to stay in his cage. Is it fair for me to uproot him like that? Me thoughts were different when I thought they had rescued him just a few months ago, three years just amazes me.
I’ve been going back and forth, weighing the pros and cons, about this for the passed 5 days. I would love to hear your insights as to what you would do or what you have done in the past or anything I might have not thought through. Thanks for listening to the rantings of a crazy person
Oh, and here is a pic of Simon at the vet, right before he got those daggers clipped. Wish I would have gotten a pic of the back feet, too. He weighs about 2 pounds, does anyone have an idea of what he might be?