I can’t take care of my rabbit

[Fefe the Rabbit]

just got a rabbit for 2 months, and its too hard to take care of her anymore. She’s the best pet I’ve even seen, if you minus the fact that she hates me. Her previous owner didn’t take care of her correctly. They never cut her nails, and hardly ever gave her hay. However, in the picture they send me, I could see that she was clearly enjoying life. She’s one years old now, and hate me. Taking care of a rabbit while having to worry about school (Yes, I’m still in school.)is so hard. I have depression, and this anxiety of “is my rabbit going to die” is giving me panic attacks. It gotten so bad that I don’t even want to go in my room because I have to see her. And she is a VERY lovely and amazing pet, she just doesn’t trust me and it hurts me to see that. Plus, I’m a broke student trying to pay rent and I can’t afford to buy her hay and everything. What should I do? I’m really scared that she’s suffering, and that makes me suffer. What can I do?

[Boston's Mama]

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[Bam]

I’m sorry you have had to come to this conclusion, but sometimes life just gets too complicated. I agree with OBM. A no kill shelter would be a good place for her.

Meanwhile, please don’t think your rabbit hates you. I’m certain she doesn’t. She’s just insecure and fearful. That’s the in the nature of a rabbit, their most reliable survival instinct. It can be overcome, but it requires time, a lot more time than you need to spend with a dog or a cat for them to trust you.

Hay isn’t very expensive if you get it from a feed store. I know some people here order hay online at favorable prices.

[Deleted User]

I agree, if you do not think you have the capacity to care for her perhaps she should be re-homed. Very sad that her pervious owners didn’t treat her right, but from my experience 2 months is about how long it took my bun to be comfortable with me. They take patience and consistent effort, especially if they haven’t been treated right because they may have a general mistrust in humans. You may just need to spend more time with her for her to get used to you. But of course, if there is a financial strain and you are not prepared to be able to provide for her it may be best to give her up. I got my little bun at about 2 months and she’s now 6 months but it took me a long time to get her to be comfortable with me. You have to be patient. I would sit on the floor in her room for 1-2 hours a day and it took about 2 months for her to start warming up to me.

[sarahthegemini]

Re-home her. It’s good that you’ve realised you cannot provide for her. She deserves a good home and she deserves to be happy and healthy and if you are unable to give that to her, it’s best she goes to someone who will be able to give her all she needs.

[beaumont]

This breaks my heart to hear, and I just want you to always remind yourself that this isn’t your fault.
I know this probably isn’t much consolation, but I used to care for horses, who are honestly shockingly similar to rabbits (they are almost like big bunnies!). My 4th year of riding, I took care of a formerly mistreated horse named Sharon. She was the most skittish, standoffish girl in the world–she wouldn’t look at me, she would spook all the time, she was even scared to eat her food! I almost thought of dropping riding altogether because I thought I was a failure. I was going through such a hard time and I was at the end of my rope. However, I decided to stick with it and let her go at her own pace. By the end of my 2 years with her, she went from being scared of her own damn poop hitting the ground to winning competitions with hugely scary obstacles.
My point isn’t to toot my own horn, but to just reiterate that often these things REALLY take time. You might beat yourself up over it, and it might tear you apart. However, if you can, just stick with it a bit longer. Caring and empathetic owners such as yourself have a very difficult time taking your mind off of your sweet little girl, and you only want the best for her. However, sometimes you just gotta take a step back and let her figure these things out. Be sure to do things you enjoy–go on runs, read books, play video games. Also, put your school first! Make sure you always focus on studies and never let yourself fall behind due to your worry. The first 2 days I had my bunny, I didn’t even shower because I was too scared to let him out of my sights! However, I forced myself to go on with my life and take care of myself, and both of us seem happier for it. I suffer from depression and anxiety too, and only recently started a medication for it. I know how debilitating it can be and how horrendous tasks like this can appear. Just remember to take a deep breath and tell yourself that these little critters evolved by fending for themselves in the wild and exploring on their own. You working on homework/having some fun on your own isn’t going to hurt the little girl at all!
I would recommend, right when you get home from school, get everything you need done done. Get your work done, call whoever you need to call, go to any appointments you have, and make sure your plate is totally clean. Then, open the cage/pen for your bunny and just sit beside the cage and do something you love! I like to read a book, use my laptop or play some video games as I sit there. Sit there as long as you can–get yourself a pillow to sit on perhaps! If/when your bunny sneaks out to play for a bit, just sit there and go on with your business. If she wants to explore for a bit, let her explore. If she wants to run and skip, let her run and skip. If she wants to go back into her cage, let her. If she comes up to sniff you, just sit there and do what you are doing! Just let her familiarize herself with you and learn that you are no threat at all. I know it is tough with such a cute little critter, but resist every urge you have to pet her just then. If she continues to nudge/sniff/nuzzle you, lower a treat slowly to her level. Let her nibble it! Keep doing this for as long as you can. Occasionally, you can try to go for a little scratch here and there, but if she runs away when you do, don’t chase after her! She will eventually warm up to you. Another thing I suggest after years of working with horses is instead of being 100% rigid to avoid startling the horse, always be making constant, slow movements. Slowly rock side to side, scoot your feet a bit, turn pages of a book, any of that. Also gently talk to your bunny! My little guy loves it when I talk to him. My neighbors probably think I am a psycho, but it will make you and your bunny so much closer for it.
At the end of the day, if you still need to say goodbye to your little girl, that is completely understandable. Life happens sometimes, and you are incredibly brave for making such a tough decision to give your bunny a happy life. Do NOT beat yourself up over it! A few years ago my family needed to say goodbye to my absolutely wonderful dog, Sadie. With travel and work, it was just too hard to care for her. We gave her to a caring family and she couldn’t be happier. In the end, I feel so happy for the little girl and don’t resent myself for it at all. You shouldn’t either. Try to find a shelter that takes care of these animals, or find a family ready to care for your doe. The breeder I know accepts any bunny that can’t be cared for and lets them into a program with little kids, and they are all so happy. There are people out there willing and able to take the torch for you! Even the KNOWLEDGE of having those people there to take my little guy if need be takes a lot of my anxiety off.
You are an incredibly brave and resilient person for bringing this up, and I wish you the best with your little girl. Good luck, shoot me a message if you ever need to discuss these things!

[Fefe the Rabbit]

Thanks for all the advice, I decide to keep Fefe for now, since who knows if the next owner will treat her worst. Also, Im quite attached to her now. So now, I spent 30 dollars for a bigger cage since the cage her old owner gave me was barely enough for her to stand in. The first problem is hay. I don’t have a pet store near me, so I went online to find hay, and it turns out that it’s $12 for Timothy hay per month. This may not seem like a lot to people who are completely dedicated to their rabbits (You guys ∪･ω･∪), but with that, I don’t know if I have enough to buy everything else that I need. Is there any cheaper hay that is also pretty good? Lastly, the second problem is space. I’m going to have to have a roommate soon, and I might have to relocate my rabbit outside, which I heard is very bad for them. What should I do about that?

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Fefe the Rabbit on 6/17/2017 1:23 PM

Thanks for all the advice, I decide to keep Fefe for now, since who knows if the next owner will treat her worst. Also, Im quite attached to her now. So now, I spent 30 dollars for a bigger cage since the cage her old owner gave me was barely enough for her to stand in. The first problem is hay. I don’t have a pet store near me, so I went online to find hay, and it turns out that it’s $12 for Timothy hay per month. This may not seem like a lot to people who are completely dedicated to their rabbits (You guys ∪･ω･&cup, but with that, I don’t know if I have enough to buy everything else that I need. Is there any cheaper hay that is also pretty good? Lastly, the second problem is space. I’m going to have to have a roommate soon, and I might have to relocate my rabbit outside, which I heard is very bad for them. What should I do about that?

I understand you’re very attached to her but if you cannot realistically afford to look after her, it’s really best you re home. If you’re struggling to pay for the basics (such as hay, what about veggies?) what are you going to do if she gets poorly? Vet care can be very expensive. Is she insured? If you’re going to have to keep her outside, do you have the time, resources and finances to bond her to another bun? 

Having said all that, you might be able to get cheaper hay from a farm or something but it needs to be good quality and it needs to be tasty enough that she actually eats it. My buns are fussy and so I spend £50 per month on grass alone! Veggies can be bought fairly cheaply depending on where you get them. I urge you to get insurance if you don’t already – I’m on low income and having my rabbits insured is a life saver financially speaking. She needs to have adequate space, how big is the cage? If you put her outside, you’ll need to spend more money on a suitably sized safe hutch and run, you’ll need adequate bedding and you might need to feed her more so overall your expenses will go up.

[Vienna Blue in France]

My buns are fussy and so I spend £50 per month on grass alone!

Good lord. Really ?!

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 6/18/2017 3:58 AM

My buns are fussy and so I spend £50 per month on grass alone!

Good lord. Really ?!

Unfortunately 

Dam fussy rabbits 

[Gina.Jenny]

I’m a uni student, as are both my sons, looking after buns on a tight budget can be done, but it does require careful budgeting. Its worth shopping around for hay, I found somewhere local that delivers 2 x 10 kg hay for £13.50, its basic meadow hay, but thankfully all six of our buns, plus our guinea pig are quite happy with it, 20 kg lasts 7 hungry mouths about a month, though it lasts longer at this time of year, as our buns all get out in the back garden, in runs, and eat free grass all day long Stables may sell bales if you can get it home yourself.

I grow some kale and parsley for our buns, plus our local market is good for cheap fresh greens, and they often keep a bag of ‘scrap’ outer leaves, carrot tops etc for us. If you have your own garden, its surprising how much you can forage, our buns enjoy clover, dandelion, goose grass, giant daisies etc all from our own garden.

Pet insurance is worth considering, also some places have charity-run vets, such as the blue cross in the UK, who offer discounted vet treatment for people on low incomes.

[Boston's Mama]

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[Fefe the Rabbit]

Yeah so with the roommate here, I pay less, meaning more money on her. I bought hay yesterday and it should arrive on Tuesday. With veggies, I’m a vegan so I always have veggies on hand. And the cage , I gave her was a dog pen, so it is pretty big. Other than that,the problem right now is her being outside. The owner of the house that I rent is kind enough to let her run freely in the backyard once she’s trained not to eat their vegetables. However, her cage is out, so if it rains, she may not have much shelter. So, I was hoping to get her trained to go to the garage if needed. Overall, I’m thinking about the best situation that I can put her in. Thanks for all the amazing advice and suggestions. I appreciate it very much! (^(エ)^)

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Fefe the Rabbit on 6/18/2017 10:56 AM

Yeah so with the roommate here, I pay less, meaning more money on her. I bought hay yesterday and it should arrive on Tuesday. With veggies, I’m a vegan so I always have veggies on hand. And the cage , I gave her was a dog pen, so it is pretty big. Other than that,the problem right now is her being outside. The owner of the house that I rent is kind enough to let her run freely in the backyard once she’s trained not to eat their vegetables. However, her cage is out, so if it rains, she may not have much shelter. So, I was hoping to get her trained to go to the garage if needed. Overall, I’m thinking about the best situation that I can put her in. Thanks for all the amazing advice and suggestions. I appreciate it very much! (^(エ)^)

You have to make sure the veggies are suitable for bunnies. They need leafy greens. You might already know that but just saying in case you didn’t.

The worrying part is her being outside – firstly, you cannot train a rabbit to not eat their vegetables lol. What do you mean her cage is out so she won’t have much shelter? Are you planning on putting an indoor cage…outside? I’m confused. And what do you mean you’re going to train her to go in the garage? 

[Deleted User]

Luckily I am fortunate enough not to have to worry about the financial aspect of care. I do spend a decent amount of money on hay and pellets, but that is because I choose to purchase from Small Pet Select, which can be pricey compared to other “brands”. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment with my husband so purchasing in bulk is not entirely feasible for me because I have such limited storage space.

I must say that taking into consideration all of the variables involved it may be better to just re-home the bun, for her own sake. I am a new rabbit owner so I’m not flaunting experience or knowledge, I just think that there are a lot of factors here and you have to consider what’s best for the bun. Relocating to outside you would have to provide her with sufficient protection from predators. You said you were using a dog pen, I assume it is one of those stand up cages without a top or bottom built in? I would think you need something on top to protect little bun from predators and extreme weather as well. The other concern is the vet. If you choose to put her outside, I would imagine she would be more susceptible to injury/illness than being inside. If you are straining to provide the basic essentials for her then you have to also consider the cost of going to a vet for an “exotic” animal. I can’t imagine that you could keep bun out of the landlords garden either, and there are some vegetables that they may have planted that are not good for buns to eat in excess. They have no self control LOL !!

Overall, I understand that you want to keep her and have high hopes for accomplishing all these things you listed, but I personally do not think that these expectations are realistic. No one wants to get rid of their bun but if you truly care for her, you may have to consider giving her up to someone who may be more prepared to provide for her. There are many things you have to consider here due to everything you’ve mentioned.

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