Found Bunny (Calgary AB)

[kagerod]

Hey all. My aunt and uncle found a bunny being attacked by a cat. They saved her and gave her to me to take care of.

She has some small scratches on her nose and apparently lacks fur on her hind feet (I haven't inspected her, preferring to leave her alone for now). She's also incredibly tame; let them pick her up, is happy to munch on food in carriers/cages; and while she doesn't trust me enough to eat from my hand, trusts me enough to continue eating and her own business while I sit there.

I use "she" for a lack of better knowledge; we'll know if she's fixed/gender tomorrow at the vet. However, if anyone has advice - what to look for so she can happily join my other rabbits, for example - or may know someone whose bunny took off on them, could you please help me out?

 

[Zeroshero]

I would wait until the veterinarian inspects her before handling your other rabbits, practice good bio-security, wash your hands, any community articles, bowls toys, etc. I believe there might be concern about mange or ringworm with the missing hair are both highly contagious. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Where was she found? I know there is one area near the Stampede grounds that has a ton of rabbit running around. If she was around there, she was dumped or was born out there, so probably isn't spayed.
Sadly, there is a good chance no one is looking for her. Rabbits tend to not just get out, so they tend to be dumped in some way or another. Even if people do lose their rabbit, most don't go looking for them.

Vet her checked for parasites, you never know what a rabbit might pick up. Get some fresh poops (usually 8 hours old or less) and take it to the vet with you. Most are easy enough to treat, taking about a month to get rid of them. She would need to be kept apart from your other rabbits to avoid passing anything around. It is a good idea to keep her away from them anyway in case she is carrying something.

A lot will depend on the vet. The sex may make a difference if you wanted to bond her with your current ones. She would need to be neutered since she probably isn't, that can be a few weeks before she would be ready to try bonding, if there is something else going on, that could be put off for a few weeks. Once she is healthy and neutered, bonding should be ok, but that really depends on everyone personality.

There is a new Spay/neuter clinic in Calgary that does rabbits, so that could be an option if finances are an issue. They are good with rabbits and I had Felix done 2 weeks ago.

 

[kagerod]

He was found near the Forest Lawn community (Rundle station I think?). I'm keeping him apart from the others until everything's solved, so probably late September when we start bonding. Until then, I feed/interact with my two girls first before I meet with him, and always wash my hands after. Everything he has can either be tossed or sanitized at a later date with a weak bleach solution.

The vet looked him over. We found he is actually a very unfixed male, probably been out for a while because he's underweight, and has mange. I've named him Attila, and he seems to be settling in pretty well. Hungry little bro, so I'm going to be going through pellets and fresh food a bit more than usual.

I really enjoy the Calgary North clinic, and they're close by. They've been super helpful and I can usually get an appointment the next day. But thank you for telling me about that clinic! If I had a car, I'd be able to check out other places.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Calgary North tends to be expensive and I have heard some not so good stories about them. I've never taken my rabbits there, so don't have first hand experience. As an emergency and 24 hour clinic, they do tend to be more expensive anyway and that just goes up if it is an emergency. I go to Avian and Exotic, they are in the SW near 17th ave and Crowchild trail. There are a few buses that go near there, if you need to. They only deal with small animals and birds and are usaully not too busy, but some times are busies than others, I would recommend Dr. Materi if you can see her.
The spay/neuter clinic is on 52nd in Erin Woods, so that's closeish to Forest Lawn.

Since he is under weight, you should wait to get him healthy before he gets neutered. It would probably be about 4-6 weeks to get him to a good weight and deal with any mites or mange.

Through the rescue, we have taken in a few that were found outside or were in bad condition. It usually takes about a month for them to really start getting better and healthier. A lot is good food and a good diet. I haven't dealt with mange, but that could take longer to deal with and get the coat back in good shape, probably until he moults.

 

[kagerod]

Unfortunately, the rabbits hate the carriers (and being handled) so I deal with the price. It's just not worth it to take a bus for over an hour when there's a very good clinic within a few minutes of me. I have never had a bad experience with them so.. yes.

Yeah, he's been eating a lot. Yesterday we got to the point where he hasn't eaten every single bit of food, down to his pellets, before the next mealtime! I think that's a good sign. And yes, he has to get completely healthy before he is fixed, so they're thinking September.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:goodluck