Found Rabbit; I don't know what to do.... Please Help.

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holtzchick

holtzchick

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
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Location
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Last night, at around 10 pm, my family was laughing that there was a house rabbit on our lawn which I thought they were joking. I went to check it out and lo and behold there is indeed a rabbit there! First off, this is the second rabbit in a week that I have seen let go in this area so I know someone purposely let *it* go. Second, poor thing hopped right over to me, was scared, is all matted (the fur is medium in length), and where the tail is is also matted.

Long story short I've been looking into getting another rabbit for Peter to play with but never really had time to drive around the rescues as they are all far. So it looks like I will be keeping him/her.

What should my first steps be? I want to go to Petsmart first thing and purchase an X-pen and keep the bun in my room until I can train and speed date with Peter.

Should I take her to the vet asap as soon as they open?
Should I bathe her to get her mats out and her bum okay?
I've temporarily set up a home in the washroom with a baby gate.
What else should I look for?

The bun does not appear to have ear mites, nails are okay length. Very friendly and outgoing personality, hopped right over to me and flipped on it's back lol.

I feel HORRIBLE for the poor thing.

I'm kind of short on money at the moment, but I will do what is necessary, I'm hoping the vet can tell me the sex (I'm fairly certain it is a doe, although could be hiding the testies from fear...) and that I can get *it* (please do excuse me for this term) surgically altered.

Thank you all for your help in advance!
 
I know this will make it sound like the person who let it out is the devil, but if it is a doe, I'd put her on pregnancy watch. Even though she couldn't mate with a wild rabbit, she could have been accidentally bred before being set free.

Carefully clip the mats out (or if you're nervous have the vet do it).

You did a good thing by taking her in where she will clearly be well taken care of. Just make sure to change your clothes and blow your nose before going near Peter incase she has anything contagious.
 
If the bun is a buck then there should be two bald patches where the testicles should be.
I would get the bunny looked over and maybe check the poop's for worms since she has been outside.
As far as the mat's go how bad are we talking? Do they look like they can be brushed out or are the banded into the skin. I just watched a severally matted bun get dematted and it was pretty bad. If there are mats bunched around the tail then the bunny might not be able to rid itself of poop's and urine. If the mats are banded into the skin then you need to have a vet shave the area. I would not recommend doing it yourself cause of the delicate bunny skin unless of course you are experienced. How is the weight? I would keep the bunny away from Peter until your sure she is healthy and does not have flea's or worms. Hope this helps and POST PICTURES of course...
 
I've definitely thought about the possibility of her being pregnant, that is something I will watch out for.

Her poops look 100% better since she ate! She must have been hungry I gauged her weight at 10 lbs so gave her 1/2 of pellets last night and gave her a ton of hay. She ate all her pellets and is way more relaxed this morning.

She is okay with pooping I'm not sure about urine though, I will monitor that when I get her into a different set up. The mats aren't completely horrible but I think I would need to cut them with scissors, not attached to the skin though. I think I can manage it right now, she is VERY calm for what she has been through, definitely going to be a sweet bun. I'm also going to make sure she is healthy as well as trained before the two buns get introduced.

She seems to be underweight, her front end is still looking okay but her hind end is all skin and bones! Should I leave unlimited amounts of pellets until she reaches a healthy weight?

As stated, PICTURES! Just so you know, you can see her fur is messed up, it looks like someone already may have tried to shave her before but maybe not :/ She is a gorgeous bun, so there you have it.

What breed would you say she is?

Definitely a medium/large breed mix I would say.
Perhaps SOME Rex in her?

1-6.jpg


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She have blue eyes? Id free feed her she needs to gain the weight. Maybe mix some alfalfa hay in her hay. Did you check for urine scald or sore hocks.

If shes 10lbs now shed probably gain a few lbs over time. No rex. But not sure what she could be
 
Her eyes are maybe like a greyish green. possibly greyish blue.

She definitely does need to gain the weight! She doesn't have urine scald but not didn't check for sore hocks.

I'm going to do some clipping in a little bit and groom her, poor thing! At least she is finally feeling comfortable, she's just laying down relaxing.

Thank you all for your advice! I went to the vet, sometimes, despite what the hours on the front door say, I suppose they stay closed anyways (what do they do for emergencies?!). I will try again later today, I can't do too much right now since my boss decided he cannot pay me until later tonight. I feel like a sitting duck :/
 
You're almost surely right in assuming this was an abandoned rabbit rather than a slipped-through-the fence one.

How people can do that is beyond me, but when shelters are jammed, maybe some misguided person things rabbits have a good chance of making it in the wild.
 
Many people in my area believe that they have a better chance outside. It's ridiculous!

I have some horrible news though. I called the vet, the vet is not in until next Saturday (he <a class="inlineAdmedialink" href="#">works</a> at the ER the rest of the week). I do not have a vehicle at the moment and I cannot take the bun into a different vet right now, the other vet I know here charges insane prices!
I did manage to get some mats off and cut them away, he/she was an excellent sport about it and even let me blow dry!! the fur under the feet is too matted so I can't see any sore hocks right now. It looks to me as though there is some type of an infection going on, as if there was a swollen testicle. I'm not sure but the back end is enlarged and pink, it looks to me that that is a huge problem area. I really need to get her to a vet ASAP.

I really feel like I'm in over my head here!

I just gave a call to the rabbit rescue in Milton. I don't mind keeping the rabbit here as apparently they have an issue with being over crowded, I just don't know what the vet costs will be like considering I'm almost certain this rabbit is indeed a buck and has a swollen testicle. I hope they get back to me soon, I have so many other things to worry about today aside from the poor dear.
 
I can take a picture tomorrow morning when I have someone to hold him/her while I take the picture. I found a different vet I can take the bun to so I will see if I can get her in tomorrow at some point, that would be best.
 
awwwww what a precious little sweetheart - that little face makes me cry - Thank you so much for taking him into your life and heart. For combing that fur you can use a lice comb - the teeth are very close together and gently push it through in the direction of growth and then very gently tug out the mats and smooth it all down - He needs some good nutrition and to gain a lot of weight - and he needs his little bum checked and cleaned - you`ll be head over heels in love with this little guy in no time - looks like he loves you already and picked you for his bunny mom - I wish you all the best of luck with him. Let us know how he is doing - I want to know if his bum is okay. Thanks so much for taking care of him.
 
WHAT AN ADORABLE BUNNY! :) Great job taking her in and giving her a good, loving home!
 
Okay, UPDATE!
By the way thank you so much to all those who commented, it has been my pleasure to take HER into my home :)

Yes, It is in fact a doe. Intact. I got her an emergency appointment on Saturday because I was concerned. He thought it could've been a neutered male however after further examination we found her to be a doe. Now, he said her fur quality is awful (he also helped me shave the mats out) and that she NEEDS to gain a lot of weight. Poor girl only weighs 3.5 pounds!!!!

He gave me some meds for deworming and flea and parasite protection. He said over all he would have given me a special formula to get her back on track but she's eating like a champion so he's not worried. I've started giving her multivitamins and alfalfa hay, which the vet also stated that I need to give her alfalfa pellets for the time being as well... She ate an ENTIRE cup of pellets today! looks like I have to go refill the bowls, she's also drinking plenty of water. Everything is okay, once she gains some more weight I will have her spayed. Then she can be bonded with Peter. I'm so excited and I'm hoping she will making him more loving and social. She is such a sweetheart, even as scared as she was, instead of biting me when she was afraid, she gave me kisses all over!

Also, her name is Phoenix!!

I am definitely dreading litter box training since she appears to never had been litter trained. Fingers crossed!
Its funny I think I may have just found my heart bunny... or she found me! I am so grateful that this little girl came into my life :)
 
oh I am glad she is doing great - she is a she - she looks like she had been neglected - I am so glad you are taking care of her - She looks so lovable - so sweet - I just want to hold her and comfort her and tell everything is going to be all right from now on - Looks like it was love at first sight when she found you because she gave you kisses right away - that is so precious - give her a warm hug and a kiss for me. What a dear face she has - I am so glad she found you - God bless you both.
 
My newest was in a similar situation. Someone just let her go. Some people found her when she started following them around in their yard, so they took her to the local pet shop. The pet shop also does rescue and takes better care of their animals than the shelter does, so that was the best place for her to be. I guess she was skin and bones. She gained a lot of weight there, but still has some to gain, and I'm treating an eye infection. Normally, they wouldn't have put her up for adoption until fully rehabilitated, but one of the owners is leaving so they are closing down the shop August 1st. I wouldnt have even known about her but I was in there asking about the lion head and when I found out he was full grown (I didn't know they were so small!), I mentioned that I needed a huge rabbit, cause of Basil. They said "we have a huge one!". Turns out she's mostly fur and skin, she's only 10 lbs.

Like your's, mine is also really super sweet. How can people do that?

Good luck with her, I'm glad she found you!
 
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