Getting another, need advice

[angoralvr]

Ok, I really wasn't looking to add to my family right now, not with a broken foot and a very hormonal Henri at least. Some of you may have seen a thread I made about a craigslist bunny that I was wondering what breed she was. (if you want to see a pic, it is in the What breed is she? thread)Well I emailed the woman who listed her when she was first posted, mostly because I was curious what breed she is. (I am calling her a she, the woman said she doesn't know what she/he is, I am guessing female though bc I would think you would be able to tell pretty easily if it was a boy) Well the woman emailed me back yesterday and said they already had two people fail to come pick her up and they are deperate to find her a home because they are moving. She is bringing her over to my house tonight. I plan on keeping her in the basement until I can get both her and Henri fixed. I have the xlarge dog crate that Henri was in until I built him his castle. I know that the new rabbit and Henri should not meet until they are both fixed but should I introduce them to eachother's scent at all or wait for that too?

Wish me luck. . . . I might have a lot of questions soon!

 

[BlueGiants]

It would be the best if you can keep them apart for now, both because of the neuter/spay issue and to make sure she (he?) isn't carrying any diseases or infections.

(How are you going to get up and down the basement stairs to take care of her with a broken foot???? NOW I'm worried!) :disgust:

Keep inmind that Henri's smell will change a little after the neuter. And after the neuter, he wll still need to be kept away (especially if the new one is a girl), for at least a few weeks.

Any idea how old the new one is? I'm so excited for you! :nod

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Ooo I love that little bunny you have been looking at! She's adorable!

 

[angoralvr]

I have been managing the stairs. . . . very carefully. I have to go down there to do laundry and take care of our plants anyway. (We have a full bunny garden in the basement!)We have banisters on both sides so I pretty much use them like crutches. I have a boot that I can walk on now too. It is just big so it makes it pretty impossible to drive, especially since it is my right foot.

You said Henri's smell will change some after the neuter. . . lately I have noticed that his smell is a lot stronger than it used to be, so is it hormones causing that?

I am not sure how old the new one is. I asked but none of the questions I asked got answers. The only answer I got was an ok that she would drop her off for me. She knows I won't be off work until five so I am seriously hoping that the woman doesn't drop her off before I get home. It is cold outside here and I would not want a rabbit waiting on my porch for me to get home.

I set up an appointment with my normal vet for the new one to get a check up. He is not as bunny savvy but he does have several bunny patients and he is very close to my house so I won't have a problem getting her there (I keep assuming it is a she!). My bunny vet is a lot farther from my house. Do you think it is ok that she goes to my general vet for now? He really is a great vet, just not one of the ones recommended by my house rabbit society.

 

[Hazel-Mom]

I would say it's fine if she sees your regular vet for now. Better than not going to a vet at all, and since he already sees several bunny patients, he will at least know the basics. The more bunnies he sees, the more bunny savvy he will get, especially if he's also willing to consult with a bunny specialist if need be.
Who knows, maybe one day he'll be bunny savvy enough to get reccomended by your HRS

 

[BlueGiants]

angoralvr wrote:

You said Henri's smell will change some after the neuter. . . lately I have noticed that his smell is a lot stronger than it used to be, so is it hormones causing that?

She knows I won't be off work until five so I am seriously hoping that the woman doesn't drop her off before I get home. It is cold outside here and I would not want a rabbit waiting on my porch for me to get home.

Do you think it is ok that she goes to my general vet for now? Generally, the buckssmell will be a little more "noticable" as the mature. That will gradually lessenafter neutering.

Yeah, the bucks smell gets a little more "noticable" as they mature. That'll improve after a neuter.

Whoa... sounds like they are anxious to bring her over. Hope they don't leave her outside. (It's been pretty chilly here! OK, downright FREEZING!)

Hazel-Mom is right. I'm sure your regular vet will be fine for a check up, especially if there are no obvious issues. (I've met a number of really good bunny vets not recommended by the HRS... and like Hazel-Mom said, as long as he's willing to consult if he sees anything...)

I'd suggest you tend the new bunny after Henri or make sure you wash your hands between... just until you're sure she's really healthy and OK. Even if she comes to you looking good and healthy, stress can bring out otherthingsin them over the next couple weeks.

:bunny19

 

[angoralvr]

The other issue I see arising is her out of cage time. I have not bunny proofed the basement yet because Henri does not go down there. The easiest way for me to make her a bunny proofed run would be to do it on the concrete part of the basement. (half of the basement has carpet, the other half is just concrete) I know the basement floor can get cold but I have some carpet remnants that I could cover the floor with. Do you think that will be ok?

 

[angoralvr]

BlueGiants wrote:
Any idea how old the new one is? I'm so excited for you! :nod

I finally got a response on that question. She thinks it is a little over a year old and she got it last September. She also says she thinks it is a boy. I'm sorry, my only frame of reference is Henri and there is definately no mistaking that he is a boy! Is it really hard to tell on some rabbits?

 

[BlueGiants]

I think a carpeted run would do just fine in the interim. (Not with a piece of carpet you think you'll need again!) Assuming she doesn't make a habit of chewing the carpet. (Not knowing her past history will mean you'll have to watch her closely for a little while...) :shock:

 

[BlueGiants]

angoralvr wrote:

She also says she thinks it is a boy. I'm sorry, my only frame of reference is Henri and there is definately no mistaking that he is a boy! Is it really hard to tell on some rabbits?

Only if you don't know where to look!!!! :shock:

 

[angoralvr]

BlueGiants wrote:

angoralvr wrote:

She also says she thinks it is a boy. I'm sorry, my only frame of reference is Henri and there is definately no mistaking that he is a boy! Is it really hard to tell on some rabbits?

Only if you don't know where to look!!!! :shock:

lol, that's why I was kind of figuring that it is a girl. I can't imagine someone looking for boy parts and missing them if they are there. . .

 

[BlueGiants]

Well, some boys can tuck up their little bits and hide them... and sometimes you may have to press on certain spots to make sure "other parts" are there... but really... I'd guess they just didn't care enough to know. :disgust:

 

[maherwoman]

Congratulations on your new addition! Sometimes these new additions are surprises, rather than something you planned on doing.

Every single one of my buns have been surprises...hehe!

She's so beautiful...can't wait to see pics of her home and happy!

Oh, and I edited your post to include a hotlink to your thread about her in the Rabbitry, so people could see her easier! Hope you don't mind!

 

[angoralvr]

Thanks for making the link. I didn't even think about the fact that I could do that!

 

[maherwoman]

Oh no problem! I just highlighted the thread's link on the Rabbitry page, and cut & pasted it into this thread.