Possibilities to safely find a date?

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Catlyn

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I am not good at creating simple sentences, so it most likely needs quite a bit of time to read through and conjure an answer. Still, i hope it won't be that big of a deal. What can i do if i have the need to explain everything that may eventually get asked?

Some of the folks that have been here for a while are most likely aware that i managed to have a pair of rabbits for about half a year, until Lümi's passing little over a month ago. I had major qualms about safely finding a bondmate back then, and mostly winged it after seeing a ''rehome me'' ad for the ''sweet, friendly and silky soft''(literally, that's how the FB post described him) kissy boy that we knew as Lümi. It was a bumpy ride and in the end, they were largely unbonded- decently accepting eachother not as direct roommates but more like next-door-neighbours. Obviously, they were both neutered and Storm is still up to date with his vaccine, updated just before spring season.

The following is regarding my situation, points that i'm worried about, what should i look out for, etc etc. I feel the need to add a little menu bar to help people better navigate what's going on here.
The first block of text is with four points that i feel i need to explain. These are mostly regarding my statements on what sort of environment he's having now, just so i would save all people trying to answer, the trouble of asking what sort of setup/diet/space/toys he has.
The second block of text is just what worries me, thus, basically the core of this series of questions.
The third block of text revolves around various issues that i will have to deal with when looking for a new bondmate.
The fourth block of text contains four questions which i am most curious about. They pretty much sum up what i want to know from this horribly long post.


I
Since Lümi's gone, Storm has seemed kinda mopey-luckily still eating and pooping, alert and whatnot, although something has been off about him ever since.
POINT ONE: SPACE AND TEMPERATURE. He has more space than ever, being allowed nearly 50square meters (540sq feet?) of space about 12-18 hours of the day. Despite that, he will spend most of his days lounging in some corner for the most part, only occasionally moving around only to seek out another cool place. The log house is more than 100 years old, so it stays nice and cool at around 19°C (65-68F?), i have slightly-ice cubed water, and as of recently, ceramic tiles. Most floor is bare and it is cool-ish too, so i don't think that he's so lounge-ish because of heat.
POINT TWO: HEALTH. Went to the vet this thursday (suspicion about ear parasites) and he was all good- heart&lungs sounded clear, ears were considered healthy(vet said that it's just rabbit boys' wax buildup, nothing unusual) teeth were nicely equal and no spurs or out-of-the-ordinary stuff. At 1y3.5 m, his adult weight measured 4.98kg (10-11lbs?). So it couldn't be anything related to his health.
POINT THREE: DIET. He gets unlimited grass hay, about a lidful (40-50 grams or so) of burgess excel adult mints, and fresh forage, mostly a mix of orchard, timothy, meadow hay and whatever else hay we have growing. Also dandelion leaves, and a plant that we call ''harilik naat'' Aegopodium podagraria L. , if anyone knows what it's called. He doesn't get other herbs at the moment due to avaliability issues. I don't measure his greens in ''cups,'' i just go by his poops, making sure they're uniform, fibrous and odourless. Mostly it is fine, but there is a part which i cannot control despite all my efforts- mum's treat-giving. Right now it has swapped to mum bringing in excessive amounts of grass while it used to be carrots, potatoes, beets and all that. So for the meantime, a smaaaalll improvement. I'll take it. Anyway, i think that his diet isn't a concern either.
POINT FOUR: ENRICHMENT. Due to where i'm from, rabbit-safe amusement items aren't really a thing and shipping something not local is breaking my bank. I am not willing to pay 20EUR to ship items of the same value. If it were 10EUR shipping for a 20EUR ''subscription box'', i would really consider it. Storm being a big-breed rabbit doesn't make it any easier for me either. While pet rabbits are super slowly gaining recognition here, avaliable toys are created for those little fluffers that go under 3kg.(Most notably, hideyhouses and tunnels way too small for my big buggy boy) So in the meantime i've got to do with a maize placemat(he's bored of it), a treat roller, a throwing cube(bored of it), a cat ball(he'll toss it just for the noise), laundry-basket-tunnel with a homemade ramp, a fat apple stump that came when dad cut down a tree(stripped the bark and now bored of it) and a makeshift ''stretching station.'' It is basically home-dried hay put on a grid (safely attahed to the wall) that he has to stretch up for and pull from the spaces to get. No worries, it is ultimately a ''toy'' for my lack of better words, his main portion of hay is still in his litterbox. He will also amuse himself with digging at my mattress (i am absolutely fine with that, i don't sleep on it anyway) and at some carpet (again, old carpet, i don't mind). But i still feel that it isn't enough. I have tried any and all varieties of toilet-tube-toys i could think of, but he's not interested. I've tried weaving wreaths and braids of willow branches and hay, he's not interested in those either. He has also lost significant portion of interest in apple twigs from our own untreated tree. Nothing i can do about it though.



II
WHAT WORRIES ME.
To continue what i had stared talking of, Storm isn't the same since Lümi's death. He's always been fussy and bossy and stompy, but it has amplified by a considerable amount. He will grunt at me when i try to pet him, he will give me the cold shoulder and more often than not, our interactions end with him flicking me off. Or him bite-nipping me- strong enough to scathe skin but weak enough not to make it bleed. If i give him greens, he will grunt and try to lunge at me, even if i make the effort of ''waving'' them at his side so he could see them coming. He will also thump at random more often than he used to. He still eats well, but he was eating a bit more when he had his neighbour. When we went driving to the vet, he seemed very nervous, very anxious and all that, sometthing that one would expect from a rabbit that isn't used to tavelling around. I must admit that the few times he was on the ride with Lümi on my lap and him in the carrier, he was much calmer than now being alone. As Lümi didn't fancy beds or blankets, there was nothing with his smell that i could give to Storm for consolation. Even though they weren't fully bonded, i can still see that Storm is more agressive, spooks easier and isn't a fan of interacting with us, even though he had been very fine with it before the incident. He's not fully happy, and i want to help somehow, but i am limited in what i can do.



III
THE MAIN ISSUES WITH SAFELY GETTING A NEW BONDMATE?

So i talked to the vet about Storm's off behaviour and she said that if he doesn't chill out in a few months' time, considering that even neutered rabbits may get hormonal frustration in the current season, it would be best if i enriched him more, or found him a new bondmate altogether. Both are important, i know, but as mentioned in point four, i am very restricted on what enrichment i can offer him. So i was really thinking on how to get him a new bondmate. Now there are several issues that i've run into.
ONE: Our space issues. While in the cottage, we have ample space to comfily house two separate rabbits(my room, parents' room, living room, kitchen, also a small toilet room and the not-ideal-shed), and it is possible to try bonding them in a pen or something outdoors, the only place Storm hasn't truly claimed. In our apartment, we have a small, small kitchen, the living room, and then the cluttered parents' room; wc room being way tooo samll to house anything (and yeah, it also has a shed, but it is in even worse condition than the one at . If we have to wait a few months to see if Storm will get better, and then a few more to wait for possible partner bun's fixing recvery (discussed in the next point) then it will be the time where we've definetly moved back to the tight space. I see no way that i could house two separate rabbits in that small apartment. It has happened, but i isn't fair or equal to both rabbits.
TWO: We have absolutely zero rabbit rescues. I could not find one after quite a massive online digging. Resorting to regular shelters, i saw that the last recorded rabbit rehomings have been mostly two-three years ago. Even if i phoned all of them, personally asking if they had any rabbits in, specifying that i was looking for a shelter rabbit, they could only point me to some local breeders or ''to look in facebook groups.'' So it is extremely hard to find a shelter rabbit. And unlike the overseas, these few shelters that we have, even if they end up having a rabbit in them, it would not be fixed before being put upp for adoption. If the rabbit didn't come to them fixed, they won't do it. The responsibility will be rolled onto the new owner. They do pre-spay and -neuter cats&dogs though. Not all pets are treated equal, then. Also, since there are so few in them ever, finding one with a temperament that may go well with Storm, and the size/general look we would like the new rabbit to be, is likely not going to happen. (Self-note that most of those rehomed rabbits had been small breeds, like lionheads or mini-lops, or any random mix.)
THREE: As stated above, since the rare rabbits that pop into shelters are likely not being fixed before being sent to new homes, the idealistic ''bunny pre-dates'' will never happen here. Even in FB groups, if i see about 6 posts per day for ''looking for/giving away a cat/dog/kitten/puppy'' it will get, like, 10-20 responses within a week. (on a side note, why won't those people look from shelters first, is it cause they wanna have a youngling? I understand we don't have shelter rabbits, but cats n dogs are still overflowing like anywhere else.) If i look specifically for rehomable rabbits that don't come from a breeder, if i get lucky, i will find one post per week for a rehomable rabbit. Unlucky enough, such a post may come only once a month. And even then, the breed, gender and temperament are ''questionable.'' 98% of the time it will be at least 100km away from us and still, not fixed. More than that, the same precentage is of them not being up to date with vaccines. So it would amount to being almost the same as taking a rabbit from a breeder. The only perk of FB groups' rehomees would be that the owner should know to tell us more about that specific rabbit's personality (Lümi was described as cuddly and sweet, which he absolutely was). Which is what good breeders should be able to do too, for most of their rabbits aimed more as pets.(Talking about smaller scale, hobby breeders, rather than big breeding mills) At least that's what i think. I vaguely know that @Hermelin got her bunnies separately and bonded, but i don't remeber the details how.




IV
QUESTION ONE:
no matter where we might end up getting the other rabbit from, we are safe to assume that any fixing and vaccines are our responsibility, and transition to a good, stable diet is too. (I don't trust those big bags of feed that are too shy to list their ingredients, nor the small colourful feeds.) Is there any way to get a grasp of any specific rabbit's personality without bringing them home, fixing them up and then seeing what the end result will be? (without hovering around the owners' nose with the seemingly preferred rabbit (or more for many candidates) for an hour to see if they would fit our needs. Most owners get ticked off by that.)
QUESTION TWO: is there any way to ''assume'' or get an idea that any particular rabbit may get along with him better than any other? Storm is quite the dominant bun, Lümi was submissive and they worked quite well, saving for the moving dispute and way too rushed bonding. If i were to seek out more submissive (female) rabbits, would there be a bigger chance of them getting along? Because i do not think that bringing a neutered rabbit to a bunch of unneutered ones and doing half-dates like that would be beneficial. I am sure that it would end up backfiring.
QUESTOIN THREE: It is quite the touchy topic, getting my parents to accept that Storm is, despite his personality and our limited choices, still better off with a rabbit partner, even if they do not get along completely. Especially considering our lack of enrichment possibilities. Mum stated that she won't have another bun because the heartbreak of losing one again would be too much on her heartstrings. I get her, but still, we must do what is best for the bun, not for ourselves. She is hard enough to reason with, so i haven't mentioned the topic to her again, only telling what the vet said about Storm possibly needing a bondmate further down the line. I tried asking dad that if, hypothetically, there was a fixed rabbit in the shelter (not mentioning the looks, size or breed), would he be willing to give it another go, since i found that if one is unable to keep their pet for any reason, it must be returned to the shelter, thus giving us a sure way to back off if things were to not work out between the two. I guess dad was still too hurt by Lümi's crossing, as he looked at me with the face what i like to describe as '' i don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon, dear''
QUESTION FOUR: I have dumped all this talk onto the thread. I don't want to overwhelm anyone with my walls of text. I am also sorry for all the people who struggle reading long sentences. And/or complicated ones. But i care for Storm too much not to do something so silly as a giant brick of explaining and questions. if someone would be so kind and help with their wisdom, answering by points so it would be easier for them to answer?
eg question two: yes/no and then a short or long explanation of why, maybe add how you would handle that situation, or how you've heard other people handle it.



Oh dear, i ended up writing more than i had anticipated. Anyways, if you've busted through these walls of text and know how to help with any point i'm concerned with, it is always much appreciated!
 
You're right. That was a lot. But details are good and necessary when deciding such a complicated and important issue.

I agree, I think he needs a friend, but I wouldn't wait. I think he's not going to change, that it has nothing to do with the season. He's depressed and misses having rabbit company, and I don't think that's going to improve with any amount of time. If he had turned to you all for comfort and happiness when losing his companion, I would say that he could probably be fine on his own. But he hasn't. I would say the only reason to not find a companion for him right away, is if you can get him to somehow decide he's happy with human company. Otherwise, I'd start looking for a girl bunny friend now.

I would try and find a girl bun that is basically love at first sight. This is going to help solve a lot of the issues you pointed out. If you can find that, the neutral space bonding issue, isn't so much of an issue. I had no problems putting my pair that was love at first sight, almost instantly in her area to stay. If you can find an unspayed girl that's love at first sight and she is a calm laid back girl to match his more bossy personality, you may be able to bond them before she's spayed. I know it's not generally recommended, but it can work in some instances. I had to do it once, and it worked out fine until I could get her spayed.

I would try for owners that are willing to let you bring your rabbit along to see if they like each other. That's really the only way to know for sure, other than maybe getting a gut instinct or lucking out and finding the right girl.

So I think that's how I would approach it if I had to go at it with all of the issues that you face.
 
Thank you!

1. Love at first sight. Is this regarding how the rabbit will react to us when she first sees us? Even in unfixed rabbits?
I remember vividly why i stopped at Musti's cage almost two years ago-he was immediately coming up to us and sniffing what we were, he bowed for petting and was pretty calm sitting in our hands. So i believe that is what i have to look for?
2. The only thing he's allowed us to do, which he didn't let me before, is gently bringing him into a hug. He will stay for a minute, maybe up to five, if i pet his face. Other than that, not really. He attracts mosquitoes and when i catch them from his fur he will grunt at me. So i do not think that he will change his mind on being content with just us now.
3. The hard part is getting my parents to understand this. They will probably insist that we wait two months as the vet suggested. Then they will most likely bring up the argument of not having enough space in the apartment. I get it, and i agree, but i do not want to have Storm miserable any longer than needed.
If we luck out with weather, we may be able to stay here up till october. (Last year we moved october 10th) So it would just barely work out if i assume that they might come round by july. (If they do absolutely say to wait these months, then finding the girl and waiting two months after her spay. By then, i could use the "moving back" as the perfect excuse to initiate bonding)
3. One more thing on bringing my boy along to meet any girl. I think that, depending on the owner, it may or may not be possible. If we go to a private family, so to say, they will most likely not have freeroamed their rabbit absolutely everyehere, so a smallish room and a bit longer stay may be negotiable. If we were to end up in a breeder's place, i am not so sure about that. The lop farmer's rabbits are all housed in a big shed, and the up-buns farmer's rabbits are housed totally outdoors, stacked on top of eachother. How would they have a safe-ish way of testing then?
 
Also, forgot to ask as a refresher to my brain, what signs indicate love at first sight?

True, when i bonded my boys in the wc, they were positively neutral, so i tried putting them in Lümi's area, he didn't mind one bit and they ended up bonded there. So i do have that experience.
 
Does anyone have advice on when would be a good time to talk about the possibility of a new rabbit? They don't serm to have a positive outlook to this whole possibility.
Especially mum, she's rubbing in my face that "i can't properly care for one rabbit, how am i going to do it with two" although they're just her drunkard's excuses. She knows all too well that i dealt just fine with my duo.
 
'Love at first sight' is how she reacts to him and he reacts to her. If they both seem really calm and really interested in each other, don't seem scared or nervous with each other, and don't show signs of aggression. It's the easiest of all bonds. Basically they love each other and want to groom each other from the start. So yes, similar to the type of reaction that Musti had with you, is what you want to see when you introduce both rabbits.

I think when you go somewhere for him to meet the new rabbit. If you have a portable xpen or some sort of wire panels you can put between the two rabbits or the other rabbit(or your rabbit) in a cage or pet carrier on the ground, then they can first sniff each other through the wire panel safely. Then if there is no aggression and they seem really interested in each other, then ask the other rabbits owner if it's alright to remove the panel in between them. But do be ready to instantly break anything up at the first indication of aggression(tail raised, ears pinned, circling, on their toes, tense posture, etc).

I think if you find a rabbit that your bun is instantly in love with, I think it would be pretty easier to change your parents mind at that point. Maybe take pictures or video of the bunny date might be enough to win your parents over.
 
Thank you!

Yeah, no way they will get any video. I would be too concentrated on detecting any possible signs of aggression rather than manning the camera.
Besides, even if it were to happen that i get to go speed-dating for my boy, then dad is 100% the one to do the driving for us. So he will probably see through the process with me. I don't want to bring mum along if we were to do such a thing though, she would be too scared and fussy, most likely complaining through the thing.
I do not have an xpen though (or anything close to nic grids). Pens cost 90eur here and i do not have the stash for that. The best thing i have is a 90*150cm grid. All our enclosures have been of wire or garden fences.
I guess if i'm going for it, the best bet would be peeking thru carrier/small room thing and seeing if any lady or dude ends up liking him enough.
 
The dots are the actual questions. At the start is just how my situation currently stands. In short, i sucessfully completed "talk with dad" and should be getting a response by sunday. I hope he says yes.

I have talked with my dad regarding the issue. I managed to catch him alone in the car, in a good mood and ready to lend an ear to my rabbit-talk.
I explained the situation calmly and offered the suggested way of finding Storm a bondmate, pointing out that he's not happy judging by his subtle changes, and re-explaining why a bondmate would be best for him, using my sociable mum as an example.
"Humans are social, rabbits are too. I could not picture my mum having no other human around and being happy, even if she had pets to talk to. Storm would feel the same, you know? Also, we can't get him many different toys to keep him occupied enough, and in fall if you're working&i'm in school, how much will mum interact with him? We should at least give it a try, it might be that he won't find his love. You know how much i care for him, and i don't want him to be unhappy. So, would you be willing to think about giving it another chance?"
I made especially sure to calmly and thoroughly answer any questions he asked during my talk eg: "where are we going to put the second rabbit?" To which i said: "If we get our act together by july, and Storm finds his love at first sight ( which may not even happen) then there would easily be a few months of time to allow for full healing of the new bun and then even bonding. If all goes well, they would be chummy together before we move back, and though not as ideal in terms of space, the duo could handle being in his condo together, provided that they get to move around when we're home."
Dad agreed to really think about it, and i asked if i would be able to get a response by sunday. (I made sure to say that i was eagerly waiting to answer any questions he may have ahead. ) He said maybe. His face is hard to read, but he sounded neutral about it, meaning that we may have a chance. Dad is the more reasonable side, so if he were to refuse, that would be it. Well, i've done the best i could to get Storm another chance.


I'm keeping a positive outlook so i am here to inquire about a few extra things.

  • I'm more than sure that uppy-eared (or heli-mixed) rabbits' body lingo is easier to read. It would make life easier for me and it would be fun, a lop and up combo. I mentioned to dad that we should give a chance to both ear-types as it may happen that either breeder would not allow such date-meetings. I think i can independently read up on uppys' lingo once more. Where would i be able to find loppys' lingo info? Storm's is so subtle it is quite hard to read.
  • I am aware that a girl would work best for our sir due to natural disposition. If i do find mellow bucks though, it would be an equally worthy shot, or rather not?
  • How old rabbits should i be looking at? I know that kits of 2-4m would not be the best of ideas since they could still be developing their personalities (tho both lops of mine had developed theirs fully by 4m). Would a rabbit in the prime of its teenage days be a bit harder to see through than one that is around 6m-1y?
  • If i were to get the chance and Storm found his mutual interest then i guess it would be safe to continue observing the two until they seem relaxed enough to go thru a ride back home. Could they safely share the same carrier?
  • On the same topic, would the new partner still need their own space, considering that Storm may possibly be too protective of his own condo? Or if things were to go better, could i just pop up a new condo for the new bun and huddle Storm there along with myself for observation?
  • When would it be safe to assume that the two wouldn't fight, and if so, would it be safe to keep 'em together overnight? I am kinda cautious with the reads of bonds suddenly breaking, especially those that are fresh and of fix/no-fix mixes. I do not want to see another bloody tussle again.
  • I have read that if a bond truly works for a fixed+intact, then the fixed one needs to travel along with the intact one for their fixing op, and if not picking at the wounds or harassing, kept together even during healing so that the bond would not break. Is it true?
Again, sorry for the long read but i need to be aware of lots of things so when my parents ask, i have a trusty answer. Also, the more i know, the better it is. I would need to know these things anyway.
 
I have an aunt who got rabbits last year for breeding, and they currently have kits. There is this adoorable little bew mix that instantly caught my eye. I remember them being a little over a month old, absolutely still babies, so too young for that, and i wouldn't be keen on waiting a few extra months to try. At least i am positive that if needed, they would have no probs with me bringing Storm there when a good time would come, as i don't think they'll give away the mommas or the dads for us.
I bet that if dad does give the okay then it would be faster if we went to another breeder instead for a wider variety.
So still, i am curious as to what would be the best age for the new bun?
 
The main body language page I know about is LoL. I haven't seen one for lops specifically.

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
A buck can work if you happen to find an already neutered one. Otherwise you won't really be able to get an accurate read, because of hormones. An unspayed doe, hormones have some effect but much less so than a buck, so it makes it easier to know if your rabbit and the doe will have a chance of liking each other. Does personalities don't change too much after a spay, just become less busy and moody, sometimes :p

As for age, it depends on the rabbit. Some rabbits personalities change completely once they mature, some barely change or don't change at all. It could be that one of the babies from your aunt, could end up being the perfect companion for Storm. Or you may need to go with an older adult. There's really no way to know. Sometimes you just have to have a gut feeling that it's the right rabbit, otherwise you just have to make a guess. With it being your aunt, maybe you could bring Storm there and with fencing in between to keep everything safe, just see what reaction occurs. This might give you a better idea of what direction to go.

There's no way to know if they can share the same carrier until you actually have a date and see their reaction to each other. And if you can monitor them continuously if they are in the same carrier, ready to separate immediately if necessary.

With Storm needing his own space or if they can immediately be together, again, there's no way to know until you have found a rabbit and seen their interaction with each other. If it's really 'love at first sight', ,chances are they will want to be together from the start without issue. Same for whether or not they need monitoring or might fight.

Yes, if they are bonded pre spay, the rabbits usually should be kept together in most instances, so the bond doesn't break.

You're not going the usual way that is recommended for bonding. So these are all personal decisions you have to make based on your experience with rabbits. I'm only bringing up a possible alternative option, because of your unique and difficult circumstances. But ultimately you need to be the one that decides if you think it could work and what to do, because this is not usually the recommended way to go.
 
Thank you!

I will then use the advice, Storm's reactions and my guts to see for the best possible outcome. Well, if my dad gives me the green light, but i see no reason why he would really refuse. Hoping for the best.

Not good to say it, but i would've much rathered that Lümi were the one to stay alive, if either of them really had to go, as it would've been much easier finding a bondmate for him even in such odd circumstances that i have here. But i have to deal with what's left, and i'm still glad that Storm decided to not leave us.

I'm really worried about my aunt's care for her rabbits though, one of their kits had apparently managed to climb onto its siblings and out the small hole in the roof-she hadn't anticipated it, must've forgotten to close all extra holes. I'm now worried for the loose kit as it will most likely not survive if not caught, and they're so bothered by outdoor mosquitoes. I messaged my aunt for options that she could try to safely recapture that kit.
If Storm will find his match there, i would be really glad to offer one of their buns a secure home with the best of my care, it's sorta hard seeing them in that blasting heat with bugs and escapees and low-quality feed and all that, but they're not mine so nothing more i can do there...

Again, thank you for all the help and insight!
 
Thank you!

I will then use the advice, Storm's reactions and my guts to see for the best possible outcome. Well, if my dad gives me the green light, but i see no reason why he would really refuse. Hoping for the best.

Not good to say it, but i would've much rathered that Lümi were the one to stay alive, if either of them really had to go, as it would've been much easier finding a bondmate for him even in such odd circumstances that i have here. But i have to deal with what's left, and i'm still glad that Storm decided to not leave us.

I'm really worried about my aunt's care for her rabbits though, one of their kits had apparently managed to climb onto its siblings and out the small hole in the roof-she hadn't anticipated it, must've forgotten to close all extra holes. I'm now worried for the loose kit as it will most likely not survive if not caught, and they're so bothered by outdoor mosquitoes. I messaged my aunt for options that she could try to safely recapture that kit.
If Storm will find his match there, i would be really glad to offer one of their buns a secure home with the best of my care, it's sorta hard seeing them in that blasting heat with bugs and escapees and low-quality feed and all that, but they're not mine so nothing more i can do there...

Again, thank you for all the help and insight!
Thank you!

Finding a pre-neutered buck is impossible. Saw a rehomee post of a month ago, this adorable little dude, described as calm n friendly, 1.5y/o. They will usually remove posts of peeps that have already been rehomed. But it said clearly "not fixed". And said dude is located 200km away from us. No way dad will drive, better for himself and for Storm.

I am fully aware that my situation is quite the nutcase and different from a lot of the rest, but i am driven by the fact even more so. After all, if i have the pet, if i have gained the knowledge, might as well try my best and go all the possible ways out for them until i'm at the limit of improving their situation at any given moment. If one is keeping animals for whatever reason, pet or food, they better do it ethically, keeping them safe and healthy at all possible times, or not bother at all. A strong statement for sure, but that's what i believe in.
(Aunt had one escapee kit, last season, her hubby somehow caught the kit in a way that a patch of its skin n fur came off, poor fellow. They applied some ointment cream and called it a day. Somehow, the kit survived long enough to be some human's meal. Apparently they don't really care for the health of food rabbits.)
Well, if my dad gives me the green light, but i see no reason why he would really refuse. If he does seem skeptical still, even if he only has a bare bones vocab of english, he can surely see the walls of questions i've asked (and the trusty replies i got) regarding this case to ensure the safest way to this unique route of bettering Storm's life. So. Hoping for the best.
 
Oh, one more thing i forgot to ask.

Since we have a heatwave raging here, daily temps of 30-35+°C, would it have an effect on how Storm and the girl would react to eachother? Would the heat make them calmer, or more anxious? (It's risen to constantly 25°C inside and Storm has lost quite a bit of his vigor. Still finding ways to cool him that he would actually use, we have no ac at all. Do not have 800eur to get one during the prime season)
Of course, the heatwave's worst is forecasted for this week(when no progress besides my research will be happening), and i don't plan on letting the buns roast in the middle of the day for the dates.
 
They could be calmer and less engaged because of the heat. Though you don't necessarily want heat altering what their normal reaction would be. You want to see how they get along in normal circumstances. Plus you don't want them overheating if they do decide to react negatively and get agitated with each other despite being affected by the heat.
 
I got the green light!
We all had a talk and they agreed to at least give Storm a chance. I was so elated when they agreed that i teared up. I'm quite the emotional person.
Now i just have to wait until the worst of the heatwave is over to actually take action.
If we can negotiate with both (or either) of the breeders nearest to us (both 10-15km away in separate directions) sometime sooner - later (most likely next week) and have them be okay with the weird way of possibly buying a rabbit.
I could then further discuss with dad on how to create the portable xpen. It would take us roughly 40eur, way better and more customizable than what's avaliable in the store.
Waiting sucks so much but i know i have to take it slow to ensure that all would be perfect and that all parties involved would stay safe and cool.
 
Might have a chance tomorrow, we had rain in the evening so the air should be cooling out a bit. Going to get pen materials as well.

One question-if Storm does not find his first love in those two places, i think it might be okay with trying with the girl that had the best reaction with him?
(Aunt's kits are still a bit too young to try.) Or should we wait a few months after that and see if they have new rabbits? I don't see the worth in waiting for someone to post on an fb group that they're rehoming a girl, to go and visit them. Might get lucky when creating a post of my own, but any i've made thus far have been duds.

Second question-regarding the possible girl's spay. Dad told me that all fixes of pets in the strand of closest clinics are done by one vet who travels between those places, the same vet who, twi years ago, was so surprised seeing a 5.5kg rabbit and how cuddly and friendly he was.
She has done all of our neuters well, but i know that spays are more intrusive and i am just a bit skeptical of her based on the reaction she gave me back then. So i was thinking of calling to the receptionist and asking how often they do spays on rabbits. What would be a good enough number?
 
Well... So much for going on half-predates.
I've already briefly introduced the to-be bunmate over in the introductions section.
She seemed calm albeit a bit shocked that we showed up. Natural reaction, i think. She was placed in the carrier and oh boy did she raise a fuss. She dug the pad and hay into a mess. She must've really hated the considerably smaller space. Once home, she calmed down pretty fast. This morning when i was changing her water, she bumped me a lot and really wabted to get out. No could do at this stage.
One thing i was really pleasantly surprised to see over at her landlady's was that she didn't share a space with her two brothers or their mum, they all had their own areas in big cages. Outdoors, yes, but no wire floors, plenty of hay, and there were litterboxes in those things. I saw no bowl for pellets, and they had almost full bottles of water. She used it well so we gave her a bottle at home too. She cleared the big bottle within a day so i don't think she'll get dehydrated.
We'll be getting her a vet apptm. soon.
 

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