Rabbit Dumped In My Garden!!

[Jess23]

Hi There,

I inadvertantly acquired a bunny a few weeks ago. Came home from work one day and a tiny fluffy bunny was sat in the corner of the garden soaked to the skin (i think it had a dunk in the pond!) and freezing cold as it was very unpleasant weather. Thank god i noticed it before i let the dogs out as they'd have made short work of it!!!! Cant believe people can be so stupid as to just dump a rabbit like that....I've not had a rabbit since i was a child and that one was vicious, used to bite and kick and scratch, so i was a bit dubious about picking this one up, but it was very friendly and grateful for the attention I think.

I had nowhere to put it unfortunately so took it in and put it in a spare fishtank until I could get to the pet shop the next day to buy a cage (i have since been given an outdoor hutch so its in better accommodation now, dont worry!!lol) and its been really friendly, although rather skinny and in need of grooming.

Anyway, knocked on some doors to see if anyone had lost a bunny and I think i found the culprit :confused2: The people directly behind me (we're attached by my garden fence) who I know for a fact have rabbits as i've seen the hutches vehemently denied ever owning rabbits or any pets and that they had no idea where it had come from. Interestingly, my pond is right next to our shared fence, I think they dropped it straight over the fence (probably when the spoilt bratty little kids got bored) and it went directly into the pond!! No idea how it got out, can they climb?? :?

Anyway, been trying to give it away but no one wants it :confused2: And i've got rather attached so I think its staying now. Considering all its been through being dumped like that, its such a sweetie

It has no name, but im told its a girl! Here's some pictures, quite cute i think!!

Sorry for the big long introduction, but as you can probably tell im not a rabbit person! :lookaround So any advice is welcome. I have it on woodshavings bedding that i use for my horses, with timothy hay, and some rabbit food from pets at home as well as fruit and veg... Thats just what a friend told me so if anythings wrong do let me know. The bunny still needs to gain some weight so any help would be appreciated

Thanks!!



P.S. To show just how clueless I am, I thought it was a guinea pig for about a week before a friend who keeps rabbits told me otherwise :biggrin2:

 

[countrybuns]

She is quite adorable! Good for you for taking her in and decidimg to keep her. It is very sad that people can bring a pet into their home and than just let it loose when they are bored with it.

What type of shavings are you using? Pine and cedar are not reccomended for rabbits as they can cause breathing issues. Also I would totally reccomend checking out the rabbit safe food lists here to make sure you are feeding the right kind of fruits and veggies for example: ice burg lettuce is bad..romaine good. You are doing a great job so far!

 

[pla725]

You have a Lionhead rabbit. Sometimes I wonder about people. Anyway she seems to be in good hands now. Perhaps you should take to a vet to have her check over.

 

[Jess23]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated!

I did take her to the vet the day after i found her as i was concerned she might have got sick from being cold and wet! But the vet said other than being thin and a bit matted (i cut the mats out) she was in decent condition, lungs and heart sounded good and he vaccinated her as a precaution as apparently bunnies need vaccinating?? lol

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Let me welcome you to Rabbits Online, my name is Dave and I am a moderator on the forum. So if I can be of any help please let me know. This is a terrific website for rabbits and their slaves, not only is it very active but also friendly. I am so glad you’re here and I know you will enjoy it.

I am glad she found you. For bedding avoid pine or cedar. Pine can be used, but it must be kiln dried, meaning all the toxic oils are backed out of it. A good pellet food with no pieces of corn or other colorful bits will be good for it. Dark green veggies, romaine, green lettuce, red leaf lettuce, parsleyare ok. Introduce them slowly, rabbits have very sensitive digestive systems. Craisins and banana chips are the treats favored by most rabbits, give sparingly. I give my rabbits unlimited access to hay, sometimes I put it in toilet paper tubes. For toys you can use things like baby keys, or baby stacking cups, plastic slinky's. Cardboard boxes for the bun to chew on.

Many bunny's recommend their slaves to this site so we may learn of others methods to keeping our furry masters happy.

If you everhave a sick bunny, please post in The Infirmary and include your rabbit's age, breed and health history as well diet and output details leading up to the problem.

I have listed some links I thought you might find interesting:

*For reference the Library section

*To brag or tell everyone about the antics of your bunny or just to talk about your day here is where to start a Bunny Blog, you can also look back at it later and remember when you had a life before your bunny.

*Now all the bunny’s like talk to each other when we mere slaves aren’t around in the Bunny Chat is the spot to be.

*Rabbits Online also has regional forums , this a good way to find a vet in your area that has experience with rabbits and to find out from other nearby of good sources of rabbit supplies.

The Let Your Hare Down section is for anything non-bunny related.

Here is a link tothat will help you and your bunny to connect, How To Bond With Your Bunny.

Now every forum has rules and ours can be found with this link Rabbits Online Forum Rules. This gives guidelines on what is acceptable, what is not and how we hope everyone will treat each other.

Everyone on this forum loves to see pictures of each other’s bunnies. So if you would like to post a picture this link will help you do that, Upload Photo's to Photo Gallery. Then in the post, you click on the "G" in the tool bar to insert your photo. Many people also use Photobucket. You just copy the img file and paste it into the post.

I am glad you have joined rabbits online and I look forward to seeing you around.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Hello and welcome to RO...I found a bunny in our front yard that belonged to a neighbor behind us--had seen it in their yard. Of course it wasn't theirs and they never had any--could still see the hutch from our bedroom. Their loss as she was a sweet little girl. Looks like your the slave to a very cute little bunny, good luck.

 

[mistyjr]

It's a cute Lionhead.. I raise Lionheads my self. They are the cutiest and loving buns... Congrats on saving her life. She would have drowned or get eatting by other animals.

 

[peapoo_bunny]

welcome to RO.. she is very cute! ive always loved lionheads.. maybe one day ill get one! haha.. cant wait to see more of this girl.. does she have a name now? or a blog?

 

[MikeScone]

Jess23 wrote:

he vaccinated her as a precaution as apparently bunnies need vaccinating?? lol

They do in countries where Myxomatosis and Viral Hemorrhagic Disease (VHD) are a problem - like the UK where you live. Luckily, here in the States we don't have to vaccinate rabbits.

 

[Momto3boys]

Wow their loss is definately your gain

She is absolutely adorable and it sounds like she had a rough start.

Now she needs a name, haha and welcome to RO, you will love it here, it's a great forum!

 

[Jaded]

Welcome to Rabbits Online!

 

[Flash Gordon]

hehe a guinea pig..that made me giggle..Welcome aboard!.what a cute little trespasser.....advice u need? we got plenty of that here...