Rescue Bunny 911

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

I picked up a bun at auction last weekend....thinking that he'll just have a nice, spoiled forever home at our farm. He was listed as a French Angora Buck, but his coloring doesn't match...not that he's going to be part of my breeding program, but just because I don't like when people label things without knowing if they're correct or not. He's still a cute little thing.

I got him home and realized what poor shape he was actually in! Fur matted down to the skin so tightly that I can't even get my clippers under it to shave him...nails that were almost 2 inches long! This rabbit has NEVER BEEN GROOMED OR CARED FOR...and that breaks my heart.

I've worked on him with small scissors for the past week and have managed to get him partially shaved down, and now he's a completely different rabbit....he's aggressive and mean and just nasty....although I don't blame him, the poor thing has never been socialized.

I'm just worried for him and don't know what else to do...he's getting vitamins in his water and I'm offering fresh fruits and veggies daily, along with trying to pet him and show him that my hand is the bearer of love and food.

I guess I just need some words of encouragement.

The first picture is the first night he was here.
The second is from yesterday.

 

[ChocoClover]

Oh the poor lil bun. Why anyone would do that to such a sweet kind of animal (or any animal at all) is beyond me.

I pray that he will be okay. He looks like he's going to be a tough case, but I'm sure you'll be able to get him groomed, healthy, and happy soon. You're really being his hero in taking him on.

 

[whiskylollipop]

Ohh, poor baby! He's so lucky to have ended up with you. He must've hated being groomed so much since he's not used to being handled that way. I'm sure he'll come round and realise he's actually in good hands now.

 

[Azerane]

Given that his fur was so matted before, he probably wasn't showing aggressive behaviour because it may have hurt to move a lot. Give it time, he's probably experiencing a whole lot of new things that are scary to a bunny rabbit. Give him time, and take it slow and I'm sure he'll come around.

 

[surf_storm]

New sights smells and noises oh and being naked, I think I would be grumpy too lol. now he is in a happy safe home he should settle down soon

 

[HototMama]

i hate small animal auctions. i got some chickens at the last one and they brought something into my coop that killed all of my other chickens! i will never buy animals from there again.

 

[squidpop]

He reminds me of my Jersey Woolies. Since the first thing you had to do was shave (with scary shavers) and pull and pluck and groom, he probably is pretty grumpy towards you. Now that you have his coat under control you can start all over again with treats and cuddles and hopefully he will warm up over time.

With some of my rabbits, I've taken them out and fed them pellets everyday by hand instead of feeding them pellets in a cage in a bowl. That seems to tame them up fairly quickly.

Also, not sure how old he is but if he is a young buck that hasn't been desexed he could be going through that stage where they get more territorial and aggressive, on top of everything else.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

i hate small animal auctions. i got some chickens at the last one and they brought something into my coop that killed all of my other chickens! i will never buy animals from there again.

As a rule of thumb I quarantine ANYTHING that comes home with me from auction for a minimum of 30 days...some things, like MG take up to 20 days to show up, and on top of being exposed to every other bird at the auction, stress can take a healthy bird and compromise it to the point that it picks up something due to the stress alone.

I'm sorry that happened to you....I'm NPIP/AI certified now, so I can't buy chickens unless they come from another NPIP farm, so that helps to keep me from buying things when I'm there

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

He reminds me of my Jersey Woolies. Since the first thing you had to do was shave (with scary shavers) and pull and pluck and groom, he probably is pretty grumpy towards you. Now that you have his coat under control you can start all over again with treats and cuddles and hopefully he will warm up over time.

With some of my rabbits, I've taken them out and fed them pellets everyday by hand instead of feeding them pellets in a cage in a bowl. That seems to tame them up fairly quickly.

Also, not sure how old he is but if he is a young buck that hasn't been desexed he could be going through that stage where they get more territorial and aggressive, on top of everything else.

I was wondering if he could be a jersey wooly who was sold as an angora....but from my SOP it's saying JW ears shouldn't be longer than 2.5" and his ears are much longer than that...I guess time will tell though.

 

[ChocoClover]

He could be a mix of jw and something with long ears.

 

[squidpop]

You'll probably be able to tell if its a Jersey Wooly by size- if he doesn't grow larger than 4.5 lbs I would think he's a Jersey Wooly. Most Angoras are usually 7 lbs or larger. The Jersey Woolies that are bred for show have smaller ears but if they are from pet lines they can have larger ears.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Poor little mite, at least he looks miles better now. Patience is definitely a virtue with bunnies. I am sure that once he realises you are a nice human bearing treats, he will come round. Hope to see more pics and can't wait to see him with his proper coat.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

I need to weigh him and see. He had the wool and guard hairs or an angora and his face as well as ear position looks like my Frenchies.

 

[fannymanson]

Be sure to handle him daily, make it pleasant for him. He will surely come around in time. You have a big heart for taking on the challenge, he will pay you back with love and snuggles!

 

[foxhound]

So there's a pet store that has a lil Jersey wooly that's not in the best of shape. He has a cold and has been treated for the past month with albon water is what they told me. He seems to have mucus around his eyes and when I picked him up to examine him he looked like he had a uti. His urine seems to be fine but his private are looks swollen red and a lil bit bloody like it was really irritated. His coat doesn't look too bad and he is the size of my palm. He is aggressive and scared of everything but I don't blame him. Because they aren't planning on selling or adopting him they are willing to hand him over to me, away from shopers and into a calm and bunny friendly environment. This rabbit will be housed separate from my Lilith for the time being. I hope I can improve his health and lifestyle and possible get him ready for a loving family, that's if I dont fall in love with him. I'm def nervous on fostering this rabbit so if anyone has any suggestions as well I am all ears. It seems that both our rescues are similar so I decided to post here as I read through the responses.