Tender Juicy Floppy Leg's brush with death

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Becknutt

Becknutt

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Joined
Jun 1, 2006
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Location
Quail Valley, California, USA
I recently adopted my first bunny, his name is Tender Juicy Floppy Leg, Floppy for short. I don't know how many of you bun lovers out there are from California but there is a commercial airing right now for the San Diego Zoo Lion Camp and it's a Zebra teasing a lion by saying it has a tender juicy floppy leg and this name was fitting for our bunny because he has a crooked back leg. It is fully functional and doesn't slow him down one bit. I do not know what in his past caused the ailment but the vet seems to think he can live a long healthy life as is. Floppy came to me from my next door neighbor who purchased him at a pet store as a "feeder rabbit" for his snake. They chose him because of his leg and thought that no one would want him as a pet because of the defect. Well after living 4 days in the snake cage without being eaten my neighbor decided he was going to"get rid" of the bunny. I've never owned a rabbit before but there is no way I could let him kill such a sweet little animal. He did not choose for his life to turn out this way! So needless to say we became bunny people really fast. He is a wonderful addition to the home and gets along great with my cats. He loves to steal their toys! I came accross this forum when I was looking to find out what breed he might be and the helpful mods in "the rabbitry" helped me determine he is probubly a mini-rex mix. Here are some updated pics and video.

KIF_0772.jpg


The evil creature next door.

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His floppy leg.

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His new home sweet home in the garden.

Links to video:

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/becknutt/?action=view&current=KIF_0774AVI.flv

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/becknutt/?action=view&current=KIF_0773AVI.flv
 
He is growing so fast! My little baby bun bun is twice the size he was a month ago andhe is getting cuter everyday! He seems like all he does is eat. I have been rationing his portions, he gets 1/4 cup of pellets in the morning along with some mixed greens and a few pieces of dried fruit in the afternoon. He doesn't seem to like carrots much. He also has an unlimited supply of timothy hay. Sometimes if he eats all his pellets, I'll give him a little more in the evening. He also snacks on my garden plants during the day...am I feeding him too much?




 
I must say I love his name :D What a cutie pie! :inlove:
 
I personally don't like snakes that size.. they freak me out! But I love the little gartener (sp?) ones in my yard (maybe because they only eat bugs? hmm?). What luck that the snake didn't eat the bun!

He is so cute! What a handsome little guy :). He seems very happy! :D
 
You're a true hero for saving him!!
It's cruel to even consider rabbits purposely sold as pets as a "feeder rabbit."
In fact, in some areas, it's ILLEGAL to use rabbits sold as "pets" as snake food.
 
It should be illegal here! I don't know how the shop owner can sleep at night. It's a reptile store and after we got the bun I went in to talk to them and see if I could find out any info on breed/age/etc. and the guy pretty much told me"it's a rabbit." He did say they sell more of them as pets than as food but its still unsettling to me. Poor Floppy was targeted as food because of his leg. I think that is why he is such a sweetheart. He knows he was almost a meal. He fits right into my zoo. I have a dog who is scared of her own shadow, a cat that thinks she's a dog, and another cat that drools. It's only been a month and I can't imagine life without him.First thing every morning when I go out to feed him, helooks forward to his nose rubs and meets me at the door to his cage.It makes me want to go back and buy all the bunnys in the store!! But my home is already full. Gotta get a bigger house....lol. :DI'm guessing he is about 3 months old now.

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Becknutt wrote:
He is growing so fast! My little baby bun bun is twice the size he was a month ago andhe is getting cuter everyday! He seems like all he does is eat. I have been rationing his portions, he gets 1/4 cup of pellets in the morning along with some mixed greens and a few pieces of dried fruit in the afternoon. He doesn't seem to like carrots much. He also has an unlimited supply of timothy hay. Sometimes if he eats all his pellets, I'll give him a little more in the evening. He also snacks on my garden plants during the day...am I feeding him too much?
Click to expand...
I love TJFL! Just as an FYI, rabbits need unlimited pellets until they are about 8 months of age:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies


 
How horrible. I have not heard of such a thing as a store selling a bunnyfor the purpose ofsnake food! I have heard/readthat some individualsbought rabbits tofeed snakes , but a pet store! :mad: They sink to a new low! How could anyone even want to feed a bunny to a snake?

I had to chew out a pet store a few months back because they had taken a bonded pair from a family who no longer wanted their "Easter" bunny. They had the buns in separate "cages" and theywere obviously depressed. I told them they had to sell them as a pair. I gave them a long lecture about feeding themhay. The "cages"werejust an aquariums with news paper and two crocks. One had dirty water the other "treats." So I gave them a nice long lesson on bunny care. I would like to think it made a difference. I would have taken them myself, but I have no roomfor more currently. My vet actually made a storepull some of their Timothy hay off the shelf and feed it to the bunny's and take all the junk treats out of their cage.

I get so mad at pet stores for not caring enough to learn about the animals that they sell. Not like the poor teenagers that work there really have a say in things so I made sure I spoke directly with the manager.:(

Now I am off my soap box!

I do like the name...thank heavens that floppy was spared!
 
I don't know if there are posts here on "physically challenged" buns but a friend of mine had to have the right rear leg of one of hers amputated at the hip, i believe due to infection. He lived a long happy life & got around as well & as fast on 3 legs as 4, including jumping up on the couch!
 
This baby does not even know he is differant than any other rabbit. He hops arround and binkys constantly. And let me tell you he is QUICK when he doesn't want to be cought. The vet informed me he can live a long healthy life as is with no surgery. They could try to fix it but then there are risks such as infection after a surgery so we decided to leave him as god made him. He has full use of the leg.

As for pet stores, I believe the owners, managers and employees should have to take a class or something on basic animal care before they begin selling them. It's outrageous for them to keep any animal cooped up in an aquarium all alone without proper care and food! I've always been an animal lover and can't imagine mistreating any living thing. I adopted a kitten a number of years ago that my boyfriend at the time found in the dumpster behind his office. He went to take the garbage out and heard faint meowing coming from the bin so he climbed in and began throwing out trash until he found a 6 week old kitten with two broken legs at the bottom. Someone actually threw a cat in the trash! We still do not know if they threw her away because she was injured or if she got injured in the process but one thing is for sure, she was way to small to get in there on her own.I swear I would adopt every mistreated or stray animal in the world if I could!!!

I have been looking online and trying to find a video of the commercial that we got the name from but I have yet to find it. When I do, I will share it with you all. Thanks for all your support and advice. :colors:
 
Becknutt wrote:
I don't know of a way to delete posts, but I'm pretty new here so there may be a way and I just don't know it!
Click to expand...

Fixed it! :)
 
I would suggest that anyone who notices maltreatment of animals in pet stores should talk to the manager, if they feel up to it. It may help to appeal to his/hers own self-interest in keeping the animals healthy. Joining campaigns to discourage traffic in bunnies as Easter gifts also helps:

http://www.rabbit.org/easter/flyer/index.html
 
Well its been 105-107 degrees every day out here now and Floppy Bun Bun doesn't much like it! We have hooked him up with a misting system around his enclosure to keep him cool when he has to be outside. Mostly it gives me an excuse to keep him in the house with me. He absolutely loves to play with ice cubes and his favorite is frozen water bottles. He's getting used to his harness and leash and looks forward to his evening stroll out front in the grass. Unfortunately one of our neighbors has a dog they like to leave outside unattended and I'm so afraid of him chasing the rabbit but so far so good.

harness.jpg


Stylish, isn't it?

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What treat have you brought me?

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One big happy family!


 
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