joy_landlocked
New Member
i'm not exactly new to rabbits. i had several of them growing up, but i think i may need some help with this situation.
on sunday i got a call from my grandma, asking me to come pick up a rabbit from her place. she couldn't keep it because of her jealous, hyper little yorkie. someone else gave her the rabbit the night before. it was found wandering around a park in the middle of the night, scared but friendly.
so i went to pick up this rabbit. it just so happens that my little sister - a teenager, not a child - had been vaguely looking for a pet rabbit. in fact, i had just received a call on saturday from a local pet store, saying their breeder had brought in two baby bunnies, but i told them no thanks, because my sister wanted to wait and see if a rabbit somewhere "needed us". this seemed PERFECT. thanks universe!
however, when we got her home, we realized a couple things. one - she was covered with wood ticks, which, in the northern midwest in april, are not exactly in full force, so i'm assuming she must have been out for a while. while removing the ticks, my sister realized that her fur is coming out under her chin and neck. uh oh, right? possible sign of pregnancy? she's not nesting yet, just has very loose fur under there.
in all of my years of bringing home rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rats from questionable situations, i have NEVER brought home a pregnant animal. my parents have been very patient with me, but this might just drive my mother over the edge. i don't live with my parents any more, but my sister still does. i can't keep rabbits at my apartment because i have two crazy kittens and i feel like that could be disastrous. plus my apartment has limits.
also my mother has allergies, and this rabbit has that lovely really dense soft fur that would make her itch like crazy, so she can't live in the house. this is not a real problem, because right now she's in the garage (storage garage only, no cars, with a heater) in a makeshift cage composed of two Critter Nation cages back-to-back, wired together. that makes a 3'x4' square cage, plastic pan bottom, litter box, cardboard box with hay and shredded paper, food, water, one of those treat-kabob things with wood chews and mineral licks. she seems fine. there's also a portable metal pen for her to come out and run around while my sister does her homework after school, so she gets plenty of interaction, even though it has to be in the garage - which is quieter than the house, because of the dogs (terrier mix and dachshund).
i realize this has been kind of long, but i may need some support if it turns out she IS pregnant. i mean, what if the babies would be half-wild? is that possible? she was loose outside. i know the only way to really know for sure is to wait a month and see if babies happen, right? keep the cage clean and keep her fed?
anything else i should know right now?
thanks and i'm looking forward to being part of this forum. what a crazy adventure life can be.
on sunday i got a call from my grandma, asking me to come pick up a rabbit from her place. she couldn't keep it because of her jealous, hyper little yorkie. someone else gave her the rabbit the night before. it was found wandering around a park in the middle of the night, scared but friendly.
so i went to pick up this rabbit. it just so happens that my little sister - a teenager, not a child - had been vaguely looking for a pet rabbit. in fact, i had just received a call on saturday from a local pet store, saying their breeder had brought in two baby bunnies, but i told them no thanks, because my sister wanted to wait and see if a rabbit somewhere "needed us". this seemed PERFECT. thanks universe!
however, when we got her home, we realized a couple things. one - she was covered with wood ticks, which, in the northern midwest in april, are not exactly in full force, so i'm assuming she must have been out for a while. while removing the ticks, my sister realized that her fur is coming out under her chin and neck. uh oh, right? possible sign of pregnancy? she's not nesting yet, just has very loose fur under there.
in all of my years of bringing home rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rats from questionable situations, i have NEVER brought home a pregnant animal. my parents have been very patient with me, but this might just drive my mother over the edge. i don't live with my parents any more, but my sister still does. i can't keep rabbits at my apartment because i have two crazy kittens and i feel like that could be disastrous. plus my apartment has limits.
also my mother has allergies, and this rabbit has that lovely really dense soft fur that would make her itch like crazy, so she can't live in the house. this is not a real problem, because right now she's in the garage (storage garage only, no cars, with a heater) in a makeshift cage composed of two Critter Nation cages back-to-back, wired together. that makes a 3'x4' square cage, plastic pan bottom, litter box, cardboard box with hay and shredded paper, food, water, one of those treat-kabob things with wood chews and mineral licks. she seems fine. there's also a portable metal pen for her to come out and run around while my sister does her homework after school, so she gets plenty of interaction, even though it has to be in the garage - which is quieter than the house, because of the dogs (terrier mix and dachshund).
i realize this has been kind of long, but i may need some support if it turns out she IS pregnant. i mean, what if the babies would be half-wild? is that possible? she was loose outside. i know the only way to really know for sure is to wait a month and see if babies happen, right? keep the cage clean and keep her fed?
anything else i should know right now?
thanks and i'm looking forward to being part of this forum. what a crazy adventure life can be.
