Who here has adopted a rabbit or wants to talk about theirs?

[jcottonl02]

Hi Everyone

I was just wondering who else has adopted a rabbit from somewhere?

I adopted Benji, my beautiful lop rabbit, when he was a baby. He was abandoned on the doorstop of the vets I volunteer at, and he was quite ill, but we got him better and I took him home with me. He was the first rabbit I had ever had (im 16) and I'd never even held a rabbit before, but I just knew I wanted to give him a home. While we were waiting (he had to remain at the vets a few more days) my Dad built him the biggest, most beautiful hutch which is just outside the french windows, and I went out to pets at home and bought so much stuff; toys,food, hay, brush, treats, a big runetc. etc. He was a scared little guy when I brought him home, and I don't think he was given much love or anything by his previous owners (people who would abandon an ill rabbit are sick and I would maybe go as far as to say evil. If your baby was ill you wouldnt leave them somewhere??!! Cos thats what Benji is to me- part of me...like my baby), but (I adopted him in about november) since then we have bonded so much. I can't believe how much I love him, and I have got up before school every day to clean out his litter tray, feed him, see him and play with him. Much of my day is spent with him, and I try and put him in his run for as long as I can each day. He jerks and jumps while in his run quite often (the sign of a very happy rabbit, although before i knew this i was quite worried lol!) and runs up to me when i go out there. When I have him with me he sits there licking my face and hands and squidges up next to me on the sofa and closes his eyes.

I can't believe how much I love him and how much he has changed my life.

I am hoping to, when I leave for Uni in two years, to take him with me and make him a house bunny. There is no way I am leaving him behind- ic ouldn't, although my mum and dad love him and care for him too, so I know he would be looked after. Unfortunately he can't be a house bunny now becuase we have a puppy, but I make sure he comes into the house every day and gets lots of attention outside etc. and lots of toys and treats, and plenty of hours in his run chewing grass. Every day i walk home from school and I pick dock leaves and dandelions for him which he adores! Although people must think Im a botanist or something, walking home with flowers and leaves...:S

I was just wondering, does anybody else have any stories like this, or just want to tell me about their rabbit? No-one else I know has a rabbit (well, their family has rabbits but they dont seem very bonded with the rabbit themselves) and I would love someone to talk to about them.

Soz about the long message lol!

Jenny

 

[bat42072]

my frosty is not really adopted... i bought her from a feed store... she is a netherland dwarf... she is 1 1 year old ex breeder. her nails where over grown... i have 2 other rabbits that are 4 months old females... she has decided that she is their momma... she is very protective of them... we love her very much even if she is grumpy sometimes... i know she was ment for us to find...

--becky:angelandbunny:

 

[Pipp]

Lots of stories on the forum.

This is my post from a 'how did you get your rabbits' thread:

- Pipp - madea couple of panhandlers who had her on a dog leash on a busy corner in downtown vancouver an offer they didn't refuse -- $40.

- Radar - contacted a Vancouver rescue organization telling them I'd fostera bunny nobody else would take, they dropped offRadar and ran :biggrin: (although it turned out his only fault ishe's black and people don't adoptblack orwhite bunnies with pointy ears). The rescue shut down a week later, so I guessI adopted him by default, but I would have anyway. (Not a lot of personality, but he's as weetie).

- Dilland Darry- abandoned in smallbare wire cages in an unheated shed for close to a year, discovered by Aurora who brought them to me. They were unadoptable (Dill's a nipper, Darryhad some serious cage aggression issues, now gone) so I kept them here.

- Sherry - a foster from another local small animal rescue, SARS (never did find out anything more about her than that), she went behind my back and bonded with Dill, thus ensuring a home for life. (Smart bunny!)

And now I have Sekura and Sugar, two of the rabbits in the same shed(and in even worse conditions) as Dill and Darry. Aurora/Dawn(and I) kept thinking about them, and finally a year later shejust went and got them and brought them here. They are VERY happy bunnies!

sas

 

[iluvmybuns]

I have a little black holland lop named Petey.She is such a sweetheart! She follows me around and LOVES to snuggle with me! I've only had her for about a month now, I adopted her from my sister who could no longer take care of her (so she already knew me pretty well) Now she's my best buddy!!! I'm so glad I took her, as soon as she's spayed I'm going to take her to the shelter to meet a boy bunny to take home too! She has free run of my bedroom while I'm at work, when I get home I open the door and she comes out into the rest of my apartment. Very well litter trained and respectful of my carpet and molding (so far) She gets locked in her 3 story condo at "bedtime"which she now knows what that means. She's my little angel! I love her to death!!

Jules:bunnydance:

 

[jcottonl02]

aww they all sound adorable. I luv hearing about happy buns

 

[naturestee]

Well, my first bun Mocha was from a pet store. In the two years since then...

Loki- adopted from the local shelter to be Mocha's friend.

Fey and Sprite- pair of sisters who were advertised (very very cheap,too) in the local shopping paper. I went to check them out,and they were in absolutely horrid conditions, had malnutrition, bad poop problems, and were aggressive due to mistreatment. I paid for them immediately and brought them home the next day.Needless to say, they are happier, healthier, and more calm.Sprite is my avatar.

Oberon- technically still a foster, but I'm working on bonding him with Fey and Sprite. He was three hours away from euthanasia due to supposed aggression at a shelter when Angieluv called and saved his life. I offered to foster him as an emergency/excuse to get another bunny. He's fabulous and friendly, and even did a stint as a therapy bunny with developmentally disabled patients at Easter. So much for being aggressive.

 

[valleybelow]

I adopted my male rabbit Jack from the HouseRabbit Society. They took him out of the shelter after he was having a hard time there. Apparently he had been bonded with his brother in the shelter but then they started fighting and his brother was adopted. Jack's HRS foster mom told me that all Jack wanted was for somebody to be nice to him! He was so scared when we first got him but now it is so rewarding to see him much more relaxed and confident!

I can't resist... Here is a picture. He is on the right:

 

[jcottonl02]

aww. Naturestee and valley below that is so lovely to have given those rabbits such wonderful homes. Talking of the bonding business....I think Benji was bought by a family to be with another rabbit, and they didnt get on, so the family chose to abandon Benj...he had obviously had a fight witht teh rabbit or something,becuase his testicles were basically chewed off. Needless to say, we had him castrated and he's fine now. Although I can't imagine Benji ever starting a fight.....it must have been the other rabbit- the most Benji has done is growled and nudged me slightly. Never bitten or scratched or anything.
I can't believe that those people kept ur rabbits in such horrific conditions! They must be....sick in the head i think.

 

[naturestee]

Yeah, some people are plain brainless, and they just don't care. Benji's first family, was he bought to be a friend for another intact (not neutered) boy? Because two intact boys are pretty much guaranteed to fight. Neutered boys stand a chance together but can be difficult, boys and girls tend to get along well.

 

[tundrakatiebean]

I adopted Wash from a lady in Anchorage who is running her own bunny rescue center. She has around 30 buns in her backyard and she took me around to look at all her buns - she even had a litter of babies! She had this big dog cage with 4 buns in it, 3 were gray and white and 1 was brown an white and she said she thought these would make really good indoor buns so she took them inside, sat me down on the floor and let them run around. The brown and white bun just hopped on over, sniffed me out, climbed into my lap and gave me a kiss right on the nose! I knew he was the one for me

 

[jcottonl02]

Yeah- I think Benji was partnered with another male who wasn't castrated, perhaps as a replacment for one that had died or just to be mates...I don't know. I don't know anything about him at all, but got him vaccinated etc. for everything becuase I (and the vets) didn't think that someone who would abandon a baby, ill rabbit would have vaccinated him. I don't even know how old he is...but the vets have estimated about...half a year to a year old- not ver yold....I just call the day I adopted him his birthday, as I want something to celebrate, and I dont know his real birthday.
Tundrakatiebean- thats a lovely story. I had no idea so many people bought bunnies from rescue centres etc. for some reason I assumed most bunnies were bought from places like pets at home. Benji was....becuase he was abandoned in a pets at home box with some old straw.
I think its lovely that people adopt them...If was ever to get a friend for Benji I would definately adopt one from a rescue centre. BTW ur bunny looks absolutely gorgeous. such a sweetie

 

[Rusty]

rusty is my first rabbit. i doubt ill ever get to have another one because i feel like hes my soul mate.

anyways i used to work at petcetera. a terrible company but thought i should work there to make the animals a lot happier than what they were. well when i left, i decided to pop in and take a look at the rabbits. i looked at some of the rabbits and they just didnt appeal tome. although they were all adorable. so i went to the back of the store where they had more animals and i saw rusty. he had no water, no food,his cage was dirty, and he was in a really small glass tank. i opened the cage when no one was looking and he sniffed me and just went back to sitting there depressed looking. and i just felt this connection when he looked at me. and i wanted him so bad. so my parents let me take him.

that day when i brought him home i put him in his cage and he just laid down and stretched. and i gave him an apple and he devoured it, and started licking my fingers. and thats how we first really bonded.

ever since then i havent had one good night's sleep because of him. he wakes me up, scratches my feet until i pet him, and when i ignore him he crawls up on my chest and sleeps. so at least when i cant sleep i get a good cuddling lol.

thats my story about rusty


and by the way, my profile picture was taken the day after i got him.

 

[jcottonl02]

wow- he is gorgeous. I dont think iv ever seen a rabbit quite like him. Thats wonderful- i agree with you-some people see rabbits and pets as 'things' and just one after another, but I want benji to live for as long as me, so i can be with him forever. I love his personality and i feel like he is my soul mate,my baby and my best friend.

 

[Becknutt]

My Floppy was a rescue of a differant sort. He was sold by a local pet shop to my neighbor as a "feeder bunny" because he was born with a deformity. One of his back legs is crooked. He lived for 3 days with the giant snake in his cage and "luckily" the snake was ill and did not eat him. The neighbor then asked Robert over the bac fence if he could borrow our hammer to "take care of" the bunny since the snake didn't eat him. I had never owned a rabbit before but there is no way I could let that happen to any animal!! So here he is nearly a year later and spoiled rotton...

You can see how is one leg is sideways, but it doesn't slow him down a bit! He believes he is perfect just the way he is and has no idea he is not the average bunny.

This is when we first got him as a baby

Biscuit was his surrogate Mama, grooming him.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Oh Becknutt, I had NO IDEA about Floppy's story! That is horrible! Poor, poor thing. Can you imagine what was going through his head? I cannot, just awful. I hope you gave that neighbor a peice of your mind,I would have. I'm so glad you had the chance to save the poor dear, that's wonderful:great:!

My first one, now deceased:saddened, I got at a pet store right near where I worked. He lived to be 6 years old. He was quite a character!

Then I adopted Angel from the Indiana HRS. She is the most beautiful, loving girl ever. She will be 7 in July. She recently had a tumor removed and thank goodness I found it when I did because the biopsy showed it was mammary cancer. She's doing great now, like it never happened:bow.

Snuffles I got late last year from a co-worker of my husband's. His daughter is now 14 and doing a lot of school activities and hanging with friends and lost interest in him.Her dad (my husband's coworker) sent us a pic of him, and that's all it took. Although, I was told he was a she. I knew the likely hood of bonding was very minimal as Angel is quite territorial, but that was ok. I got out there and flopped him on his back to check things over and uh, no, he's a boy! I had him neutered and litter trained him-he's a great rabbit with a strange personality:craziness! I love him very much!

 

[Aviebunnie]

I adopted Ava from a Rabbit Rescue. She was actuallyplaced at our local Pet smart by the adoption placehoping to be more noticed,and I was planning on getting a bunny for FFA because I need a certain amount of hours.Then I went to get something for our dogs and I saw her, all black lop ear mix. (I must say I'm a sucker for those floppy ears)It was love at first sight. She was so darling, and walked up to me when I went over to her cage. I'm 16 also. I've learned to love that bunny soo much. I had no idea rabbits had so much personality. Shes definately got attitude but were learning to get along. I was so amazed at how good she was with her litter box. Originally I had bought a cage that was much too small but luckily one of my friends cousins was giving away her cage that was much bigger. and I returned the other one. Avie get out everyday to play in her x-pen and sometimes i let her roam around the house. Especially when my mom doesnt want a big pen in the middle of the living room. (lol) I never knew I would get so attached.One of my dogs loves her. She sniffs her and has tried to play but I try and discourage it because I dont want Ava to get too spooked. Their about the same size, but I'm not sure if what my dog thinks is play is the same thing as what Ava thinks is play. I'm glad i chose to adopt. She had been born at the shelter and lived their for 6 months.This is the first home she's had, and the last. She's not completely comfortable with me yet, Ive only had her for 3 weeks today. But she seems to be gaining more and more trust in me daily. How long did it take for your bunnies to warm up to you?

~nikki~

 

[jcottonl02]

Omg Becknutt that story nearly made me cry- reminded me of charlotte's web for some reason too.
I cant believe someone would do that just because the poor little thing had a back leg different to others. Grr makes me mad.
Thats so lovely of you to take him.
Aviebunnie- I know exactly what you mean- I've never owned a rabbit before Benny, and I never knew either that they could have such characters. Every one is completely unique and a person, but some people just dont realise that.
Jenny