Worst Christmas present EVER (for a bunny)!!

[lovelops]

The bunnies of RO had wonderful Christmases - mine got a dig pool, others got toys, one got a new indoor hutch and any bunnies that didn't get actual presents still got lots of love!

One non-RO bunny, though, got the worst early Christmas present a bunny could get - on December 21st, Thumper's family surrendered him to the HSPCA "because he was too big." Seriously. This adorable rabbit (who's only a little over 7 lbs btw) got dumped at a shelter for nothing more than being "too big." I want to find those people and introduce them to my steel-toe girly sneakers >.>

I saw him on the website the other night and thought he was a cutie, so I met him today after taking my orientation class for the foster program. As part of the foster program, you get a t-shirt and have access to the non-public areas of the shelter like volunteers do. When I went to the back and read the papers on his cage, that's when I found out *why* he's at the shelter.

I'm munching on a late lunch, then putting hay and a blankie in a travel carrier and going back to the shelter to liberate him (and give him a better name)! Now I just have to hope Nala and Gaz will give him a chance, since he'll probably have to go back to the shelter if I can't bond them . At least if I do have to return him, I can write up a little bio for him that might help him get adopted.

Hi there, he reminds me of Brooke. Brooke was BIG and I think that is part of the reason that they set her loose in the street. What did the write up at the shelter exactly say about Thumper?

As you know, I would give it some time to get them bonded. But I don't have to tell you that..

I'm still working on Brooke and Lady and like I said before I won't even try anything with my original buns Chico and Chica... they are already terrified of Brooke since she is WHAT? So BIG!

Let me know if you can get them bonded or not. I might lose my mind and take Thumper in the future if you can't get them bonded. Who knows Brooke might like a male play mate especially since she is fixed and he would be someone her own size!!!! :mrsthumper:

Keep us posted!
Vanessa

 

[lovelops]

Good luck!

He is adorable. Some people just shouldn't own pets... Hopefully they bond! If not, I would suggest maybe trying to find him a home on your own? But definitely writing up a bio about him would help! Keep us posted.

Yeah and those are mostly what I have seen from working with my local rescue are the people who have like 10 kids and live in a one bedroom house...
No offense to anyone on the list...

I hope she can get them bonded. I think she would make a great bunny mommy for little Thumper!

 

[lovelops]

Yah for the lucky bun that will hopefully get to stay with you. he is gorgeous, love his color.

It's crazy anyone would dump a too big bun. Most of them seem to be the sweetest and calmest buns as he seems to be. Hopefully he'll be laid back enough that Nala and Gaz will not be able to have any problem with him.

You know, you are right. Brooke is the most laid back rabbit I have ever seen in my life. I think of her as my bunny dog. I throw empty toilet paper rolls for her and she fetches them and plays with them and throws them up in the air.
If you start running after her, she will turn around and chase YOU! she has such a great personality and when I tried to get a harness on her, she grunted at me! That was the first time any bunny I ever had GRUNTED at me! I just pick her up late at night and she goes to town eating the greens that Chico and Chica did not eat while they were in the hall way running around. For that I absolutely love her... she will eat ANYTHING... unlike the other three!

Vanessa

 

[JBun]

WOW!!! I never expected to see that you had added a permanent addition to your bunny clan. Hopefully your girls will take him in ok. He's even cuter in your pictures I can't wait to hear how it goes.

You may need to wait a few weeks before introducing him to the girls. They can still be pretty humpy for a few weeks after the neuter, but of course it all depends on the particular bun. Maybe he'll be an exception. I guess your plan to see how it goes with the 'calm' girl, will give you a good idea where he's at.

 

[Imbrium]

What did the write up at the shelter exactly say about Thumper?

Not much of anything, really, other than that he was surrendered for being too big and a ridiculously generic "bio" that wasn't noteworthy and didn't actually contain any information, heh.

You may need to wait a few weeks before introducing him to the girls. They can still be pretty humpy for a few weeks after the neuter, but of course it all depends on the particular bun. Maybe he'll be an exception. I guess your plan to see how it goes with the 'calm' girl, will give you a good idea where he's at.

I don't think Gaz will be too upset if he tries to hump her... he really doesn't seem hormonal at all, though. He's yet to try to hump anyone or anything. Definitely need him to get any humping out of his system before he meets Nala, though, even if I end up having to wait the full 6-8 weeks.

He's extremely calm and laid back. He's munching on some green leaf lettuce right now and Jay's playfully teasing him and telling him "eat that lettuce!" in a mocking voice.

 

[Sindri27]

Congrats on taking that wonderful bunny home! Unfortuntely I bet his family that dumped him off at the shelter are probably going to get another pet for their kids for Christmas who probably got bored of him. There are so many people out there like that. Some people just don't love animals like I do. I love his coloring. I am not sure what you should name him though. I agree he doesn't look like a Thumper. I really hope the bonding process goes well and he can stay.

 

[Imbrium]

Heh, yeah, I try not to think about that... I hate when people abandon a pet they made a commitment to just so they can get a newer/smaller/cuter/different pet!

 

[coxbrea151]

Congratulations on the new addition! He looks adorable, snd not extremely large either. Congrats, I hope that it goes well with the bonding process. Hopefully Nala will not teach him any new 'tricks'...

 

[Imbrium]

If those people truly did give him up for being too big, they'd probably wet themselves if they ever met a Flemish .

While he does weigh nearly as much as my girls combined, he weighs a lot less than either of our cats... and honestly, he seems pretty compact and muscular for his weight - unless I've *just* been holding Nala and go straight to handling him, he hardly seems bigger than my other two. Actually, I just measured him head-to-toe while he was in loaf position and he's 14'' long; that's only a couple inches longer than my girls. He's not even remotely close to qualifying as a "big" bunny.

 

[Chrisdoc]

I just love his colouring. Never understand people who can get rid of just like that. Their loss yours and his gain, lucky fellow. Hope u find the right name, I quite like Jack actually. Hope the girls take pity on him haha.

 

[Imbrium]

Found out the real reason he was surrendered. He was being a bit psychotic in his little x-pen again... I was kind of rolling my eyes and going about my business, assuming he was slamming the pen around 'cause he was demanding out. At some point, I turned around and caught him just as he was causing the banging-around noises... poor little guy was desperately trying to binky his butt off in there!

I felt so bad for him that I dropped everything to kick the cats out of the bathroom and hallway, move their food/water to the living room, clean up all the cat food they'd spilled (for the second or third time today), move the random lumber out of the hallway and set him up properly in the hallway and bathroom area. Once I got him in there, I used his x-pen to fence off the part of the bedroom where my desk is (and also the doorway to the hall) so he can come in here, too, because he doesn't like it when he can't be around his humans.

This bunny is like a tiny vegan cat. He does NOT like the cage thing, which is fine (at least, *we* think it's fine) because he has ridiculously good manners. He likes to follow me around the apartment and just generally feel included in whatever's going on. Sometimes he even comes up and licks my ankles while I'm standing there doing something. He doesn't even seem like the same *species* as my two little naughties!

So yeah, basically, the problem with his previous home is that he's the perfect house-bunn... but what they actually wanted was a hamster.

I still can't get over this bunn. I really, REALLY hope my girls don't end up ruining him! I don't expect him to be able to rehabilitate those naughties and that's fine by me - it wouldn't be the same if they weren't such terrors; I wouldn't trade my naughty, naughty girls for the world. I really want one of my three to be a real house-bunny, though >.>

 

[Aubrisita]

That is awesome! He sounds like a real sweetie and a dream bun. Fingers crossed that bonding works out well.....and that maybe some of his good behavior rubs off on the girls. XD

 

[Ape337]

That's so sweet! Ankle licker, lol!

 

[JBun]

He sounds like a total sweetheart. Welcome to the joys of having a boy bun They're often like this, just sweet little guys, instead of moody crazy girls

If he would be happy about being a free roaming bun, maybe you don't need to bond him with the girls, and he can just hang with you two, and the cats?. I would hate for the 'naughties' to ruin his sweet nature. And trust me, it can happen. Flopsy was the sweetest happiest boy.... until I bonded him with my big grump Dakota. He's still not as bad as her, but he's not the big sweetheart that he used to be. Of course if they get along and like each other, it would be a shame for him not to be with his bunny friends.