Bunny Swap

Well, all sorts of things have been going on in the warren in the last few weeks. Kristie, my first foster bunny "graduate" who went to live in Petco, is back with me. She was getting stressed out at the store (she'd been there for 6 mos., I think).

Greta, Kristie, and I went down to Indy on June 22nd for bunny dates. Harrison came along, too, and he went to a different foster home and I got Cinnabun to keep my big bun slot filled. Kristie was pretty cranky on the first date, so she was left alone for the 2nd date and the meeting with a potential adopter of a single bun. Greta did okay on the dates, but the first boy bun didn't really hit it off with the girl buns there. The adopter of a single bun, though, did pick her. I was going to hand her off to her new Mama that following Saturday. Kristie, Cinnabun, Greta, Jazmine (a bun for another woman in NW Indiana to foster), and I all came back home.

That following week, Greta stopped eating. We were at the vet every day getting X-rays and other tests done to see what the problem was. Unfortunately, her new Mama (a first time bunny owner) decided that she should probably choose another bun instead - Greta has a few other issues that might cause problems in the future. Poor Greta. She's pretty much back to normal now. I did get to learn how to give subcutaneous fluids, though, which was a goal of mine.

Then after work on July 3rd, I drove down to Indy to trade Cinnabun for Cassandra, another former foster bun of mine who has gotten into some trouble. She had bit a few of the volunteers at the Petco store where she was, and this last one nicked a blood vessel. So the decision was made to pull her from the store, and I brought her back home to live with me. She is a lot sweeter than she used to be, but she did nip me on my wrist when I was putting the refilled pellet bowl back into her pen. It didn't bleed, but it bruised right away.

I also took in 2 short-term foster buns because their old foster Mama had to take in a relative who needs surgery and there are allergies. Honey, a gray-ish agouti Dutch, is 11-12 years old, and I feel very honored to be caring for this matriarch of IHRS. She's finally starting to warm up to me - dried fruit treats really help, as do great butt scratches I give her. Joshua is the other bun I took in. He's a brown agouti and has upper respiratory issues at times. He's pretty sweet.

I certainly have no more room at the Bunny Inn!!!

Mama

News

Hi, everyone. A quick update before announcing a new permanent member of the warren.

Harrison escaped again yesterday, somehow getting the sheet that's covering his pen off enough to see the ceiling and know he could jump/climb out. I don't think he was out long (I was out doing errands) before I caught him in the kitchen and put him back into his house. He didn't seem any the worse for wear. He's finally off kennel rest, too, and he got to explore the upstairs play area Friday night. He mastered the stairs as quickly as Cassandra did!

Speaking of Cassandra, I guess she's trying to bite the Petco employees when they go into her hexiglass cage to clean and refresh her pellets, etc. She was cage possessive here, too, so hopefully she'll either calm down or the Petco employees will learn a few tricks. I hope she's not requested to leave the store.

I have a new foster rabbit, who I have named Rose. She's from the Porter County animal shelter. She's over 6 1/2 lbs., white with black spots/blotches, and possibly pregnant. I'm fostering her for the shelter and not the IHRS. She was brought in with another girl (who looked less fat, so either not as far along in her preg. or not preg. at all) and a young male. They were all together in the same carrier or box when they were brought to the shelter, hence the guess that they're pregnant. Rose was pulling some of her fur out yesterday, so I said I'd foster her so she'd be somewhere less stressful if she does deliver. I'll keep the blog posted on what's happening with her, and post some photos when I can.

Mama

Harrison's Boo Boo

Well, I came home Friday night and guess who wasn't in his pen? Yep, Harrison either scaled the wall of his prison or did the high jump. I think he made his escape shortly after I left for work, judging from how much salad was left in his pen.

Anyway, I was able to grab him pretty easily and put him back into his pen. (He's unneutered, and I was thankful he didn't get into Julia's pen and, well, have his way with her - she's neutered, but I don't want to deal with a false pregnancy.)

I noticed that he was limping, holding his left front foot up. We made the bunny ER trip (after hours call to my vet), and after a few really cool digital X-rays, it was determined that he had 2 hairline fractures of his radius and ulna near his elbow. And he has pasteurella, for his nose was oozing some green stuff and his forearms were icky from him wiping his nose with them.

Now I get to wrestle him to give him his antibiotics and pain meds while not putting too much pressure on him so I don't aggravate the leg. I've asked the head of the IHRS chapter if he could go to a different foster home, one with at least two sets of hands to restrain him better than I can by myself.

I so wish you could get them to understand that they have to take the medicine and that it's for their own good.

Mama

Harrison, aka "Spider Bun"

Okay, I know I should be happy that Harrison is feeling better and a lot more energetic. However, I finally got to see what all the noise is about when I'm in bed at night. Harrison stood on the second "rung" of the pen he lives in, putting his front paws over the top edge and resting his chin on the top as he looked around.

Now, has anyone out there had a rabbit that can scale a pen?! I haven't taken any precautions to keep him from leaping out, for I'm at a loss here. I can put some cardboard over the top of the pen to make a sort of roof, but I'd rather not do that.

I have seen kittens scale the bars at a shelter before, but I never thought a rabbit could do it. Harrison is definitely a special boy!

Mama

New Foster - Harrison

I drove down to Ft. Wayne last night to take in one of the 4 rabbits the IHRS pulled from a kill shelter there. All are big buns - 10+ lbs. - and I took the guy who seems a bit down on his luck. Harrison is a big, white guy, who is very underweight and has rough fur and some weepy eye discharge. He's got pink eyes - the first pink-eyed bun I've had at my place, and he has a very "old soul" look to him. I think he was kept in tough circumstances, crowded with other buns, and that they weren't given enough food and water. I think he was lower on the totem pole dominance-wise, so he probably got the least of everything.

He doesn't seem very perky or very aggressive, though hopefully he'll start showing some spunk when he fills out a little more. He's going to the vet on Friday, and he'll get a good going-over. We think he's a Flemish Giant (his ears are big and either floppy because of their size/his not able to control them well because of being week or (I think) that he's crossed with a lop and is sort of helicopter-lop-eared). I'm sure his personality will come out as he settles into foster care and realizes that he's on easy street.

Anyway, he's the poorer off of the 4 rescued (they were all in one hutch at the shelter), so he'll be able to relax and recover in my nice, quiet home, where the pellet bowl never empties and water is plentiful. Here's hoping there's not much wrong that clean conditions, good food, fresh water, and a little lovin' can't fix
:-)

Mama