Hello from Upstate/Central NY

[dustbunnyodoom.com]

Hi, my name is Rebecca, and Saturday marked the arrival of two new furry additions to my household.

First a little background on these guys. For the past 5 weeks or so leading up to Easter there was a portrait studio using/exploiting these guys. They had it rough, young kids pulling at them, screaming "hey bunnies", parents neglecting to watch their children around the cage, being forced out of their cage to take pictures when all they wanted to do was nap.

I would come in early to work to clean their cage and let them hop around in peace. I promised them a better life everyday I worked with them. I told them about my apartment and how quiet and kid free it was. They told me it sounded nice, but they couldn't really believe in such a place after all the stuff they were put through.

Saturday night rolled around marking their official retirement from the modeling world and they couldn't be happier. I brought them home and let them explore their new environment. They cautiously hopped around the apartment, met my boyfriend, helped him fix the cage, discussed new names, then binkyed their little hearts out.

This regal looking fellow is Sir Byron Bunnicula VonBunnington

This strapping young lad has not yet been given a new name, he'll let us know when we've chosen something suitable.

That is about all for now, I made a meet and greet appointment at the vet for Wednesday for them to be assessed.

I guess all I can say now is...the end

 

[hartleybun]

:wave:and welcome to you and your very handsome young buns. am i correct in thinking that they are a pair of rexes? or is it because i have two of my own, who have me so under their control, that i assume everybun is a rex.

well done you for giving them a home. i admire your restraint - those brats and their parents would have gotten a piece of my mind:nasty:

 

[dustbunnyodoom.com]

hartleybun wrote:

:wave:and welcome to you and your very handsome young buns. am i correct in thinking that they are a pair of rexes? or is it because i have two of my own, who have me so under their control, that i assume everybun is a rex.

well done you for giving them a home. i admire your restraint - those brats and their parents would have gotten a piece of my mind:nasty:

I'm actually not sure as to what breed they are. All I know is that were purchased from a pet shop.

As for my restraint, it came with a lot of conditions. If parents asked for bunny pictures I would ask them how there child was with animals, I insisted on a parent being on the floor in case of any altercations or on having another staff member assist with the shoot to keep grabby hands away from the bunny. I would also tell children my expectations for behavior with the rabbit and explain why we needed these rules. I educated parents on the correct way to pick up a rabbit. I did a lot of education with patrons and passerby as to proper care of rabbits.

I watched the cage like a hawk if I saw a child screwing around with the water bottle, shouting, or just being a plain jerk I would step in and nicely, but firmly tell them to stop and explain why. It actually worked most of the time, sometimes parents would see and apologize for their child's behavior and would become more vigilant of their child afterward.

A lot of the staff did care deeply for the safety and well being of the rabbits and took their own precautions as well. But still there were some incidents and ignorant people that just made my blood boil document.write('/images/emoticons/mad.gif');

.

Now whats done is done and all that is left to do is provide them the best life they could possibly have (oh, and to stop this from happening next year to any other bunnies)

 

[hartleybun]

:bunnydance:your vet should be able to tell you the breed or else someone else on the forum will!

at least they have found their perfect home. i have the same thing with the little girls in my girlguiding unit - or their parents at least when i hear they are getting their little darling a bunny:tantrum::banghead

 

[bransworld]

Welcome to RO. Your buns are cute and are lucky to have you in their lives.

 

[pla725]

Welcome. These two are lucky to have you as their protector. They look like mini-rexes to me.

 

[anneq]

Beautiful bunnys - welcome to the Forum, and thank you so much for adopting these guys -I know they'll have a wonderful home with you

 

[momof2buns]

Very beautiful bunnies! So glad they have a forever home with you. Welcome to RO!

 

[MikeScone]

Nice to see some more Central NY bunnies on RO.

The yet-to-be-named bunny looks an awful lot like a rex or minirex to me. Sir Byron doesn't look quite so rex-y.

 

[Flash]

Welcome fellow New Yorker! You did a wonderful thing by taking those bunnies home they are so pretty. Let us know how the vet appt goes.

 

[whaleyk98]

:yeahthat:
:welcome1 from a fellow NYer!

 

[dustbunnyodoom.com]

Wow, thanks everyone for the warm welcome.

On a side note, I was talking to a customer about the buns and she told me that there was another portrait studio (now closed) that used to have chicks and bunnies for easter photos. Apparently one of the employees there told her that each season they would lose 3 bunnies and at least 5 chicks due to rough children and mishandling.

It just bothers me that parents feed into this whole novelty without any consideration of what the animals have to go through. Some of them actually seem to love it. There was one patron telling her toddler "get him, get the bunny" encouraging the child to chase after the bunny. Needless to say I told the mom to shut it and ended the shoot quickly.

I don't even know where to begin with the fact that the pictures these people buy aren't going to be hung up and displayed for any period of time. They will be tossed aside soon after the easter season is over.
:soapbox


**takes deep breath**
Anyways, I figured I would give a quick update on the boys. It seems that Byron is now starting to mount the bunny yet to be named whenever I'm around. It definitely concerns me because I fear that it might lead to more aggressive behavior if not taken care of. Last night I noticed that if I gave Byron plenty of attention and pets he wouldn't go after the other one, however this morning Byron was pretty persistent despite being given loads of bunny love by me. Byron has also started marking...thank god I always keep vinegar in the pantry. I'm going to give their run area a good wipe down later before they come out for afternoon fun time.

Looking forward to seeing the vet tomorrow and scheduling their neuters

 

[hartleybun]

dustbunnyodoom.com wrote:

It seems that Byron is now starting to mount the bunny yet to be named whenever

Looking forward to seeing the vet tomorrow and scheduling their neuters

bless, just like his literary namesake:rofl:

 

[dustbunnyodoom.com]

Just came back from the vet where they got a clean bill of bunny health. The vet said it appears that the bunny yet to be named was neutered, however it wasn't done properly so he is still intact. I was given an estimate of roughly 250 dollars per bunny for the operation, blood work, and pain meds. I'm very happy to hear that they're both in such great health, however the operation costs are a bit beyond my budget and that particular vet doesn't offer payment plans.

So for now I'm going to call around to different animal organizations to see if they can help me out. I'll also call some of the other vets in the area that the house rabbit society recommends and see if I can get some approximate prices.

Now it's time for bunny and caretaker nap time.

 

[hartleybun]

:bunnydance:good news!

 

[MikeScone]

dustbunnyodoom.com wrote:

I was given an estimate of roughly 250 dollars per bunny for the operation, blood work, and pain meds.

I would call the Cornell exotic animal clinic in Ithaca - the last time I was up there I saw a sign saying they were doing neuters for under $100. It's part of the Vet School, and probably the best emergency resource for rabbits in Central NY.

The House Rabbit Society chapter in this area might also have some suggestions - check their website at http://www.therabbitresource.org/

 

[slavetoabunny]

It sounds like these retired Easter bunnies have found the perfect home with you. Welcome!!

 

[DeniseJP]

Welcome from upstate NY (near Rochester)!

Denise

 

[Blaze_Amita]

welcome welcome, more new yorkers! though i'm the east side of upstate. It's great to hear about 'easter' bunnies getting a good home. They do look like mini rexes, REW/BEW and a broken castor or opal or something like that.

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Love this picture! I am glad they found a home where they have a good bunny slave to take care of them!