Hi from Knoxville, TN

[EdieRabbit]

Hello,

I am a new member here from Knoxville, TN. I "rescued" a bunny from my neighbors. The couple divorced and the wife moved out of the house and left her in a pen in the backyard without food or water mid July. My husband and I snuck to feed and water her every night for a week until the husband came home one evening and I convinced himto let us take her. I think the wife was hoping that he would take care of her, but he wasn't doing anything for her.

She now lives in adeluxe Marshall playpen in our garage and, although she is a bit timid, she seems to be doing well. We named her Edie Rabbit (for a while we thought she was a boy and called her Eddie Rabbit...Edie suits her well...she LOVES to eat!) I found this board because she started losing a LOT of hair and I was trying to find out if this was normal...thank goodness, I learned that she is just molting. I've been reading lots of posts and trying to learn more about how better to care for her.

Edieis a big white bunny with a few little black spots and a very large dewlap. I don't know how old she is or if she has been spay. The neighbor said she is 8, but another neighbor said that he found her in someone's backyard 2 years ago, so I don't know how he would know how old she is. Plus I don't think she would have lived to be 8, given the conditions they had her living in. She is pretty good about using herlitter box, at least with number 1...number 2 still eludes her from time to time, though.

She plows over our three cats that are scared of her (she could care less about them, since she is bigger than they are).She is really cute. I wish I could get her to trust me more, but I guess that will take time. My guess is that she was ignored and mishandled when they did pay her any attention. She HATES being picked up...she just shakes and shakes and I feel so badly for her. I would like to post a few jpeg pics of her, but can't figure out how. If someone could help me out with that, I would really appreciate it.:biggrin2:


Here are Edie's Modeling Session Photos....

 

[myLoki]

Hello and welcome!!! :biggrin2: I can't wait to see some pictures of your bunnies. We're ga ga for pictures around here.

In order to post pictures on the forum, you will need to have an external photohosting account like photobucket, imageshack, etc. Once you upload your pictures, you can use the IMG link and paste here. The pictures will show up as soon as you submit the posting. I hope I wasn't too confusing.


t.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

What an angel you are for rescuing her! I know how you feel about the shaking if you hold her. Clover is like that. I try to keep things at a minimum for her - nails, grooming, etc.

There was a recent thread about bonding. Try some of those things with her. She might really come around after she knows you aren't going to hurt her. I truly believe that Letting them socialize with you on their own terms builds the trust that they lack in these situations.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=28950&forum_id=48

I hope you can get those photos on! I'd love to see her. Let us know if you need help.

 

[cheryl]

Hi thereand welcome

That was really wonderful of you offer the little girl a home,i'm sure she will be forever grateful for that

I'm looking forward to hearing more about Edie

Cheryl

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Welcome to the board. Can't wait to see pics of the cutie.

 

[EdieRabbit]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the warm welcome! I will get some pictures of Edie on the boards tonight! She really is a very pretty bunny.

 

[Michaela]

Welcome to the forum!! :wave:

 

[lemonaxis]

Hi Welcome to RO! Its great Edie has such a good appetite! Lovely pics too.

 

[EdieRabbit]

Thank you guys for such a nice reception to the forum. I was just wondering if anyone can tell me a bit more about my bunny....

1. What breed is Edie?

2. Doesher dewlap look abnormally big? Is that an indication that she is overweight? (I worry that I'm feeding her too much)

3. Is there anyway thatI can find out how old she is?

4.Can avet tell me if she has been spay without operating on her? How old is too old to spay a bunny?

5. Is it bad to feed bunny's apples? She LOVES apples...

I think that is all the questions I have for now. Thanks in advance for your replies!

: ) Sandy

 

[lemonaxis]

Well I am going to let the more experienced members answer most of those but as far as apples go, they are high in sugar and should be considered a treat I believe. Apple seeds are considered poisonous for rabbits.
My bun Jazz LOVES apples and I give her a slice most days but her main diet is pellets and hay. If giving bun apples try make sure Edie is drinking lots of water to counter act any high sugar intake.

If you do feel bun is overweight, get her into lots of running around. There's nothing wrong with being outdoors with your bun, playing chase etc. Jazz loves it, she is 6months old and has piled on tons of weight recently...not fat just growing, so she gets in a good run every day. Her appetite is huge so I need to be careful she does not become overweight one day.

Check out the bunny 101 section for great tips on what to feed bun.

 

[EdieRabbit]

Yikes!:shock: Wehave been throwing a whole (small) apple in her cage every day and she always eats the entire thing, including the stem! I guess that is a big no no! I also feed her a lot of carrots, romaine hearts, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumbersand I was feeding her potatoes until I found out that they are bad for her. She seems fine with eating the apples, but I will definitely cut her down to a few slices a day and keep the core and seeds away from her. She also gets unlimited hay and 1/2 cup of pellets a day. My husband dropped a vanilla wafer on the floor once and she ate that too...of course, he didn't do anything to stop her because he thought it was funny.

I do take her outside, although not as much as I would like. I have two marshall playpens, so I put them together and put her outside to eat grass once or twice a week. She also gets about an hour or twoto roam aroundin the house with usevery day. She is actually better about using the litterbox when she is inside with us than she is when she is in her pen (as longs as she is on the tile and hardwood...if she gets on the carpet, she thinks that is an invitation to pee). Fortunately, our entire downstairs area is hardwood and tile. I do have to block the carpeted stair case, though. I upgraded her to the deluxe extra large playpen so that she has more room to move around. Mostly though, when she is out, she just lays around...even outside. She is not whatI would call an active bunny! I don't know her age, so it could be thatshe is older and not as active because of that.

 

[BratBunny]

Welcome to the board!

I'm Lexi!!:bunny18

 

[lemonaxis]

You know its lovely to have a bun that eats well, unfortuately they are such sensitive little creatures that their digestive systems are fragile and health issues related to diet and digestion feature BIG in rabbit care.

If giving bun a whole apple every day, consult a rabbit savvy vet or alternatively PM one of our many members who can give you the best advice.

Hopefully they won't mind if I recommend a few
Try Pamnock, JimD, B Bo Bunny or Ivory. There are many others too but when I need to know what to feed bun, I also go to the nutrition and behaviour thread, so much good stuff in there.
Good luck, sounds like you really are doing the best you can to make Edie one happy spoilt bun

 

[binkies]

Welcome neighbor! Knoxville is 3 hours away from me. I actually adopted my Phillip from a shelter there!

Edie is adorable! Thank you so much for taking care of her and loving her!

 

[binkybum]

Your bunny is indeed in the "cute at it's best" group!

I hope you don't mind my saying but an entire apple a day is quite a lot of apple to be feeding. They are like "junk food" treats to rabbits, much like us humans eating a king size block of chocolate each day (if you think about the relativity to how large an apple is compared to the size of a buns stomach). Apple seeds are actually quite toxic to rabbits also. A 1/4 slice each day would be ok though, since your rabbit is obviously apple mad!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Hey! Sorry I haven't replied sooner but it's been a bit crazy at home. Kids on Fall break this weekend! Trying to catch up on things we let go over the horse show season! and4H fair, and all that.

Let me try to answer these questions as best as I can and then maybe some of the others will have input as well.


1. What breed is Edie?

Oh, I couldn't begin to say - there are some really good people with this. They'll need some more info like how much she weighs. I love to guess but I'm usually wrong!

2. Doesher dewlap look abnormally big? Is that an indication that she is overweight? (I worry that I'm feeding her too much)

She looks fine in her body to me but her dewlap is a bit big - some have them like that. The important things are these: Feel all over her dewlap and make sure she has no lumps or anything. Make sure she's able to keep her dewlap clean and she can get to her bottom easily to clean and eat her cecals. Can you feel her backbone easily?

3. Is there anyway thatI can find out how old she is?

Not really. someone who is really good with them might be able to give you a guess, but it's not like you can look to see if they have certain teeth or anything like some animals.

4.Can avet tell me if she has been spay without operating on her? How old is too old to spay a bunny?

I suppose they could do an ultrasound to see if she has been spayed. Have you checked for a scar? This is another difficult thing to find out. I've heard different things on how old to spay a bunny is too old. My guess is going to be about 5 years. A good rabbit savvy vet is the best way to decide that for her.


5. Is it bad to feed bunny's apples? She LOVES apples...

Sounds like she's been having a good time with her treats! LOL! Bo and Clover love bananas and would eat a whole one each day if I let them. I only give them about 1/4 inch and then split it down the middle for them. That's it! If Bo gets cheerios - maybe one or two. One craisen for a treat. They do not need the sugar. When Bo would eat apples he would get a little thin slice about the size of a 50 cent piece.

My rabbits only get a little breakfast treat like banana. Then MAYBE they might get a craisen later in the day for something they do like come to me when called or Clover just cause she's funny to watch eat them LOL! I don't let them have much at all - we learned the hard way when butts got dirty!

No more whole apples for her! It can also upset her little tummy if she has too much of that stuff.

she should be getting a good pellet - probably about 1/4 cupper day depending upon her weight- with no junk included like seed, corn, colorful little bits of stuff.

Unlimited timothy hay is good too. Some people don't feed hay but I feel it's important. There are also hay cubes you can get for them. Mine get Timothy hay cubes also. There are good articles on hay alone here if you need them we'll get the links for you.

She can also have fresh greens. That's a big subject also. Many people feed a lot of greens. Mine used to get a salad every night but they got soft poos from it and I had to cut back. now they get some cilantro, kale, parsley or something most nights but not much of it.

I hope my answers help but I am so sure there will be more help come along.

 

[EdieRabbit]

Thanks so much for commenting, everyone. I will definitely stop feeding her a whole apple everyday...I'll cut down on the fruits in general to just a small bit a couple timesa week. What about carrots? I do give her a whole carrot everyday. Is that too high in sugar? As far as the colorful foods, I bought some and she won't touch the stuff...just timothy hay based pellets for her taste! :biggrin2: Her dewlap doesn't feel lumpy and she does a pretty decent job of cleaning herself, so I think she is fine. It does make a great head prop for her. Ha!

 

[binkybum]

Carrots aren't quite as high in sugar as apples, but they also should still be regarded as a treat.

A healthy rabbit diet should look like this....

Everyday foods; hay (unlimited), pellets (1/4 to 1 cup depending on rabbits weight, age, etc), water (unlimited).

Rabbits should also be fed on a daily basis a small amount of leafy greens and every 2-3 day, a small piece of fruit as a treat.

Here is a great link for suggested fruits, vegetables, what is poisonous to rabbits, and advice on daily diet:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

 

[Pipp]

I do believe your girl is a Lilac (?)Californian. (They were bred as meat rabbits. Tell her it's not in her best interests to gain too much weight!) :biggrin2:

And definitely unlimited hay is best, I buy it by the bale and put it in the litter boxes (and everywhere else) to encourage consumption.

If you're limiting pellets (and you probably should be), make sure you keep giving her plenty of veggies. And you're right to cut back the carrots and fruit. And cookies.

Keep an eye on her behaviour, and gently feel for lumps in her uterus, she may be prone to tumours and other issues at that age and weight, assuming she's unlikely to be spayed.

Is she active? Does she do the 'bunny 500' around her pen and bunny 'binkies'? You might want to put some cardboard boxes in there, even build her a little multi-level fort by taping some sturdy ones together and cutting out multiple entrances and exits. Great entertainment and exercise.

And if you want to bond with her, spend time in the pen with her on the ground, even reading a book or whatever will pass the time until she bonds with you. A lotof rabbits don't like being held because they're afraid ofheights and confinement -- the latter usually means 'predator' to them --but if you stay on the ground (andneverhold hertoo tightly) andfeedher tiny treats (like bitty bits of apple, carrot and oat flakes), she'll be a lap bunny in no time. Try and act like a bunny -- pet her nose,the corner of hereyes, etc (like a rabbit wouldbe grooming her) if she'll let you.

:welcome1 And congrats on being a new bunny slave! ink iris:



sas :bunnydance:

 

[EdieRabbit]

Oh my gosh! I can't believe someone would try to eat my poor Edie Rabbit!!! :shock: My neighbor (whom I rescued her from)said he found her in someone's backyard while he was doing some landscaping. I just assumed she was a pet rabbit that somebody dumpedin the yard b/c they didn't want her anymore. I never thought that she mighthave been raised for meat!We do live on a more rural side of Knoxville, though, so it might not beout of the realm of possibility. Poor Edie...she has had one tough life! I wish I knew exactly how old she is. I will try to get her to a rabbit savy vet in the next week or so to see about spaying her (if she isn't already, but I kind of doubt that she is).

Now I am really starting to believe that sheis around3-4 years of age. If she WAS a meat rabbit that escaped, I doubt she would have been more than a year old when she made her getaway. I also doubt that would have survived very long out in the wildbefore my neighborfound her, since she is white andwas probably fed by humans before. He found her 2-2 1/2 years ago (he says she was fully grown when he found her), so that would put her at 3 1/2-4 years old. I'm speculating, but he said she is 8 (how would he know?) and I find that hard to believe. At any rate, if I'm going to spay her, now would be the best time to do so...although she will probably hate me for it. She isalready upset because I have taken away her fruits.

BTW Pip, Edie doesn't play that much even when she is out of her pen. She mostly lies around. Outside, I have seen her binky once. I will try to make her pen more interactive and add the suggested boxes. I want to buy her one of those tunnels, but I am afraid that she will go in there and fall asleep and I won't be able to get her out. :biggrin2: I woodwork and have been toying with the idea of making her a play area in her pen. I'll let you know how it goes!