Question about my bunny

[macros2308]

Hello all, my name is Corey, and I've got a new rabbit that I've had for about 3 weeks now. I rescued him from outside where he was being hunted by the neighborhood cats. I'm convinced that he was a pet that just got out or was thrown away, pets escaping or just being ditched are unfortunately very common around here. I named him Sherlock, and he's very well behaved. He immediately knew about the water dropper, and he loves the pellet feed. I also have timothy hay for him, but he doesn't eat that as often, even though I constantly keep it in his cage which was a former dog cage for a german shepard, so it's very large and I was able to make a second level for him. When I let him out, he loves to run around my room and jump in the air seemingly randomly, and then go and sleep in several spots around the room. He also loves to spend time licking me, and having me pet him. He seems to lick me for as long or longer than I pet him, occasionally having me stop petting him so that he can lick me, before having me pet him again, lol.

The things that I'm most curious/worried about is that I don't know what type of rabbit he is, and I'd like to take him to a vet to see if he's healthy, he seems to be healthy, but I want to make sure. However, vets that specialize in rabbits are very expensive, and as I'm a classic model of the struggling college student, I don't really have the money to spend on taking him to a vet right now. If I could, I'd like to post some pictures of him and ask if any of you knew what type and or breed of rabbit he is, if any of you can help, i'd greatly appreciate it. ^_^

 

[Flashy]

Hey,

Welcome to the forum.

Well done you for rescuing this beautiful rabbit and giving him a home. Sherlock is such a cute name too

Are you feeding him unlimited pellets or is it aparticular amount?

I could hazard several guesses at his breed and colouring and all would probably be wrong, so I would suggest posting a picture of him in the Rabbitry forum, along with his weight (or rough weight, if you know it). His marking is a broken something (but the something might depend on what breed he is). He could be a netherland dwarf cross, or a mini rex cross or something like that. I'm not sure if he is a pure bred of anything particular though, but hopefully someone more knowledgable will be able to answer

I look forward to seeing you around and learning more about Sherlock

Take care

Tracy

 

[pla725]

Welcome. I agree he is most likely a mix breed. Probably English Spot with Dwarf. I would get some greens for him. Pellets aren't always a good diet for a rabbit. If you can find a whole sale produce placegreens like parsley, romaine and others would cost less than what you would spend at the grocery store. Where are you located?

 

[macros2308]

I've been feeding him greens as well, so far i've fed him Green leaf, Spinach, and Cilantro, and he loves all of it. I just ran out, however, i've gone to two stores which are willing to give me their cutoffs and extras for free. I also give him apple occasionally and sometimes a bit of carrot, both of which he almost attacks. As for how much of the pellet feed I give him, I'd say I halfway fill his little bowl in the morning, and when I get home from class and work. Including travel to and from, it's about a twelve hour day for me, 6 days a week. As for where I'm located, I'm living in Los Angeles, California. He does eat his hay, just not as much as the pellets, I believe that if he had a previous owner, that they didn't feed him hay at all, and that's why he prefers the pellets.

My main problem with him has been in trying to litter box him, he likes to go in two spots in the room, at first he went in one area mainly, so i put the litter box there, but then he moved to another spot and wouldn't go in the litter box at all. So i moved his box to the other side and he occasionally goes in it, but now he's mainly moved back over to the other spot, lol. I've layed a towel down on the floor, and put coupon listings on top of it so he doesn't mess up my carpet, and even though I pick up his mess and put it in the litter box, and leave treats in it for him, he doesn't seem to want to use it. LoL... Oh well, it's not too big a deal to me really, I just which i could get him to use it a tad more. OH yeah, and thank you for your help on what breed/breeds he might be, I really appreciate it ^_^

 

[tonyshuman]

Great for you on taking him in! Others have said good things about possible breed, food, etc. I buy lots of celery, parsley, and romaine for my buns as they can be quite cheap. Sherlock definitely is a released pet rabbit--no wild ones look like that, no matter where you live. He also sounds very affectionate, which would mean he's not feral. Those crazy jumps (we call them "binkys") and licking you are signs that he is very happy! That's one of the most rewarding things about owning rabbits: they literally jump for joy. The cage sounds good and out-of-cage time is also good.

Unfortunately, rabbits can hide illnesses very well and can go downhill very fast, so an annual vet check is pretty much necessary. After about 3 years, annual bloodwork is also necessary to keep an eye on liver and kidney function. Each annual costs me ~$120. In addition, you will probably need to spay or neuter him(/her) if that has not already been done. Unneutered males can do unpleasant things like make advances to your feet or spray urine. Unspayed females do the same thing, and have a very high risk for uterine cancer. If you check the "bits" and see that it is a boy w/o testicles, he's probably been neutered. Unfortunately only a vet can tell if a female has been spayed (they feel the abdomen for the presence of a uterus). Pet insurance is also available in the US for ~$10 a month, but that does not include spay/neuter and only partially covers annual exams.

Personally, I think it would be good to at least have the vet take a look at him, get an accurate gender and approximate age, and determine if he's fixed. This type of exam probably will not cost more than $50. If the vet is concerned about any health conditions (such as intestinal parasites or fur mites, which are common in stray rabbits), you can then decide if you can afford bloodwork/fecal tests for him. The vet could also get you an estimate on a spay/neuter ($100-200 around here).

I'm glad you saved this cutie from the cats! I hope you can continue to take care of him. However, it's important to understand exactly what you can and cannot afford. I got Tony as a senior in college, which was ok considering I had the spending money. I now work as a grad student, and although money is not plentiful, I can support my 2 bunnies (the other 2 are my bf's). Rabbits can be quite inexpensive, but if they get sick they can be very expensive. I have money saved up from my job "just in case" for this reason. Unfortunately, lack of funds is not an acceptable excuse to not treat a rabbit in many cases (just watch Animal Cops!). You have taken him off the streets, and I really hope you can keep him, but just saving him from the cats (and dogs, and cars, and wild animals, and the weather) was a GREAT thing to do!

 

[pla725]

What kind of litter do you use? I have a couple of rabbits who are very particular about the litter I use.

You may need to use more than one box.

 

[tonyshuman]

saw your post: my guys started eating a TON of hay when i cut back on the pellets i gave them. they're about 4-5lb each and they get 1/8c timothy hay pellets each a day.

that's great that they'll give you the leftovers for free! i should ask about that...

edit: and bunnies are great pets for students. they can be left alone for longer periods of time (no running home to take them for walks!). they can also be pretty cheap to take care of.

 

[macros2308]

Yeah, my grandfather used to manage a grocery store, and he told me that most stores will be more than willing to allow you to take their extras and daily cutoffs for free, they just throw it away anyway. When I went and asked, they acted as if they'd done it a million times already and had no problem letting me do it, I just went at night and I need to go in the morning when they do it. I'll make a point of going up to the vet later today to see what can be done about getting him a free check up. I also work for a city councilman who is very big on spaying and neutering pets, so if he isn't fixed, i might be able to get him fixed for free through my job. ^_^

 

[kherrmann3]

Welcome to RO! Sherlock looks like a cutie! You're such a nice person to take a bunny in like that! I hope more pics are coming up soon! :biggrin2: