Rescue / Foster / Donate - No. IL shelter overflowing with buns

[BlueFrog]

Today Catnap from the Heart in La Grange Park, IL took in 18 new rabbits in great need. I know this, because I transported them there. Those 18 came in on top of an already large population that includes "Miracle Man," the survivor from the hoarding situation I wrote about in the general discussion. Almost none of these new intakes are spayed or neutered, and one of them has a splay leg that may need medical care. I don't even want to calculate what all of this veterinary attention and upkeep is going to cost the shelter, which is no-kill and relies entirely on donations. Because this shelter is located in a physically small facility and will not adopt out around Easter time, they also urgently need foster homes. Six rabbits made it into foster homes today, but many more temporary homes are needed.

Of course, there will also be great need for permanent adoptive homes so the shelter can continue its life-saving mission. Off the top of my head, I can remember the following - but please keep in mind that breed identifications are not to be relied on:

• Beautiful black and white spotted lionhead buck, veeeerrrryyyy mellow
• Black and white "tuxedo" marked mini rex buck (in foster care)
• White mini rex doe with charcoal eyerings and ears (in foster care)
• Black and white heavily spotted mini rex buck, extra friendly (in foster)
• Grey and white marbled mini doe
• Agouti Dutch buck with giant Disney eyes, from a home with kids (in foster)
• Agouti Dutch mismark (or cross) doe, beautiful pale blue eyes, with seven babies almost ready for weaning. Babies appear anything from pure Dutch to cute little randomly spotted things.
• Bonded pair dwarf bucks, 1 Himalayan colored, 1 with charcoal eyerings and ears that look like they were drawn on with marker (in foster)
• Mini Lop (doe, IIRC) carmel and white, splayed leg
• Mini Lop, white with black and red spots down spine and ears. One of the prettiest rabbits I have ever seen!
• Bonded pair of New Zealand White bucks, both neutered
• Another bonded pair of dwarf-looking critters I didn't get a good look at

Please, if you can help in any way, contact the shelter via phone, email, or smoke signal. Tell them you learned about them at rabbitsonline.

This completely unofficial, unauthorized message brought to you by BlueFrog, sucker for twitchy noses in need :biggrin2:

 

[TreasuredFriend]

You're a rabbit-kind person to post this, bluefrog.

The person accepting the bunns is another compassionate human.

Sending wishes that adopters will come forth. All the unwanted rabbits will experience a person's love.:bunny19et:

Happy and Safe Easter to them all ~

Please provide Updates whenever you can, if you have time. Tons of TLC to that awesome survivor Miracle Man and his mom.

 

[naturestee]

That's a lot of bunnies! Darn it, you're swimming in bunnies down there and it's not even Easter yet. :sigh:

Best of luck, I hope you can find homes soon. My local shelter has been having luck with getting rabbits adopted faster by placing them in a pet store where they can be seen by more people.

 

[BlueFrog]

To make matters worse, these eighteen came in on top of a group of nine, which came in on top of two pregnant mamas (and their subsequent litters) who had been turned down by every other shelter because of their condition, plus Miracle Man, Zack & Jim (the cemetary buns), another NZW and her large bonded companion, and the resident population. Add to that two pregnant chinchillas, some pregnant guinea pigs, two of the gerbils I brought in almost certainly pregnant .... you get the picture.

Spring has sprung, and as efficiently laid out and operated as this shelter is, it's bursting at the seams with critters. Because of Easter, even the rabbits otherwise ready for adoption will be staying right where they are for the time being. I'm sure that's why almost none of them are listed on Petfinder yet. The staff are amazing at keeping the place absolutely spotless, but this must be the challenge to end all challenges to their abilities.

Oh yeah, and in the midst of all of this, the shelter's regular small animal vet has cut his hours back to almost nothing. I've offered to transport the critters up to my vet (just my travel time will be 3 1/2 hours in one day) to get them looked at.

Insanity, pure insanity. I can't fathom what post-Easter is going to be like, assuming there's space to take in any. The day I delivered the rabbits, there were 17 calls on the answering machine just that morning from people looking to surrender adult cats. The dreaded kitten season begins soon, and right during the height of that, I'll be tied up trying to prevent the post-semester slaughter of college lab rats.

:craziness

 

[naturestee]

Erm... this didn't come from me. Tell them to try calling WI shelters to see if anyone can take any, and what their euthanasia policy is for rabbits. Suggest Sheboygan... which has a no-kill policy on rabbits. They have had a number of adoptions and although they want to keep the number of rabbits lower because they're harder to place (and Easter is soon), they might take some in. I know we have one three-cage Leith Petwerks setup that's empty in a back room somewhere, plus quite a few others if needed... and they spay/neuter all rabbits themselves.

Preferably healthy rabbits, sorry. Took me months to convince the vet that a bunny with severe malocclusion needed her incisors removed, that surgery is being scheduled now. Nobody will adopt her with her teeth sticking straight out of her mouth and needing trimming every two weeks. But I volunteer there as do two other bunny people and the rabbits are in good hands.

I can help transport.

But you didn't hear this from me!

 

[Leaf]

Ohhh -

How dishonest am I going to sound?

I emailed aboout the splay legged rabbit but they don't seem to want to adopt out of state.

Are there any rescues here that could take her in, that would adopt to someone in Missouri who is very familiar with splay legged rabbits and their needs?

Transport would need to be arranged of course... to me.

 

[luvthempigs]

I would love to give a home to the lionhead :bunnyheartbut I just can't drive 6+ hours (one way)to pick him up (for several reasons) Plus there is the thing with them not wanting to adopt out of state.....

I am keeping my fingers crossed that these buns find their way to proper permanent homes.

 

[Haley]

That is really crummy that they wont adopt out of state With spring time coming we always have better luck with transports, more people travelling and such.

 

[Leaf]

I wasn't real suprised that they don't do out of state adoptions since so many are like that. Still, I wish people could truely realize how many avenues can be opened if facilities did make more allowances.

But, giving them the benefit of the doubt- this close to Easter and with the rabbit being special needs I can see them being weary. Flooding too is an issue I suppose but water does tend to receed.

It really sucks that we're just a state apart and that little boundary mark on the maps made the difference.

:help

 

[TreasuredFriend]

We'd like to help with rabbits needing homes. Or temporary foster placements if openings exist?

Leaf, we're willing to take her, the splay-legged darlin', in (gotta scramble for a temp foster home, thou'; our house is full) if that will assist.

In fact the lady from SRR's [ Ten Babies in IL] RESCUE / REHOME thread doesn't mind driving across state lines. woo hoo. !She was a pilot! She would be happy to transport a duo of her charcoal gray babes ... maybe gettin 'em used to kennel cab trips. So driving is no problemo.

Please keep everybody in mind plus placement for one or two at a no-kill shelter - like Sheboygan? (didn't hear this from here) - exists. Good thoughts!

Where there's a will, there's a way. :thumbup:dutch

Hold tight, bluefrog, b/c rabbit-helpers like everyone lurking or posting can hopefully change the world for a bunch.

Standing by with my digital ~~ tf

 

[naturestee]

:weee: Yay Julie! Hope you can rope someone in for a foster home fast!

 

[Haley]

Yay Julie to the rescue!! I bet we could arrange transport if you can find someone to hold the splay legs bun until Leaf can take him.

Blue Frog- have you tried contacting Midwest Rabbit Rescue in Michigan? I know they are very full but have had some adoptions. It might be worth checking and I could help try to arrange transport if they were willing to take any: http://www.rabbitrr.org/

 

[BlueFrog]

I can't thank you guys enough for all your support, concern, and suggestions. I'm a bit behind the gun today so don't have time to respond individually, but please know it is all deeply appreciated.

Looks like Catnap got a few of the buns listed on Petfinder already. There are a few glitches I can spot (it's Cheerio, not Calypso, who is spayed, and even I know Calypso is not an English lop) but at least there are a few faces to go with descriptions.

Catnap Petfinder Listings

For those who are wondering about which is the splay-legged bun, it's Cinnamon.

 

[BlueFrog]

Five more yesterday.

• Big agouti lop buck who is unimaginably sweet.
• Small black spotted buck
• Two unrelated charcoal grey spotted does, one of was born last July and has never had a home
• Can't believe I don't recall the fifth. I just remember it had spots too

In addition to the usual requests, there will now be a tremendous need for people to transport between the shelter (La Grange Park) and Oak Lawn IL, to get buns to/from the vet for speutering. HELP!!!!!

(In addition to the rabbits, there were also four golden Syrian hamsters, three white Russian hamsters, one black gerbil, nine mice, and three rats. My car, it overflowethed)

 

[naturestee]

Oh dear! Have they called other shelters to help yet? I've been busy with my own foster bun and haven't gotten in to the Sheboygan shelter to talk to them.

Luna's going to her forever home this weekend and then I'm planning on waiting at least a month before taking on another foster, just in case something happens.

I'm curious, does Catnap take in any animals that are brought to it? If not, it is a bit counter productive to accept more animals than they can take care of. Not to criticize cause I know emotions get involved with this too...

 

[BlueFrog]

Because Catnap is thought of as a cat shelter, very very few people contact them directly for rabbits or other smalls. Cats are another story. They are good about not accepting animals beyond what they can care for properly, and the facility is the cleanest shelter I have ever seen. It may be small, but it's laid out very efficiently and the owner is a clean freak where the animals are concerned.

 

[naturestee]

Sorry BlueFrog, but Sheboygan is now full. They got 6 rabbits this week, spayed one real fast due to suspected pregnancy and discovered 9 babies (spay/abort- sad but necessary), and I found another that looks about ready to pop and they're trying to get her spayed tomorrow... but I don't know if she'll wait that long. So there might be baby bunnies. anic:

Sorry I can't be of more help!

 

[BlueFrog]

Sorry to hear you guys are getting slammed with buns too. Sad about having to spay pregnant ones, but I understand the necessity. We're doing pretty good right now. No more bunnies in imminent danger that we know of, and have found some foster homes.

Fingers, toes, and tails crossed that the situation settles down for everyone!

 

[superchar42]

Update?

 

[BlueFrog]

The news is good! Catnap has been aggressively promoting the rabbits, and there have been enough adoptions to allow a few more intakes - including the nicest little black and tan dwarf doe who was originally a stray, but who loves people and the mentally handicapped. The foster network is still strained to capacity, but it is holding. The local kill shelters are starting to get bunnies in faster than Catnap can accomodate, but we're still a little ahead of the curve and crossing our fingers.

Turns out the big lump on Miracle Man (now called Twitch) is just a fatty tumor that should not pose a health issue, and his neurological head shake shouldn't be a problem either. Still looking for a perfect placement for him. I keep reminding myself I can't possibly take in another rabbit!