Woe is me, I have no permanent home! Wah! (hehe)
A month ago last Wednesday, I went to Wal-Mart to get some salad (for my other rabbit, lol) and I noticed a cardboard box. I didn't think much of it, so I just passed it up. Until I heard it thump. I guess it's a sound only a bunny-person would know. Well, I knew something had to be in it, and I was quote correct, much to my dismay: a very young Dutch, with urine all over himself, and in heat exhaustion, was lying in it. The box didn't have any holes or ventilation in it, and was taped up TIGHTLY. It was pretty obvious why they left him there- they figured he would die in it.
I rushed him to the clinic and Dad gave him some fluids. We cooled his ears down and washed the urine off of his side. I brought him home and put him in my other rabbit cage. The ride home was horrible- he would scream everytime I made a turn and the box would move slightly. (I KNOW I don't drive that badly LOL!)
He was a very skittish little baby rabbit. We think that he was about two months old when we got him, possibly even younger. He didn't weigh quite a pound yet, just under (.97 pounds). His tummy was actually pretty full, and he seemed to know exactly what pellets were when I put them in front of him, so I think that he was at least mostly weaned.
Within a few hours he was eating and drinking normally. His poo was soft, but not loose, but I watched out for enterotoxemia anyway. His first fecal came back negative- there weren't any coccidia or other little ickies that we could see.
After about a week and a half of having him, his poops DID become runny, so we ran another fecal and sure enough, he had coccidiosis. So we put him in Albon for that.
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This is what his Petfinder profile says about him:
Hazel (named for Watership Down) is one lucky rabbit! He was found in a Wal-Mart parking lot, taped in a cardboard box without holes, stained by his own urine, by one of our volunteers. He was only a baby, no more than seven weeks old, and in heat exhaustion when he was found.
Hazel is a Dutch, chocolate in color. He enjoys headrubs and will come up for treats. He enjoys sniffing feet and hopping onto peopleâs laps, but wonât stay for cuddling. He enjoys jumping up onto things, and will do well with a kitty condo. He LOVES hay, particularly timothy. While he is young and puberty is only beginning, he is training very well to the litter box, urinating consistently in it and no where else in the cage, and mostly pooping in it. He does leave a few other poops around his cage, but doesnât scatter them about. He doesnât leave poops when he is out of his cage for exercise time, either! He enjoys gentle brushing and grooming, and will even groom back when heâs in a good mood!
Some drawbacks to this beautiful little rabbit are: he is skittish of loud noises and will not do well with children. He thumps at almost anything. He doesnât tolerate being around dogs. He was obviously not well-handled before now, and is not for a beginner rabbit-keeper. He will need someone with experience and patience. Hazel is currently being treated for mild coccidiosis with Albon. Coccidia are protozoan parasites that will cause the disease coccidiosis. Young rabbits such as Hazel are the most prone to it. When they are put under extreme stress, sometimes they will get the disease. As Hazel was obviously not well taken care of before and was dumped in such a cruel manner, it's easy to see why it happened. However they are currently lying dormant in his system and will probably remain so for the rest of his life. While itâs unlikely that the disease will relapse, it is possible under extreme stress and poor conditions. The biggest symptom is diarrhea in the form of loose, runny stools. His chances of getting the disease again are low, but his new caretaker should watch out for these symptoms.
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So, Hazel will need a patient, perferably experienced owner. I really would like to keep him another two/three weeks, but I wouldn't mind giving him to a good home who knows what they are doing.
Email me at [email protected] for more info! I will be more than happy to find this little rabbit a home. He is being adopted through Magic Happens Rabbit Rescue, so you'll need to fill out the adoption form. He does have a fee of fifty dollars. At the moment he isn't neutered, but in another month he will be neuterable, so if you would prefer to wait that period of time, that is fine. I am willing to drive a-ways to get him to his new place if we have to meet halfway.
