Tulla and Ivory Need A New Home

[binkies]

I don't recall the "trade" thing. Honestly theyaren't in any danger of being "thrown out" or taken to the shelter. Inall reality, they will most likely be here for the rest of their livesunless someone on here wants the challenge.

I feel like giving up. If someone isnt able to care for arabbit's special needs and tries to rehome them, they are alwayscondemmed as a bad owner. If a dog bites, it will usually (sadly) beput down. But if it is a rabbit, you just have to live with it. If yougive it up you are looked down upon. Rabbit bites are just asdangerous. Yes I know that they arent going to tear your limbs off, butinfection is still high possibility.

 

[gentle giants]

I think you said you had had these two sinceJuly, right? I have two rescue bunnies right now, both of which wereemotionally traumatized when I got them. With Ned, any time I put myhand in the cage for almost the first six months, I got bit and/orscratched. So I only put my hand in far enough to feed and water, andgave him a treat every now and then. He is a totally different rabbitnow. He managed to get out of his cage the other day when I wasn'taround (my rabbits live in the barn) and instead of running away, hemet me at the barn door and was giving my feet little bunny kisseslike, I am soo glad to see you!!

Charity I have had for about four months now. She would also lunge andbite/scratch when I got her. In her case, it was because I wasn'tmoving slowly enough. I can pet her now, but I still have to moveslowly and "talk nice" to her to avoid being scratched. Neither ofthese two are neutered/spayed yet, BTW, but they will be. Poor Charityhad been a bunny mill before I got her, and I am resolved that whetheror not I keep her permanently, she will be fixed before I re-home her,I want to make sure no one can possibly do that to her again.

The point I am trying to make is, sometimes it can take a longtime to get them to come around. If it is a jealously issue likesomeone suggested, mabye it can be resolved. Keep one in the bedroom,one in the living room, or something. I know you don't have much space,but surely there is more than one room with space for a cage? I knowyou are having a hard time, but I really hate to see any animal thathas been taken out of a shelter go back. I just feel like it will makeit that much harder for the next person-if there is one- to get thatrabbit to come around. And they might not be as caring andunderstanding as you. They might hit or kick when they get bitten.

 

[binkies]

Ok, here is my space. Now you tell me where inthe world I am going to put them. Messy or not. The currentcages are beside the couch. Right next to the kitchen.

Living Room:

Kitchen:

My Room:

The other two rooms belong to my 3 year old son and 5 year old daughter.

 

[Maureen Las]

Hi Binkies...I can tell what I said made youangry. I can also tell that you maybe have "given up" on your bunnies.I work with the rabbits at a shelter and have beenbitten manytimes..I, like Pipp, interpret, the behaviour and try to work with itrather than "get rid" of it. I would not keep an aggressive dog thatcontinuously attacked me and I have heard of very aggressive rabbitsthat probably should not remain as pets but your buns don't sound likethat to me. If you don't want to work on their issues thats yourdecision. I don't personally feel that a pet is in this world to meetmy expectations nor to please me..as far as I'm concerned its myresponsibility to please and make a home for them. You are going to dowhat you need to do and it may be better if someone from RO offered tore-home them (only because they would get a good home from an ROmember)...maybe rabbits aren't your thing. There really is only a smallsegment of the population that is into rabbits as much as theindividuals on this site...maybe you're not in that small segment whichis fine but it is still a heavy responsibility to find them a goodhome. they need love and with that commitment will follow.

 

[BACI]

Was the shelter able to give you any feedback onwhat type of situation they came from. What were their livingconditions? I don't mean abusive, but rather did they live in a cage,pen or a room prior to the shelter?

Maybe the solution at this point is change which rabbits don't like. Ifyou could find out whether it is possible to provide a home similar tothe one they were used to. For example, when I got Bella I knew nothingabout her so I planned on keeping her in a large dog cage and givingher free roam of my kitchen until we got to know each other. She neverreally bonded with me despite time and patience. She ran everytime Icame near the kitchen and peed on my stuff when she was allowed in therest of the house. I recently had a party so needed to put her cage inmy bedroom with Delilah so their cages are side by side which leaves noroom to walk in my room but she is much happier than she was elsewhere.I have two dog cages attached to one another so she can run from oneend to the other and as long as both rabbits have their own cage theydon't fight or dig or chew bars as they did before.

Yes I am getting to the point. I am crowded and get woken up at nightwith them playing but overall they seem calmer. Maybe you just haven'tfigured out what your bunnies are trying to tell you.

It is hard to tell how large the kitchen is - could you put a cage inthere and a baby gate at the door so they could get out and play whenyou are getting ready for work in the morning or bed at night. Maybethey were not kept in cages before and now they are around too muchnoise or territorial of the cage. One article on Rabbit.org suggeststhat foster homes have found the buns are happier in pens instead ofcages, is that a possibility?

Take some time to step back from the situation which is difficult andre-read Pipp's ideas or experiences and maybe they will help. Sometimesit takes a few days to be able to read a thread over again from startto finish and find the info useful and not offending.

We are here for you and your rabbits. We want to help and are not theenemy. So try some of the suggestions. If you still want tofind them a new home and the humane society does not want to do an eventrade then let Haley or Baci know so we can help you. Maybe pm one ofus with personality traits etc so we can find them a good match so allwill be happy.

Please know that if you do want to keep them you could post on therabbits only section where far more members read and get more ideas ofwhat other members have done in the past. Maybe try that before makingyour final decision on re-homing. Do the buns like your kids at all. Iknow mine love it when Nathan sits by the cage and chats with them orfeeds them..In fact when Delilah was sick I put her on my bed to checkher over and she ran right over and cuddled next to him. He does notever pick her up and she does not stand much petting but when she issick she seeks him out.

good luck and hope some of this helped. I feel for you and have feltlike my rabbits hate me at times but talking with members on here helpsALOT.

:hug:baci

 

[BACI]

Tulla was enjoying her lovin' tonight. Believe it or not, she is NOT tranced! Just laying there.

This is a bunny who trusts her mommy. I think you are providing aloving home for these very lucky girls. I looked over the blog and amwondering if she may be mad now and jealous because her roomate thathas gone thru all the stress with her was out playing with someoneelse. I could be wrong there but maybe it is something toconsider. keep us updated.

 

[Pipp]

Hey, I like your place! Makes me wonder why Ididn't just go that route rather than struggling to save up for a condowith a bunch of strata council idiotstelling me I can't havehowever manyrabbits I want IN MY OWN PLACE!:X (I never did buy one).

Pipp lives with me in my bunny-proofed bedroom. She doesn'thave a cage, just a litter box. I have to step over babygates or at least NIC panels to get in and out, but a minorinconvenience, well worth the shower of bunny kisses she greets me withevery morning. (She used to sleep with me until I got asingle bed, she still sleep there, just not so much when I'm init). She's adjusts her hours to match mine, she's very sweetthat way. She'll sit and watch me and wait (and wait) until Iopen an eye and look at her. Once I make eye contact, shejumps in and starts grooming me. :biggrin:

She did start pooping and peeing on the bed when she hit the terribleteens, but I moved her kennel with the litter panonto thebed, so she used that. After a few weeks I moved it back ontothe floor, she just kept using it, never 'wet the bed' again.I keep bunny towels on the bed to catch stray poops and hair, but theydon't getmuch action).

Not sure how well that would go over with the person who belongs to the knees in your pic, but that's my situation.

Somebody else I know has their bed blocked up with NIC panels and thebunny sleepsand eats under the bed. (The bunnyloves it under there). And I do believe somebodyhere has alow cage that fits under a section of theirbed.

I know these proabably won't work for you, and you do haveacool cage for your guys already, but here's my two favouritecages from the old Cages Only thread that deal with space issues andincorporate their surroundings. Maybe they'll spark someideas...



Elf Mommy's work in progress... (And Elf is a BIG bunny!)

And I think this one (Runestonez') is both brilliant and gorgeous.



Hope something works out for you! It's a toughsituation. I mentioned the 'trade' idea because you said youcontacted the rescue you got them from but they were full.

We can keep this thread going and look for an RO member, but it stillmeans a lost opportunity for two other bunnies that person may haverescued,soyou're displacing two bunnies somewherein the chain. Thus the 'trade in'idea.Maybe there's a rescue person who will want towork with Tulla if you can take two of their otherrescues. Worth looking into.

Good luck!



sas and the warren

 

[Maureen Las]

the cage over the bed is a really wonderful...Binkies I was looking at your living room and I had trouble seeingthe cages....it looked like there was a dog crate next to one of thecouches so I'm wondering if you keep Tulla and Ivory in the dog airlinecrate? At our shelter we often have to keep the rabbits in dog cageswhich are on the floor. Willow (Diamond the one that I just adopted)was at the shelter for close to 5 months before I took herasthe abuse court case was not resolved yet and the owner hadnot yet signed her over to the humane society. The staffabsolutely hated her as when they tried to clean her cage she wouldlunge and growl. When I tried to clean her cage she would lunge andgrowl so I would let herjump out of it first and then put herin a carrier while I cleaned. Then I got an idea...we have a reallynice cage that is on wheels and opens from the top (donated fromPetsmart)..bad thing is that it cost a couple hundred. I put her in thecage that opened from the top and she no longer was in a position tolunge as the hands came down from the top rather than comingin from the front. This worked much better. When I fostered her afterher spay I had to put her ina dog crate in my bathroom and her oldlunging behaviour returned. I have had her here since May and she is inan open area now which is really a circle made froma dog pen. It hastaken her 6 months to trust my hands coming down at her and she nolonger lunges at all. Would it be possible for you to get a cage thatopened from the top so at least you would not get bitten. I did seeyour bite wound on the other thread and I know that it really isaggravating to get bitten that bad and at least temporarirly can makeyou dislike the rabbit. I think that they can't see your hands comingat them if they are in a dog crate as you are facing them directly fromthe front and they don't have vision in that area (like a horse). Ifyou can't change the cage maybe you could talk a lot before you putyour hand in so they know you are coming. Anyway I think that I washarsh with you and regret it as I don't have children too and know allof it together can be a huge amt of stress and work.

 

[binkies]

Thank you everyone. A lot of posts while I was at work, will try to answer the questions.

At the rescue, they were all in regular cages, bonded pairs and single bunnies.

The kitchen is really crowded, you can see a puppy pen that already hastwo chihuahua foster pups in it, the the dishwasher next to it, andthen the living room with the rabbit and guinea pig cages.

The picture with her on my knees was pretty early. Man I wish she would be like that again.

The dog crate is for more foster dogs. Tulla and Ivory's cage is a NIC 3 story.



I really believe that she is just ANGRY over Little Debbie. If I canfind something to do with her where Tulla cant see or smellher....... Wonder if my parents or sister would like to househer?

 

[Maureen Las]

maybe that would work ..you could ask them???

 

[JadeIcing]

I feel bad that you would have to give up littleDebbie. I can tell you are attached to her. In the end whatever youchose I am sure you will do the best you can.

 

[binkies]

If they house her, I would still be her mommy. They both live very close.

 

[JadeIcing]

That would be good.

 

[Haley]

That might be an idea! Or even maybe you couldhave LD stay there until you have a little more time on your hands andthen attempt to bond them.

Im not saying it will work for sure, but it might be worth a shot. Iknow you're so very overwhelmed right now, hun. I knew you had otherfoster animals, but I had no clue you also had kids...you must be justdead.

I'm keeping you in my prayers. I know you're going through a lot. We'reall here for you..no one is judging you, just trying to help

-Haley

 

[binkies]

Haley thank you so very much for your kindness. It means a ton to me.

 

[maherwoman]

Wow...what a tough situation! I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time with yourTulla. It does sound like jealousy of the additional, thirdbun. I think it's a GREAT idea to ask your mother and sisterto look after her...that way you can still see her quiteoften!

It sounds like a wonderful solution! Good thinking!

Keep us updated on things, ok?

I know how rough it is to have a bunny that bites. My Maisieis a bit of a biter, and though she's honestly never drawn blood, Ihave found it difficult each time to stick my hand back into hercage. It's always when I go to refill her food bowl, and Ithink it's cage aggression, or some such. It takes seriousguts to want to put your hand back anywhere near a bun that'sbitten...so I can see how you would feel frustrated and probablyslightly scared of your bun after that. It's tough...

Anyway, just wanted to send some encouragement your way. You're definitely on the right path!

My love to you and yours,

Rosie*

 

[HoneyPot]

Hey - just my 2cents worth - it really doessound like a jealousy thing if Tulla was ok before Debbie and then youAND Ivory play with Debbie where she can see and smell Debbie on youtwo - that's asking for trouble. :?

When I brought Charlie into our house where Misty was the queen of thecastle, Misty kicked my butt for about a month. Biting,clawing, chasing, jumping. If I was standing anywhere in myliving room, she would get on the sofa to get better leverage and thenjump at my head to try to kill me. You might think I amexaggerating, but let me tell you, I was crying about it almost everyday.

The only way I avoided getting my ankles bitten ALL day long wasbecause I knew the sound of her claws running at me on my hardwood, andI would lift my foot as she lunged at it, and she would just slide pastme - I learned to deal with it because to be honest, it was my faultfor disrupting her life (not saying anything is your fault, justtelling you my situation).

I re-bonded with her by spending time with her ALONE without the otherbunny around in neutral territory, similar to bonding 2rabbits. She was SO mad at me for so long. It'sfunny though because she was not mad at Neil (my fiance) - because shewas bonded to me, so I betrayed her and I had to pay for it...

My mistake was petting Charlie in front of her - that's when all hell broke loose.

It seems likeyour troubles started after Little Debbie, Iwould say Tulla is probably just really mad at you for bringing Debbiein. Keeping LD somewhere else is a good idea - and you shouldtake Tulla over to visit Debbie all the time because then they will bemeeting outside of Tulla's territory and might ease them into bondingand you can bring LD back.

Good Luck

___________
Nadia

 

[BACI]

Wow Binkies you really have your hands full!! Iam not sure how you do it but congrats. Sounds like right now you havea lot of good suggestions so keep us up to date on how it is going andif there is anything we can do to help. Like I said in my other post weare here to help and so if all your efforts are unsucessful we will dowhat we can to help you find a home.

baci

 

[binkies]

I got to hold and snuggle her (actually all 3 buns) last night at cage cleaning time. Felt so nice to touch her again.

 

[Alij]

Sorry if anything I say is redundant.But it didn't seem like anyone mentioned the "teenage" years.It doesn't matter if rabbit hasbeen fixed ornot.Between the age of 4months up to ayear they can be very cranky. All of my rabbits went throughit and they would charge you, box at you and bit you if theycould. At that time, I left them in their cages until itpassed. It is hormonal . In the meantime,I would get their favorite treats and would spend hourssitting away from them in a small safe room and waited forthem to come to me. It took a lot of patience andpersistence. BUt it worked. They all turned out tobe great house pets. They would come to me when called, greetme at the door and were as sweet as can be. Of course, afterthey passed that teenage stage. They all go throughit. Moreover, YOU are not a bad mom!! Give it timeand if youare "over it"youstillarebeing a great mom by posting thesituation and looking at your options!! You are doing a greatjob!! None of it is your fault and you are not to blame!!