# Rehoming a rabbit :(



## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Hello

Not coming to this forum for the best of reasons, but I am needing to rehome my rabbit. I have 2, both rescues, and after getting on for a year, they have suddenly taking to fighting and attacking each other. They are both neutered, and have been for a year. One rabbit is 2 and the other is approaching 3. 

As they no longer get on anymore each of their freedoms have had to be restricted to allow each to have a play in peace. I hate having solo bunnies without a friend, and I hate them not being able to get the exercise and play time they deserve.

So, I have decided to rehome my younger rabbit. My older rabbit has mobility issues and I feel he would be harder to rehome. 

Does anyone have any advice for me in this situation. I have popped him on rabbit rehome, and have had a girl interested in him, with a nice big garden for him to run around in. My only worry is that his teeth dont meet correctly, and need trimming every 6-8 weeks. As this girl is local, and would most likely use the same vets as me, would they be able to tell me if he was continuing to get his teeth done as needed? I would hate for me to rehome him and then not get the care he needs.

I would of course say to to the girl if she did take him that I would take him back if she ever had any issues that meant she needed to rehome him. 

I just feel like an utterly horrible owner, but I know he will have a better life with the freedom of a garden all to himself to run around in and cause havoc in.

What advice would you give to someone in my situation

xx


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

where abouts are you located? i doubt the vets would tell you what treatment he was reciving due to data protection, however if you are on good terms with them you may be able to get them to tell you


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

I am in York. I am hoping once I meet this girl and see what she is like I will know if its going to be ok or not. And hopefully she will send me pictures of him so I can see how hes getting on.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

if you were closer i would offer to take him, i have 2 dental buns my self (their "breeder" was going to put them to sleep at just 7 weeks old to clean up her mess!) and have just lost one of my bucks 

make sure you ask her any questions you think of to be sure hes going to a good home, i would also maybe draw up some kind of contract stating that he can not be rehomed or sold, and if she ever can not keep him he will have to come back to you, and that he is hers on a life long loan basis


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Where are you located? I am happy to travel with him to a reasonable extent to find him a good home. I think he was an accidental litter. he was given to me as a dwarf lop, due to them finding out their female bun was actually a male. The male they were rehoming who they thought was female was a lionhead. Then when I mentioned he had got really big they had said he got that from his mum! So where dwarf lop came into it I dont know... so hes some sort of lionhead cross. Looks like a wild rabbit, so lovely.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

im in sheffield, south yorks.
dwarf lops arent really that small, despite the name :lol: a dwarf lop is larger then a lion head

unfortunately my dental buns were a planned litter from some one breeding a lionhead/minilop x nethie, as a lionhead, lucky i got her out of there, so she can never be bred from again, with her 3 kits, 1 died at just 3.5 months old due to neurological issues.
unfortunately shes still breeding rabbits, but people like that never learn as long as theres some one willing to clean up after them


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Well I would certainly drive to you if you did want to take him, no pressure of course, just it would be nice having him somewhere that understands his needs as that is my main concern. 

I will pop you a pm if thats ok with you!


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## Kammie (Apr 4, 2009)

It may be worth getting them both checked at a vet before rehoming. Sometimes a friendship breaks down when one of them becomes ill. Example, I have a group of three outside and all get along fine but when Rosie is due to have her teeth done and goes off her food she becomes a bit of an outcast in the group, the other female starts to fur pull and chace her. Once she's had her dental they all get along fine again. 

Rabbits are good at hiding illness but can sense it between themselves and will bully an ill rabbit.


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Kammie said:


> It may be worth getting them both checked at a vet before rehoming. Sometimes a friendship breaks down when one of them becomes ill. Example, I have a group of three outside and all get along fine but when Rosie is due to have her teeth done and goes off her food she becomes a bit of an outcast in the group, the other female starts to fur pull and chace her. Once she's had her dental they all get along fine again.
> 
> Rabbits are good at hiding illness but can sense it between themselves and will bully an ill rabbit.


Sorry I should have been more clear, the aggression is not really from one party... When one rabbit tries to be submissive to the other, the other gets annoyed and trys to get away and then 'chases' him for I assume some sort of contact, which then makes my other bun attack him.

They have both been at the vet (my dental bun goes every month) as they were both losing weight despite being on the same food as always and getting less exercise than normal. After a few checks etc he pretty much said that the rabbits were stressing each other out. I have moved them as far apart as I can and their weights have returned to normal, and I have limited their contact to nil, and both are much better.

I think my slightly older bunny would be better as an only rabbit. I got him at 18months after he was dumped at Pets at Home, so I know nothing of his history. he was majorly overweight when I got him and very skittish.

I am no animal behaviourist but, he just seems to get very irritated when my other bun tries to be with him. I dont know whether to try him with a female... but I dont think I could face the upset if they didnt get on and I had to rehome yet another rabbit


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

you could take him to a rescue and see how he gets on with the girlie buns there, the rescue can bond them for you properly if you decide to get one


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Lil Miss said:


> you could take him to a rescue and see how he gets on with the girlie buns there, the rescue can bond them for you properly if you decide to get one


I will definitely do that once I know Cookie is settled in his new home (he was called Cookie before I met him, maybe its his girly name making him grumpy!)

I guess I just dont want o feel like im replacing one bun with another. I will see if I can find some rescues near Yorkshire to visit. I emailed a couple but the websites were quite out of date so I dont even know if they are still running.


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