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Show me your bunny setups and...

annafauna

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12/16/20
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103
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Anna
I agree with the others. It's honorable to want to rescue a bunny with issues, but it's bound to be a lot of work, expense, and heartache. It's not wrong to try to avoid that when it's possible.

I love my bunny boys, but they've put me off ever having rabbits again in the future. I think it would have been different if I'd had some sort of hardy (as much as bunnies can be hardy) breed, but I've had a lot of issues with my guys. I spent a LOT of money on Cedar, who developed an abscess on his hock and eventually needed the leg amputated (despite an intense level of care to try to correct the problem). Oakie gave me a big scare a couple of years ago, when he was cold and not eating suddenly one day. (Gas drops and meloxicam got him eating again, and he was fine after a round of antibiotics.) And my bunny Linden just upped and died one day last spring. I know I take good care of them, so I'm not causing the issues -- they're just such an over-bred and fragile breed, at least this genetic line. I know the bunny you were considering isn't an Angora, but my point is that bunnies with problems are likely to be bunnies who consistently have problems and cause you a lot of angst.
 

Sparkles99

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I agree. My first rabbit I used to refer to as my hopping vet bill. It's stressful; not what most people picture with a pet. And when you need to eventually decide about euthanasia, it's even worse.

Cincinnati could have lived longer. They proposed experimental surgery with a very low likelihood of success & a very high likelihood of pain & problems, not to mention that the after care would've necessitated that I quit my job (not an option for most people, including me). I did what I felt was in his best interests: refused to turn a much loved pet into an experiment.

Rabbit evolution is focused on numbers, hence why they 'breed like rabbits', not on protective adaptations that help them in times of illness. I don't think it's necessarily a breed thing so much as a species thing. Though the more moderately sized, up eared rabbits are healthier. Daisy is as fit as a fiddle & always has been (Dutch rabbit).
 

tka

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Agreed with others - dental issues in rabbits are a big deal. It's rarely a case of just needing to trim down the front teeth. The whole jaw anatomy is wrong: back molars get unaligned and this can lead to abscesses in the tooth/jaw, sinus issues and eye issues. The whole skull gets in on the party, and if the rabbit cannot eat then you get all of the attendent issues of gut statis. I agree that this bun would be better off in an experienced home with someone who understands that his life may not be very long and that they may need to make a decision about quality of life/when to euthanise sooner rather than later.

As @Sparkles99 says, rabbits are built to reproduce young and fast. They aren't very robust in the face of illness or chronic health conditions. The best case scenario is a rabbit that lives a relatively uncomplicated life and gets taken out quickly by something. They do not seem to cope well with lingering illness.

If I was choosing a couple of rabbits, I'd choose moderately sized, smooth coated, upright eared rabbits. As lovely as lops are, their rounded faces and resultant jaw anatomy seem predisposed to problems. I'd want to avoid anything that's been intensively selectively bred for extremes of size (both very small and very large), weird anatomy (Netherland Dwarfs' apple heads concern me) or for a particular coat length, colour or type. The closer they are in body type to wild rabbits, the better. Once again, evolution has done a marvellous job in selecting for a body type not prone to problems, and us humans have gone in and mucked it all about.
 

Sparkles99

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finchly, I had to skip out earlier, but would like to elaborate on the idea of known rabbit issues just being the tip of the iceberg of issues, because it's hard to fathom if you've not experienced it. One thing just leads to another, as others have mentioned.

Here is a list of Cincinnati's intermittent & by times chronic health problems: GI statis, seizures, fluid around heart, fluid in pleural lining, cataracts & general low vision, arthritis, liver problems, kidney problems, sugar metabolizing problems, polydipsia, polyuria, dehydration, low jaw bone density leading to wiggly teeth, leading to abscess & infection in his head (what ultimately was the end). You see where I'm going with this & why I'm concerned for you...

Now he had e-cuniculi, which is incurable, but that's still a lot to deal with & what actually led to his death was unrelated. When I adopted him, I was warned he tipped his water. I realized in hindsight that he actually was experiencing polydipsia & polyuria - the first sign of his issues. He had been through so many x-rays, imaging & blood tests by the time he died that I've lost count. But experimental head surgery with a very low prognosis & impossible aftercare was it.

Cincinnati was a beautiful bunny, inside & out, & it was my privilege to care for him. But I'd not knowingly sign up for that again. Who could blame me? The stress is very real.

So, when do you meet the other bunny? :)
 

Gigibirds

Rollerblading along the road
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2/15/21
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1,035
Ooh congrats on your new bun!!! I will say, however, we had a (rescue) guinea pig with teeth that needed to be ground down....It cost a fortune! And the poor lil guy had to be put down only a couple of months later.....Rip sweet little Bear Bear :(
But I wish you all the best with your new rabbit!!! :)
 
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