Nugget's Forever Thread...

I have desperately been trying to find a home for my nephew's bunny for close to a year now. The poor thing is left in our basement in a cage and practically ignored. i overheard him on the phone the other day telling one of his friends i keep nagging him to take care of her.

if i can't find a home for her by the time the weather is warm enough to put her in the outside hutch his plan is to put her in but not close the door all the way. this way she can escape and he won't have to be bothered with her anymore.

i tried to explain she will hurt herself when she falls the three or more feet to the ground and that she will never survive on her own outside. he seems to think since we've seen rabbits in our yard in the past (not many and not often) she'll just join those rabbits.

i am really upset about this. i can't just turn her into to the jac because i will be blacklisted from adopting another cat in the future. i am told when someone surrenders an animal their name goes out to all the shelters to prevent the person from adopting in the future.

bunny is skittish, but with love and patience she would be a great bunny. i pet her and talk to her whenever i am in the basement. i can't pick her up though because it's hard for me to reach over the cage enough.

she comes with a large indoor cage, food bowls, water bottles, toys and whatever food and bedding we have. she also comes with a wooden and wire outdoor hutch.

Dear JTA:

There is no such thing as a black list at the JAC. They do tend to not adopt out to people who have dropped their animals with them as we have had people who "dumped" their 10 year old dog with us because "the child had allergies", "the landlord doesn't allow pets" or "we just can't afford a pet anymore" and then came back a month later looking to adopt a puppy. That is just not the kind of person that we want to give any animal to.

Your situation is completely different. I am more then happy to talk to the shelter manager on your behalf and will make sure that she knows what the situation is. I just have to check if we are set up to take a rabbit in. She already knows how you always want to help and give the shirt of your back whenever I have asked for "special needs cases" so they will certainly try to assist you.

Please feel free to call me at (973) 508-8221 and I am sure we can set something up or arrange something. Just know that we might not have room this very second but if you can give me a few days or a week I can certainly see that we can find the little guy a temporary home.

If there is somebody in town that is looking to adopt a rabbit that would be wonderful. Do you have any pictures? If not I could walk over and take one so people could see the little fella. There is also an option with the Petstore that sometimes has people looking for an adult instead of a baby rabbit.

Just let me know and I will be happy to help ok...every once in a while I can pay you back for all the things you are always ready to do for us ok!!

How old is said nephew? Let him bring it to JAC. Does he have parents? Let him use their name.

thanks bajou. i'm glad to hear there isn't a list that goes out to the shelters. for some reason i've thought this since back in 1991 when we adopted a psycho cat from st Huberst (sp).

i'll take a picture of her when i get back from the doctor and post it. she really is cute. like i said she is timid. she will need to be socialized. i can't even remember the last time he took her out of her cage to play with her.

twinsdad
he's thirteen. i don't think any shelter would take an animal from a minor without an adult present. (bajou -would they)? if they will i'll drive him there myself and send him in with bunny while i wait in the car!

yeah he has parents; but i won't even go there when it comes to the rabbit and how they deal with the situation. i complained about this in the past and how much it frustrates me.

Well, knowing you, I'm sure you'll come up with a great solution. I suggested having the nephew bring it back just to teach him a lesson. If you do end up bringing it back, take him with you. Maybe if he sees all of the animals at the shelter (if he hasn't already), maybe it'll be a wake up call for him.

I've been following this bunny story for a while now. It is truly sad, and I really feel for the little guy. I would LOVE to take him and give him a great home, but our schedule is so crazy that I don't think he would get the proper attention he really needs, hence the reason all of our pets are of the 'wild' persuation.

Have you spoken to Bill at the Maplewood Pet Shop? Perhaps he might know of someone.

I wish the little bunny the best of luck. Man, this story almost brings tears to my eyes.

twinsdad-
thanks for the vote of confidence. i'm at the end of my rope with solutions. i had really hoped someone from mol would have adopted her. but since i've been honest and have been upfront by letting people know she's skittish, i think i've scared people off.

the bunny isn't from the jac. it's from a pet store. where i don't know. both my nephews got bunnies for christmas a few years back from one of my sisters. (well not the bunnies exactly. certificates for them).

now that i know i won't be kept from adopting another cat in the future, i'm going to make some calls to some shelters to see if i can surrender her. i'm going to wait until i hear back from bajou. it just makes me so sad how she's all by herself. the cat pays more attention to the bunny then my nephew.

the other bunny got very sick about a year after the boys got them. she also ended up needing jaw surgery; which would have made it difficult for her to eat. it was going to take a lot of dedication feeding her and taking care of her with these health issues. something the vet felt would keep her alive; but her quality of life would decrease.

at the time we had to make the gut wrenching decision (actually the other nephew made it) to send her to bunny heaven. at the time i wondered if this was a cop out on our part; but now, i see we enabled him to make the right choice. he still talks about his bunny.

i would think since they've gone with me to the animal shelter to play with the cats, and we adopted our cat from a shelter five years ago, he would understand.

when i go downstairs to feed her i'm going to try to take a picture of her. it's hard to do with her in the cage.

thanks def.
scratchers does need a lot of attention. at least a lot more then she currently gets.

maplewood pet shop wouldn't take back a bunny that was bought there a few months after it was bought; so i doubt they will take scratchers. the bunny that was bought there was a big beautiful white bunny that loved to be held. my friend's kid insisted she wanted a bunny and promised she'd take care of it.

i tried to discourage it and told her it would be a lot of work to take care of a bunny. even pointed out her dislike of scooping the cat litter box. within a couple of months she had enough of her bunny. luckily, thanks to mol, he found a home with a kindergarten class.

i'm keeping my fingers crossed the jac willl take scratchers. i know shelters are pressed for cash right now. i'd even pay for her care until she goes to a furever home. the whole situation breaks my heart.

Dear JTA:

Please feel free to call me at 973-508-8221. I have been on the phone and internet to see what we can do here. The JAC has one gigantic problem with taking in the bunny as the manager is severely allergic to bunny's and had severe asthma attacks last time a bunny was housed there. Now I have also been in contact with the two pet stores in town and I am waiting to talk to the manager at ProPets tomorrow at noon.

You have to tell me straight what timeline we are looking at here. If this is a case of having to remove the rabbit right now then I guess if worse comes to worse I could put it in my house although there is a good chance I might go back into the hospital in the next few days.

Again just call me at 973-508-8221 I am waiting to hear from you!!

You are awesome Bajou! :thumbup:

Posted By: DEFCON CreatorYou are awesome Bajou!

Lets see how you feel about me when I sit in your yard in my robe with the curlers and the thermos of camomile tee and watch you dance with the wild bunnies.

Hey can't we talk you into owning your very own brethren??? I am willing to donate towards an outdoor hutch...WADDAYA say!!! You know deep down inside you want your very own bunny!!

I'm exploring my rescue contacts for you JTA---give me some details: how old is the rabbit? Do you know what breed it is(or at least tell me what color it is) Is it neutered?

The rescues are in bad shape because of the economic crises---donations have dried up, and people have been forced to give up all their pets because of changes in living circumstances and other impacts from the economy. The NJ House Rabbit Society, which I would ordinarily recommend, has been force to close her doors. She's a one man band , and just trying to place the bunnies she already has in foster care.

I can't promise anything, but I'll try.

Calli

The rabbit is a dwarf grey female age three. Will find out if she is fixed. Am on the phone with jta right now.

Calli
thanks for your help. i talked with bajou for a long time tonight. she's trying a few things as well. scratcheris about three or four years old. i am pretty sure she's a dwarf rabbit. her ears are short and they stick up. but most of the time she keeps them back against her body. she is grey. not sure if she's neutered. my sister is away, so i can't ask her until i speak with her tomorrow.

i'd be more then happy to pay a rescue until she gets adopted. thank you so much for trying.

Posted By: bajouLets see how you feel about me when I sit in your yard in my robe with the curlers and the thermos of camomile tee and watch you dance with the wild bunnies.

No one is allowed to witness the Bunny Dance of Happy Doom! Especially wearing curlers. :shocked:

Posted By: bajouHey can't we talk you into owning your very own brethren??? I am willing to donate towards an outdoor hutch...WADDAYA say!!! You know deep down inside you want your very own bunny!!

Like I said, I would LOVE to. However, myself and The Wife Unit's schedules are slightly chaotic, and what this little guy needs is a lot of attention, which we would not be able to provide, hence the reason ALL of our pets are of the wild variety.

JTA- your efforts are commendable and I really feel sorry for you stuck with that little brat of a nephew. What kind of child would want to leave a door to a hutch open and let their own pet go? Bizarre - call the shrink.

Good luck jta with the bunny. Keep us all posted as to how you make out. Seems like you have many people to help you, that's good.

Dear All of MOL:

Please ask around if anybody would want a bunny. I will spring for a new cage if one is needed or donate towards an outdoor hutch.

You would be surprised to find out how hard it is to find a place for these poor furry little creatures. Sadly and as Calli highlighted alot of rescues have or are closing their doors due to donations drying up. These rescues are usually run by private individuals who take on upon themselves to house these poor critters that have nowhere to go. They are overwhelmed and are spending big sums out of their own pocket until it's no longer dueable. When times are tough and donations dry up they can't survive...

These people are real heroes they have dedicated hours, weekends, night after night and lots of times most of their paycheck to help animals in need.

We are hoping to find somebody who actually REALLY REALLY wants her and wants to take care of her. She is three years old but pet rabbits can get to be 10 years old so this little girl hasn't even hit the prime of her life yet. There has to be a little kid out there who would love to have a bunny.

Teaching you child to care for a pet and to be compassionate about it's needs is a great way to teach responsibility and instill empathy.

OHHH come on somebody...how can you walk away from a free cute gray little dwarf bunny????

We still don't have a picture but she would look something like this...(milking the cuteness of the pic)

...

After reading this thread, and getting somewhat choked up all through it, little Scratchers has indirectly grown on me. After much deliberation amongst myself, The Wife Unit and members of our family, it seems we will TAKE THE BUNNY! Whisper me the details.

"Did you hear? Defcon is coronating the new Uber-Bunny!"

"Awesome! One more step towards global domination! All Hail Scratchers!"

Oh, YAY! Go, Defcon and The Wife Unit! And if that's a photo of Scratcher, she is GORGEOUS! I was just about to say I would ask all my neighbors and even ask how bad it would be to have a rabbit in the house with three cats, but if Deffy is volunteering, it sounds like a match made in heaven. :clap:

HURRAY!!!!! I KNEW I WOULD GET TO YOU SOONER OR LATER! YOU THE WIFE UNIT AND YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY ROCK. DEFCON YOU ROCK LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW.

IF WIFE UNIT WON'T OBJECT I'D LIKE TO PLANT ONE GIGANTIC HUGE VIRTUAL SMOOCH ON YOU CAUSE I HAVE BEEN HITTING A DEAD END EVERYWHERE I CALLED.

YOU ARE MY HERRRRRROOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I think this calls for a celebration. Perhaps Saturday afternoon? It's gonna be 70 degrees and sunny out!

aaah just so we are clear this is not a picture of scratcher because we don't have one yet as I stated in the last sentence of the post above the picture....

However she is a dwarf grey with short ears so I just googled an imaged of a similar looking bunny.

Deffy: JTA is not home until 6PM so I will call her and let her know the good news.

I can't stop jumping around my house hollering!!! Yes Yes Yes....

Not only did I get nowhere with any of my calls but the bunny found a home in less the 48 hours! Not just any home my friends! This bunny is going to live with the biggest bunny lover I know!

GOD, LIVE JUST WORKS OUT SOMETIMES!!!

"Can you believe it?"

"Man, I'm happy for the little guy".

"Me too, it's like a Cinderella story!"

"Hey guys, hurry up, I'm hungry!"

Defcon - hurray for you! I had been working my contacts as well and was coming up dry - so glad to hear it! I'll buy you a drink when I meet you.

I just couldn't take the sad stories anymore. Unlike other animals, bunnies are basically defenseless, and for the little cretin to treat the little guy (gal) like that was completely unacceptable. Our (myself & The Wife Unit) schedules are a bit chaotic, but my sister, who lives in Millington, and The Parental Units who live in Maplewood are all going to lend a hand. This little guy (gal) isn't gonna know what to do, kind of like a bunny heaven. I will need a little coaching as to how to raise a filum lepus, as it's no longer going to be as easy as throwing seed outside, but rest assured, she'll be a happy little Defcon critter!

The Wife Unit has already picked out a window so Scratchers can enjoy what's going on in the Defcon wildlife sanctuary out back. Too cute!

Posted By: DEFCON CreatorThe Wife Unit has already picked out a window so Scratchers can enjoy what's going on in the Defcon wildlife sanctuary out back. Too cute!

Now, THAT sounds a whole lot nicer than a basement. :cheer: