House Rabbit Network

UPDATE 9/4: Stella went to her forever home today!

UPDATE 8/31: Stella will be going to her forever home this holiday weekend. There, she will have two new friends, Sophie and TigerLily (TigerLily was also part of the Great Angora Rescue).

A lovely smokey grey coat of angora fur. A bit timid, yet so sweet in her in ways, she’ll melt your heart. Watching her curiously explore and learn about the things and world around her, will bring a tear to your eye. Learning to trust the gentle touch of a human hand is something she is finding she may actually like. This is Stella. Or as I like to call her, Stella my bella.

Stella was part of The Great Angora Rescue from Canada (http://blog.rabbitnetwork.org/?p=2265) and came down to us during the second transport of angoras in June. Not only was she severely matted, she was also very sick with a large abscess that started from under her belly and extended up to both her shoulders. Surgery wasn’t an option since we weren’t sure if she was pregnant or not. After months of medication and TLC, she was finally healthy enough to be spayed (luckily, Stella was never pregnant, like so many of the other females during that transport). Or so we thought. Stella wasn’t out of the woods, just yet. In early August, Stella was rushed into Angell Memorial in Boston with a prolapsed uterus. Emergency surgery needed to be performed or we would have lost this beautiful girl.

After traveling more than 8 hours to her safe haven in the States, recovering from an extraordinary abscess and then a prolapsed uterus… she is truly a bunny that has shown us she is a fighter in her own right. Stella made it through emergency surgery and has since recovered beautifully and is now available for adoption. Knowing all that she’s gone through, her adopted family or humans must be very patient with her. She will need a home that is quiet, loving and willing to maintain her beautiful angora fur by brushing her and clipping her down (we can show you how or do it for you).

Stella is now in a foster home where she is getting individualized attention and we are working on her socialization as well. She is already coming out of her shell and I think it’s just a matter of time before she shows us just what an amazing bunny she is. At first she would cower and flinch at the mere touch of a hand. As soon as we entered the room, she would run into her quik-tube and hide. The first signs of her overcoming her fears happened yesterday. She started playing with her ball and wagon wheel toys and seemed to enjoy it! As I sat in the pen with her, I let her investigate me, slowly moving and speaking to her in a soft tone. Eventually she came over and licked my hand! The ultimate in bunny love! She then put her two front paws on my arm and stretched up to my face to sniff me. Yes, my heart melted. How could it not?! This is a HUGE step for a bunny like Stella who came from a life which we can only imagine, wasn’t the greatest.

As time progresses, I’m positive Stella is going to blossom into the wonderful bunny I can already see starting to emerge. If I didn’t already have two furries of my own, she would already be mine :)

7/19/10 UPDATE: Last week all six babies had their second furcuts. Oh boy was there fur!!! Some were very good at sitting for their trims, while others… not so much. But it was something that had to be done for their own comfort and well-being. They now look like little adults and will soon be separated by males and females. So far, they are still getting along, but the mounting just began last night and this is a sign of things to come. It will be a very sad day (I think mostly for their foster mom) when the siblings are separated, but it is a must… sighhhhh. The maleswill be neutered soon and then ready for adoption. The females will take a bit longer for their spays. TigerLily continues to be very strong willed and inquisitive, yet can be a sweetie when she wants to be. When she’s out of her pen running around she never sits still. She loves to explore and sniff and boink anything and everything. She is finally doing binkies and having a great time being a house bun!

7/12/10: Time sure flies when you’re a baby bunny and this is very true for the angora babies. They are now over 10 weeks old and no longer look like the tiny balls of fluff that could fit in my hand when I brought them home in May. TigerLily was spayed last week and she’s doing very well. I do think she is a bit lonely though and I sense, will make a great bonding candidate for her future “human slave’s” bunnies (TigerLily will be adopted and going to her forever home on 8/16). She is very inquisitive, loves to explore and uses her litter box 100%. She will make a wonderful free range bun, provided the electrical cords are protected!

The six babies, Yukon, Newfie, Eskimo, Klondike, Maple and Molson, are still very loving to each other and enjoy each other’s company. In about another month or so the boys will be neutered and ready for adoption. The girls won’t be ready for about another 2 months or so and I’m pretty sure two of them are already spoken for ;)

These are photos from our mommy’s last night with us… sniff…. sniff :( We will be okay since we have each other, but mommy might be a little scared. Although, she’s going back with our first foster mom, so we know she’s in great hands. She needs that one-on-one time with a human to show her that humans are nice. We are getting bigger and bigger with each passing day and our furcuts have already started growing out! We are getting puffier and puffier each day, and as you can see, we love making huge messes. Our foster mom puts the pellets in our bowls, we dig it out! We DO use our litter boxes but it’s much more fun to poop as we run. Hey, again, we’re babies still! Give us a break peeps! Our personalities are already starting to shine as well and each one of us has a very distinct character.

6/17/10 UPDATE: Oh boy peeps are we having fun! Today we made a huge mess for our foster mom to clean up and some of us even got dirty. Silly Molson had to have a chunk of fur cut off of him/her this morning because apparently s/he thought it would be fun to roll around in wet poop! There ya go Molson! Keep foster mom working hard! And, we have devised a plan for when she’s not looking… we’ve all taken to pushing the pen so we can go out and lay down on the hardwood floor (and poop on it of course). We’re really keeping her busy. But we’re still just babies and having the time of our lives! Wooohoooo!!! Now, I ask you, how in the world can you be mad at our little faces??? She can’t! :)

6/12/10 UPDATE: Hi again! Newfie here to give you the latest furry family update. I know you love us, so here are some more photos of me and my brothers and sisters and our wonderful mom. And today is our 6 week birthday! We’re celebrating by making a mess for our foster mom and doing binkies galore! Wooohoooo!!!

6/9/10: Hi everyone! My name is Newfie and I know you’ve been following my mommy’s story for a few weeks now.

Our mommy, TigerLily, was part of the large angora rabbit seizure case up in Canada and thankfully, we weren’t left behind. We made our way down to the U.S. on May 15th with many other angoras and from there was placed in a loving foster home.

We are now just about 5.5 weeks old and are thriving, growing furrier and furrier with each passing day.

It’s me and my siblings: Yukon, Maple, Molson, Klondike and Eskimo. And of course our mom TigerLily! We can’t forget about her! We love her with all our itty bitty hearts. Although, I think that now that we are mobile and are everywhere, we can drive her a bit crazy.

Our foster mom lets her out to play in the room without us while we’re stuck in the expen. No fair! Okay, okay, so she lets us out too, especially when she’s cleaning our area. We certainly do make a mess, but we’re just babies! We’re just having fun!

Anyway, I overheard that you humans are showing a lot of interest in us. Well that is just great and we understand because we are just so gosh darn cute!!! But we will not be available for adoption until we are old enough to be spayed and neutered. Lord knows, we don’t want another explosion of baby bunnies!!!

And we need to be spayed and neutered for health and behavior reasons as well. For boys that means about 3 months old or so and for the girls, about 5 months old. Our mommy won’t be available until after she’s done nursing us and she’s spayed as well. And of course all of us are going to need a human slave that is going to be willing to keep up with our long fuzzy fur. We will need daily and weekly grooming sessions so we don’t get matted.

For now, you can follow us on the blog and then once we are available for adoption, you will see us on the regular site: www.rabbitnetwork.org under Bachelors and Bachelorettes and maybe even Pairs if a few of us manage to stay bonded. I hope so! We do love each other. Until then however, please understand that HRN does not “hold” or “reserve” bunnies for any reason.

That’s all for now humans! Gotta get back to raising ruckus with my brothers and sisters! Talk soon.

~Newfie

UPDATE 6/12/10: One of the first buns of the first Great Angora Rescue transport on 5/15 has been adopted! You’re going to have a wonderful life Saucy!!! You deserve it after all you’ve been through.

There will be an entire article in the Fall 2010 Rabbit Tracks newsletter on this, but for now, the Great Angora Rescue is complete! Thank you to: CottonTail Rabbit Rescue, Hop Along Hollow, Southeastern PA-DE House Rabbit Society, Luv-N-Bunns, For Bunny Sake, My Hope’s In You, Les Lapins Rescue, Animal Welfare Society of ME, Cocheco Animal Rescue, Life Long Tails, Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue, NorthStream Wildlife Rehabilitation, and Hop Along Hollow, as well as all the volunteers who helped organize, transport, clip down the buns and everything else! Bunny people truly do ROCK! Photos from the June 5th transport:

Moonie went to do some publicity and education at Especially For Pets in Wayland over the weekend. He had quite a few admirers — especially the women! It was a busy day at the store ($5 nail clipping day) and he was a bold champ. He had perfect litter habits, stared down 100lb+ dogs, and ran laps through his cardboard tube.

Here he is — kind of tuckered out at the end of the day:

he really was quite exhausted when he got home!

The next night, after a hard day of doing the bunny 500, racing through the tube, and binkying up a storm - here his is *again* - sleeping on my hubby’s lap - watching tv.

Hoppel is one of the Buffalo Rescue buns. He has warmed up so much and is so happy to be in a loving environment, that he just can’t contain himself. Not only does he keep himself thoroughly entertained, but he has impeccable litter-box habits, and he settles right down for pets. Do you have room in your home for all of Hoppel’s love?
Here is a sneak-peak of his binkying ways…

-Andy, fosterdad.

I am going to tell you why people should adopt - or at the very least - get involved.

I am going to get a bit serious here. When you adopt from a rescue (like HRN) or a shelter - it saves the life of a bunny. This issue is avoided / ignored / unknown by many people. If you are at this blog - then you are probably aware of this important fact. Every time a bunny is bred for sale, a shelter rabbit dies. There is only so much space and demand. It is sad- but it is why I do everything I can to help the discarded bunnies of this world.

For every domesticated animal - there exist rescues and transport networks. These have the goal of moving animals in high risk situations to safety. I recently read a book that I highly recommend (it is an easy read and you can plow through it in afternoon) :
Fifteen Legs: When all that stands between death and freedom is a ride by Bonnie Silva.
It was given to me by another rescue friend in the ‘bunderground railroad‘. Yes, there is a ‘bunderground railroad’. My friend is in the book - as one of the stories. I’ve now been part of 3 transports and it is a beautiful thing.

So let me tell you about the latest one that I was part of…
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UPDATE 8/19/08: Joey’s story has a very happy ending. After coming into HRN care, he received veterinary attention (including being neutered), lots of love and has now been adopted. Yahhhhh Joey!
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As told by Kerry Quintiliani (employee at Edgewater Office Park):

I just wanted to let you know how the House Rabbit Network and employees from CBRE helped with a bunny rescue this past weekend. I don’t work with these groups and just met them, but just had to write to tell you this story.

As I left my job on Friday night, I noticed a floppy-eared white rabbit sitting next to my building. I had noticed wild rabbits in the area before, this one definitely stuck out as a
domestic bunny. While my sister and I tried to catch it, a gentleman leaving the building told us that a man had walked behind the building and dumped two domestic rabbits out of cages before running back to his car.

We got really close a couple of times but the bunny proved to be too quick. After a couple of hours, we left some carrots and celery out and planned to come back in the morning to try again. My sister found the House Rabbit Network online and sent them an email that night. Saturday morning, she received a call and email from Shannon, a HRN volunteer and bunny foster mom, who met us back at the office that morning to search again but no dice.

Shannon and a team of HRN volunteers met back to the office park at dusk on Saturday to continue searching. After looking around in the swamp and woods, a domestic brown bunny was found stuck in an air intake vent that was surrounded by cement and metal grates.

Look Closely: “Joey” sitting on a bucket in the concrete intake vent underground. This is the 3 inch opening mentioned below.

There was no way into this space except a three-inch gap that the bunny had fallen through. The bunny responded to food and water passed into the space and seemed to be healthy so a plan was made to find someone who could open up the grates so he could be rescued.

Security contacted a maintenance man who brought his tools down and went to work opening up the metal shields.

After hours of jig-sawing and prying, a hole big enough for a person to slide through opened up.

Then people slid in through the opening and grabbed the feisty bunny.

It was a long five hours, but totally worth it to rescue this sweet bunny (named “Joey). Joey will be taken to the vet for an exam and to be neutered and will be posted to the House Rabbit Network site when he’s ready for adoption.

It’s sad that the white bunny is still not accounted for, but I’ll keep my eyes open. It’s even sadder that these innocent bunnies were literally dumped out into the wild by a man who didn’t want them anymore. These two bunnies were most likely Easter gifts that grew up too fast and were given a death sentence since abandoned bunnies can’t adapt from domestic life. They are most often hunted and eaten by predators or, as was the fate of the brown bunny before he was rescued today, get trapped and end up starving to death – a very slow and painful way to die.

Special thanks to my sister Amy Ahern for finding and contacting the HRN for help; the HRN team of Shannon Cail, Tricia Hart, Tom McDonald, Suzanne Trayhan and Carol Youngclaus for volunteering to help rescue not just this bunny, but hundreds of bunnies in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut; to Jeff Baker from security, Joe Voto and Chris Caruso from CBRE, and Amy Felicani (who slid into the air shaft) for their willingness to help rescue a bunny on a bug-filled Saturday night. Thank you all for saving Joey!

Side Note: Joey was named after Joe Voto’s 6 year old son who told his dad that he had to leave dinner to go and save the bunny! “Joey” the bunny, is an approx. 3 lb., Jersey Wooley mix. Most likely a young “easter bunny” who was bought for children at Easter then released into the wild when the family and children lost interest.

Enjoy reading about Joey’s rescue in the Woburn Advocate: “Down The Rabit Hole” : http://www.wickedlocal.com/wilmington/news/x2043505582/Down-the-rabbit-hole

One of the coolest things about raising babies is seeing the transformation from babies to adolescents. The original litter that arrived from Winchendon was 3 weeks old now they are approaching 2 months. Some of the babies’ ears have started to “lop” which has made them even more adorable. We had heard that lops were born with “normal” ears that subsequently fell downwards, but now we are witnessing it first hand.

The babies at 3 weeks. Madison is 2nd from right. Penny is on the far right.

Madison at 5 weeks. Her ears are half-way there.

Madison at 7 weeks - Sporting the full lop.

Penny is adorable as a lop too.

-Andy, fosterdad.