GreenhornBunnyGirl
https://www.change.org/GrandRapidsRabbits
Soooo...I fully intended to be very slow and deliberate and be the #1 planner before I ever got my first rabbit. But an unexpected opportunity sprang up. One thing led to another, and I unintentionally crossed the event horizon of what I now refer to as "the Bunny Acquisition Black Hole". Now there's a rabbit in my apartment. 
I had gotten a used cage and some of the other necessary supplies, but it was still going to be a week or so until I could begin setting up in my friend's backyard. In the meantime, I was browsing Facebook and came across a post with some Giant Angora/German Angora crossed kits. And they had some REWs pictured. I inquired out of general curiosity what the gender of the REWs were, and she replied that there was one doe and one buck. Thus began the slippery slope.
Because suddenly my social anxiety kicked in and I was like "Heck, well...now I'm obligated to keep talking, since I started this conversation, right? Guess I'd better ask how much they cost".
Price was $125 for the buck and $150 for the doe.
"That's an alright price I suppose, even if I can't show the rabbit since it's not a purebred. I'm mostly interested in the wool anyways. Guess I'd better ask if I can meet up and check the rabbit out? And...I guess I'd better buy the food the rabbit's used to...just in case I decide to buy it after all and bring it home with me!"
Drove an hour and 40 minutes from where I lived. Met the lady. Touched the bunny. Folks...it was the softest thing I have ever felt in my LIFE! Pretty sure the clouds in Heaven are made out of fur from Angora rabbits. There was no going back after I picked that rabbit up and felt how soft she was and saw how relaxed she was.
That was how I got my first bunny, Snow! Who I've now had for 2 days.
Day 1, I brought her home and set up her cage and a play area (to protect our floors, ethernet cable, and security deposit). I also gave her a very shallow bath. I've read what you guys have said about rabbits and baths, so I didn't get her sopping wet in a giant tub of water. I just put half an inch of warm water in the one end of the tub, then rinsed and shampooed her belly, butt, and feet, which were all covered in pee from her time in the car ride. She also had some pretty noticeable urine staining.
I know that's pretty much an unavoidable fact of life with a bun...but I knew my partner, who was born and raised in the city and isn't super into farm animals, would find it a bit gross. So I did what I could to tidy her up a bit. I dried her off with the blow dryer in my apartment's dog wash station, which she was not a big fan of. I gave her a small "sanitary trim" around her bits and on the bottoms of her feet to be rid of the most stained and clumpy fur, and hit her with a little freshener spray that has some baking soda in it.
Then I brushed her, and while doing so, discovered she had a bit of a wound on her haunch and a cut behind her ear. I'm not sure what could have caused the former, it's like a large tear in her skin. It's hidden well by her fur, and is in an odd spot. Maybe she was nipped by a sibling or got caught on a bit of wire? Doesn't look infected, so I'm just keeping an eye on it for now. The cut behind her ear just looks like the owner tried to trim some matts from behind her ears and slipped a bit. Simple mistake there, happens to the best of us, I'm not too worried about it.
Day 2 I let her relax and enjoy the place mostly, though I did trim her nails before I had to go to work. Those things were SHARP! Like wee little needles! With her being a REW though, it's really easy to see where he quick is, so I managed to avoid cutting it. Quite proud of that!
One thing I'm not so proud of yet is my current set up; it's a bit of a hot mess.
Yes...that is indeed a used ferret cage. My thought process when I got it was "This would be great for the Jersey Wooley or Dwarf Hotot I get to keep my wool rabbit company!" ...then I went and got the wool rabbit first, who's a cross between the two LARGEST angora breeds out there. Let the record show, I never claimed to be a genius.
Next paycheck, I plan to get her a simpler, proper wire cage that'll be a better size for her. Between her hay rack, and the various enrichment items I've gotten her, she's got plenty to chew on. Snow's eating and drinking well. I put her pellets in a wobble toy that she has to nudge in order to get the food to fall out, and she really seems to enjoy that! She's a very calm and inquisitive rabbit; when my dog came to sniff her through the bars, she just turned around and sniffed the dog right back!
I'm confident I'm doing alright by her, even if it's not a perfect set up, or 100% how I had planned to do things. Can't help but chastise myself for being a bit rash though.
Has anyone else ever brought home a surprise rabbit like I did?
I had gotten a used cage and some of the other necessary supplies, but it was still going to be a week or so until I could begin setting up in my friend's backyard. In the meantime, I was browsing Facebook and came across a post with some Giant Angora/German Angora crossed kits. And they had some REWs pictured. I inquired out of general curiosity what the gender of the REWs were, and she replied that there was one doe and one buck. Thus began the slippery slope.
Because suddenly my social anxiety kicked in and I was like "Heck, well...now I'm obligated to keep talking, since I started this conversation, right? Guess I'd better ask how much they cost".
Price was $125 for the buck and $150 for the doe.
"That's an alright price I suppose, even if I can't show the rabbit since it's not a purebred. I'm mostly interested in the wool anyways. Guess I'd better ask if I can meet up and check the rabbit out? And...I guess I'd better buy the food the rabbit's used to...just in case I decide to buy it after all and bring it home with me!"
Drove an hour and 40 minutes from where I lived. Met the lady. Touched the bunny. Folks...it was the softest thing I have ever felt in my LIFE! Pretty sure the clouds in Heaven are made out of fur from Angora rabbits. There was no going back after I picked that rabbit up and felt how soft she was and saw how relaxed she was.
That was how I got my first bunny, Snow! Who I've now had for 2 days.
Day 1, I brought her home and set up her cage and a play area (to protect our floors, ethernet cable, and security deposit). I also gave her a very shallow bath. I've read what you guys have said about rabbits and baths, so I didn't get her sopping wet in a giant tub of water. I just put half an inch of warm water in the one end of the tub, then rinsed and shampooed her belly, butt, and feet, which were all covered in pee from her time in the car ride. She also had some pretty noticeable urine staining.
I know that's pretty much an unavoidable fact of life with a bun...but I knew my partner, who was born and raised in the city and isn't super into farm animals, would find it a bit gross. So I did what I could to tidy her up a bit. I dried her off with the blow dryer in my apartment's dog wash station, which she was not a big fan of. I gave her a small "sanitary trim" around her bits and on the bottoms of her feet to be rid of the most stained and clumpy fur, and hit her with a little freshener spray that has some baking soda in it.
Then I brushed her, and while doing so, discovered she had a bit of a wound on her haunch and a cut behind her ear. I'm not sure what could have caused the former, it's like a large tear in her skin. It's hidden well by her fur, and is in an odd spot. Maybe she was nipped by a sibling or got caught on a bit of wire? Doesn't look infected, so I'm just keeping an eye on it for now. The cut behind her ear just looks like the owner tried to trim some matts from behind her ears and slipped a bit. Simple mistake there, happens to the best of us, I'm not too worried about it.
Day 2 I let her relax and enjoy the place mostly, though I did trim her nails before I had to go to work. Those things were SHARP! Like wee little needles! With her being a REW though, it's really easy to see where he quick is, so I managed to avoid cutting it. Quite proud of that!
One thing I'm not so proud of yet is my current set up; it's a bit of a hot mess.
Yes...that is indeed a used ferret cage. My thought process when I got it was "This would be great for the Jersey Wooley or Dwarf Hotot I get to keep my wool rabbit company!" ...then I went and got the wool rabbit first, who's a cross between the two LARGEST angora breeds out there. Let the record show, I never claimed to be a genius.
Next paycheck, I plan to get her a simpler, proper wire cage that'll be a better size for her. Between her hay rack, and the various enrichment items I've gotten her, she's got plenty to chew on. Snow's eating and drinking well. I put her pellets in a wobble toy that she has to nudge in order to get the food to fall out, and she really seems to enjoy that! She's a very calm and inquisitive rabbit; when my dog came to sniff her through the bars, she just turned around and sniffed the dog right back!
I'm confident I'm doing alright by her, even if it's not a perfect set up, or 100% how I had planned to do things. Can't help but chastise myself for being a bit rash though.
Has anyone else ever brought home a surprise rabbit like I did?
