The Rabbit Residence Rescue
rabbit_residence@hotmail.com 07904 397 378
Long-term Residents
We have a number of rabbits who have been with us for longer than they deserve. We desperately want them to find loving homes - can you help? Even if you cannot give them a home, perhaps you would make a donation towards their upkeep?
Summerbreeze
Hello, I’m Summerbreeze. Caroline says I’m very special as I’ve been through so much. She also rescued my mum and grandparents so is very close to Morris and I. We were homed in 2001, but it was to a noisy family who had an Alsatian and cat and horses.
They were going to keep us as house bunnies, but there was so much stress around us that we stopped litter training. They didn’t understand what we were trying to tell them and put us outside. Caroline always says make sure our hutch/shed is attached to a run so we can run and hide easily, but she didn’t know all this was going on. We had a run but it was too small and we were scared and bored and used to escape. The owners got cross and confined us to a 5ft hutch. We are both around 3kg so were very squashed. We got really fat and I got head tilt. We were so sad. Caroline had a deep instinct that kept digging at her, and as she keeps in contact with adoptees she decided to investigate. Her instinct was right, at last she heard us crying out to her.
She was heart broken and pained to what we’d endured. She’s still never forgiven herself. We’ve been back at the rescue since Jan 2004. We’re 6 years old now and have a quiet settled life and lots of space and a nice shed to sleep in. Caroline will miss us greatly, but may consider letting us go, if someone out there can promise to love us properly and feels they are connecting with us. We are the perfect bunnies. Quiet, gentle, well behaved, happy to oblige with cuddles and strokes if we feel safe with you. We’d be happy to be house bunnies again, if it’s done properly, but Morris loves to sunbath!
Morris
Hello, I’m Morris. Summerbreeze has told you our story. I’m the slimmer one, but we are both so squidgey and cuddly. Caroline has us on mainly a hay and veg diet, as we’re prone to putting weight on easily. I love to sunbath and feel so safe and relaxed- I sometimes scare Caroline because I look like I’m dead! We love our greens and broccoli and we’re very well litter trained. We love timothy hay. We’re chilled out and laidback and very sociable. If you don’t mind our age and think you could offer us an extra special home, please contact the rescue, thank you.
Molly
My name is Molly, my owner thought I was a boy. I was kept in a hutch for the 5 years she had me. She loved me, but only knew of the old fashioned way to keep rabbits. She gave me up, as she had to move into a hostel.
Nobody wants me because I’m now 7 years old, but I’m in great condition thanks to Caroline and would really love to be a house rabbit, now I’m an older girl. I’m confident and quite happy to sit with humans. I like to be hand fed, and don’t mind being held. When Caroline has time, she teaches me how nice stroking can be. I’m gentle and kind and will give you companionship and love. Is there anyone out there who can give Ben and I that special home and allow us to make the most of our senior years. Please don’t let us be left at a rescue until we die.
Rainbow
Hello, my name is Rainbow and I live with Marbles. We’re yet another pair of rabbits who have now got health concerns because our owners fed us the wrong diet and kept us in the wrong environment.
We have a fantastic classic rabbit shape, so should have strong aligned teeth. Instead, most of our molars have fallen out and we can’t eat grass or hay. Caroline compensates the fibre we’re lacking by feeding us Protexin, Oxbow pellets and lots of vegetables. Our tear ducts can get infected so we need eye drops and occasional flushing and our remaining molars need rasping every now and then, but with this special care and attention, it’s possible to keep us in perfect health and it's not that hard.
We love life and are very happy bunnies. We’re 6 years old now so would love to be house bunnies, where we wouldn’t cause any trouble and our new adult owners would be easily able to keep an eye on us. The warmth would also help prevent us getting GI stasis.
Marbles
Agouti and white Dutch cross
Born 2000 (8-9 years old)
Neutered buck
Marbles arrived with his sister 31/05/05 in appalling condition. Both
rabbits were underweight, particularly him and both have osteomyalitis in the
jaw bone and awful incisors, where as he has aged he now has no bottom incisors
and missshapen top incisors which grow towards his pallet and need regularly
clipping. At times he was prone to a dirty bottom but for the
last year has kept himself clean. He arrived at 1.6kg and now is stable at 1.8-
1.9kg. in 2006 he had to have abscess removed from his jaw bone and intense
nursing afterwards. It was very touch and go but he pulled through and is
definitely a special bunny.
He also regularly undergoes conscious clipping of
hind molars as he is at higher risk with regular anaesthetic with his age. He
has been relaxed and friendly and enjoys being a house rabbit so it breaks my
heart when he is tense and anxious around humans and looking so sad.
Pippa
Blue and white Dutch
Born may 2007
Spayed doe
Pippa arrived very timid and anxious, very
overweight with a dirty bottom and inflamed vulva. She has come on leaps and
bounds but desperately needs a warren to live in to get used to human
interaction and a friend.
She is not as fat as when she arrived but must have hay and veg and
if pellets (very small amount) are fed in the evening. Hopefully in
time her flab will turn to muscle.
Virgil
Spayed doe
Born June 1999 (9 years old!)
Virgil, you would not
believe arrived in October 2004 at a whopping 3.5kg. By December she was a
healthy 2.9kg. She arrived having been fed far too much and very overweight
with sticky bottom problems and huge skin folds making her extremely prone to
fly strike.
Despite regaining her health and clean bottom, she went on to develop liver disease and sadly now has the opposite problem in maintaining her weight and muscle. Once again she is prone to fly strike but this time due to urinating on herself through incontinence. Her fur has to be kept trimmed around her hindquarters.
Her gut is delicate and she is administered fluids to help disperse the toxins in the liver, probiotics, vitamins and extra concentrate. She must have rearguard whenever flies are about through May to Oct and is presently on antibiotics as she is prone to urine infections. She has also been under anaesthetic for dentals despite being 9 years old. Virgil is so special and so loving. An amazing zest for life despite all she’s been through.
Whisky
Pearl grey dwarf lop
Neutered buck
Born June 2007 (1 year old)
Whisky arrived
20/02/08. Only 9 months old, but looking old due to his poor condition. He had
been through 3 different homes and mysteriously had no incisors despite no vet
or owner ever noticing. They may well have been knocked out in a fight or when
dropped by someone as his jaw also moves far too much, as if it may have been
broken at some point. Despite this, Whisky is so sweet, innocent and friendly.
He has required molar dentals but we assume he finds it difficult to maintain
he weight, possibly through chronic pain in his jaw, so is given pain relief
and anti-inflammatory and fed extra.
Grommit
Black angora
Born 19/08/02 (6 years)
Neutered buck
I found Grommit, along with his brother Wallace, in shocking condition at
only 6 weeks old, in a pet shop. As a rescue we don’t usually have time to get
involved with the unscrupulous sale of rabbits in pet shops but I couldn’t turn
a blind eye to these two as I knew what a mess they’d get in if sold to a
member of public. Their cute fluffiness and toy look appealing to the wrong
sort of person. Once home they took many hours to dematt. So much so I had to
do it gradually over a number of days. I was so angry I sent their fur that I
had groomed out to the pet shop with a letter, but never got a reply!!
Grommit requires grooming as often as possible. This rabbit is healthy but if left to matt could develop skin problems etc.
Grumpy
Agouti dwarf lop cross
Born 07/12/07
Neutered buck
Grumpy was one of 8, yet another accidental litter born in the midst of winter, given up 3 days before Christmas. The whole litter was in very poor condition; underweight with eye infections and many with misaligned molars. Grumpy, was one of the worst and still struggles to maintain his weight, having been dentaled twice since being at the rescue. He also has blocked tear ducts where he needs eye drops applying 2-3 times a day and his tear ducts flushing once a week until they hopefully unblock. He is a sweet happy bunny and the rescue has a policy of never putting a happy bunny to sleep if their medical problems can be treated.
Grumpy requires monitoring of his weight and regular application of eye drops.
Bruno
Opal grey lop
Age unknown- stray- approx 2004
Buck- appears neutered- not done at rescue
Bruno was found as a stray and because all rescues were full he was kept
in someone’s garage for 5 months. Yet another kind but ignorant person to his
awful health. Bruno had very overgrown incisors coming out of his mouth, he was
overweight and his nether region was so deformed he looked like a doe, before
extremely close examination. It is possible he was born deformed, possibly with
no testicles as one can’t imagine an owner letting their rabbit loose and not
caring about finding it, but paying to get him neutered or even knowing he was
a buck and not a doe. The saddest thing was he was ridden with urine scald and
mites. His hindquarters were bald and red raw.
The first few weeks were spent nursing his sore skin and bottom with
washing and creams. He had his incisors removed and diet corrected. Slowly but
surely he became a happy healthy rabbit but due to his wonky willy he will always need rearguarding to prevent flystrike and fur
trimming, skin washing and creaming. With the correct diet and regular
checking this process is only once a week and he generally looks 1000 times
better and more in control than when he arrived back on 12/03/06, having been a
permanent rabbit in need of sponsoring for 2 years now due to his medical
requirements
Coco
Born 2002- 6 years old
Himalayan lion lop x
Spayed doe
Well, where do I start!!? Coco arrived
at the rescue 10/04/05 half the body weight she should have been at 1.6kg. The
owner loved her but was totally blind to how seriously ill she was. She
urgently needed a big dental on her molars and this was to continue every few
months thorough out her life. she also had problems like weak claws and teeth.
Over time she went from 1.6kg-2.8kg. wow!! She is a true miracle. Over the 3 years
I’ve cared for her she has had bladder stones removed, been treated for E.C.
abscesses removed, skin complaints and matted fur, many dentals, conscious and
under general and most recently she had a cancer removed from her back. She had
it done as best pos under local but had to be sedated in the end because of the
pain. Along with this she has a lump near her heart and abscesses filling one
of her lungs.
As you can imagine she needs lots of special care
and attention. She needs concentrate twice daily as she
physically can’t eat hay, she needs antibiotics every day along with probiotics
and vitamins. You also need to keep an eye her gut doesn’t become gassy.
Henderson
Black and white broken butterfly dwarf lop
Born approx March 2004
Neutered buck
Henderson arrived to me
unloved, with extremely bad mites and sores on his back. Very overgrown claws,
fed a mix with locust beans in which can cause blockages, a dirty bottom and
pooh stuck all over his tail and very sore broken skin. He was the sweetest
little boy, yet he had been stuck in a small hutch in solitary confinement for
the 4 years of his life. His owners dropped him off at the rescue and commented
on how friendly the bunnies were and said they didn’t realise rabbits could be
so friendly and intelligent and that
After correcting his diet and dealing with blocked
tear ducts and all his other problems, his coat and condition has much
improved, though his skin has been left tough and scared. Sadly he has been diagnosed
with e.coli after going through a phase of urinating on himself.
He is being administered Baytril
antibiotics and Genticin eye drops with flushes once a week until further
notice.
India
Orange harlequin dwarf lop
Age unknown- min 2 years (2006)
Spayed doe
India was handed in as a stray to a vet practice so nothing is known about her past, except that she was left in very poor condition with severe abscesses in her ears, leaving her very uncomfortable and irritated.
She arrived at the rescue 18/08/07 and due to her health problems I
decided to keep her as a permanent rabbit. I had rehomed a rabbit named George
to experienced owners whose vet removed the ear abscesses and after much
nursing and a patient rabbit he has been cured. Sadly for
We intermittently clean puss out of her ears
Henry
Breed- silver
Born may 1998- over 10 years old
Neutered buck
I rescued Henry while at university from a so-called animal care student
who really didn’t have any intelligence at all as she would put poor little
Henry on a lead and try and walk him in front of the dog kennels- talk about
using rabbit as bait. She didn’t want him any more as he was skittish and
unfriendly- well I’m not surprised!
In the right conditions he soon settled down, though
was very shy and traumatised from his experience.
Henry has been as strong and steady as an ox over
the years. At 8 years old he developed a large facial abscess where the
decision was made despite his age to put him under anaesthetic and have it
removed. Amazingly, he pulled through and with antibiotics it has never
returned. He then went on to develop cataracts but copes well. After having to
live indoors for a couple of years because of his elderly partner Matilda, who
eventually had to be put to sleep due to arthritis and muscle wastage, Henry has
since had a new lease of life. Heart-touchingly he has found new love, an 8 ½
year old doe named Beauty who came back to the rescue after her partner passed
away. It brings a tear to my eye as I see him enjoying the fresh grass and
sunbathing and making the most of the space in their warren as well as
snuggling up together. He is healthy but always
requires an extra special eye on him, as he is blind and so old!
Lacey
Lop cross
Born 2004 ( 4 years)
White with grey markings lop
Spayed doe
Lacey was rescued from a gypsy camp from a white witch. About 10 rabbits
stuck in dirty old tiny hutches at the back of a caravan. Hutches soiled with
old food and droppings. Lacey was living with her mother and hadn’t been out of
the hutch for the 2 years of her life having lived at the rescue since
17/05/06. Apparently she was born with head tilt, but probably she was the runt
of the litter and picked up an infection at an early age; left untreated and
left to circle continuously in a small hutch, its taken her a while to learn to
walk in a straight line and use the space she now has. She had a dirty bottom,
overgrown claws and it was amazing she was still alive as her incisors were
misaligned and growing out of her mouth.
She has since survived being spayed, having her
incisors removed and various dentals on her molars. She’s also recovered from
e.cuniculi. She is happy and healthy despite her upsetting head tilt and maybe
slight brain damage. She needs her vegetables grating and fed concentrate twice
a day to help her maintain her weight though she is a very good girl and eats
hay!
Megan
Black and white Dutch
Born march 2006
Spayed doe
Megan was going to be put to sleep along with 5
others by her owner who could no longer keep them. She was in appalling condition
on arrival; malnourished with her incisors growing out of her mouth, unable to
eat. She had runny eyes and spikes on her molars too. She was moulting, had
dirty scent glands and bottom and was not eating hay.
To allow her to eat her incisors were removed but
they broke off and abscesses formed. She had a very long slow recovery with
much hand feeding, antibiotics and trips to the vets. She arrived at the rescue
20/07/07 where the first 6 months of her life were horrendous. Despite this she
fought through and was always so loving and affectionate and getting up to
mischief. She is now in beautiful condition and fought through incredible
surgery but will always be a bunny at risk of problems reoccurring.
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Bess
Red-eyed white lop x
Born Sept 2004
Doe- needs spaying
One sweet house rabbit, yet Bess’s owner felt she couldn’t cope with 2
children and a rabbit- she should try caring for 80 rabbits! Poor Bess had been
fed 2 whole bowlfuls of high protein mix a day, oblivious to how fat she was
and the risk she was putting on her life. Being a house rabbit she also had no
outdoor exercise or grass to eat. Would she have let her children get this fat?
What is more frustrating is that each rabbit that has arrived overweight, the
owners who have asked for a veterinary opinion have given incorrect or no
information and serious gut and dirty bottom problems have not been solved,
when this is one of the easiest most satisfying problems to solve, ensuring a
happy healthy rabbit.
Bess presently has too much fat to be spayed, but with a hay and vegetable diet and NO PELLETS
including lots of exercise and daily grass she now has a beautiful clean bottom
most of the time, still a little sore. She is happy and lively and hopefully
will have a friend soon and be nice and trim.
Saucerer
Neutered buck
Magpie lop x-Grey and white
Born apparently 2005
Saucerer was a sorry state when I found him. Stuck in a small broken
hutch outside a block of flats, dogs barking, kids’ screaming. His coat was
completely matted and dirty, and worse since a child had poured orange juice
all over him. His skin was sore he had runny eyes, urine on his tail and rear
end; long claws and was underweight as well as severe osteomyalitis of the jaw
bone and incisors that desperately needed removing. There was no way he could
ever be homed and his survival chance was 50/50. Well, a year on he is still
with us, having been rescued 19/07/07, again one of those amazing fighters. I
think some rabbits come from such awful homes they get to a rescue and know
they are safe so because they are more relaxed they survive better. He has been
through incisor removal, had his whole coat shaved off, various jaw abscess
surgery and dentals on his molars.
He has to be groomed and is on long term penicillin, pain relief and probiotics,
and tends to do better indoors during winter, maintaining his weight and
condition, but generally is cheeky, happy and loves being stroked. Please help
look after this extra special bunny.
Tequila
Spayed doe
Pearl grey lion head
Born June 2005 (3 years)
Tequila, along with 3 others was rescued from what should have been 9
rabbits, but some neighbours were in dispute and heartbreakingly they got
killed by dogs. This was yet another case of the owner telling me he cares for
his rabbits but they were kept in the most disgusting hutches I’ve ever seen
with water bottles filled with algae. Surely, if you really cared for your
rabbits you would provide dog-proof housing for them? Tequila had had over 4
litters of babies. All rabbits were unneutered and unvaccinated. They were
either fat and dirty or underweight. Their coats were brown from living in dirt
holes and he’d been breeding to make money.
Tequila was underweight with misaligned incisors,
which had to be removed. Sadly she’s gone on to develop osteomyalitis and has
had jawbone surgery. She is now on penicillin and condition and weight
monitored, being fed concentrate twice a day, finding it difficult to eat hay.
Snowy
Red-eyed white mini lop cross
Born October 2002- (5 ½ years)
Neutered buck
Snowy
is deaf so you have to be careful to not startle him. He is quite sleepy and has been quiet and
sad since loosing his wife Molly. I hope to bond him again soon.
Snowy has an eye infection and
blocked tear ducts so need Genticin eye drops applying 2-3 times a day until
further notice and his tear ducts flushing once a week until unblocked.
He came in with a very dirty
bottom which the owner couldn’t cure, but with diet and stress correction it is
generally fine most of the time.
Mac
Yellow continental giant
Born 14/01/08
Neutered buck
Caroline decided to keep Mac as her pet rabbit - one of the perks of the
job! He arrived in shocking condition. You could see his spine and ribs. He had
very bad ear mites too. However much I fed him he wouldn’t put on weight. This
is often a sign of worms and so he was put on a 28 day course of Panacur and
also treated for ear mites with Ivomec.- 1 injection, once a week for 3 weeks.
He was then neutered, but fluid gushed out during the procedure and so he
was put on a course of antibiotics to kill off any infection. June 08 and he is
now in beautiful condition
