foster a rabbit

It’s been a few weeks, and I think it’s high time we introduce you to our first foster rabbit!

According to the House Rabbit Connection volunteers, Thomas was found abandoned in a park with his brother. They were housed side by side in x-pens until they were able to find separate foster families. Unfortunately, they can’t be reunited until they both have and heal from a neuter surgery.

We made sure we had Thomas’s area all set up before we picked him up. When the time came, we made the drive and then plopped him in his new x-pen.

Since we weren’t sure of his litter box habits, we put down a tarp the House Rabbit Connection provided for us. Male rabbits who aren’t neutered can sometimes spray really strong smelling pee as part of their hormonal behaviors.

Thomas’ Eating Habits

Rabbits like routine, so we tried to maintain that same schedule of treats/feeding.

Thomas has proved very flexible with his food preferences. He seems to ALWAYS be hungry and goes through hay like nobody’s business.

He gets lettuce, treats, hay, and fresh water every day.

Interactions with the Hoomans

Our son loves to feed him his daily treat through the x-pen. Thomas runs up to greet him every time he comes over (and definitely not because our son likes to feed Thomas individual strands of hay every ten minutes).

It’s important to note that we always supervise our son when he’s around Thomas. For one thing, we want to make sure their interactions are safe. For another, we know our son is a little too interested in the cocoa puffs Thomas produces from all that eating!

Thomas is a bit more tentative about petting.

My husband was the first one to really be able to get past Thomas’ skittishness. Turns out Thomas doesn’t love head pets like our past rabbits, but he’s alright with the occasional pet along his back.

A Great Family Bunny

This bunny doesn’t seem bothered by anything, really. Air conditioner noises don’t faze him, and he’s fine with toddler screeches.

In general, he seems very curious about the world around him – not a surprise since he’s a younger bunny.

Thomas has his quirks, which are fun to watch!

One night, we ran over when we heard a loud thump and couldn’t figure out what had happened. We figured it out the next day when we saw he had jumped onto a big pet hidey crate. He’s pretty loud leaping off of it when he’s had enough time looking over his dominion from higher ground.

We also figure out Thomas can squeeze into very tight spaces! When he first came to us, we had the sliding door to that hidey shut. We figured he’d want to get used to a smaller area in the new environment before expanding out.

Wrong!

We looked over and all of a sudden he was inside hanging out – with the door closed. The door’s been open ever since!

Adopt a Bunny From House Rabbit Connection

Thomas has a neuter appointment scheduled in Connecticut for the beginning of July.

After that, he’ll need some healing time before he’s either rebonded with his brother or adopted as a solo bun.

Until he’s adopted, we look forward to seeing Thomas bloom now that he’s off the mean streets!

Update!

Thomas has been neutered and will soon be up for adoption! He’ll be a solo bun, since his brother was “foster failed.”

Some things we’ve learned since he was neutered:

Thomas does not have a fear of hardwood floors! Some bunnies do, which can make rabbit proofing your home easier since they’ll stick to carpeted areas. Thomas is ready for adventures and exploring.
He does best when you ignore him while sitting within reach! The second you act like you don’t care whether he comes near you, he immediately has to investigate you and sniff around. Watch to make sure the book you’re reading isn’t nibbled!
He’s still getting used to new foods. While he’s good with romaine lettuce, parsley, grass hay, oat hay, and Timothy hay, Thomas is a bit suspicious of cut strawberry tops.
Thomas is a taste tester! He started chewing on the tarp we had down, so we had to replace it with a small area rug (which he’s so far left alone). He’s taken little nibbles out of wicket baskets. And watch out for cardboard toys. Rabbits can shred them, but ingesting can be dangerous to their digestive system (GI Stasis risk). Thomas unfortunately likes to eat cardboard.