# Two lionheads - New loving home needed . Northeastern Iowa



## Crittercrazyjen (Sep 15, 2010)

It breaks my heart so much to have to do this, but I need to rehome my two bunnies, Theo and Bella. When my husband and I first got them two and a half years ago, neither of us were allergic to rabbits or hay. Unfortunately, as time went on, my husband began developing allergies to hay. At first, it was just a mild nuisance for him, but his allergies have been getting progressively worse as time has gone on. At first, as long as he didn't actually touch the hay, he was fine. Now, he can't even be on the same level of the of the house as the rabbits without having his allergies act up. Of course, we put my husband on allergy medication as soon as he started developing the allergy, but he still has allergic reactions that cause severe discomfort. If we lived in a larger house, I would just dedicate a whole room to the bunnies and ban my husband from said room. That would solve the issue. Unfortunately, we live in a fairly small house, and we don't have any spare rooms which we could dedicate to the rabbits. The finished basement, which is where the rabbits reside, is just one decently sized room. Half the room is used as my husband's office, and the other half is where the rabbits reside. If we had the extra money, I would try to convince my husband to separate the basement into two rooms, one being dedicated to the rabbits. Unfortunately, we don't have the funds for such a remodeling project.

My rabbits have always been house rabbits. They never go outdoors. I don't think they would handle being outdoor rabbits very well, as they're easily stressed and we live on a busy road. On top of that, we have a big raccoon/stray cat problem in the neighborhood where we live. I wouldn't want anything harassing my poor bunnies. Because of all of that, plus the fact that we live in northern Iowa where it gets far too cold for little dwarf rabbits to be outside in a hutch in the winter, I don't think moving the rabbits outside is a viable option for us.

Until recently, I just told my husband to deal with his allergies, as it wasn't fair to the rabbits to have to be rehomed. As I reminded him, when I got these rabbits, I made a promise to myself and to these bunnies that I would do everything in my power to give them a loving, caring home and that I wouldn't rehome them unless absolutely necessary. I cannot tell you how much the thought of having to give them up breaks my heart. My husband understands that, and that is why he has tried so hard to deal with his developing allergies. Unfortunately, his allergies have gotten bad enough that he can't stand it anymore. It is now a cause of tension between us. Thus, I have had to come to this heart-wrenching decision.

Although, for my husband's health, he needs me to rehome the rabbits if at all possible, he is also dedicated to finding them a loving new home. We both realize that we made a commitment to these rabbits, which we need to honor as best as we can. If we cannot find a suitable new home for the rabbits, we will keep them as long as it takes to find one and do our best to make it work. 

Theo and Bella are both small female lionheads. Theo is actually Bella's mother. Originally, we just got Theo, who was supposed to be a "male". Well, about a month later, when the babies arrived, we realized she was actually a girl. When we got Theo, she was very thin, so when she started gaining weight, we thought that it was just due to better nutrition, not our "boy" rabbit being pregnant. Theo had four babies, three of which we found new loving homes for. The fourth baby, Bella, we kept. 

Theo was born on January 13, 2007. Bella was born on May 17, 2007. Both are spayed. Bella is black and weighs 4.9 lbs. She is on the "plump" side. Theo is a tortoise coat and weighs 3.3 lbs. She is naturally a skinnier rabbit. Both have minor malocclusion, but so far it hasn't caused them any problems and the vet hasn't had to do anything about it. Their teeth do need to be monitored, though, to make sure the minor malocclusion doesn't become a problem. Theo is very timid but easy to handle once you catch her. Although timid and easily spooked, Theo is very affectionate. Bella is what my husband and I describe as "sassy". She is by far the more outgoing of the two. She definitely has an attitude and will let you know when you do something she doesn't like, whether by thumping around or nipping. She is definitely not a "cuddle bunny". However, she is a bit silly and does provide plenty of laughs with her antics. She does enjoy company. She just doesn't like to be picked up or overly petted. Originally, both were litter trained. However, for some reason or another, they eventually decided that they'd rather do their business anywhere but the litter pan. At first, I thought there might be a medical reason for this sudden aversion to the litter pan, so I immediately took them to the vet to get checked up. However, the vet said they were (and are) in perfect health and that there is no medical reason for them to have stopped using the litter pan. It has been over a year since they stopped using the litter pan. We've since been trying to re-litter train them, but it hasn't caught on so far.


















Theo and Bella are a bonded pair and haven't been separated at all since Bella was born. Because of this, they need to be adopted as a pair. I won't adopt them to separate homes. For multiple reasons, including their size, temperament, and history, I have decided that they must go to a home where they will be kept indoors at all times. Because of their small size as well as Theo's skittish demeanor and Bella's attitude, they should not be handled by children, so an adult only home is preferable. 

We built a large cage for the rabbits, which we would not be able to get out of our basement without tearing it up. We do not have another cage. Because of this, anyone interested in the rabbits will need to provide their own adequately sized cage. We will provide water bottles, food, toys, and all the rabbits' other belongings.

As I said earlier, we live in northeastern Iowa. My husband and I are willing to travel within the midwest in order to transport the rabbits. Before the rabbits are adopted, I will take the rabbits to our exotics vet for a final check-up.

If interested in adopting Theo and Bella, please PM me for more details.


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## Nancy McClelland (Sep 15, 2010)

Where are you located?


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## mistyjr (Sep 15, 2010)

Awwe, An they are sooo cute. So sorry though.


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## Crittercrazyjen (Sep 15, 2010)

I'm located in northeastern Iowa.


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## Jaded (Sep 15, 2010)

Ok title fixed
Hopefully you find a good home for your two bunnies.


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## Crittercrazyjen (Oct 6, 2010)

Just wanted to hop on and update everyone. We're still looking for a new home for Theo and Bella.


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## Nancy McClelland (Oct 6, 2010)

ray:


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## Crittercrazyjen (Oct 26, 2010)

I just wanted to update everyone again. We're still looking for a new home for Theo and Bella.


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## Momto3boys (Oct 26, 2010)

I'm just going to throw this out there but has your husband ever considered getting the allergy shots??

I know 2 people here who got them done, my neighbor needed them for 2 yrs but she is now allergy free and my other friend is still undergoing the needles but only needs them once a mth now instead of weekly.

They would definately help him and then you guys would be able to keep your babies.


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## Jaded (Nov 26, 2010)

Have you found a home for your rabbits yet?


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