# Abused Lionhead Needs A Second Chance



## Els9547 (May 13, 2012)

Hello all,
I am new to the forum but heard this was a good place to try to help find a home for a rabbit I have been fostering.
I am a veterinary student at KSU, and about three months ago a small Lionhead rabbit was found outside of our hospital doors one morning with a note attached to his carrier. He had been abandoned by his family because the little boy had gotten too rough one day and the bunny bit him. The family decided he was mean, and not knowing what else to do, dropped him at our door. We took the little guy in and it became clear pretty quickly that the boy "being rough" hadn't been a one time incident. 
Although in relatively good health "Bieber" (so named by a clinicians daughter) had some physiological issues. He completely feared people, and would charge your hand if you put it in his cage. If you did not remove your hand immediately he would growl and try to run as far away as possible from any touch. Bieber would begin to shake terribly at the sound of any human voice, and cowered in the back of his cage almost constantly. If you did manage to pick him up he would scramble and claw and do anything to get away from you. He would not eat, would throw things around his cage and hid constantly. We all worked with him daily; and did our best to try to get him adopted. Even though he made great progress, he was not considered very "adoptable" and after about two months he was going to have to be euthanized.
I hated to see things end that way, because Bieber has made such HUGE progress. He was really turning into a loving and sweet bunny; so I agreed to "adopt" him so I could take him home and keep working with him to give him a little bit longer to find a forever home. Unfortunately, I can't be his permanent home...I have a Flemish Giant that I rescued from a dog attack a year ago. I have spent the last year rehabbing him, but he is going to have to be a solitary bunny; he can't handle "friends". 
The rabbit rescue closest to me is absolutely overrun with bunnies; and Bieber still isn't a "great" adoption choice. He is so much better than when we found him, but he does still grunt some and he will thump his back feet. He no longer charges your hand, no longer nips, and no longer claws; he does still show some fear when being held although if spoken to in a smooth tone he relaxes. Basically, he has come such a long way, but he needs someone experienced with rabbits to really "finish" the job. He is very friendly, he wants desperately to bond with my Giant, so I think with the right friend he could improve even more. He needs someone who understands what he has gone through, and who is willing to be gentle and speak softly. He does eat now, but is not trusting enough to accept food directly from your hand. Bieber really comes alive during play time, he sits on his haunches and then army crawls across the floor while chasing a cat toy (we get desperate for toys in the hospital sometimes and have to use what we can find). I really believe that Bieber will be a great and friendly pet given the right home. I have had several people interested in him; but they all had children who didn't really understand his needs. 
One more "downfall" is that I was not able to get him neutered. Our hospital cannot neuter without an owner signature, and given the rehab I have done with my own guy I just didn't have the funds to get Bieber fixed as well. Otherwise, he has no health issues.
I came to this site hoping to find someone who wanted to adopt Bieber, or some great advice. I assisted with a guinea pig rescue a few months ago; they used a forum and created a piggy train that went all the way from Arizona to Boston! I know the power that these sites can have; there is no substitute for talking to experienced people. Personally, I just hated to see Bieber put to sleep after he had come so far. I really feel like he deserves a second chance at life. It's not his fault that he got a terrible owner the first go around. If anyone is interested, or knows anyone who might be, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thank you all for taking the time to read Bieber's story.


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## naturestee (May 16, 2012)

Aw man, I wish I had time/space/money for another bun! He sounds like the bun in my avatar, Sprite (RIP). She and her sister had also been abused. Her sister made great progress in a few weeks. Sprite took a lot longer. Eventually, she came to love people and played all sorts of games with us. Reverse fetch was her favorite: she'd throw a toy, I would fetch it. She would even follow strangers around like a puppy, looking for attention. Unfortunately she never overcame her fear of hands. I had to be very careful to keep them out of her line of sight or do only small, careful movements. She was curious about why her sister liked being petted but couldn't understand being touched by a hand. But she would jump all over me and liked to groom my nose and eyebrows. After she passed away suddenly a few years ago, I got into volunteering at my local shelter to help other rabbits like her. I still miss her so much.

I hope you can find someone to take this little guy and give him the space and gentle love he needs. If you or anyone else would like to talk about ideas for socializing him or any other rabbit, just send me a pm. I'm not on RO very often any more, but I get email notifications when I get a pm.


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## fuzz16 (May 17, 2012)

If i wasnt in an apartment i would take him on, but its pretty busy here and not any "quiet" places that he would need to adjust. I can post on fb, if you can upload a pic theres a couple people who might be able to


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## Michelle Savage (Jun 4, 2012)

If I where you I would put all that on craigslist! It is free and very popular. He will go quick, If I am correct. It is an awesome place to put an ad in for pets!
You can use the pet secton and/or the for sale section (under farm and garden).


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## Kipcha (Jun 4, 2012)

Michelle Savage wrote:


> If I where you I would put all that on craigslist! It is free and very popular. He will go quick, If I am correct. It is an awesome place to put an ad in for pets!
> You can use the pet secton and/or the for sale section (under farm and garden).



You do have to be extremely careful with places like Craigslist and Kijiji, though. There are a lot of liars out there who are just looking for a quick, cheap meal for their snake or dog. You really have to screen people properly and make sure they're seriously wanting a bunny for a pet.


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## Bonnie Lee (Jun 4, 2012)

Oh  He sounds so sweet, and you've definitely done such a great job to give him another chance!!

I hope somebody takes him on and gives him a wonderful loving home!


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## Nancy McClelland (Jun 4, 2012)

ray:


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