# Needs home today/asap (MA)



## Ryli (Sep 28, 2019)

First off, I am located in Massachusetts. I have a 4 year old female bunny named Potter (play on harry/hare-y potter) that I need to find a home for asap. I wish I posted here earlier but I only posted on craigslist. Earlier this week, my dad told me I have until this weekend to move out. I have arranged to go to my mom's house but there's hardly any space there for me and my mom's allergic so bringing her there isnt much of an option. I'm leaving sunday (september 29). I would like to have her in a loving, permanent home before then but seeing as I have no time, I know it's unlikely. I really don't want to leave her with a shelter as I would like to be able to answer any questions on her as they come up with anyone that would be taking her in and I would also like to see where she's going and meet who it is. I know her best as I've had her since she was a baby. I picked her from the litter. 

A couple people have reached out to me and said they could take her in for a bit while I find her a home if I need that and someone reached out and offered to take her to house rabbit network. My mom said she would try to make some space for her but it does seem very unlikely that it will be suitable for her. 

About her:
She is not spayed and not current on vet. She might possibly get along with another bun if properly introduced in THEIR territory. She does get territorial of her space at times. She is perfectly fine with people entering her space but she doesn't like other animals in her cage. I don't think she would do well with young kids as she sometimes digs/scratches at your lap or nips/bites if you ignore her. She starts with a nudge but if that is ignored, she will either nip or scratch and then she will bite if you haven't acknowledged her. She also doesn't like to be chased around. She does well with cats (lived with 4 in the past). I don't know about dogs. She is NOT good with birds. She does not like to be picked up but she will usually tolerate it for a short while. She is good about getting her nails cut. She loves her crate and will typically "go home" when told, although sometimes she can be stubborn. She also knows "Potter, where are you?" Which is what I used to say when she was a baby, roaming the house. I would ask while looking for her and she would come running out to where I could see her. I haven't tried it in a while but I'm sure she could do it again. 
She is a bunny that prefers to roam around doing her own thing and go to you when she wants attention. I don't think there's a veggie or fruit she's tried and disliked (none I can think of). Her favorite is green leaf lettuce. I usually feed her spring mix, bell peppers, and whatever else we have in the fridge daily as well as some fruit like grapes, berries, or bananas weekly. She hasn't been on any pellets for a while but will eat them throughout the day until she's had enough. (I gave her 1/4 cup when she had them. The reason she hasnt had them is because I wanted to try switching what she was on and find something better and other than that I just havent gone to get them) She gets fresh timothy hay every day. I offered her a tiny piece of chicken in the past and she got VERY upset at me. She hates chicken! 
She can have a temper at times and will stomp to let you know when she's upset. Sometimes it's something as simple as a light on or a sound that's bothering her, sometimes it's because her toys aren't stacked for her to knock over. 

She comes with a pet store cage, a large dog crate, her blankets, toys, hay, bowls, and litter box. She likes to be around people so she does best being indoors. I believe she is a cinnamon. She has one blue eye and one half brown, half blue. If you are looking for a bunny in the area or you know someone that is, please let me know. or if you have any advice or tips that might be helpful. Feel free to ask any questions


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## Imbrium (Sep 28, 2019)

A couple things in your post stand out to me - you mentioned your mom being allergic and you mentioned feeding timothy hay. It's *extremely *rare for someone to be allergic to rabbits. Nearly everyone who thinks they're allergic to the rabbit turns out to actually be allergic to the hay! Timothy hay is quite dusty and notorious for sparking allergy symptoms; worse by far than other grass hays. Since it seems like your mom is open to trying to make things work with Potter and you wish you didn't have to give her up, I strongly recommend giving orchard grass hay a try instead of timothy to see if that solves your problems . Orchard is much less dusty and the vast majority of people allergic to timothy have no problems with orchard.


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## Ryli (Sep 28, 2019)

Imbrium said:


> A couple things in your post stand out to me - you mentioned your mom being allergic and you mentioned feeding timothy hay. It's *extremely *rare for someone to be allergic to rabbits. Nearly everyone who thinks they're allergic to the rabbit turns out to actually be allergic to the hay! Timothy hay is quite dusty and notorious for sparking allergy symptoms; worse by far than other grass hays. Since it seems like your mom is open to trying to make things work with Potter and you wish you didn't have to give her up, I strongly recommend giving orchard grass hay a try instead of timothy to see if that solves your problems . Orchard is much less dusty and the vast majority of people allergic to timothy have no problems with orchard.


 
We think it's the rabbits themselves since she's allergic to other animals as well but now that I think about it, that is a good point. She does sit in her hay sometimes so if she has it on her it could transfer over when she's being held/petted as well. Allergies aren't my main concern there, it's more the space for her but if we can make the space, I will definitely give that a go.Thank you


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## Imbrium (Sep 28, 2019)

You might also try nature's miracle dander remover. While the majority of our rabbits have never posed a problem, one particular Holland Lop that we had would trigger my husband's allergy symptoms and make both our faces itch if we snuggled her (and I have NO allergies, though I do have an auto-immune issue that fakes allergy symptoms without any trigger). I got some of the dander remover off Amazon... you just spray it on a paper towel and run it lightly over the bunny's fur as needed. It worked wonders! No more maddeningly itchy nose/face after handling Gazzles. It would also presumably pick up any hay dust on her coat.

I hope you can either find some space for her at your mom's or get her a wonderful new forever home! 
I'm in Texas with no money for a spay and a full house already or I might be swayed by that cute face, lol. My husband is a particularly big sucker for blue eyed rabbits (which is how we ended up with our blue-eyed mismarked dutch, Harley Quinn)! With 4 rabbits, 5 cats, 10 society finches, 7 diamond doves, 2 sugar gliders and a turtle, though, I've put my foot down about no more animals .


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## Nancy McClelland (Sep 30, 2019)

I'm very allergic to cats but not rabbits--got rid of Timothy for Orchard Grass and no problems now at all. Also can only have/be around short hair dogs.


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## soenso (Sep 30, 2019)

Where in Massachusetts? I agree with others that you should try to make it work with the suggestions listed above. I live in MA but I do have kids.. we could give it a go if nothing else works out.


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## Ryli (Oct 1, 2019)

soenso said:


> Where in Massachusetts? I agree with others that you should try to make it work with the suggestions listed above. I live in MA but I do have kids.. we could give it a go if nothing else works out.


I'm in worcester at the moment. I prefer no kids since I don't want someone to decide that she won't work out with them because of her hurting the kids or something like that. I want to avoid her being passed around if I can.


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## rachel l (Oct 1, 2019)

Ryli said:


> I'm in worcester at the moment. I prefer no kids since I don't want someone to decide that she won't work out with them because of her hurting the kids or something like that. I want to avoid her being passed around if I can.


if the kids are gentle and not too rambunctious i think she would be okay.


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## Ryli (Oct 1, 2019)

rachel l said:


> if the kids are gentle and not too rambunctious i think she would be okay.


It's not just about that though.Sometimes if you're sitting on the floor and she comes over to you looking for attention and you don't acknowledge her right away she'll nudge you and you dont always feel it and then she might nip/bite or scratch at their legs. You can say that the kids would give her attention but that doesnt always happen every time. I feel it's better to avoid that situation


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## Momto4nmore (Oct 2, 2019)

Nancy McClelland said:


> I'm very allergic to cats but not rabbits--got rid of Timothy for Orchard Grass and no problems now at all. Also can only have/be around short hair dogs.


Can I ask if it is ok to just switch over to orchard or must it be a gradual half half switch over from timothy? We have some hay issues with our timothy as well we think.


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## Nancy McClelland (Oct 3, 2019)

We switched over immediately---they all seemed to like the Orchard Grass better, and no more coughing, sneezing or my hands and arms getting red, itchy bumps.


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## Momto4nmore (Oct 3, 2019)

Nancy McClelland said:


> We switched over immediately---they all seemed to like the Orchard Grass better, and no more coughing, sneezing or my hands and arms getting red, itchy bumps.


Thank you! I have never had allergies but my Dr said I guess I do now and I've had our pet rabbit almost 2 yrs! Was buying him the Orchard Organic bagged at Pet store but switched to 20lbs timothy 2nd cut when the grandkids got their show bunnies in July. They are inside living area so I am thinking hay allergy! And wanted to go back to orchard grass, found can still buy in bulk from online cheaper.


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## Fiona Bohan (Oct 4, 2019)

Hi there! My boyfriend and I have been looking for a rabbit to rescue and I would be happy to take her. I live in New York State so not too far and I would be happy to coordinate with you. Please reach out if you are still looking for a permanent home.


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