Author: BHRS

Sanctuary Buns /

Honalee

Big, white, reserved, Honalee lived more than eleven years in sanctuary. She ate enthusiastically and blissed out on the vibes of any music she heard. Normally content to stay near her litterbox, Honalulu showed a surprising drive to explore when we stopped on overnight trips. Her days passed in peace but her full personality didn’t show until her final year when she lost the use of her hind legs and could no longer control her bladder. She needed increasing hands-on care and the more care we gave, the more she responded to touch. In her final weeks, lying always flat on one side, she would press her forehead up for a pet in a way that said “this is the closest bond I’ve ever had.” Somewhere over the rainbow, we hope she is hearing music.  David Sharpe and Herta Rodina

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Please join us in welcoming Honalee as a Sanctuary Rabbit.  We’ve enjoyed her company for almost five years and have seen her develop into a warm, sensitive friend.  But she is white with red eyes, and can be very shy.  Because of that combination, she is passed over when homes become available.  She has not found a forever home, and so we are giving her ours.  Think of her when you see a white rabbit with red eyes looking for love.  That plain cover opens up to a wonderful story inside.  Herta & David

Here is her original write-up —

Have you ever wanted back into a time of innocence, when rabbits could be big and white and magic? This young lovely, born in spring ’09, sibling to Napoleon, will take you there. Open your door to her, and come home every day to the land of Honalee.  See more of Honalee below.

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Our sanctuary rabbits require special love and care. Their home is with us at the sanctuary and they are not available for adoption. You can directly support these rabbits by sponsoring them.

Sanctuary Buns /

Calvin

We would like to say a heartfelt good bye to Calvin.  Binky free sweet baby!

When Calvin arrived at my house a year ago from a shelter, he was rolling uncontrollably and his head was severely tilted. His body was contorted and twisted, and he rolled continuously in one direction for several hours. When he was upright, his head tilted greater than 90 degrees to the left – nearly upside down.

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We set him up in a 25″x16″x15″ cage with a top-opening lid. To keep him from rolling, we wedged him in tightly and securely by placing a tall-sided litter box inside the cage. We lined it with towels, then added a layer of fleece fabric over the towels to wick away moisture. We kept him propped upright on all fours by placing rolled-up towels all around him to keep him from rolling uncontrollably and hurting himself. He spent the first two months living this way, occasionally coming out for exercise. Many times he needed bathing (a major challenge) since he was rolling around in his urine and feces for much of the day. There was no room for him to move in the pod, so we took him out twice a day for exercise, for at least an hour at a time, holding a hand on his back end while he hopped in order to prevent him from falling over and rolling. We built him a special exercise area. For flooring, we put down 3 long rubber-backed rugs, forming a 5’ x 5’ square. We then covered the area with a washable fleece blanket and padded the perimeter with window-seat cushions and old pillows propped up against a low exercise pen.

After six months of treatment, Calvin was moved to a new, larger padded pen area, where he can now run around 24 hours a day, unattended. He does an occasional roll when he’s excited about something, but for the most part he acts like the other bunnies. He even has a cardboard tunnel to run through, but instead of a round tube, it’s square. He shows off by zipping through it repeatedly while running his track, and he can now run very fast.

We never held the expectation that Calvin’s head and neck would be perfectly straight, but instead, what we hoped for was for him to be left unattended without rolling. That is now the case. He squirms and twists when we try to hold him, so we rarely pick him up. Instead, we sit on the floor with him to snuggle. He nestles up close to us, gives us kisses, nudges for pets, and generally wants to be with us as much as possible. He is currently free of any ear issues, thanks to all of the medical care he was able to receive through the Sanctuary Sponsorship program! He will continue to have vet checkups every few months.

Calvin now has a best friend, Puff — another Sanctuary rabbit — to lean on.

— Kristen Doherty

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Sanctuary Buns /

Kellene

We would like to say a heartfelt good bye to Kellene.  Binky free sweet baby!

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In December (’07), I finally formally categorized Kellene as a sanctuary rabbit. We have had her for two years and despite our efforts to socialize her, she is still aggressive and bites us. I have tried several bonding attempts as well and she is super aggressive towards other rabbits, too. So I guess she is going to live out her days at our house.

Kristi Cole

Sanctuary Buns /

Tazwell and Scarlet

We would like to say a heartfelt good bye to Taz and Scar.  Binky free sweet babies!

Tazwell (gray and white) and Scarlet (black) have found new life together as seniors. Scarlet, always a shy bunny, never found a permanent home. She was always passed over for a cuter or more sociable bunny. Tazwell is the last bunny we rescued from the big Elyria hoarding situation of 2005-2007. He, too, was so shy he wouldn’t let anyone touch him and spent most of his days inside of a hidey box.

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When Taz and Scarlet were introduced to each other in 2013, it was instantaneous friendship. Taz is now 100% blind in both eyes and afraid to venture out on his own to explore. Scarlet is now his “eyes” and challenges him to engage in new adventures like jumping on top of boxes and meeting new friends.

They snuggle together, protect each other, eat each other’s food, and do things they wouldn’t otherwise do on their own.

 

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