Rabbit questions

homeworkgirl

As a rabbit lover and owning four lovely rabbits myself (not pedigree), after reading about all the sad cases of abandoned and neglected rabbits on the rabbit forums, it makes me want to cry when I read about people who still want to breed the poor things. As another poster stated, rabbits are the most neglected domestic pets already, without more people breeding them. Either way, if you breed rabbits then it means that there will be more and more of them ending up in rescues (thank God for them) and more heartbreaking stories to read.

Please reconsider.......perhaps if you have a read here you may change your mind. I do hope so.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/index.php

mrcow

notasstupidasyoulook wrote: »

i have several qualifications and a degree in animal welfare, behaviour and animal science and some of you people are giving us 'bunny huggers' a bad name.....i think a few high horses need to be stabled

You may well have a degree in animal welfare, but it's not worth the paper it's printed on if you then turn around and defend someone who is deliberately buying up stock of hutches to store a loads of rabbits in to breed.

What kind of life are these poor animals going to have? Pet rabbits should be just that.....pets....and that means they should have daily love and attention with care, cuddles, toys and a family that cares about them....not just how well they can be bred to be "show" rabbits, stuck in plastic cages in a shed out the garden.

Shame on you! :mad::mad:

homeworkgirl

mrcow wrote: »

You may well have a degree in animal welfare, but it's not worth the paper it's printed on if you then turn around and defend someone who is deliberately buying up stock of hutches to store a loads of rabbits in to breed.

What kind of life are these poor animals going to have? Pet rabbits should be just that.....pets....and that means they should have daily love and attention with care, cuddles, toys and a family that cares about them....not just how well they can be bred to be "show" rabbits, stuck in plastic cages in a shed out the garden.

Shame on you! :mad::mad:

:T :T :T ....I couldn't have put it better myself.

Threadhead

We have a little lionhead rabbit - she's about 5 months old and lives in a hutch in the garden. I bought a large run, and she has been quite happy running about in there during the day.

However, this past week, with the amount of rain we've had, the garden has become waterlogged, and I haven't put her in the run. Most days I've brought her into the kitchen for a few hours (where she tends to just sit in a corner). But a couple of days, she's been stuck in the hutch all day, which I feel really bad about.

OK, so basically, I'm looking for a bunny expert to advise me how much exercise she needs, and if I should still put her in the run on really soggy grass, and rainy weather (I'm thinking not, though).

ziffius

Threadhead wrote: »

We have a little lionhead rabbit - she's about 5 months old and lives in a hutch in the garden. I bought a large run, and she has been quite happy running about in there during the day.

However, this past week, with the amount of rain we've had, the garden has become waterlogged, and I haven't put her in the run. Most days I've brought her into the kitchen for a few hours (where she tends to just sit in a corner). But a couple of days, she's been stuck in the hutch all day, which I feel really bad about.

OK, so basically, I'm looking for a bunny expert to advise me how much exercise she needs, and if I should still put her in the run on really soggy grass, and rainy weather (I'm thinking not, though).

If you feel really bad, I would put some of her pee corner into a litter tray and let her run round the living room. You just have to watch the wires. My rabbits have always hated the kitchen as their feet slip on the floor.

fabwitch_2

I had my rabbits in the lounge in the winter months and they loved it. They never once chewed anything and acted more like cats. Misty used to lay under the table or on the sofa and Bumble, Lucky and Snowy layed in front of the TV. SOMETIMES THEY SNUGGLED UP ON THE SOFA WITH MY DOG MIA. Sorry capp lock came on. Mia loved the rabbits and they all got on really well together.

Threadhead

Thanks for your replies.

She's really not "getting" litter training right now, but maybe the more often shes in the sooner she will understand. Yesterday she was in the house for about 4 hours and didnt pee at all (plenty poo's though) but I'm not sure if this is normal. She has access to fresh water outside, but not indoors.

She seems to manage ok on the vinyl kitchen floor. The living room is laminate, and her wee feet dont manage so well in there.

SueMaggie

Perhaps you could try giving her something to do as she may be sitting in a corner because she's bored with nothing to entertain her.

I had a house rabbit for 7 years and he loved playing with cardboard tubes, old (clean) jam jar lids and other small bits and pieces - he used to throw them round the floor and then go and fetch them.

He also had a big cardboard box with a couple of holes cut out for doors and would run in and out and sometimes sit on top of it to get a different view of the world.

I used to give him our junk mail and he would rip it up, put it all in once place and then move it all to somewhere else. He particulary disliked red and pink things so would go and hide them in a corner.

You can buy things like this from pet shops - you put a lump of carrot or something in it and the bunny will spend ages rolling it round trying to get it out. There are lots of good ideas on that site actually.

You can also teach her to play chase - you can chase her round the room a bit - after a while she should get the idea its fun and will start to chase you back.

All that should mean that your bun gets some exercise.

Threadhead

Thanks suemaggie - what a helpful post.

She does have a few toys, and I've been bringing them into the house with her. Maybe she's just bored of them already. I'm kicking myself as I just put a cardboard box in the recycling today, and it would have been perfect for her!

I'll try chasing her tomorrow (she's out for the night now), but I wonder if she might either be scared, or just sit still....

I will have a good look at the site you posted, thanks for that!

SueMaggie

You're very welcome.

With the chasing thing, you need to do it like you would to a small child (sorry difficult to describe) but making it obvious that you're only playing and doing it in an exaggerated way - that way she shouldn't be scared and may get the idea.

However, some bunnies are just lazy and don't want to run around. I had another house bunny who really didn't want to take exercise. Our vet suggested that we put him half-way up the stairs and then stand at the top and call him but he just sat there and looked at us, so you can't win them all!

Here's another excellent bunny site which teaches you all about bunny body language and may help you interpret how your bun is feeling.