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I had to put down my pet rabbit after almost nine years yesterday. He'd lived without use of his front right leg for about eight months, and just last week his back leg on the same side went bad. He lost use of that leg really fast, but we were prepared for something like that. It's funny how rabbits will stick to their routine even when they're ill. He was a fighter, all the way up to the end. He kept trying to get up and move around even after the vet sedated him. Holland Lops really earn their reputation for stubbornness. He'd lived his life on his terms, and he was still trying to eat and drink and play with his toys, even when he could barely get around his cage. Nice work, rabbit. You were a good friend. I'd post pictures, but I never took any. I'm not the photography sort.
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Jan 22, 2013 17:49
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 07:08 |
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Neither of my rabbits cuddled, and my latest rabbit didn't really like to be held. My experience with rabbits is that, for the most part, they prefer to play on their own terms. When my rabbit wanted attention, he'd run up and hit you with his front paws. Then when he was done he'd go play. He liked to be near people without cuddling up with them: he used to lay down nearby, but didn't sit in laps or anything. The only time he'd get into my lap was if I ate a banana, and that was just so he could climb up me to try and get to the banana. This seems to be pretty normal. Cuddly rabbits are the exception, not the norm.
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Jan 27, 2013 00:14
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Moving rabbits to a new home is tricky, especially for such an old rabbit. They don't adjust easily. It would be difficult to adopt him even if you didn't have rabbits already, and having to get a rabbit who has lived alone most of his life to adjust to a new place and to other rabbits would be very difficult. It might be possible, but it would be a serious challenge. Unfortunately, a lot of rabbits live like that one does. Too many people adopt rabbits and aren't prepared to care for them, or don't understand the kind of work they really take. If the rabbit seems really unhappy in its current home, and you're willing to put in the time and effort, it could work. If nothing else, you might be able to give him his own separate space and a fairly happy few years even if you can't introduce him to the other rabbits. But think about the space you have available, whether you have a neutral space to try and introduce the new rabbit to your old ones and get them to bond, and what your options are if they simply can't bond. Also be aware that you're going to have to spend a ton of time with this rabbit to get him to adjust to his new space and bond with you as his new owner, and at six that might not be possible. Since he currently lives alone in a small cage, just giving him a new larger cage in a home with more attention may help, even if you can't let him out of his cage for a while. He'll be used to staying in his cage, and just having more space and attention could be better for him. Unfortunately, if he's been mistreated for this long, he might have too many behavioral problems to adjust at all. Whatever happens, he'd be a difficult rabbit to raise unless you get extremely lucky and end up with a well-adjusted rabbit despite how he's been living. Even if you do manage it, don't expect him to have more than a couple years left. Edit: Obviously you'll be moving him into his own cage, and only giving him a shared cage if the other rabbits bond to him. FactsAreUseless fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Jan 27, 2013 |
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Jan 27, 2013 20:10
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That's good to hear, everything I've heard is that rabbits don't adjust well to new situations. Mine sulked under the couch for a week after I moved his cage from one side of my room to another. But I've only had a couple rabbits, it sounds like you have a lot more experience.
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Jan 27, 2013 21:21
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I have never in my life heard a rabbit make a barking sound. Do you have a video of this?
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Jan 31, 2013 19:18
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What sort of cage/pen setup do you have for him? I want to get rabbits again later on, but since I'll be living alone and gone most of the day, I was thinking about a pair of Flemish giants. I'd heard they're easygoing, but I want to get a pair so they don't get lonely. (It wasn't an issue with my last rabbit since I was in a shared house). My concern is that two of them might take too much space to be able to comfortably keep in an apartment.
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Feb 6, 2013 02:38
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pseudonordic posted:I want to use that bunny as a pillow
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Feb 20, 2013 02:13
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I had my rabbit up on a dresser, because it allowed me to keep his cage door open (he liked to stand up on the edge and stick his head out) without escaping. The keys there were 1. He had a wooden house in which he could hide when he wanted to be under cover, so he wasn't that exposed, and 2. He had a cleaner cage with a litter box. You should consider getting a house or covering for part of the cage, and finding out where he uses the bathroom and putting in a litter box rather than just lining the cage with whatever... confetti stuff that is. Generally, rabbits will pee in the same place every time (assuming they're spayed/neutered and thus not spraying pee everywhere), and will usually drop pellets there too, except for the ones they leave to mark territory. If you put the box wherever it is going now, it should litter train quickly. And if you place their pellets and any dirty litter in there, they'll associate it with their scent and start using it. Also, how long have you had him and how much do you handle him or let him out of his cage to run around? He doesn't seem very comfortable around you. None of this is unfixable, just work on his cage setup and spend more time with him so he can adjust to you. FactsAreUseless fucked around with this message at 13:30 on Feb 20, 2013 |
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Feb 20, 2013 13:28
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happyflurple posted:Also echoing what my fellow bunny-slaves above me said; get that cage on the floor, let him out and try not to intrude on his space. What room is your rabbit in? Is it the same room you spend most of your time in? You need to be spending a lot of time around the rabbit even if you're not actively playing with him or petting him during that time, so consider moving the cage to someplace where he can see/smell you more. Since he's on a dresser, leave that door open. Just having it open will give him more space to stretch and explore. Spend more time with him. Try holding him a couple times a day so he gets used to it. Once he has a good cage setup he should start to be friendlier to you within a couple weeks. Once he starts sticking his head out the door or coming up to it to be petted when you're nearby. Then you can find a rabbit-safe room to let him out in. Move his litter box, house, and food bowl out with him when you let him out, so he will have some familiar things and won't be too freaked out. Give him about an hour out of his cage. If he seems well-behaved, you can eventually move the cage down to the floor and let him stay out more, as well as explore the rest of your house/apartment. Just remember that rabbits can get into very small spaces, so check around for places where he could hide and chew wires, etc.
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Feb 20, 2013 15:47
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What's your plan once you get him old enough to be independent?
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Feb 21, 2013 19:23
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I used to catch my rabbit grooming his wooden house. It was the weirdest drat thing.
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Feb 24, 2013 21:37
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alucinor posted:No, pellets are not necessary for house rabbits except to boost calories. If you're growing rabbits for meat or fur, the increased protein IS useful (improves fiber texture in angoras for example) but the tradeoff is more health issues and/or a shorter lifespan, which really doesn't matter for fur/meat animals.
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Feb 27, 2013 20:39
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I was under the impression that you should avoid anything in the broccoli/cabbage family because it gives them gas, which they have no way to relieve. Has this not been an issue for you?
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Feb 28, 2013 01:11
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That rabbit is freaking me out. I've never seen a friendlier or more relaxed rabbit.
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Mar 5, 2013 00:49
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bunnyofdoom posted:Anybody know a good way to get bunny pee out of upholstery
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Mar 25, 2013 00:24
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^ Is that a Harlequin/Jersey Wooley mix? Speaking of the House Rabbit Society, it's Easter, and that means abandoned rabbits nationwide. Sounds like it's time to give some money to the HRS and some stern lectures to people about responsible rabbit ownership.
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Mar 31, 2013 04:37
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Is he a Holland Lop or part Holland? They always have those flat faces.
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Apr 6, 2013 22:31
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luscious posted:I have no idea why he has been doing this with his ear... it probably has something to do with the head tilt but it's not THAT bad at all anymore. Their heads tilt in opposite directions and it's really stupid and funny.
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Apr 14, 2013 17:00
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bunnyofdoom posted:I even custom modded a cage with split levels for Harriet.
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Apr 19, 2013 23:59
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Rabbits are pretty hierarchical, so that just sounds like Harriet proving her dominance over you.
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Apr 26, 2013 17:55
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Have you taken a look at the ear? Rabbits will shake their heads when something about their ears bothers them, so maybe she damaged it somehow.
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May 19, 2013 18:48
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That's pretty impressive, where is it from?
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May 26, 2013 04:10
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You might want to enlarge the doorway on that wooden house, so that the rabbit can sit under cover but still look out at everything. Also think about where you're going to put its litter box, hay, and water bottle in there. It looks like it might be a bit crowded, and the wire you're using could make hanging a hay basket or water bottle a little tricky. And you'll want to be sure you can pet/interact with the rabbit even when it's in its cage, so make sure it has a door that's easily opened and closed.
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Jul 2, 2013 12:21
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Mr Confetti posted:Well, she's managed to chew through four chargers so far. Maybe letting her have free roam of the house wasn't too smart.
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Jul 29, 2013 23:16
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Mr Confetti posted:And we just got this adorable lop today. Still working on a name for him.
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Jul 31, 2013 12:05
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luscious posted:A while ago I got the idea to set up Bitsy's area on a sex blanket. It's soft but absorbs any peepee she makes, is easy to throw in the washing machine and dryer, and looks pretty good. It's funny to me that this is the best solution that I have come up with.
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Jul 31, 2013 20:41
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I have destroyed more than one vacuum cleaner with a combination of hay and rabbit hair.
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Jul 31, 2013 22:46
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pseudonordic posted:I've had to take mine partially apart to clear out hay that had jammed a tube but our vacuum has taken all the fur we throw at it. Just gotta empty the bucket and check the filters now and again.
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Aug 1, 2013 06:30
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The funny thing about this picture is that like half the questions are really easy to answer. Rabbits pee on your bed because it smells like you, you can't hold it because they have powerful back legs and sharp claws and don't really like being held, it eats coroplast because if it didn't it would die, and so forth.
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Aug 5, 2013 21:39
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Yup, I am. To be fair, I think if rabbits do not arbitrarily destroy things they might die. The word I was confusing it with was "caecotroph."
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Aug 6, 2013 05:36
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He's a lot nicer about not getting petted than my old rabbit, who would charge you over and over until you started petting him.
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Oct 2, 2013 06:11
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luscious posted:They are actually very anatomically similar to horses.
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Oct 25, 2013 05:45
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Does anyone here have any experience with Belgian Hares? They seem like an interesting breed, but I'm wondering how much space they need and how active they are. How are their personalities?
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Nov 29, 2013 10:16
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Prawned posted:Aaawww, they could be sisters My last rabbit was agouti, so he'd change colors depending on the angle you looked at him.
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Feb 11, 2014 18:01
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Does yours change colour all the time too? Apparently it's a characteristic of the "smokey pearl" breed or something.
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I could never figure that out even when my vet showed me. When I tried it he'd just flip his poo poo. I just couldn't ever trim my last rabbit's nails. Fortunately they never caused him any problems.
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Mar 19, 2014 17:02
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My buns liked anything they could pick up in their teeth and toss around. Light metal trays were popular. As were dinner glasses, which you'd really thing would be too heavy.
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May 20, 2014 21:48
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I'm not seeing it, whatever it is.
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Jun 1, 2014 15:57
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bunnyofdoom posted:The eye.
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Jun 1, 2014 16:01
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We used to strew old tablecloths and sheets around the house for the rabbit, which kept him out of our clothes.
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Aug 14, 2014 00:23
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 07:08 |
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ShadowCatboy posted:Why didn't you catch the original bunny when it came up for pets and return it to your neighbor? Edit: A better question is why don't you adopt the friendly rabbit who clearly prefers you to its original owners?
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Dec 14, 2014 15:33
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