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Moraine Sedai
Jan 17, 2006

Nap time yet?

alucinor posted:

If the bunny is actually very young, so young that the testicles haven't descended, it *could* be possible to make this mistake. Most people think "if it pops out it's a boy, if it doesn't it's a girl", but in bunnies BOTH have something that pops out. But a vet should know this and be able to distinguish by shape, I would think. :raise:

This page has links to fairly high-res pictures showing the difference.

I've had techs and staff at both vet clinics and at shelters tell me "these rabbits are all boys" (because all of them had something that looked like a tiny penis) despite the CLEAR difference between the ones who had GIANT BALLS and the ones who didn't. Similarly, they've told me "all these guinea pigs are girls" because NONE of them have an obvious penis, again discounting the GIANT BALLS on half of them. :downs: But I've never had a vet not be able to tell the difference.

Very interesting info there, thanks! :) I've never seen the pics of both like that and that will be helpful in future if I can ever get another bun. :)

And yeah, I was mostly thinking that at six months surely they would be able to tell the difference. And not that the vet is "bad" necessarily, but may be unfamiliar with buns and I think it would be advisable to switch to a vet who knows more about them. :)

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girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

Chiken n' Waffles posted:

So I took Severus into the Vet today and after surgery I got a call and the Dr. said that he went in and couldn't find anything. Severus is supposed to be about 6 mo.s old, so, as I haven't talked to the Dr. yet I'm tripping out. Maybe he's too small or hasn't grown enough? I don't know, but I'm really worried. They did say over the phone that they aren't sure if it's a boy or a girl either, so I don't know what is up. But I love my rabbit so much I don't want him to be internally mangled, which is what I'm worried about, since we got him from a shelter to save him. :(

That's just really strange. I'd go to another vet. An experienced vet would be able to distinguish the two. There are some vets that say they can do spay/neuters when really the only training they got was that one semester in vet school. Very scary. My bunny got injured because this one vet's vet techs weren't trained in how to properly restrain a rabbit, even though they told me they do this all the time. They clipped her nails so short that it's taken 4 months for them to finally grow to a normal length. She also screamed when it happened, and if you know anything about rabbits you know they only scream when they are 1. near death, 2. extreme pain. I get teary-eyed thinking about it.

Master_Jay
Jan 6, 2007
My female bunny keeps getting on top of my male bunny and starts humping the hell out of him. I keep on telling the female "You're doing it wrong" but she won't listen. Thank Goodness they're fixed.

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

Master_Jay posted:

My female bunny keeps getting on top of my male bunny and starts humping the hell out of him. I keep on telling the female "You're doing it wrong" but she won't listen. Thank Goodness they're fixed.

When bunnies are fixed, mounting isn't a male-only thing, it's more of a dominance thing. I'm having issues bonding my bunnies because my male keeps trying to mount my female, but she is definitely the dominant bunny.

impelled
May 5, 2006
Phascolarctos cinereus
Here is my bunny, Lily!








Windy
Feb 8, 2004



impelled posted:

Here is my bunny, Lily!




That's a disgustingly cute baby you have there! I like the smudges on her ears.

Cowslips Warren
Oct 29, 2005

What use had they for tricks and cunning, living in the enemy's warren and paying his price?

Grimey Drawer
So...am looking into a second rabbit, so Momo will have a friend. I'm waiting until after he is neutered...but should I be looking into a male rabbit, or would I have better luck bonding him with a female? Momo has never had any rabbit friends since he left his mom, but I think he is lonely (and the cat doesn't want to be his friend!).

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

TheDeadKnow posted:

So...am looking into a second rabbit, so Momo will have a friend. I'm waiting until after he is neutered...but should I be looking into a male rabbit, or would I have better luck bonding him with a female? Momo has never had any rabbit friends since he left his mom, but I think he is lonely (and the cat doesn't want to be his friend!).

From what I've been told male/female bonding is leaps and bounds easier than male/male or female/female bonding. If you have your heart set on male/male bonding you'll want to wait 2-3 months (at least) after he's neutered before trying to introduce another male. It takes weeks for all the hormones to leave the body after being neutered. If he still has those hormones in him, there's no way he'd bond with another male. I'd just go with a female, then you are less likely to have any problems. When looking for a mate, try to find a bunny with an opposing personality than your bunny. If your bunny is very dominant, find a submissive bunny. If your bunny is very shy and submissive, it really doesn't matter if his/her mate is submissive or dominant. I thought I adopted a submissive male for my sassy female, but it seems that wasn't the case. It's taken forever for me to bond my two, but it will happen!

DOOM Rabbit
Jan 10, 2003

THIS IS JUST TOO MUCH TO RESIST!
I HAVE HEAD EXPLODY!!
Yay for bunny thread!

I'm such slave to the cuteness, that recently I got a tattoo of my rabbit, Moblin.
tattoo: http://www.unc.edu/~halley/0806072150.jpg
Bunny from which tattoo is drawn:


Moblin and the rabbit I got for her, Benny. They were cool with each other from the get go and only took a day or two to get that whole "who's in charge" thing straightened out. Benny is definitely Moblin's rabbit.
(sorry picture is from behind cage-bars)
http://www.unc.edu/~halley/mobbenplate4.jpg


They're spoiled rotten and currently pissed at me for moving them from my mom's house (where me and the bunnies stay over the summer) back to my apartment where there are no dogs or cats to play with.

Solar Jetman
Dec 13, 2004

monsters get slain
.

Solar Jetman fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Mar 26, 2008

angelicism
Dec 1, 2004
mmmbop.

So...... my bunny doesn't trance. I've tried about half a dozen times and every time she gets very upset and that makes me upset and makes me stop trying. :(

Therefore. How do I cut her nails short of having someone hold her down? I did that once, the first time, and she fled when I was done and I felt like the worst person in the world.

DOOM Rabbit
Jan 10, 2003

THIS IS JUST TOO MUCH TO RESIST!
I HAVE HEAD EXPLODY!!

angelicism posted:

So...... my bunny doesn't trance. I've tried about half a dozen times and every time she gets very upset and that makes me upset and makes me stop trying. :(

Therefore. How do I cut her nails short of having someone hold her down? I did that once, the first time, and she fled when I was done and I felt like the worst person in the world.

Have you tried trancing with a helper? I just did Moblin's nails this afternoon and It took a few tries for her to trance. She seemed very upset after the first two tries but not making any angry bunny noises. It helped to have my roommate petting her nose while I leaned her over and slowly set her into position. She calmed right down and I was able to do her nails without any problem as long as my roommate kept petting her nose. Next I have to do Benny but I have to figure out how to trance him before he bites me. He does not approve of being picked up at ALL.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
So I've been trying out new veggies with Annie recently and I found that she hates cucumber and collard greens (will not eat a single bite of it) and loves kale, however I just read on the HRS website that kale is one of the veggies to be used sparingly. Is there any more specific data on HOW sparingly? Like once a week? Not at all if you can help it? I suppose it probably depends on how your rabbit reacts to the goitrogens huh?
I've been thinking about getting her a buddy, but I'm moving to a new place next Saturday and my guess is that getting a new friend now, then moving him/her within a few days of it getting used to it's current situation would be bad, but also, moving Annie, then getting her a new friend might be a bit much for her too. So I'm thinking waiting about a week after moving. This sound reasonable to everyone else? I'm definitely hoping for a "love-at-first-sight" bonding experience. There's a city-owned shelter nearby with about 15 rabbits, and it's cheaper than the HRS adoption fee :).

KingColliwog
May 15, 2003

Let's go droogs
Hey I have a couple of questions for you bunny fanatics!

Are bunny noisy? I suppose they just can't be but hey it's always better to ask.

Are they smelly? That's one of the reason I never considered bunnies. For some reason I think they must be smelly (they probably aren't though if you clean their cages well)

Are they bad for people with allergies (I guess they must be since I've never heard about hypo-allergic bunnies)

How much money do you think you spend on your house bunny each month on average?

sorry if my questions are stupid.

KingColliwog fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Aug 26, 2007

Solar Jetman
Dec 13, 2004

monsters get slain
-

Solar Jetman fucked around with this message at 15:27 on Mar 30, 2011

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

KingColliwog posted:

Hey I have a couple of questions for you bunny fanatics!

Are bunny noisy? I suppose they just can't be but hey it's always better to ask.

Are they smelly? That's one of the reason I never considered bunnies. For some reason I think they must be smelly (they probably aren't though if you clean their cages well)

Are they bad for people with allergies (I guess they must be since I've never heard about hypo-allergic bunnies)

How much money do you think you spend on your house bunny each month on average?

sorry if my questions are stupid.

Bunnies themselves dont make noise, but if they're in a playful mood they'll bump things, rip up paper, that sort of thing. They definitely don't have a bark or anything of that nature

Their urine smells quite a lot, their feces hardly if at all. They themselves again are hardly smelly. If you have a bun, and use a good litter in their cage, generally the only thing you'll smell is hay.

If you're allergic in the least to rabbits, they're awful for your allergies. Cats lick themselves and then the saliva dries and gets into the air, bunnies do that, except apparently it's much worse. If you're allergic to buns, there's no way you'll be able to live with one.

And as posted above me, after the initial costs, they're really quite cheap. Find a good local grocery store and a pet store with cheap toys and it won't be a huge dent to your wallet (unless you make frequent trips to the vet)

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

KingColliwog posted:

Hey I have a couple of questions for you bunny fanatics!

Are bunny noisy? I suppose they just can't be but hey it's always better to ask.

Are they smelly? That's one of the reason I never considered bunnies. For some reason I think they must be smelly (they probably aren't though if you clean their cages well)

Are they bad for people with allergies (I guess they must be since I've never heard about hypo-allergic bunnies)

How much money do you think you spend on your house bunny each month on average?

sorry if my questions are stupid.

The only noises my bunnies make are banging of their cage when they pick up the side and drop it. They also will make noise when they shred paper and stuff. When they are upset they stomp, but it's a rarity.

My don't smell at all. If you have an unneutered male - their pee smells awful. I have a spayed female, and a neutered male. I use "Yesterday's News" litter and I change the box every other day and it never smells.

I'm severly allergic to cats and ferrets, but not bunnies. I guess it's different for every person.

Each month I spend about $35. It's different for everyone, I buy hay a bale at a time for $5 so that's alot cheaper. If you can't buy hay in a big bale and have to buy it from the pet store, you're going to spend $20-30 a month in hay alone. If you buy Purina Rabbit chow, you can get a 25 lb bag for $7 at most co-ops. I have to buy Kaytee Timothy Complete because one of my bunny has digestive problems and needs a higher-end pellet. This food is $10 for a 5 lb bag. I spend about $20 a month in fruits and veggies.

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

Deceptor101 posted:

So I've been trying out new veggies with Annie recently and I found that she hates cucumber and collard greens (will not eat a single bite of it) and loves kale, however I just read on the HRS website that kale is one of the veggies to be used sparingly. Is there any more specific data on HOW sparingly? Like once a week? Not at all if you can help it? I suppose it probably depends on how your rabbit reacts to the goitrogens huh?
I've been thinking about getting her a buddy, but I'm moving to a new place next Saturday and my guess is that getting a new friend now, then moving him/her within a few days of it getting used to it's current situation would be bad, but also, moving Annie, then getting her a new friend might be a bit much for her too. So I'm thinking waiting about a week after moving. This sound reasonable to everyone else? I'm definitely hoping for a "love-at-first-sight" bonding experience. There's a city-owned shelter nearby with about 15 rabbits, and it's cheaper than the HRS adoption fee :).

I've never read about giving bunnies cucumber, hm. Anyways, about the kale, I've often wondered this myself. What is "sparingly"? When I buy kale I give my buns about 2 leaves each week. They've been fine so far. I really don't know. What about other green veggies? Red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, italian and curly parsley, does she eat any of that? She can have unlimited amounts of those.

About getting her a friend, I'd definitely wait for a month or so after you've moved. Having a new bunny could possibly be extremely stressful. A move will definitely be stressful, so the two together could just be traumatic. My bunny held a grudge against me for bringing a new bunny in the house for 3 months. She's just now over it I believe. They aren't anywhere near being bonded yet. My goal is they'll be bonded by Christmas. I figure if I'm going to have them for the next 7-10 years, taking 8 months or so to bond is nothing compared to the big picture.

DOOM Rabbit
Jan 10, 2003

THIS IS JUST TOO MUCH TO RESIST!
I HAVE HEAD EXPLODY!!
I don't keep track of exactly how much I spend on the bunnies per month but I doubt it's more than 30 dollars. I do tend to buy them a lot of hay, though, so it may be more than that.

I'm actually a bit allergic to bunnies but I do ok with allergy meds so I think it just depends on how allergic you are to them. I don't have much of a problem with it.

The only time I've ever noticed a smell is when I delayed in changing the litter box. They're generally very nice smelling animals, I think.

candeh
Apr 1, 2005

your reviews aren't that good

KingColliwog posted:

How much money do you think you spend on your house bunny each month on average?

I have pretty much the same answers to your questions as everyone else, but I wanted to add that one of the main differences between rabbits and other pets is you should expect to pay much more for vet care as rabbits are considered exotics by vets (meaning you will/should take them to an exotics vet).

Windy
Feb 8, 2004



girlscoutdropout posted:


Each month I spend about $35. It's different for everyone, I buy hay a bale at a time for $5 so that's alot cheaper. If you can't buy hay in a big bale and have to buy it from the pet store, you're going to spend $20-30 a month in hay alone. If you buy Purina Rabbit chow, you can get a 25 lb bag for $7 at most co-ops. I have to buy Kaytee Timothy Complete because one of my bunny has digestive problems and needs a higher-end pellet. This food is $10 for a 5 lb bag. I spend about $20 a month in fruits and veggies.

I'm sure it's probably just my preference, but I found Oxbow pellets to be far better than Kaytee, and cheaper as well. The 5# bag of Oxbow Timothy pellets I purchase is under $7. Over winter, when I purchase 10lbs at a time for roughly $13, it lasts roughly 3 weeks between 2 rabbits.

KingColliwog posted:

Are bunny noisy? I suppose they just can't be but hey it's always better to ask.

Are they smelly? That's one of the reason I never considered bunnies. For some reason I think they must be smelly (they probably aren't though if you clean their cages well)

Are they bad for people with allergies (I guess they must be since I've never heard about hypo-allergic bunnies)

How much money do you think you spend on your house bunny each month on average?

I spend about $20/month on bags of hay and orchard grass. Veggies range between $6/week in the summer, usually $3/week more in winter(hence increased pellet usage in winter). This is a major cost with the rabbits, but very important for the diet. Older rabbits will need more veggies than pellets, and you could even disregard pellets completely if you can commit yourself to purchasing and preparing salads and offering fresh hay daily. Feeding strictly pellets can lead to fat bunnies :/ Litter used to cost $12/month, and due to a deal on wood stove pellets in spring, my cost is reduced to under $2/month. Treats and toys vary, adding maybe at most $40 per year. Routine yearly checkup is $60 per rabbit.

So, estimated cost for a year for 2 bunnies including misc. expenses:
40 - toys
24 - litter
115 - pellets
240 - hay
372 - veggies/yr
120 - vet, routine
80 - misc.
___
$991/yr, give or take

One rabbit should cost under $500 per year in normal expenses, plus you'll want to keep an extra $300 or so in "float" just in case someone eats something that they shouldn't. Granted this is just my estimated run down of cost, it doesn't include initial supplies or cage upgrades which happened over time. Also, scoring deals on toys and food and summer veg bring the costs way down.

Noise, smell and allergies...pretty much the same as above. Most of them shed a lot too and the fur gets everywhere. Murphy is on his third shedding of the year and it's a doozy. I swear, looking at him makes him explode into a poof of white fluffy shrapnel. His fur is so fine and so light that it just gets in the air and hangs out for hours. It gets all over my clothing, in my eyes, mouth and nose. Brushing him is almost a waste of time because his body has an endless supply of loose fluff! But it subsides after a few weeks, and doesn't happen again for at least 3 months. Debbie on the other hand, I don't think she's ever shed a single hair. Bless that little rex.

I highly suspect that I am allergic to my rabbits, if not my cats as well, but it's generally only noticeable during a major shed, when I've been cleaning out the cages or burying my face in their fur. Everyone will be affected differently, but the best thing to do is find a shelter or someone who has a rabbit and spend time handling it for a week or more.

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

Windy posted:

I'm sure it's probably just my preference, but I found Oxbow pellets to be far better than Kaytee, and cheaper as well. The 5# bag of Oxbow Timothy pellets I purchase is under $7. Over winter, when I purchase 10lbs at a time for roughly $13, it lasts roughly 3 weeks between 2 rabbits.

Yeah, I thought about doing the Oxbow Basic/T pellet, but the only place I could find that sold it in my area is an hour away frome me. It's just too inconveinent for me. I'm still going to keep my eyes open for Oxbow, because I have heard it's better.

Windy
Feb 8, 2004



An hour? Holy cats that sucks. I have to drive about 20 minutes, but I only do it once or twice a month when I need cat or bunny food. I know you can order it off the website, but even for me a 5# bag cost only 9.50, but 11.61 to ship. However, it's still cheaper than the other store I'd purchase from in bulk(non-prepackaged).

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

Windy posted:

An hour? Holy cats that sucks. I have to drive about 20 minutes, but I only do it once or twice a month when I need cat or bunny food. I know you can order it off the website, but even for me a 5# bag cost only 9.50, but 11.61 to ship. However, it's still cheaper than the other store I'd purchase from in bulk(non-prepackaged).

I mean, I guess if I really only have to go once a month or so an hour isn't too bad. Maybe I'll start making that trek.

Windy
Feb 8, 2004



Don't do it on my account ;) How is your rabbit website coming along btw?

SpaceMonkey
Jul 11, 2006
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
any difference between sun dried timothy hay and normal green stuff besides lack of water?

And we got another bunny 3month old female broken lop/dwarf from but she's rib counting skinny yet eats alot (loves banana's of course), taking her to the vet this week but any ideas?

fake edit; our local rabbit breeder for the stores sucks rear end so i wouldn't put it passed the rabbit being ill.

CalamityKate
Dec 4, 2004

Does anyone else have a rabbit that sheds in chunks? Sean is going through a shed right now and she looks like a hair explosion. I've been using the zoom groom on her but 5 minutes later she's a poof ball again.

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

CalamityKate posted:

Does anyone else have a rabbit that sheds in chunks? Sean is going through a shed right now and she looks like a hair explosion. I've been using the zoom groom on her but 5 minutes later she's a poof ball again.

Yeah, that's how rabbits shed. The easiest way (I've found) to groom them is to pluck the loose fur chunks (gently of course, and never pull fur out of the skin). I sit with a trashcan and do that to my bun 2-3 times a day during his "shedding season" it's awful. My other bunny, has one tuft on the top of her head that will do that and I pluck that one part about every 3 months or so, that's it.

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

Windy posted:

Don't do it on my account ;) How is your rabbit website coming along btw?

Haha. The site hasn't had the response I've hoped for. I do need to "advertise" it more though. I've been working sun-up to sun-down 6 days a week for the last couple of week so hopefully I'll have time soon. Thanks for asking!

Windy
Feb 8, 2004



SpaceMonkey posted:

any difference between sun dried timothy hay and normal green stuff besides lack of water?

And we got another bunny 3month old female broken lop/dwarf from but she's rib counting skinny yet eats alot (loves banana's of course), taking her to the vet this week but any ideas?

fake edit; our local rabbit breeder for the stores sucks rear end so i wouldn't put it passed the rabbit being ill.

In a rabbit that young, you can and should introduce some alfalfa into her diet. It will help fatten her up a little. If you can find pellets that are a mix of alfalfa and timothy, get her those as well. Until she is about 6-7 months old, or you start noticing her getting too fat, she should be able to free-feed on pellets or at least eat a healthy handful(half to one cup) daily. I'll assume you already know the feeding routine for bunnies older than 7mos :)

For the hay, I've never seen it advertised any differently on the packages at my local pet shops. I usually buy greener hay because of the aroma and the fact that my rabbits like it better than the drier stuff. This is more due to preference, but also greener hay usually means it was cut "younger" and will be more nutrient rich. If it is sun dried - all hay is sun dried really - it probably has just been left on the field and raked more than twice before baling/ shoving it into the bags.

CalamityKate, I've started to use the furminator on Murphy. I know it's pricy, and was originally bought(and still used) for my cats, but it does wonders on him. I just lightly spritz with water to keep the flyaways down, and start brushing. He hates to be brushed, but the furminator grabs so much loose fur. I get more out in one sitting than the slicker brush or zoom groomer.

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

Windy posted:


CalamityKate, I've started to use the furminator on Murphy. I know it's pricy, and was originally bought(and still used) for my cats, but it does wonders on him. I just lightly spritz with water to keep the flyaways down, and start brushing. He hates to be brushed, but the furminator grabs so much loose fur. I get more out in one sitting than the slicker brush or zoom groomer.

I've been curious if the furminator works on bunnies, my mom bought one for our dogs and loves it. I might try that on my french lop, he sheds like crazy.

sgocity
Dec 4, 2006

For all those that created your own cages out of the cubes...

How do you make a door that you conveniently open and close (securely)? They look cool, but I don't get how this would work.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

sgocity posted:

For all those that created your own cages out of the cubes...

How do you make a door that you conveniently open and close (securely)? They look cool, but I don't get how this would work.

The way I did it was just have zip ties on the left or right side, depending on how you want it to open, then have something (i use a small carabeiner) which can be repeatedly used over and over to latch the other side together. Make sure you have the cage set up so that you don't need that vertical structural stability and other than that, it's fairly simple!

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
I've let Annie run around in my room for hours at a time now (shh, don't tell my dad) and once she's fully explored for the evening she likes lying down in my laundry like so


it's quite cute, but some part of me wants to worry, I don't know why =/

CalamityKate
Dec 4, 2004

Windy posted:

CalamityKate, I've started to use the furminator on Murphy. I know it's pricy, and was originally bought(and still used) for my cats, but it does wonders on him. I just lightly spritz with water to keep the flyaways down, and start brushing. He hates to be brushed, but the furminator grabs so much loose fur. I get more out in one sitting than the slicker brush or zoom groomer.

Well there's the excuse I needed. I've got a cocker spaniel also, so it will get plenty of use if I go ahead and get one :) Thanks!

Windy
Feb 8, 2004



CalamityKate posted:

Well there's the excuse I needed. I've got a cocker spaniel also, so it will get plenty of use if I go ahead and get one :) Thanks!

No problem! Once I figured out how well it worked on the rabbit I finally felt justified in spending $30 on one brush. Once I thought about it though, I have 8 different shedding blades, matt removers, slickers and brushes, some over $12/ea. You save money buying the Furminator(and it really works) ;)

Levitate
Sep 30, 2005

randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENIÈRE IN ME

Deceptor101 posted:

it's quite cute, but some part of me wants to worry, I don't know why =/

Worried about how she lies on the ground? Looks fairly normal to me at least...

Anyways, does anyone have experience with acquainting a kitten and a rabbit? This is more idle thoughts than anything, at the moment, but if my girlfriend and I move in together at some point in the near or distant future, she really wants to get a kitten. I'm not entirely sure how well that works with already having a rabbit, sooo, any advice?

It seems that rabbits and cats can get along fine, but I know kittens can be rambunctious and like to play rough, which would worry me a bit. Then again, my rabbit might kick its rear end...he can be pretty ornery.

Windy
Feb 8, 2004



Debbie loved the foster kittens I had 2 years ago. They would swat at her and chase her around, then Deb would chase them right back. They never harmed either of my rabbits, and seemed more curious about the rabbits than the hamster. In fact, I have a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmK7M-m10xI They pretty much ignored Murphy and were content to play with the sparkle ball and run through his box forts.

Playing with Debbie:



I did a lot of short introductions with them in a cage while the rabbits were loose, then a few times where I held the kittens and let the rabbits come up to sniff them and stuff. And gradually allowed supervised playtime. Since the rabbits were already used to fat lazy cats, rambunctious kittens were a treat.

girlscoutdropout
Dec 10, 2005

In my spare time I hypnotize bunnies.

Levitate posted:

Anyways, does anyone have experience with acquainting a kitten and a rabbit? This is more idle thoughts than anything, at the moment, but if my girlfriend and I move in together at some point in the near or distant future, she really wants to get a kitten. I'm not entirely sure how well that works with already having a rabbit, sooo, any advice?

It seems that rabbits and cats can get along fine, but I know kittens can be rambunctious and like to play rough, which would worry me a bit. Then again, my rabbit might kick its rear end...he can be pretty ornery.

The only thing I'v heard about cats/rabbits is they get along great. Cats, that is. Kittens, I haven't heard very good stuff. It can just be riskier for the bunny, kittens love to rough-house and don't understand that rabbits don't have claws to defend themselves. I would imagine if the playtime was 100% supervised it would be alright (at least while he/she is still in the kitten stage). It might still be a good idea to have a bunny proof room the kitten couldn't go in. You don't want to stress out your bun.

Although it looks like Windy's bunny and kittens had a grand time. Just be cautious!

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Windy
Feb 8, 2004



girlscoutdropout posted:

I would imagine if the playtime was 100% supervised it would be alright (at least while he/she is still in the kitten stage). It might still be a good idea to have a bunny proof room the kitten couldn't go in. You don't want to stress out your bun.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Some rabbits can be territorial and we all know about cats and curiosity. If you have a possessive bun, introduce a new playmate in neutral territory. I'm lucky enough to have a bedroom upstairs that belongs only to my rabbits, so at any time I can close the door to their sanctuary. Another thing that helped was to have other animals to take the focus away from kitten vs rabbit. They all played in the living room along with the hamster(safe in her ball) and resident fat cats. If the rabbits felt threatened or annoyed, they ran upstairs to their room. Naughty kittens were awarded with a time-out in their crate until they settled down.

If you do get a kitten, and said kitten decides that claws are fun for battles and destroying everything, you can always look into SoftPaws.

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