Have You Tried Taking Care Of A Rabbit?

Discussion in Pets started by sidney • Mar 2, 2015.

  1. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    Well, at least now you know what happened to him. I guess she doesn't want to make her kids sad so telling her that the bunny ran away would make you hope that it would return. What caused her death? If it was her fault then all the more that it's justified that she would lie.
     
  2. JoanMcWench

    JoanMcWenchActive Member

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    lol I never considered that. Perhaps my mother is a bunny murderer. I didn't ask her to elabourate on how it happened but now I think she may be a serial killer given how many fish swam away in my youth.
     
  3. dyanmarie25

    dyanmarie25Active Member

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    No. I haven't tried taking care of a rabbit. And I don't think I ever will have one as a pet. When I was young, I really wanted a pet rabbit because of Bugs Bunny and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. But after my friends told me about mother bunnies killing/eating their own babies. I found that as really gross and since then, my fascination about rabbits has gone.
     
  4. philipgust

    philipgustMember

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    Nope, but 4 hamsters!
     
  5. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    Well, looking back, I recall that I was not the one to feed our pets and my mom or dad does it since I was busy at school, so I can understand why you had no idea how they disappeared. How can a fish just swam away when it's in an aquarium? Unless you have a fish pond. But still, it's enclosed. That is fishy! You have to do some investigating, because if you get a pet now it might suddenly disappear too! Maybe she let it ran away or intentionally set it free! I would hate my parents if they would do such a thing to my pets.
     
  6. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    Yeah bunnies can do that but only if the babies are sick. They wouldn't eat a healthy bunny. I know it's still gross though but it's an animal instinct. Dogs can be gross too. I won't say what my Pom has done because it might ruin dogs for you as well though it's not as bad as eating your young.
     
  7. Aladar

    AladarWell-Known Member

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    My ex had two rabbits, but I never found too much interest in them. Sure, they are cute, but you can't really cuddle wit them too much, and they usually just sit around doing nothing most of the time... Or maybe it was just weird rabbits that she had. :D
     
  8. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I want a rabbit that I can hold and cuddle with, so I hope that when I get to have one I can cuddle with it as well, like my cat. Maybe the personality of those rabbits was just aloof, lol.
     
  9. Aladar

    AladarWell-Known Member

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    It's kind of a gamble. My friend has two, and they don't really like to cuddle too much. One of them will cuddle for a minute or so and then run away, and the other starts growling and attacks you if you pick him up to cuddle him. D:
     
  10. Feneth

    FenethActive Member

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    None of ours really liked to be held closely in our arms to cuddle BUT all of them have been willing to lay in our lap on the couch or beside us on the floor or bed and be pet for long periods of time. The big white rabbit in the pics I posted once sat in my lap for two episodes of Burn Notice without moving as I just kept petting her. When she moved from my lap, it was to go beg from my daughter who had sat down with a plate of fruit nearby. She was a serious beggar but that made her easy to teach tricks.
     
  11. Aladar

    AladarWell-Known Member

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    Haha, that sounds cute. The bunnies my girlfriend had were loners, when they were let out of their home they just linked to run around and jump, but they didn't care for cuddling or staying in lap at all.
     
  12. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    My last rabbit didn't mind being held at all. She was very content in my arms. On the other hand she didn't like my friend at all somehow so she wouldn't let her hold her but the other rabbit that I had didn't like me but liked my friend.
     
  13. Feneth

    FenethActive Member

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    Ours were like that when they were first let out of the cage in the morning or when we got home. If there was someone awake and home, they were loose, so around 10-18 hours per day. When we left, they were caged because our dog is very good with small critters but we preferred to supervise. After the first bit of exercise at release, they were more interested in people. Randomly, they would go tearing around chasing each other.

    We don't leave lap sitting to chance. It's important to use. I don't really need to be able to pick a bunny up often. I do need them to sit in my lap to have their nails trimmed AND I love to have them sit on me while I watch TV or read a book.

    When we first get a newly weaned baby rabbit, we will plop them in a 'safe' stationary lap. They don't always like to be picked up but after being picked up, a lap feels pretty safe. As soon as they land in the lap, we give them a treat and they can have the treat as long as they sit there. We usually use something on a spoon like applesauce or veggie baby food. Once they'll stay in a lap for a little while, we start luring them with the treat to jump onto the sofa and then step onto the lap. Then we'll hold the treat and call them but not lure. Eventually, the bunny hops randomly onto laps looking for treats. That's the point when we start keeping a box of cheerios in reach of a person on the sofa but out of the bunny's reach. Everytime they jump onto a lap, the human pets them and offers random cheerios. At first once a minute, then once every 3-5 minutes, then once every 10-15 minutes, finally once every 20 minutes. Eventually, we phase out the treats because the bunny has learned to enjoy sitting there.

    Then the only problem is when you're not paying attention and 18 pounds of muscles and fur launches herself to land on your stomach or chest. Bunnies are very densely muscled with powerful rear legs so launching theirselves off of you can as much as the sudden landing if you're not braced for it.

    We use that same set of steps to teach the bunny to come when their name is called and go into their cage willingly when given the order. And we litter box train them, of course.
     
  14. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I think that's a good way to "train" bunnies into sitting on your lap, you just give them treats. I think that can be applied to puppies and kittens too if you want them to be more affectionate. I also wouldn't set the rabbit free if I can't be able to keep an eye on it, it might chew the electrical wires of appliances or the legs of the furniture. A loose rabbit is dangerous for your property.
     
  15. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

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    When I was about 10 or 11, we had two rabbits. They were not very big, and they were white. I think my uncle got them from a pet store. The rabbits were cute, but they wouldn't stop eating and pooping! We also had to separate them because they won't stop mating. I liked the rabbits, but they needed much attention.
    Sadly, after a few months, the rabbits were killed by my grandpa's dog. We didn't know how it happened. We just saw their cage destroyed, and the rabbits dead. It wasn't a sight for a kid like me.
     
  16. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

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    When I was about 10 or 11, we had two rabbits. They were not very big, and they were white. I think my uncle got them from a pet store. The rabbits were cute, but they wouldn't stop eating and pooping! We also had to separate them because they won't stop mating. I liked the rabbits, but they needed much attention.
    Sadly, after a few months, the rabbits were killed by my grandpa's dog. We didn't know how it happened. We just saw their cage destroyed, and the rabbits dead. It wasn't a sight for a kid like me.
     
  17. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    That's so tragic, was your grandpa's dog a Pitbull or a Rottweiler? What did you feed your rabbits? Because you said that they won't stop eating and pooping. Don't they ever get full?
     
  18. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    My niece had a rabbit when she was young. She was deeply engrossed with her pet because it was interesting to watch when it nibbles on leafy greens. Sadly, the rabbit died and my niece seemed to be devastated. So rabbits have been erased in our list of pets because of that sad incident.
     
  19. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    @Corzhens@Corzhens, All pets die, so why did you ban rabbits specifically? Did it die too soon because of food poisoning? Because my hamsters did, they died shortly after I fed them vegetables.
     
  20. LeopardJones

    LeopardJonesActive Member

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    I’ve never had a rabbit. They’re adorable, but I’ve always heard they were kind of a hassle, and one person in particular thought they made the worst pets ever. I think that probably depends on how you take care of them, and if you have enough knowledge to do it properly. But I think I’ll stick with cats, since I’m quite used to them.