How much time do you spend with your buns?

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3willowsbunny said:
I had basically the same attitude when I was a teenager, we had rabbits as "pets" but they were outside in hutches, the fun of having them wore off very quickly. When I hit my 20's we decided to get a bunny and keep him in the house, then the fun really started! Our last 2 buns were house bunnies and my future bunny (picking him/her up next week!!) will be a spoiled rotten house bunny. I personally will NEVER keep another bun in a small hutch, it will be a house bunny from now on. much Much funner, they truely are members of the family. I guess this is akin to folks who keep their dogs chained or kenneled outside 24/7, are they fun or truely pets? I would not think so.
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Ok and I'm the crazy nut who does not want to keep my bunnies outside anymore after Chico and Chica's mommy Girl died and their brother and sister. I still feel to this day if they had been INDOOR the other two kits would have survived and Girl would be here. Sure, i would have like what?
7 rabbits? They would out number the dogs-4 chihuahua's, but I feel like I would have been able to keep a better eye on them and did feel like Girl was like a dog chained or kenneled outside.. I'm still fussing with my husband about that because he thinks we should put together an outdoor house for them and I think not. I'd rather have them in the house running around in the kitchen and porch then away in the yard where I can't keep an eye on them. I'm just very cautious now and in my house, I know what is going on and with the dogs around, nothing is going to get to the bunnies.

Out doors, forget it. I have red tailed hawks, owls, cats, groundhogs, possums, raccoons, it's basically wild kingdom out there. I can't control the wild life out there, but they sure as hell aren't coming into my house!

Vanessa
 
My 3 rabbits are free run (so no cage), which means compared to when they were in a cages I don't spend as much time with them. My rabbits are odd, they all have behavioural problems, so just having them out from under furniture is good. I usually spend a few hours with them a night (it can be spread out, because they get tired of behaving). I make sure they have loads of toys, and games as well. Many times I find they play with eat other, and wont when I am around. In the summer I take them out in a dog run, and let them run around with the cats for a few hours every few days.
 
Mine are out as long as I´m in the house, they usually just do their own thing. I try spend some time on their level but they´ve started now to jump on the sofa with me to see what I´m up to and they´re happy for me to stroke them and I just let them explore in their time. When I walk across the room and stop or if I´m doing something else, they´ll run up to me and don´t chase off when I bend down to pet them. It´s amazing what patience and time will do, like anything, you can´t rush them, some things have to come from them when they´re ready.
 
I spend hours a day with Sophie because I work from home and I am also blessed to only work part time. This is also the only reason I got a rabbit. The thought of choosing to keep a pet, knowing I wouldn't have time for it is unacceptable for me personally. Especially an animal that most likely has to spend a good portion of its life in a cage.

So it's an open cage door policy at my house. The only time I'm not around Sophie is when I'm sleeping or when I leave the house, which I try to do all my errands and such during her sleepy time in the afternoon.

In my opinion choosing to bring an animal in your life should equally enrich yours and the rabbits life. Since they are social animals I believe they need as much of our attention and love as we can possibly provide. My animals are my best friends and I miss them terribly when I'm away from them. If I could take my cat and rabbit with me wherever I went, I certainly would. That's how much I love them.

So yes, I spend hours with my Sophie, I couldn't imagine anything less:)
 
I normally spend between 10mins- 1hour a day bonding with my bunnies a day and they'll run round their shed/pen/garden for at least an hour a day unless bad weather eve though the RSPCA say rabbits need to be out their cage at least 10 hours a week!
 
Vanessa- omg... I couldn't imagine you breaking your ribs like that! I want to laugh, cause it is funny, but not so much when you end up with broken ribs! It does sound like you were in a car accident. Look at it this way, you get to spend more time with your buns now that your home :)

And wow, I didn't think I would get so many responses! And a debate started... I treat my bunnies like children, as I don't have any. They are my babies & I treat them exactly like that. What's the point in having a rabbit, or any pet for that matter, & not spending anytime with them? The more time spend, the more rewarding it is to have them as pets, or in my case, children! No they don't talk, but they do give love and affection in their own way, & I wouldnt change that for the world!
 
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Mariah said:
Vanessa- omg... I couldn't imagine you breaking your ribs like that! I want to laugh, cause it is funny, but not so much when you end up with broken ribs! It does sound like you were in a car accident. Look at it this way, you get to spend more time with your buns now that your home :)

And wow, I didn't think I would get so many responses! And a debate started... I treat my bunnies like children, as I don't have any. They are my babies & I treat them exactly like that. What's the point in having a rabbit, or any pet for that matter, & not spending anytime with them? The more time spend, the more rewarding it is to have them as pets, or in my case, children! No they don't talk, but they do give love and affection in their own way, & I wouldnt change that for the world!
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Mariah

YES, I never thought in a million years I would break ribs like that. The last time I was in a car accident and had 5 broken. This time 4 from a Holland Lop! Who would have thought!!! :shock2:

Actually yes it is funny but it hurts when I laugh! So I have to be careful!
I mean, the look on her face when I first caught her in the room, and my lazy Canadian Chihuahua Cassidy-( I got him from Saskatchewan. No he was not a star in Corner Gas! ) Obviously he is only good for SLEEPING
at the foot of my bed, because he did not stir one BIT when she hopped into the room which blows my mind because he barks at everything else that moves or does not move!! And you are right. I do get more time with them now and they have more running around time.. so that is a good thing.. I think! :)

I treat all my pets like kids in a way... I agree with you what is the point of having them if you are going to treat them like objects? It doesn't do anything to enhance their quality of life or yours if there is no interaction.

BTW, how are your babies?

Vanessa
 
lovelops said:
Mariah

YES, I never thought in a million years I would break ribs like that. The last time I was in a car accident and had 5 broken. This time 4 from a Holland Lop! Who would have thought!!! :shock2:

Actually yes it is funny but it hurts when I laugh! So I have to be careful!
I mean, the look on her face when I first caught her in the room, and my lazy Canadian Chihuahua Cassidy-( I got him from Saskatchewan. No he was not a star in Corner Gas! ) Obviously he is only good for SLEEPING
at the foot of my bed, because he did not stir one BIT when she hopped into the room which blows my mind because he barks at everything else that moves or does not move!! And you are right. I do get more time with them now and they have more running around time.. so that is a good thing.. I think! :)

I treat all my pets like kids in a way... I agree with you what is the point of having them if you are going to treat them like objects? It doesn't do anything to enhance their quality of life or yours if there is no interaction.

BTW, how are your babies?

Vanessa
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My three little monkeys are well tonight :) I'm just getting ready to put them to bed, since I have to work in the morning.
Boo to working Saturdays!

On a side note, I also have two horses & a cat. I spend just as much time with my cat as I do with the bunnies. He actually follows me around wherever I go in the house. He's a mamas boy :) I see the horses seven days a week, & they don't even live on my property! They are 10 mins away. It's the same thing. Why bother having horses if you don't see them? Do I wanna go spend 4+ hours out in this cold? It's -30 tonight... But I do, because like the bunnies & my cat, they are also my children- just 1300 pound children... Lol
 
Mariah said:
My three little monkeys are well tonight :) I'm just getting ready to put them to bed, since I have to work in the morning.
Boo to working Saturdays!

On a side note, I also have two horses & a cat. I spend just as much time with my cat as I do with the bunnies. He actually follows me around wherever I go in the house. He's a mamas boy :) I see the horses seven days a week, & they don't even live on my property! They are 10 mins away. It's the same thing. Why bother having horses if you don't see them? Do I wanna go spend 4+ hours out in this cold? It's -30 tonight... But I do, because like the bunnies & my cat, they are also my children- just 1300 pound children... Lol
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Wow... and I thought I had my hands full! Shoot, it's too bad you are not
down here. I've got land just sitting in South Carolina .. and houses just sitting in South Carolina... Some of my property has 10 plus acres so you would have tons of space for horses cats, bunnies, etc..When my father was a kid they had horses out there on the land I inherited. The one good thing about South Carolina is it's warmer than Ontario and a good deal warmer than the DC area now! It's going to be 11C tomorrow.. 52F which I think is pretty darn good for early February!

Have a good one and give some apples to your 1300 pound babies!:magicwand:

Vanessa
 
lovelops said:
Wow... and I thought I had my hands full! Shoot, it's too bad you are not
down here. I've got land just sitting in South Carolina .. and houses just sitting in South Carolina... Some of my property has 10 plus acres so you would have tons of space for horses cats, bunnies, etc..When my father was a kid they had horses out there on the land I inherited. The one good thing about South Carolina is it's warmer than Ontario and a good deal warmer than the DC area now! It's going to be 11C tomorrow.. 52F which I think is pretty darn good for early February!

Have a good one and give some apples to your 1300 pound babies!:magicwand:

Vanessa
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Hahaha, I'm still laughing over your rib story lol...

You are sooooo lucky to have all that land! I could only dream of having that! One say ill have my horses at home. For now, I have to settle for boarding them out. I am lucky that they are so close though, & I trust the barn owner to look after them when I'm not there. I have trust issues... Haha

I am also so jealous that its 11 degrees where you are.. Currently it's -17 here... Ugh, come on summer! I'll even settle for spring at this point!
 
rabbits4me said:
Everyone has their passion and it seems many of yours is rabbits but for me, rabbits are less of a passion and more of a hobby. I decided to join this site because of my 4h involvement with rabbits which along with horses are my favorite and primary project.
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I don't mean to come across as challenging or condescending...but this made me chuckle a little. :p

Like you, I raise rabbits. I don't have a large rabbitry, but I do have enough rabbits that spending three hours per day with each one individually isn't quite feasible. Even so, the only way I can think to describe my relationship with my rabbits is passion.

I'd be preaching to the choir if I started rattling off what goes on "behind the scenes" in a rabbitry. But it sure takes dedication that is unmatched in many other avenues.

Whether rabbits are indoors, outdoors, pets, show rabbits, livestock, etc...it sure would be hard to make it through the tougher moments without being head-over-heels crazy about rabbits. Don't sell yourself short by underestimating the effort you put into them...by the same token, hats off to those who enjoy them on a more individual level.

We're all wrapped around a little paw somewhere!
 
Mariah said:
Hahaha, I'm still laughing over your rib story lol...

You are sooooo lucky to have all that land! I could only dream of having that! One say ill have my horses at home. For now, I have to settle for boarding them out. I am lucky that they are so close though, & I trust the barn owner to look after them when I'm not there. I have trust issues... Haha

I am also so jealous that its 11 degrees where you are.. Currently it's -17 here... Ugh, come on summer! I'll even settle for spring at this point!
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Oh no! It was -0 C here today, we actually had more snow. It didn't stick that much but it snowed for a couple of hours 2-3 before stopping. It was 11 degrees in South Carolina where the land is!!! :pullhair:

Oh yeah and I'm still laughing over that rib incident.. he he he... grrr..:whatever no really, I mean I think it's one of the most interesting way to get your ribs messed up... far better than a car accident.!!!!!!

I got rabbit punched is what a friend of mine said about the incident!! Yep a 4 pound Holland Lop did all that damage and didn't even know it!! However, I think she knows I'm hurt because one or two times we have put her back in the hallway she has NOT done that MacGyver move that got me messed up in the first place. She's actually behaved herself which I find surprising.

I know about trust issues.. trust me! :spintongue

Oh my husband started that talk about, when all the pets die we aren't getting any more.. (yeah right I'm thinking) and then he said, oh when we get another rabbit I want to make certain they can all play together? I do a double take.. WHAT? Is this before or after they all die? right??

Then he is looking at craigs list at a Lop that was really cute and was asking me if I thought lady would get along with this 2 year old Lop.
Now let me tell you, this Lop was CUTE, but I'm like, Get along how? Like as a punching bag? Another rabbit? What? Because remember the first day I got Lady and Brooke from the rescue Lady jumped on Brooke and bit her above the eye and beat the hell out of her and was humping her and hitting her in the head with her front paws which I have never seen before. It was like George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. She is feisty.

I thought it was interesting but today he went out shopping and I was home with the animals and he went on Facetime to see her and talk to her!
Wow... and you say I'm spend too much time with my rabbits? I have never done a facetime with my bunnies!!!

Vanessa
 
3willowsbunny said:
The only thing I don't get about this post is what do you mean by "I keep my rabbits as rabbits not fo-fo babies" what is meant by this?? The only difference between your rabbits and indoor rabbits is the fact that they are indoors, most likely in bigger enclosures (or have free range of a room or the entire house). Indoor buns also in most cases get more attention and become integrated into family life, much like one would a dog or cat, they become members of the family not fo-fo babies as you put it...there is noting wrong with how you care for your rabbits, you sound like you truely care for them but to call our indoor bunnies fo-fo just because they are our indoor pets is a little off putting. We don't dress our buns up in pretty pink dresses and carry them in purses like some do with their tiny dogs (well some may... ;) ). My rabbit will be 15-20lbs when full grown, fo-fo is the last thing he/she will be (we pick up our baby bun next week).
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By fo-fo I mean soiled. And when you say you rabbit will be 15-20lbs thats sounds like a Flemish is that what you have? I love them!! My dad had one that was pushing 25 lbs and that wasn't all fat either. Her cage was over 12 ft long.
 
@oakridgerabbits (and everybody else who I've talked to)
I have trouble spending time with my rabbits due to school. I leave at 7:10 every day and come home at 4:30 except on Mondays when i'll get home closer to 6:30 due to jazz band after school. Including homework, relaxing time, and dinner I am not left very much Tim at all.
 
rabbits4me said:
By fo-fo I mean soiled. And when you say you rabbit will be 15-20lbs thats sounds like a Flemish is that what you have? I love them!! My dad had one that was pushing 25 lbs and that wasn't all fat either. Her cage was over 12 ft long.
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Wait, do you mean Fo fo SPOILED or SOILED?
I'm a bit confused...


Vanessa
 
rabbits4me said:
@oakridgerabbits (and everybody else who I've talked to)
I have trouble spending time with my rabbits due to school. I leave at 7:10 every day and come home at 4:30 except on Mondays when i'll get home closer to 6:30 due to jazz band after school. Including homework, relaxing time, and dinner I am not left very much Tim at all.
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Ok what about after dinner? Or on the weekends?

To be honest, I don't go to bed sometimes until 1am from cleaning up their cages, putting fresh water down and making certain everything is good in their cages and I work.

I see it as me going to sleep in a bed that I poohed and peed all over. I want to make certain everything is as clean as possible for the night. I hoover Brooke's Xpen area almost every night, throw away food that she didn't eat for a day if it's veggies, etc. Chico and Chica's cage gets cleaned out every day, PERIOD. No exceptions unless I'm dead. Even with broke ribs I've cleaned their cages out daily. I can't stand to see a filthy bunny area. I guess as I've gotten older I'm become anal retentive like the chef Phil Hartman used to do way back in the day on Saturday Nite Live.. anal retentive chef that had to clean up as he cooked! I've gotten to the point where I have to give them X amount of time even if it's to clean their areas, refresh the water, take away old food, bring new, etc..

Vanessa

PhilHartman.jpg
 
3willowsbunny said:
I had basically the same attitude when I was a teenager, we had rabbits as "pets" but they were outside in hutches, the fun of having them wore off very quickly. When I hit my 20's we decided to get a bunny and keep him in the house, then the fun really started! Our last 2 buns were house bunnies and my future bunny (picking him/her up next week!!) will be a spoiled rotten house bunny. I personally will NEVER keep another bun in a small hutch, it will be a house bunny from now on. much Much funner, they truely are members of the family. I guess this is akin to folks who keep their dogs chained or kenneled outside 24/7, are they fun or truely pets? I would not think so.
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I it is likely I will turn out the same when I am older. I would like one of my rabbits to be a house rabbit now but due to our house being a rental, two dogs, and my dad being a collecter of very valuable items (not to mention how yummy looking some are to rabbits) it makes it impossible. And when you say small hutches, I want people to know we make sure every rabbit has a roomy place to stay. I will soon be making a big run to let rabbits have fun outside in the summer months. I have been trying to construct one for a long time now but I haven't gotten any help by my dad for supplies so I've been struggling to get one made. :/
 
I see your point Vanessa and after dinner I do play with rabbits not for long, but I do. During weekend though it is a different story. I ride horses all weekend. My mom and I often drive the three and a half hour drive down to my trianer while my dad watches over the bunnies. I admit, that during the winter I should be spending more time with my rabbits because we board our horses at my trainers due to the heavy snow (we have a good foot and a half) and I don't ride them every day. If I really tried I could get in a good 2 hours of bunny play a day and tons more on a lazy weekend. You know how time can slip away and I spend too much of it doing chores and homework and cleaning up puppy pee that I spend all I can being lazy in bed or whatever because I feel that all those chores and homework will only become more abundant as I move in to higher level classes (such as de an ap) in high school and off to college.
 
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