How much time do you spend with your buns?

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Mariah

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I have three bunnies. Kiwi & Papaya are bonded, & live together. Apricot is just 7 weeks old, & hasent met Kiwi & Papaya yet.

I live in an open concept basement apt. It's a walk out, so lots of natural light. Kiwis & Papayas run is set up in my bedroom. Apricot is right outside my bedroom. There's no door, so all I have to do is lean over the side of my bed & I can see him.

When I home, Kiwi & Papaya are free range in my bedroom. I have a gate up so they can't get to the rest of the house & Apricot.

Apricot has a smaller area to run in, when I'm home. Where he's set up won't be permanent. I'm not sure where he will be in the house long term, but he's there for now since he's on a quarantine because he was found outside.

That being said, I do spend time with all three of them. Kiwi & Papaya aren't cuddle bunnies, but do like to be pet. Apricot loves attention. He jumps all over me when I sit on the ground with him.

I'm just wondering how much time everyone else spends with their buns. I'm always around them (all three of them) when I'm home, but I'm not always on the ground petting them.
 
I have 5 rabbits and I like to play with a random one or two each day for about 20 min each. I often become to buisy to really play with them but I try. I only wish I could bring each one in every day!!
 
When Chico and Chica were my only bunnies I would spent like 2-3 hours a day with them together. Since they were brother and sister they were bonded so I did not have to worry about keeping them apart.

Once I rescued Lady and Brooke, I had to work on building trust with Brooke and Lady so I spent more time with them and let Chico and Chica play out of their cage more like 8 hours but spent like 1 hour with them instead of 2-3.

Now I work on spending like 20 minutes to an hour a day of SOLID time with each bunny. Petting, smooching, personally feeding.. last night I fell asleep on the bathroom floor with Brooke! I was petting her and fell asleep and one time she woke me up with her nose in my face and then before I knew it she was nibbling on my hand, I think to wake me up! So last night I spent like 3 hours with her but knocked out sleeping! I've been working from home since I broke my ribs so it's been hard to really play with them like I did before the accident, but I'm trying.. I'm working on it.

Vanessa
 
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I spend about 3 hours with each of my beloved buns at a time! Since they're not bonded and won't be started to be bonded until Willow is old enough to be spayed I have to spend a lot more time with the buns than I would if they were bonded. But I don't care because they're my babies!
 
When Chico and Chica were my only bunnies I would spent like 2-3 hours a day with them together. Since they were brother and sister they were bonded so I did not have to worry about keeping them apart.

Once I rescued Lady and Brooke, I had to work on building trust with Brooke and Lady so I spent more time with them and let Chico and Chica play out of their cage more like 8 hours but spent like 1 hour with them instead of 2-3.

Now I work on spending like 20 minutes to an hour a day of SOLID time with each bunny. Petting, smooching, personally feeding.. last night I fell asleep on the bathroom floor with Brooke! I was petting her and fell asleep and one time she woke me up with her nose in my face and then before I knew it she was nibbling on my hand, I think to wake me up! So last night I spent like 3 hours with her but knocked out sleeping! I've been working from home since I broke my ribs so it's been hard to really play with them like I did before the accident, but I'm trying.. I'm working on it.

Vanessa

What happened to your ribs Vanessa?

And ok, I don't feel that bad, judging by what everyone has said. Currently, I do spend more time with the baby (Apricot), because he dosent have a partner, & since he's so young. He should still be with his brothers & sisters... So I am all he has at the current moment. I spend at least 1.5 hours a day with him. Not all at once, but through the course of the day.

Since kiwi & papaya have each other, I would say, at least an hour with them I spend. I'm always in the bedroom with them when I'm home, so I'm with them a lot. Apricot will probably be moving in here too, once his quarantine is over- that's next week! And if his fecal test comes back negative.

I feel relieved! I feel so bad when I work my super long days. But, I know they are all happy.
 
Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their rabbits. Yes they are cute, entertaining, and fun to play with, but they aren't much different then say a hamster or weasel and the average hamster owner doesn't obsess over their pets for hours a day. If it weren't for school I would definitely spend much more time with my rabbits but I guess when running a mini breeding facility I have a different opinion on things than people who have them only for pets.
 
Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their rabbits. Yes they are cute, entertaining, and fun to play with, but they aren't much different then say a hamster or weasel and the average hamster owner doesn't obsess over their pets for hours a day. If it weren't for school I would definitely spend much more time with my rabbits but I guess when running a mini breeding facility I have a different opinion on things than people who have them only for pets.

Just in case you couldn't tell, I got in a heck of alot of trouble when I was in high school..I will preface my posting with before writing this:

You know a couple of things came to mind when I read your quote. I could replace rabbits with a couple of other nouns..



Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their kids. Yes they are cute, entertaining, and fun to play with, OR

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their boyfriends . Yes they are cute, entertaining, and fun to play with, (you can take the last 4 words any way you want to )

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their grandkids. Yes they are cute, entertaining, and fun to play with,

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their church group. (that then wipes out the next sentence..)

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their grandparents..

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their relatives..

or

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their husbands. Yes they are cute, entertaining, and fun to play with, (no, not always...)

or

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their wife. The next sentence goes totally

or

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their partners. I will leave this area blank for you to fill out...

OR

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their work.

OR

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their painting/artwork/knitting/writing/on the computer/on the internet/on Rabbits Online

or

Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their hobbies.


Personally, I could say I don't understand why my husband spends so much time sitting like a turd on the computer. He obviously has a different opinion and thinks he's not wasting time like a drunk on a bender.

I also have never personally owned a weasel, so I can't give any feedback on the cute and friendliness of a weasel in comparison to a rabbit, but in doing a bit of research, I've found that they have not been considered cuddly but have been historically considered VERMIN ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel).

Hum, which in my mind, I've never really considered VERMIN cute or cuddly or even in the same league as a hamster, of which I have owned many and have never let them sit in the cage like a paperweight. I have always taken all my pets out and played with them and knew they were not simply an ornament for a corner of my room but a living breathing being that needed time, attention, care, comfort and companionship.

Maybe by virtue of the fact that this is called Rabbits Online is the reason *WHY* individuals here are obsessing over their dear Rabbits. However, our grandmother did not and wanted us to keep feeding my Chica and Chico tons of Cilantro so their "meat would taste good when we finally cooked them". It must be horrible to be 80 and have totally lost your F***ing mind..

Anyway, I started laughing when I read that... so you've made my night..

Vanessa
 
What happened to your ribs Vanessa?

.

Remember Lady, that Rabbit I spend too much time on! :)

January 19th she was staying in the hallway and bathroom beside my
bedroom we were letting her free range that night.

Around 3am I wake up and hear something behind the bedroom door and have a heart attack. I don't know what it is but because I have a night light, I can see something glowing.... at first I think it's a mouse or something, but I realize it's too big.. It's LADY!!

She jumped over the baby gate by jumping on top of her cage and got into the bedroom and damned Cassidy who always sleeps on the foot of the bed with me (remember she marked him a day ago!) didn't even wake up.

I hop out of bed and she thinks I'm playing with her and does a bunny 500 and flys to the other side of the room and BOOM goes under the bed!

My husband leaves me to get her out and I have to lift the mattress, box springs, frame, etc and we have a King Bed. Well dumb a** that I am, I BALANCED the frames and stuff instead of laying it across the wall and when I reached down to get Lady out from under the bed WHAM... I got smacked with the frame and could hear the rib break and felt it.

I kept my calm, got her from under the bed (the ONE TIME she let me hold her) got her back to the hallway and put her in her crate and then fell onto the bed holding my ribs. I only told my work I had an accident and did not say how or what happened and after getting a CT scan I have a broken rib and 3 fractured ones.. from rib 4-7 on the left side.. My work thinks I was in a car accident to have this many fractures... I feel too stupid to tell them one of my four rabbits got out, ran under the bed and the bed frame fell on me and screwed up my ribs.. right after it happened my husband was trying to get me to go to the hospital and I would not and every time he was talking to me about going, Lady kept thumping in her cage which I thought was funny..

So here you have it.. My stupid accident..

Vanessa
 
I totally understand where you are coming from. But rabbits are small animals not people. I do sincerely love my rabbits. Every morning when I feed them I stoke them on their head call them their nicknames and tell them I love them because I do. I also have different games I play with my rabbits but I don't and can't spend hours playing with them (I my self am still in high school so it would be hard). When I had my hamster as what... a ten year old, I would play with is so much but still no more than an hour a day. That's why I compared them to rabbits. But weasels on the other hand, I have never had but I have a friend who has one and it runs around and plays so that's where that comparison comes from.

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.

I an gratefull of you sharing your opinion. I absolutely understand your thoughts on rabbits and I feel as though there even if our opinions clash, we shouldn't get frustrated or in your case amused over eachothers thoughts on this topic.

Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings over my previous post. I should have said something a bit more thoughtfull.

And by the way I hope you get better Vanessa. Sounds like you really got hurt!! I hope you heal up soon and you aren't in too much pain!!
 
Vanessa hit the nail on the head- you go girl :) xx it breaks my heart to think someone just keeps rabbits as a project but each to their own I guess!

I spend a lot of time with my 5buns- we have a daily routine of putting out during the day & bringing inside to sleep + excersize/exploring time & cuddle & groom time. I have 2 that are bonded & the other 3 that are bonded. I spend a lot more time with my Coco Puff who is disabled. I check on her at least every hour (when I'm not out n about) she hoons in her cart twice a day which I stay with her doing & the other two boys she is bonded with are out & about in the garden for half the day. I find my rabbits love our routine & know what's happening next and at what time & they all get the same amount of attention each day. Coco about 3 maybe more hours a day & the other 4 about an hour each. Mine really like doing there own things & I guess I'm blessed with a big backyard and a half converted shed called the "bunny world" so there fore they arnt always relying on me for interaction. They are the cuddliest nose bumping binky lovin attention seeking buns so I know they are getting the love they need. Each bun is different & it sounds like you are doing a great job.

Oh & to top it off I have 2 kids too but im a stay at home mum so it's a lot easier for me to spend that time with the bunnies.
 
I don't keep them just as projects. I have owned Jack and Thomas for almost four years and after doing "breeding rabbits", which is just like showing, and loving it so much I got three (6 actually but I sold two to little girls who wanted bunnies and one I rescued and it died of old age) others. All my rabbits get fruit or other treats every day and I exercise as often as my schedule permits it. Jack has won grand champion and reserve grand multiple times in fair and Thomas is an ARBA grand chompion. My rabbits may not run to me when I call their names but they trust me. I keep my rabbits as rabbits not as little fo-fo babies. I am proud owner of my small scale rabbitry where every bunny is loved. I may not be in to rabbits the way you guys are but I can promise I know what I'm doing when it comes to them. Also I am unable to keep rabbits as pairs because they are not fixed so they would either fight if same sex of have babies then fight if different sex.
 
Not as much time as I'd have liked since they became garden rabbits because of space... and when the weather is cold and wet like it has been, I have to obviously catch them and bring them indoors which has two problems- my elderly cat and my mother. Looking forward to the weather improving!

I think interacting with animals is pretty much the entire point of having one. They aren't works of art to admire from afar, they are little people to be friends with and share your life with. One day I hope to make my guys house rabbits because that sounds like a riot. Yes, there are some species who shouldn't really be handled or don't handle easily- some species of rodent for example (or fish!), but other species of rodent do enjoy being handled or are able to be handled (rats, mice, hamsters)- but rabbits are hardly one of them. They DO bond with people and they DO enjoy interaction and play with us, so comparing them to something like a gerbil isn't that relevant.
 
I love spending time with Bandit. Unfortunately I haven't spent quite as much time with him the past couple of weeks, but I find that the more time I spend with him, the more rewarding it always is. Most days I'll get him to do his tricks, pet him for a while, let him climb on me, I might brush him. When we go for walks in the backyard we're always out there together for at least 45 minutes, not that he really cares about me at that point because he's so much more interested in everything else, but it's still time I get to spend with him. I like sitting with him and reading a book or something, sometimes I'll read out loud and he'll often climb on me and try to eat the book :p It's fun :)
 
Honestly I don't understand why people spend so much time with their rabbits. Yes they are cute, entertaining, and fun to play with, but they aren't much different then say a hamster or weasel and the average hamster owner doesn't obsess over their pets for hours a day. If it weren't for school I would definitely spend much more time with my rabbits but I guess when running a mini breeding facility I have a different opinion on things than people who have them only for pets.

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.
 
Not as much time as I'd have liked since they became garden rabbits because of space... and when the weather is cold and wet like it has been, I have to obviously catch them and bring them indoors which has two problems- my elderly cat and my mother. Looking forward to the weather improving!

I think interacting with animals is pretty much the entire point of having one. They aren't works of art to admire from afar, they are little people to be friends with and share your life with. One day I hope to make my guys house rabbits because that sounds like a riot. Yes, there are some species who shouldn't really be handled or don't handle easily- some species of rodent for example (or fish!), but other species of rodent do enjoy being handled or are able to be handled (rats, mice, hamsters)- but rabbits are hardly one of them. They DO bond with people and they DO enjoy interaction and play with us, so comparing them to something like a gerbil isn't that relevant.

Entirely agree! :bunny18:
 
I don't keep them just as projects. I have owned Jack and Thomas for almost four years and after doing "breeding rabbits", which is just like showing, and loving it so much I got three (6 actually but I sold two to little girls who wanted bunnies and one I rescued and it died of old age) others. All my rabbits get fruit or other treats every day and I exercise as often as my schedule permits it. Jack has won grand champion and reserve grand multiple times in fair and Thomas is an ARBA grand chompion. My rabbits may not run to me when I call their names but they trust me. I keep my rabbits as rabbits not as little fo-fo babies. I am proud owner of my small scale rabbitry where every bunny is loved. I may not be in to rabbits the way you guys are but I can promise I know what I'm doing when it comes to them. Also I am unable to keep rabbits as pairs because they are not fixed so they would either fight if same sex of have babies then fight if different sex.

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).
 
I definitely socialize my babies, but being in school and having other responsibilities I don't play with my adults as much as I would like especially in the winter. In the summer they go outside and they have a little run where they can eat grass and be rabbits. I just wish I had more free time... *dramatic sigh*
 
I spend 20-60 minutes with my bun every night, if I don't he starts to beg for attention! His x-pen cage is in the living room by the TV so I just sit in his cage and pet him while I watch movies after work.
 
rabbits4me you did not hurt my feelings certainly. I just thought I could see many other situations where the same could be said of kids, grandparents, spouses, hobbies etc! I thought it was interesting and of course there is going to be people who love the heck out of their bunnies and treat them like kids because they don't have any and that of course isn't a crime either! :) You were just writing what you were thinking and we all do that... no harm in sharing your opinion.. and thanks for the kind words. I hope I get better soon also. I've been really tired lately from the rib pain and haven't been able to take a ton of pain meds due to work having me working on documents that are due for the government this week.. sigh... oh well..

Vanessa

(I have never known anyone with a pet weasel so that is interesting your friends experience and I guess since people keep pet rats or mice it could fall into that category right?)
 

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