How to educate family?

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lauratunes12

lauratunes12

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Joined
Aug 29, 2012
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Location
Willmar, Minnesota, USA
My dad is forever crabbing about how much rabbits cost, because our dogs cost barely anything, blah blah blah. Well, we have about half a bag of alfalfa left from when Faith was a baby, and I give it as a treat every now and again, because she is now almost 7 months old. Well, I come to find out that my dad came down and changed Faith's litter box last night(I had just changed it in the morning) and gave her a huge pile of alfalfa hay so he could change it without getting bitten(Faith doesn't like him..). I mean, he gave her almost a quarter of the kaytee mini bale. I told him to not do it anymore, and he got mad saying that he was only trying to help and that I had said that rabbits need an unlimited supply of hay. I suppose it is only hay, but it's a high fat hay, and shouldn't be fed in large quantities like that. It worries me for what happens when neither my stepsister nor I are at home.

Also, my stepmom complains about Faith's litter box being full when she maybe has ten poops and a small puddle of pee in it. She's in the laundry room, so it's not like she's stinking up the whole house. How do you suggest we go about educating stubborn people?(parents!)
 
it's actually not high fat, it's high protein/calcium... at almost 7 mos, a huge pile of alfalfa won't do her any harm ;). at least he was trying!

for the litter box, you might try explaining that rabbits produce about 500 poops a day - that really puts 10 poops into perspective, lol.

as for the expense... are you buying hay by the bale now? it's infinitely cheaper that way (like 7-8 lbs for $1 instead of $3 for 1 lb). if you're at a feed store for hay, you can also pick up a 40 lb bag of wood pellets for around $5-7 if that's not what you already use in your litter box - your mom wouldn't even be able to see a little puddle of pee and the poops would blend in pretty well, too.
 
I'm getting mini bales of Kaytee hay from our local Runnings. Their bunny selection is tiny, but it's that or the pet store. We are almost out on litter, we've been using the recycled paper stuff, which we got in a huge bag at the good pet store we have. I can check at the Runnings when we get more probably tomorrow. I don't think we ever checked the horse section.

I know the alfalfa won't kill her, I just don't want him to make a practice of it. It's kind of funny because he goes in there with huge gloves on. :p

Thanks for the tips. :)

Edit: I can never remember, what is the wood bunnies can't have?
 
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Well at least he listens "well you said rabbits need an unlimited supply of hay" that's sweet. Just tell him "thank you for being do helpful but he can't have too much alfalfa bc it's too high in protein, it's only for baby buns, but it's ok bc you know now dad!" But also, dogs are expensive, my dog is like my son, so I try to give him the best I can being on a budget, he gets occasional toys, a $55 food, as much vet care as needed, and healthy training treats, etc. So dogs are not cheap, sure they are if you buy them unhealthy food and leave them in the backyard all the time. I also just start talking about my rabbit, like this, "hey did you know that rabbits can't have a lot if fruit? Like for buster...one slice of apple a day is a good amount. If you give them a lot its high in sugar and i hear it gives the rabbit diarrhea. Did you know that dad?" And since our dads are great listeners, he will remember the next time he eats an apple and wants to share with bunny, he'll know not to give a lot.thats how I educate my family. My fiancé and everyone else knows or rather doesnt want the responsibility of the rabbit so doesn't mess with him lol! I understand how stressful it can be when your parents or someone does stuff like that. Once my mom came over to feed my rabbit while I was gone...she didnt give him any of the vegetables I had prepared and only gave him hay, pellets, and two baby carrots. Grrr. And if she had just read the letter CAREFULLY she would have known. Best of luck to you!
 
You could post a list or somthing like instructions on what is good and bad for rabbits and what is ok and not ok for your rabbit. Then just attach it to the cage, that way everyone will know and you won't have to sit and explain anything to them unless they ask.

Actually, a sudden drastic increase in alfalfa hay can sometimes cause digestive problems with some rabbits. That's why it is one of the few hays that you have to gradually introduce or increase with a rabbit.
 
lauratunes12 said:
I'm getting mini bales of Kaytee hay from our local Runnings. Their bunny selection is tiny, but it's that or the pet store. We are almost out on litter, we've been using the recycled paper stuff, which we got in a huge bag at the good pet store we have. I can check at the Runnings when we get more probably tomorrow. I don't think we ever checked the horse section.

I know the alfalfa won't kill her, I just don't want him to make a practice of it. It's kind of funny because he goes in there with huge gloves on. :p

Thanks for the tips. :)

Edit: I can never remember, what is the wood bunnies can't have?
Click to expand...

pine and cedar *shavings* are big no-nos... however, pine is safe in pellet form as the phenols (that can cause health issues) have been removed. pretty much ANY wood pellet is safe - the exception is wood stove pellets that specifically say they contain an accelerant.

I really do recommend searching around for a feed store to buy hay by the bale (ANY horse-quality grass hay is ok for bunnies, though if it's oat or wheat or something, you'll want to pick the seed heads out) - you can get the same amount of hay for $10 that you'd pay about $250 for if you're buying bags of Kaytee! the mark-up on pet store hay is obscene.

failing that, I recommend http://www.sierravalleyhay.com/Orders.html - it's nowhere near as cheap as feed store hay, but it's still a good bit cheaper than pet store hay (works out to about $2 a lb including shipping to your state) and it's fresher, too. my bunnies won't eat feed store hay and won't eat ANY variety of pet store hay (tried kaytee timothy and every variety of oxbow), which is why I ended up trying it... they go nuts for it! I'd pretty much given up on ever getting them to eat large amounts of grass hay, but they inhale the sierra valley stuff.
 
i think you are being a little over extreme...you dont realize how lucky you are that he is trying to take an interest in your pet.

and i feed alfalfa hay until a year old, but they will get alfalfa/brome mix after.
 
Usually he doesn't. They made a rule that if neither my stepsister nor I is home, nobody is taking care of the bunny. We either have to leave her with extra food if we know that we will both be gone or we have to pay them off. Not sure what sparked him wanting to take care of her, especially because I'm home.

My brother just suggested we get hog feed from the co-op next door...
 
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Training parents is super hard for sure. My dad always tries to feed them sweet feed which would be ok in small amounts but 2 cups each is way way to much so I just told him rabbits r my thing and he can go spoil the horse instead. I also put on the back of their cage tags how much they eat. And I made a list of piosoness and safe foods which are labelled in big red letters. and I asked my family to only feed the buns that are Julia approved.
 
Actually, hay is mostly fiber,so the difference between alfalfa & grass hay is small cf the difference in pellets. Carrot greens have a lot more calcium than alfalfa hay does.

As it's best for only one person to control what a rabbit gets, you might prepare 24 hrs worth of things every evening or whenever is convenient & label it, so that if another family member wants to be helpful, they know what & how much they could feed.

Those not near any feed stores & living east of the Mississippi might consider ordering hay from sweetmeadowfarm.com
 
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