rabbits aren't "disposable pets!"

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tadpolephobic

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I was in Joann's Fabric yesterday buying apattern for a Halloween costume and I was trying to convince my mom tolet me make one for my Fuzz. We were at the cashier's stand talkingabout this and the lady was like "oh, my rabbits wouldn't like that!" Isaid I was pretty sure Fuzz wouldn't either, but who knows till you tryand then asked her about her bunnies. She said she had four of themthat live outside and they want to get rid of them to get dogs. Her sonis mentally disabled and has ADHD and she was going on about how shethinks the responsibility would be good for him because there's notmuch you can do with rabbits. Says she's going to turn them into theshelter. I tried to convince her to take them to the Oregon HumaneSociety rather than the Vancouver one so they would stand a real chanceof finding homes, or better yet to our rescue, but I don't know whatshe'll do.If she's so willing to dispose of them for a"betterpet" without giving them a real chance to be a part ofthe family, Idoubt she cares much what happens to them. Ihadto bite my tongue to keep from tellingherexactly what I thought of the whole thing, my only consolation isthatbeing given upto find real homes is the bestthing for them if she sees them as so unimportant.


Stephanie and Fuzzy Wuzzy
 
I hate to hear ofpeople acting likethis! She shouldn't have got bunnies in the first place if she wasn'tgoing to keep them:XObviously she hasn't given them much of achance because she hasn't realised what great pets rabbits can make.
 
Michaela wrote:
I hate to hear ofpeople acting like this! Sheshouldn't have got bunnies in the first place if she wasn't going tokeep them:XObviously she hasn't given them much of a chancebecause she hasn't realised what great pets rabbits can make.
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I think it's unfair to isolate them from the family by putting them ina hutch out in the yard and then expect them to be great pets. Ifsomeone treated me like that I wouldn't give them the time of day and Idon't blame the animal for feeling the same way in that situation. Youcan bet that if the child finds the dog to be too much for him thenit'll probably end up in the same place as the rabbits.

Steph and Fuzz
 
Its the same no matter what animal you aretalking about... people dumping them after they get out of the cutebaby stage to go get another cute baby. Neglecting to teachan animal to be a good companion then expecting someone else to dealwith the problem that they raised.

I'd have been very upset too. :mad:
 
Grr . . . I retyped it because it kept tellingme there was an error and now there's too copies of that reply . . . ohwell. Don't know how to make it go away. :X
 
What people aren't smart enought o realize isthat any animal's personality isn't going to come out if you neverspend time with that animal. I can't spend as much time as I would likewith mine, but I know the personality of every one. Example: Rose lovesto tear paper, but Ned just acts like, Why is this taking up space inmy cage? Juliet has a certain place that she keeps her toy keys, andheaven help me if I move them to clean her cage! LOL
 
tadpolephobic wrote:
I think it's unfair to isolate them from the family byputting them in a hutch out in the yard and then expect them to begreat pets.
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I think it's unfair as well but I would like to make it very clear thatjust because a rabbit is housed outside does not mean it's isolatedfrom everyone and forgotten about. I'm sorry but I get testy whenpeople imply things like that because my rabbits are all outside andthey are far from forgotten about. They are some of the friendliestrabbits I know.

But I agree that a lot of people have that 'disposable' idea aboutrabbits and it makes me mad. Of course if you ignore a rabbit (whetherit's inside or out) it will be 'boring' and a 'bad' pet. I really can'tstand people like that.
 
It all points to the fact that there's a needfor more education - and not just about rabbits. I'm not sure whypeople seem to think that animals don't need interaction -a and I'm notjudging them for that. But in many cases, it simply doesn't occcur -and i don't think that's necessarily a function of people beingindifferent or uncaring. They simply don't know.

In other cases, it clearly is a refusal to try and interact with theanimal(s), but that's different. I guess the biggest thing is thatfolks need to know that animals will interact with us on their terms,not ours - and that we have to meet them more than halfway on that.

At least, that's been my approach. It seems to work pretty well, but tome, it's common sense, like getting down on the floor and hanging outwith them, if that's where they prefer to be. (Mine does.) for me, it'sfun, though it's required a lot of patience on my part. but that wassomething I realized before I got Nibbles, and the idea of gaining hertrust appealed to me.

Again, education was critical here (or I'd never even have given athought to a rabbit as a house pet, for example). I get angry aboutcertain situations where people are keeping rabbits in subparconditions, but I think it's important to not write people off, too - alittle insight into rabbits might go a very long way. That seems to beborne out in the experiences of some of the rabbit rescue people I'vemet, too... though I guess we all wish it happened a lot more oftenthan it does.
 
MyBabyBunnies wrote:
tadpolephobic wrote:
I thinkit's unfair to isolate them from the family by putting them in a hutchout in the yard and then expect them to be great pets.
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I think it's unfair as well but I would like to make it very clear thatjust because a rabbit is housed outside does not mean it's isolatedfrom everyone and forgotten about. I'm sorry but I get testy whenpeople imply things like that because my rabbits are all outside andthey are far from forgotten about. They are some of the friendliestrabbits I know.

But I agree that a lot of people have that 'disposable' idea aboutrabbits and it makes me mad. Of course if you ignore a rabbit (whetherit's inside or out) it will be 'boring' and a 'bad' pet. I really can'tstand people like that.
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I was just angry and I didn't mean to imply every rabbit kept outsideis neglected. I worded that completely wrong. I know at least onemember of my rescue who keeps buns outside in sheltered cages withplenty of room to run and play, etc. The way the woman was talkingabout them though made it clear that was not the case with theserabbits basically even with my mother and I both trying to explain theymake good pets, she was standing by the opinion that the only thing todo with a rabbit is feed it and clean its cage.

Steph & Fuzz


 
It's alright, it's just that I prettywellhear weekly that I'm a bad bunny mom and should surrendermy animals to the shelter because I keep my rabbits outside. It reallywears a person down eventually. And today was one of those days whensomeone made a comment about it (not on this forum, don'tworry)and I lost it because I hate prejudices like that. I'man extremely dedicated pet owner and I spoil my bunnies as much aseveryone else. I wish I could have them inside but it's impossible andI know my bunnies (who have never been inside) would not like it at all.

But I completely agree that this person is not like me, it takes a verydedicated rabbit owner to have outside rabbits since its double thework andworry of an inside rabbit and you really need tospend time with them to realise they are more than just animals, theyare companions. I wish I could take those poor bunnies.
 
99.9% of horse, cow, pig, and manyyyy otherkinds of animals keep them outside. There is nothing wrongwith animals living outside if they are well cared for. Justbecause rabbits fit in the house and many people bring them in doesn'tmean you can't be a good rabbit owner (or horse, cow, pig.... owner) ifthey are outside.

Leaving your rabbits outside in a hutch to basicly rot, as this lady seems to have done, is not proper care right :(


 
Oh jee! I feel sorry for the next dog. I get thefeeling it's like 'the flavor of the month'. Hmm.. the rabbits gettingboring because I don't ever see it.. I know! Lets get adog!... Makes me shake my head the stupidity of people. Whenwill peopleever stop thinking rabbits are stupid simple pets.If people only knew.
 
One thing that struck me as sad re. thesituation described in the opening post: if things were different, thatlady's son might have come to really love and appreciate the rabbits.

Such a wasted opportunity, for him, and for the buns, too... and, i guess, for the next animal as well.
 
MBB, I hear you. My bunnies are outside too,they live in a pole barn. And yes, I spend a lot of time out thereworking with and for them, cleaning, petting, grooming, etc. I am outthere twice a day, three times if the weather is especially hot orcold.
I don't expect my rabbits to just be lumps and sit thereand eat and poop, I play with them, I know their personalities, I givethem toys, all the sorts of things that people who keep their rabbitsindoors do. I would love to have at least one of them in the house, butDH has nixed it, says there are enough animals in the house, LOL. Ithink I would have to say, do these people that critisize you forkeeping your bunnies outside have a dog? Have they ever left itoutside? Poeple frustrate me, LOL.
 
My rabbits are inside but I feel that adedicated and responsible owner could keep them outside the house andstill be a good rabbit owner...what bothers me is that buying animalsseems to be sort of like "slave trade"..a lot of people get pets onlyfor their own amusement without the idea or thought that any animal hasits own life very separate from ours and the right to live it apartfrom us. I am more and more confused about the idea of petsaltogether.. I actually feel that many exotics like snakes and reptilesshould be left alone in the wild and not kept as pets. My ideas on thisare not entirely formulated as the most domesticated of animals cravehuman interaction so dogs and cats seem like a good pet..rabbits arealready domesticated so are dependent on us. It gives one a lot tothink about....
 
I don't completely agree that snakes andreptiles should be left in the wild. They're just as much animal and arabbit is and for people like me, having a pet snake or reptile or anykind of creature you aren't familiar with is a great learningexperience (although most should be learnt BEFORE getting the animal =P)

altogether we have a cat, 3 dogs, a ball python, and Bud Bunny.Although the rabbit is restricted to only the cat and the dogs can'tsee the bunny, its still a big loving home. The dogs just aren'ttrained well enough to play with the bunny... he'd get squished =(
 
tadpolephobic wrote:
Her son is mentally disabled and has ADHD and shewas going on about how she thinks the responsibility would be good forhim because there's not much you can do with rabbits.

Stephanie and Fuzzy Wuzzy
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My child has ADHD and spends so much time with my rabbits ! I think theparent in this case is totally irresponsible.I feel sorry forthe next "pet" they get.

Regardless of children having pets it's ALWAYS the parents responsibility to look after them.
 
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