Annual appeal- don't buy a rabbit

[Adios Pantalones]

Before someone that thinks they are super original and funny makes a joke about eating them, or even tries to derail this into a serious talk about farming them I will say that you're neither original nor funny, just annoying. I'm posting this to give a little push to anyone thinking about it- buy a chocolate rabbit.


There re a ton of reasons not to buy a pet store rabbit for your kids this Easter, but suffice to say- you wouldn't keep a dog in a cage 20+ hours a day. They live over ten years if neutered and cared for, or a tough less than 2 on average for others.

 

[scooby074]

But they ARE tasty..no joke.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

That didn't take long.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

neighbor raises rabbits. i have more pets than i need as it is , any rabbit i get for easter will either be a product of cocoa, or destined for a pot.

":impulse pets" (easter bunnines, baby gators, painted turtles, hermit crabs and the like ) are a horrible idea, for every one that ends up in a "pound" several end up in a landfill due to neglect or the victim of a person simply not having a bloody clue how to properly care for an exotic animal. ask the folks down in south florida how much they enjoy pythons and monitors and the like in their yard, and snakeheads in their rivers. all because people cant have a damned dog like everyone else. its a wonder we dont have cobra's and such to worry about

 

[nate379]

If you say so. Rabbits are livestock, not pets. Just the same as ducks, geese, chickens, pigs, etc, etc, etc. Give them food and water till they get fat and then to the chopping block and in my tummy!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

neighbor raises rabbits. i have more pets than i need as it is , any rabbit i get for easter will either be a product of cocoa, or destined for a pot.

":impulse pets" (easter bunnines, baby gators, painted turtles, hermit crabs and the like ) are a horrible idea, for every one that ends up in a "pound" several end up in a landfill due to neglect or the victim of a person simply not having a bloody clue how to properly care for an exotic animal. ask the folks down in south florida how much they enjoy pythons and monitors and the like in their yard, and snakeheads in their rivers. all because people cant have a damned dog like everyone else. its a wonder we dont have cobra's and such to worry about

Exactly. People figure that a rabbit is like a hamster that maybe lives a few years, but when given some space and the right care they are crazy, fun, and interactive. Mine would hop over and nudge you looking for raisins, would climb on you, wanted to play certain games etc. people were very surprised. Restricting to a cage, not giving the care they need out of just not understanding them leads to neglect or worse.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I am talking about pets.

 

[nate379]

Don't turn non-pets into pets? I wouldn't keep a bear or caribou in my house, why would I keep a rabbit?

I am talking about pets.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Nate, If you were unaware that they are a popular pet, then consider yourself informed.

 

[nate379]

No I'm quite aware, that's why I said people shouldn't turn them into pets. The kid a few houses down got one for Easter last year and it got loose this fall. I see it every few days but never had a clear shot. Damn thing has been eating the valve stems off all my tires and got into my duck's feed! I guess that's how it survived the winter?

Nate, If you were unaware that they are a popular pet, then consider yourself informed.

 

[BrotherBart]

Now that you bring it up. On the subject of farming...

Oh never mind. Good advice about the rabbits. Same goes for chicks.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

nothing wrong with having a pet rabbit, as long as its properly cared for.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

nothing wrong with having a pet rabbit, as long as its properly cared for.

Right, and that includes things like- as much hay as they can eat, warmth, a large area to live, and neutering. Without spaying, a female rabbit has like 80% chance of cancer.

 

[BrotherBart]

 

[Gary_602z]

Unfortunately it happens a lot to dogs and cats also!

Gary

 

[homebrewz]

Right, and that includes things like- as much hay as they can eat, warmth, a large area to live, and neutering. Without spaying, a female rabbit has like 80% chance of cancer.

That's very interesting. I was just about to ask why, but I decided to look it up.
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/uterine.htm

 

[homebrewz]

Similar things happen to dogs with certain movies.. for instance, every time they re-release 101 Dalmatians. Just ask folks who are involved with dalmatian rescue.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I'll stick with chocolate bunnies.

 

[begreen]

Before someone that thinks they are super original and funny makes a joke about eating them, or even tries to derail this into a serious talk about farming them I will say that you're neither original nor funny, just annoying. I'm posting this to give a little push to anyone thinking about it- buy a chocolate rabbit.


There re a ton of reasons not to buy a pet store rabbit for your kids this Easter, but suffice to say- you wouldn't keep a dog in a cage 20+ hours a day. They live over ten years if neutered and cared for, or a tough less than 2 on average for others.

11 yr old bunny? That fellow has already outlived his ancestors.

 

[firefighterjake]

Sorry to say that growing up my parents were not good with their pets . . . the dogs we owned were always kept outside and chained up . . . and I mean that literally . . . actually chained. They rarely were let off their run.

We also had a few rabbits growing up . . . I don't recall, but I suspect we got them around Easter . . . and like the PSA above, sadly the rabbit was pretty much just kept cooped up in a 2 x 6 cage all year long.

We had some cats who were allowed to come inside . . . but the idea of spaying and neutering the cats or even taking them to the vet was a foreign idea.

Needless to say, my wife and I are do not treat our "pets" in this way . . . the five cats we have are taken to the vets, kept inside and well . . . to be honest . . . treated like kids.

Thanks for the post AP.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

11 yr old bunny? That fellow has already outlived his ancestors.

My 3 died at 11, 12 and 12. Had to put 2 down myself- that was tough. They were pretty crazy.

 

[begreen]

We lost ours around 7-8 yrs old. I had to put them down too. No fun for sure.

 

[MishMouse]

Any one getting a pet should never do it out of impulse.

With the number of Dalmations put down after the movie came out Cruella Devil could have made a full Dalmation clothing line.
I wonder how many Clown fish got flushed after Finding Nemo?

Since I live in the country, people from town like dropping off their stray cats in my area causing a major influx of feral cats. One of the neighbors looks at them as barn cats, and feeds them in the winter. In the summer these same cats get at my chickens, the first year we lost 6 of our 7 laying hens, last year 3 cats died of lead poising and we only lost chicken due to a (hawk/owl).

My 8 year old daughter wanted a puppy for Christmas, I got her one of course.
It has a little bone that controls it, you press one button it barks, another button it walks, and another button it sits.
It lasted about a month before the cord wires became disconnected from her swinging it around, now it works occasionally.
And she wonders why I will not get her a real one.... yeah right......

 

[Jags]

AP - is there really an adoption market for bunnies? Sincere question.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

AP - is there really an adoption market for bunnies? Sincere question.

Yes. There are many rescue societies that neuter and adopt them. Our 3 were rescues. They were all litter trained.

An aside: We used wood pellets as litter, and spread it on the garden when we cleaned the boxes. Some people talk of getting them just for litter as the crap is one of only a few that can be used directly, but skip the rabbit and just use the food. Rabbit food is more efficient and cheaper, without having a critter to care for.

The 2 big groups

http://rabbit.org/
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/