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Grrr- very annoyed, are they right?

Danielle&James

Warren Scout
I went to pets at home this afternoon and got into a coversation about rabbits with someone who works there.

She told me that rabbits "must" have grass outside, I said yes but they haven't had their jabs yet so they can't go outside! She just said well they need to have it now!!

Then she told me that you couldn't have house rabbits as they "must" have a patio to run on to wear their claws/toenails down, I said well actually I know many people who have house rabbits.

Then she said that I needed to buy a run for them, I said why they have my whole flat to run around in, she said oh no they need to have a run. That made no sense to me so I ignored it.

When she asked what food I was feeding them I said Science Selective- she said whats that ive never heard of it!!!

Is she right with anything she has told me?
 
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its advisable to vaccine a rab at the minute cus of the outbreaks so in a certain degree she was right with that. but the rest is rubbish.
Grrr x
 
Although not 100% correct, it's a whole lot better than the advice they could be giving - at least it's based on the dietary and dental need for long fibre (i.e. grass or hay) and the fact that concrete will indeed wear claws down. The average client following that advice would actually be pretty well placed to give their bun a better quality of life than purely living in a small hutch! Sadly buns are at risk from myxo and VHD whether inside or out, although I guess the risk is slightly lower if they are indoors.
 
Rabbits need exercise so a run of some form is essential. However a whole room indoors works just as well as a mesh run outdoor! If your rabbits aren't on a rough surface you'll need to clip their claws. Grass isn't essential as long as they have hay. Yes, I'd be warry about putting an vaccinated rabbit outside too, though that's not to say indoor is risk free.

It sounds like she was spouting a mix of the correct ideas that had got a bit twisted up.

Tamsin
 
No !! She sounds like an idiot!! An idiot trying to sell you a run at that !! ignore her, keep feeding the SS and let bunny carry on as he is ! Check his claws and when long get them clipped - simple !! I have 3 very happy house buns :D
 
in my opinion, quite simply.... NO!

preston is an indoor bunny and i have gained alot of advise from vets, here and the RWA.

he is vaccinated just as a matter of to be sure he is not at risk.

he has he run of our flat freely, without a "run", the only thing is to make sure where he goes is bunny proof, from wires. cables etc

preston does not have grass fresh from a garden but as long as they get dried grass or hay then this is fine. preston is also feed on SS which i believe is considered to be one of the better rabbit feeds.

and with regards to claws, they will just need trimming by a vet or yourself if your brave enough ;)

it does frustrate me when people give wrong advise
 
it does frustrate me when people give wrong advise

It does me too, but at least it's not harmful advice - like keeping your bun with a guinea pig/you have to keep them alone or they'll fight/this 3ft hutch would be fine etc...Of course in an ideal world all advice would be perfect, but in the great scheme of things no terrible damage will be done by what she is saying and it could result in some buns being better off because of it.
 
She's a bit like the nurse who said I had to give my son orangeade to settle his stomach when I only had lemonade in :roll: She's got an idea of what they need, but is just parroting what she's been told, rather than understanding WHY they need these things (and so realising there are good substitutes too)
 
I agree with Alison and Tamsin, some things she has said are fair (and better than alot of other petshop staff) and she probably doesn't know about SS as they don't stock it. Indoor rabbits are still at risk from both diseases and you are getting them vacc'd anyway :D
I went inot a vet surgery last week as I ran out of A/D and nutri plus gel and the 2 nurses didn't know what either of them were as they only stock Waltham dietary food and use another product for boosting nutritional intake.
I personally agree that all rabbits should get time on grass, purely because to me, its unnatural to live on carpet/wood flooring in a house/flat. Thats my personal opinion and doesn't mean that anyone with housebuns are not doing the best for their buns and feeding them incorectly.
I just feel its closer to their natural environment and if we can give this to them (free running on grass and grazing grasses) we should :D
 
I like giving my house buns some time on grass for a bit of a change, get some sunlight and fresh air but as long as they have plenty of hay, a good selection of veggies & decent pellets then they should be fine from a diet and teeth point of view. My buns have dried grass as well but I don't think that is 100% necessary.

Their claws don't get worn down much it's true, but I clip their claws maybe once a month, which takes the edge off & stops my jeans being torn to shreds.

They do need some sunlight to make vitamin d but as long as they are not kepts somewhere really dark like a garage, all day, they should be OK.
 
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