• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

How many years experience do you have keeping rabbits? - Comment on expertise :)

How many years experience do you have keeping rabbits?

  • 1 year

    Votes: 12 15.8%
  • 2 years

    Votes: 8 10.5%
  • 3 years

    Votes: 11 14.5%
  • 4 years

    Votes: 4 5.3%
  • 5 years

    Votes: 3 3.9%
  • 6 years

    Votes: 5 6.6%
  • 7 years

    Votes: 3 3.9%
  • 8 years

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • 9 years

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • 10+ years

    Votes: 26 34.2%

  • Total voters
    76

Ambience

Warren Veteran
I'd like to know how many years experience with caring for rabbits you have so i've done a poll :)

If it's more than 10 years ( as an adult in sole charge), can you just make a note below - thanks alot :)

Thanks
Ambience xx

p.s This doesn't include being a child- it is just sole responsibility
Thanks again.

This is experience as in all round care- if your rabbits have been lucky enough to remain illness free i'd still like to know how many years you have been caring for buns :) If you could just make a note your buns have had no illness or problems- vet trips i'd be grateful. Thankyou x

Please comment on your areas of expertise with rabbits- if you have successful kept bunnies without any problems, great, please note this- if there have been illness and other issues you have dealt with or covered, please not this expertise also. Thanks :)

If you'd also like to comment on how many years you have had rabbits overall -including childhood- please note this seperately.
 
Last edited:
Well I had rabbits from being 10-18 and then didnt have another until I was 22 so I guess over 10yrs but I would only say 2 years of being an adult.
 
I don't think the amount of time you have had rabbits and experience are the same thing, experience is more about dealing with different issues/behaviours as well as reading about illnesses/treatments/behavioural problems.

You could have kept rabbits for 8 years and learnt nothing as they have always been healthy?
 
I don't think the amount of time you have had rabbits and experience are the same thing, experience is more about dealing with different issues/behaviours as well as reading about illnesses/treatments/behavioural problems.

You could have kept rabbits for 8 years and learnt nothing as they have always been healthy?

I agree- but then someone with 8 years keeping rabbits without any health problems has possibly being doing the right things in terms of diet or general care. So i think it is still experience, although not illness, treatment or behavioral problem experience as you mentioned. I'm still interested to know :) I think if people can comment on their experience that would be absolutely great.

Thanks,
Ambience xx
 
I've had rabbits since I was 14. (And was the sole carer.) :) I've had no problems/illnesses until this year where everything has gone wrong. :(

ETA: that's 6 years.
 
Last edited:
Have had rabbits ss an adult for 6 years, one has no front teeth, 2 had ecunculi and stasis but would still consider myself quite inexperienced, I couldn't have sexed them for instance...
 
I agree- but then someone with 8 years keeping rabbits without any health problems has possibly being doing the right things in terms of diet or general care.

Possibly, but don't count on it...I know someone who has a 9 year old rabbit living alone in a 3ft hutch with no bedding ('because hay will give it myxomatosis') and it's fed on weetabix and mashed potato!

Of course there are some elements of husbandry that can minimise the risk of illnesses, but it doesn't necessarily equate that years of ownership=good husbandry any more than an ill bunny=bad husbandry. It can do, of course, but there's sooo much more :)

I have had bunnies as an adult for about 18 years now, in that time it's only really my snuffly Santa with her overgrown tooth roots and chronic snuffles that has been problematic; the rest have been pretty healthy. I got most of my 'experience' of understanding illnesses, quarantine, caring for sick bunnies and working with bunnies with behavioural problems from working with rescues. Over the past 5 years since I've been fostering I have fostered maybe 5 times more bunnies than I have ever owned :)
 
I don't think the amount of time you have had rabbits and experience are the same thing, experience is more about dealing with different issues/behaviours as well as reading about illnesses/treatments/behavioural problems.

You could have kept rabbits for 8 years and learnt nothing as they have always been healthy?

I agree.

I have had numerous people try to adopt who are afronted when I either ask them something about their experience or tell them something, or indeed refuse to rehome to them, when they say, but I have been keeping rabbits for 20 years or 10 years etc etc. Unless people actually read, learn, listen to others, deal with issues, the experience they have won't actually reflect the time they have kept them.

I have only kept rabbits for about 4 years, but I have had an incredibly steep learning curve seeing hundreds of rabbits in that time, with many being fostered by us or cared for by us. When I tell people who visit that I have only had rabbits for 4 years, they mostly seem surprised, probably thinking I've beed doing it for much longer. Hopefully it's not because I come across as a knowitall, but because I have tried to educate myself, learnt from other much more experienced people than myself, and have had to deal with every eventuality that has been thrown in my direction.
 
A very short amount of time for me, as I've only had two, and I currently have none. But, it was certainly a baptism of fire for me! :shock: :lol:
 
I have only kept rabbits for about 4 years, but I have had an incredibly steep learning curve seeing hundreds of rabbits in that time, with many being fostered by us or cared for by us. When I tell people who visit that I have only had rabbits for 4 years, they mostly seem surprised, probably thinking I've beed doing it for much longer.

Yes that does surprise me Helen - and it's greatly encouraging too as it does show that it is possible to gain real good experience and competence in a relatively short period of time :)
 
I had buns when I was little, but they were mostly looked after by my dad and I just fed them occasionally and played with them :oops:

But I've had Nora and Walter for a bit over a year, and had far too many vet trips! :( Firstly they had their vaccinations, and then Nora had a really bad reaction to teh VHD so had about 3 more vets trips for that. Then they had more vaccinations. Then Walter had his headtilt and I can't even remember how many vet trips that was (it was so many they did actually stop charging us lol) And then we had 6 weeks of injecting him at home. Then they had more vaccinations. Then Nora had her spay which thankfully went OK and we've actually had a few months without vet visits!

I've certainly learned a lot in a short space of time, but I wouldn't consider myself to be an expert in any way.
 
I agree- but then someone with 8 years keeping rabbits without any health problems has possibly being doing the right things in terms of diet or general care. So i think it is still experience, although not illness, treatment or behavioral problem experience as you mentioned. I'm still interested to know :) I think if people can comment on their experience that would be absolutely great.

Thanks,
Ambience xx

Most of our rabbits have at some time in their lives had health issues - the nature of adopting the unwanteds from rescues. We have seen lots of things happen but is not only due to their previous lives, but their genetics often. We keep things on track by keeping them on a very basic diet with masses and masses of hay, but more importantly by keeping an eye on problems before they develop.

You are right that someone who has had rabbits for 8 years may be doing the right thing, but we have been doing the right thing and we still see major issues.


I recently paired up a 9 yr old boy rabbit whose previous owner had kept him unneutered, alone and without hay to speak of in a 3ft hutch. Luckily for him, the neighbour has now taken him on, got him neutered and got him a wife. So you could argue that the people who had managed to keep the boy for 9yrs and him still be living a relatively healthy life now, could have been doing the right thing, they most certainly weren't. The boy was just lucky that his constitution and the neighbours persistance in trying to get him out of there has paid off.
 
Just coming up to four years in October. I wouldn't say I'm an expert by a loooooooong chalk. I've learnt SO much since joining here.
 
I got most of my 'experience' of understanding illnesses, quarantine, caring for sick bunnies and working with bunnies with behavioural problems from working with rescues. Over the past 5 years since I've been fostering I have fostered maybe 5 times more bunnies than I have ever owned :)

I agree I have only had buns just over 4 years, but helping out at rescues has made me way more aware of illnesses/problems/quarantine/costs than I would have been otherwise!
 
Yes, I definitely think getting access to a wide variety of rabbit issues is the only way to really become experienced. eg. with my rabbits, they had their fair share of health issues, but only really the same thing. There is a lot that I haven't come across (and obviously hope not to!)
 
We've had them for 8 years as adults & even though I would say we have a lot of experience, I would say there is still vast amounts I am learning all the time.

I'd certainly say that we've gained more experience in the last 2 years than it did in the first 6!! Which has come from joining here, helping at various rescues, taking on more needy buns etc :)
 
Possibly, but don't count on it...I know someone who has a 9 year old rabbit living alone in a 3ft hutch with no bedding ('because hay will give it myxomatosis') and it's fed on weetabix and mashed potato!

Of course there are some elements of husbandry that can minimise the risk of illnesses, but it doesn't necessarily equate that years of ownership=good husbandry any more than an ill bunny=bad husbandry. It can do, of course, but there's sooo much more :)

I have had bunnies as an adult for about 18 years now, in that time it's only really my snuffly Santa with her overgrown tooth roots and chronic snuffles that has been problematic; the rest have been pretty healthy. I got most of my 'experience' of understanding illnesses, quarantine, caring for sick bunnies and working with bunnies with behavioural problems from working with rescues. Over the past 5 years since I've been fostering I have fostered maybe 5 times more bunnies than I have ever owned :)

Thanks, good point santa- i'm assuming most people on here are atleast trying to care for bunnys correctly- if anyone has ever kept rabbits in smaller accomadation in the past or on wrong diet. I'd appreciate if you would point that out. I myself have a higher pellet diet than what would have been considered healthy up until coming on the RU forum. If there is anyone who hasn't been so good at husbandry- it would be nice if you could point it out and how RU has helped you improve ? I know RU has helped me, with things i took for granted as standard.

Sounds like alot of bunnys santa!! Well done for all your hard work :)
Ambience xx
 
3 years 3 rabbits.. totally totally overrun with illness.. not a great start so far :cry::cry::cry::cry:

Alvin - iffy tummy
Pearl - enlarged heart
Holly - not found her illness yet but i bet its just waiting to show itself :cry::cry:
 
I've only ever had rabbits as an adult and I got my first one when I was 21 (I'm 41 this year) so that makes 20 years as a bunny mummy. I've learned a hell of a lot over the years but I have to confess that I've learnt the MOST from RU!

My first two un-neutered female bunnies were shut into 3ft hutches at night (separately) but always had free run of the house and garden during daylight hours. I also used to feed porridge oats instead of pellets because I naively thought it was more 'natural' :oops:. All it did was make them fat and one ended up getting fly strike :cry: - although with intensive nursing care, she thankfully pulled through. My first bunny also died of uterine cancer because I didn't know about neutering. I only moved to shed + attached run accommodation when I was onto bunnies no. 3 and 4.

So all in all, I've learnt so much in my 20 years of bunny owning and I'm sure I'll never stop learning. I've made some horrendous mistakes but then anyone who says they haven't is surely telling porkies. All I can do is learn from them, not beat myself up about it and move on.

I wouldn't say I have any particular areas of expertise but I have always had rabbits living in harmony with dogs (both as houserabbits and outdoor rabbits) plus I've had a three-legged amputee bunny and one who's recovered from a broken leg after pinning and physiotherapy.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top