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Discouraging People Who Just Should Not Have a Rabbit...

GrahamL

Wise Old Thumper
Following on from this thread http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=260538&highlight=discourage which i've just gone to update, only to find its been locked as an argument occured i have an update!

The people in question came round, with my nearly 3yr old niece.

She had apparently been mithering to see 'the bunnies' for days.

They finally gave in and showed up un-announced and came in.

She went straight to crate and was smiling and giggling and pointing to Ginger and Biscuit.

She begged to stroke them. Biccy was a no-go but Ginger was her ever appeasing self and came straight to the door. I held Ginger in my arms and offered to let her stroke her.

My wording was "be very very gentle <name> and just softly stroke like this" and showed her how.

So she did, 3 times and then got a little too rough and Ginger was not happy. I've never seen Ginger do this ,but she snapped her head right and nipped her :shock:

Now i've been nipped by Ginger plenty of times, but my niece screamed which meant Ginger got startled and off she ran up the hallway, so i caught her, put her away with Biccy for comfort and we all checked my niece, Ginger had actually made her skin red, but hadn't broken it.

They left about 30 minutes later, my niece looking rather upset as she had been crying.

I wonder if Ginger may have dissuaded them now... :shock:

So never thought it would be Ginger who would have done that!
 
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: At your neice and how :censored: rude to turn up unannounced.

Hope Ginger is ok though?
 
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: At your neice and how :censored: rude to turn up unannounced.

Hope Ginger is ok though?

Gingers fine, she just didnt appreciate the slightly too firm and backwards stroke. She's nipped me for 'backward' strokes before (against the fur).

Wonder if this has done neough.
 
Gingers fine, she just didnt appreciate the slightly too firm and backwards stroke. She's nipped me for 'backward' strokes before (against the fur).

Wonder if this has done neough.

Dont blame her bless her

Hope so. I do think having pets teaches children responsibility but it does have to be with the right parents
 
Kids are like this no matter how much u tell them to be gentle. I had a friend visit with her 2 kids a few months ago and the youngest who is about 3 years old was amazed by mylo, after he felt comfortable with him he decided to play a game....wheres mylo's eyes....this involved getting mylos ears and covering them with his ears. This game did NOT last long at all, poor mylo got put away so the child could get nowhere near him. :roll::roll:
 
Well done Ginger :love:

Children are allowed to stroke my lops but only ever with them on the floor so they can go if they want to. My lops love fuss so normally stick around for a while :lol::lol:
 
You couldn't have asked for a better thing to happen really, although, not a nice thing to happen to either your neice or ginger. But thats exactly what it would be like having their own rabbit, if not worse.

Nearly 3 is just too young for a child to understand the concept of care and concern to living animals in my opinion, apart from the exceptional few, and I work with that age range in a playgroup. Hope it's helped discourace them getting a bun.

Helen
 
go ginger go ginger u teach that girl. feel sorry for the girl but glad shes not going to have a bunny. sometimes i wonder if it was a bit of a mistake having scooter sometimes the way he acts but im not gonna get rid of him hes my responsibilty and ill continue to take care of him until the rest of his life. (didnt wanna say until hes dead) upsets me when i think about my animals dying. :cry:
 
Sorry but... :lol: :lol: :lol:

I think it depends on the child rather than the age. Some kids just know how to behave around animals, others just think they're fun toys.
 
Yeah I think it depends on the child too. My nearly 4 year old sits on the floor in the garden and the rabbits hop on and off her lap, if they see her holding their brush they often hop on 2 at once :)
 
Graham can you pls help my cause to discourage a bad bunny owner by posting a pic of Ginger on my orange bunny thread pretty pls?! :D
 
Well I think Ginger just may have solved the problem there and so swiftly too! Well done Ginger :lol::lol:

Hope all is well with the buns now they have left!
 
It's not a nice thing to happen, but hopefully it has made your niece (and her parents!) realise rabbits aren't all cute and cuddly and will take anything- you have to treat them properly!
 
Ooopppss! Norrtty Ginger! ;)

My husband is thoroughly convinced that animals sense how people feel about them and will react accordingly. I do agree - dogs nearly always virtually launch themselves at me for some fuss lol when people are walking them past me - they *definitely* know I'm an animal-lover.

So maybe Ginger got plenty of sense and acted accordingly!

* And I've just read your other thread and now I want an Animagic Hopping Bunny....... :oops:
 
Glad your niece is ok, but sounds like a good lesson well learned (I hope!).
Poor Ginger, can't have been fun for her. I worry about anyone fussing Jenson and my OH keeps telling me I should stop worrying.
 
Funny how sometimes things happen for a reason, hopefully they'll wait till she is a bit older now :)
 
well - you were certainly put on the spot then with an unannounced arrival...perhaps it turned out better this was as you would have been all stressedin how to deal with them if you had know it was a planned bunny visit event!:roll::lol:
Shame - hope your niece is ok...but lets hope she now remembers how sore that nip was...and it wasnt even an actual bite...and will now tell her mommy & daddy that she does NOT want a rabbit cause they dont like to cuddle.
In the last thread I mentioned perhaps telling them a rabbit can bite & hoped it would dissuade them...well little sweet gentle Ginger has shown them!:D

I just hope that they realise that small cuddly looking animals are not always that.....its so frustrating how people dont get that. Anyhow - keep us updated and well done for accomadating them....at least they are getting some first hand bunny experience throught yourself & not a pet shop.
Might be good to remind them that your buns are pretty aloof & laid back....that some rabbit growl & lunge too!

well done!:wave:
 
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