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I'm not a bunny mummy. :)

Jenova

Jenova

Wise Old Thumper
I just don't refer to myself as mummy to any of my pets. I know a lot of people on here do and I still find it weird. To me they are not my babies, they are my pets. I love and care for them as if they were my kids but I never see them as kids. I'm really not maternal towards people though. They are more my friends I guess. :lol:
 
I don't think of my buns as my children, but they are my babies (probably because they are small and need me) and I do feel I'm their Mummy as I take care of them and love them - :love:
 
I'm the same. I don't mind the term "bunny mummy" so much as I used to as it's used so often on here but I generally can't stand use of "mummy" and "daddy" for pets.
The words mummy and daddy should never be used by adults unless they are actually talking to children as far as I'm concerned. Or in bad pornography.
 
BattleKat said:
I'm the same. I don't mind the term "bunny mummy" so much as I used to as it's used so often on here but I generally can't stand use of "mummy" and "daddy" for pets.
The words mummy and daddy should never be used by adults unless they are actually talking to children as far as I'm concerned. Or in bad pornography.
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:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

I refer to Grim as baby, but only because he needs as much care as one. :roll: :love:
The others are bear, ham, feece, beebee, snakey and my little man. (Can you guess who's who?) Genghis doesn't really have a nickname. Even if I had a kid though I don't think I'd ever refer to myself as mummy. :? Am I weird?
 
They are child-subsitutes and a couple of friends have said I talk about them as if they were children, but I couldn't use that phrase. I can't help but see them as very dignified creatures from another species and they are quite mysterious to me. Most of the time with them I feel like I am trying to understand and help another (adult) person from another culture or planet, though if I find they've damaged something I do for a few minutes feel like there are toddlers in the house.
 
After years of heartache, I have finally accepted I will never be a mother. OH and I are definitely 'mummy' and 'daddy', and refer to ourselves and each other as such when we speak to the bunnies. We both have so much love to give, and it's being lavished on the little furry ones in the abscence of human children. Family and friends ask after the bunnies, much as they would kids, and gift bunnies with xmas presentsand treats . It's a way of acknowleding that the buns are our family and I so appreciate it.
 
Our bunnies will have had their own "mummy". But I do feel I am the "bunny mummy" as I have to feed, clean out, advocate for and try and make sure my bun has the best voice possible.
 
Mine are my babies!
I know they're rabbits, I treat them as rabbits... But my life is dedicated to them, I put them first, their needs are the most important thing, their health comes first, their food... Everything. Same as you would with a baby, so they are my babies :lol:

Charlie pretty much saved my life, pet isn't a strong enough term for how much I absolutly adore him and all the others :love:
 
I call myself mum, but they are very definitely rabbits/ dogs/ ponies and not babies or children or child substitutes. I generally refer to animal owners as being mum or dad, but I always expect animals to be treated as animals and not anything else. I never refer to animals as being 'babies' as somehow it just feels wrong and it implies they are some sort of child substitute. To me, there is no such thing as a child substitute. If you want a child, then only a child will do and if you don't, why do you need something to replace what you don't want?
 
I call myself mom, my mom is their nonna, and I call them 'babies' among all their other nicknames, but I treat them like pets and they are definitely bunnies. They live outside so it's a lot harder to have them be a 'child substitute' if they're outside, as opposed to living in the same house/room? I guess some people just use it as a name :D Maybe people have a tendency to call themselves mommy/daddy to rabbits over cats/dogs because they kinda need more care? I mean, they feel like they do, although obviously cats and dogs do need feeding/walking etc too!
 
Dot said:
I call myself mum, but they are very definitely rabbits/ dogs/ ponies and not babies or children or child substitutes. I generally refer to animal owners as being mum or dad, but I always expect animals to be treated as animals and not anything else. I never refer to animals as being 'babies' as somehow it just feels wrong and it implies they are some sort of child substitute. To me, there is no such thing as a child substitute. If you want a child, then only a child will do and if you don't, why do you need something to replace what you don't want?
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For myself, anyway, I have found that they bring up attachment patterns and emotions that would be triggered in looking after a small child. I find I feel protective of them in a way that echoes what friends say about their small children. I have always known it would be not a good idea for me to have children because of medical conditions, but as I have got towards an age when many friends are having children, I have become more empathic and experienced a strong wish to look after another living being. However, I know that even putting aside complications of pregnancy and birth, I wouldn't have the energy to look after a young child day in day out, with sleepless nights. Most of the time a pair of rabbits does not require that level of attention.

I feel that the last sentence may be a little insensitive to the complexities of some people's experience of childlessness.
 
they are definately bunnies to me but i am still their 'mummeh' :) they are bunnies in the sense that i accept that they do things they do as it is natural to them and i dont try to dress them up etc :lol: but they are still my 'bubba's' but its more an affectionate term rather than being my actual children :)
 
Neither have I ever been comfortable or referred to myself as "Mummy" to my pets.
I'm understanding of the concept that in terms of their total dependance on the carer for every single aspect of their care & wellbeing in captivity, they are as dependant on us as a toddler.
Similarly we have to patiently teach them the "rules of the house" & how we expect them to behave in the house as appropriate to their species & learning capacity.

In terms of emotional relationship, I see some aspects of the human child in the immature animal, & our need to wait for them to "grow up". I'd describe the mature emotional relationship between Thumper & I as more adult/adult

The only times I considered myself a "bunny mummy" was when I was teaching him some aspects of normal rabbit behaviour eg he didn't know how to get rid of the soil when he dug a scrape & tried to eat it.
Older woman gets down on all fours with a trowel, & demonstrates how to chuck soil between the legs then use the legs to scatter it further.:lol: Thumper got the hang of it immediately.
 
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