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do your rabbits ever make you upset/depressed?

JemimaH

Warren Veteran
(Slight WIM thread!)

I've been feeling really low recently over Dee. She's nearly six years old and is alone in a hutch (and a run, don't worry!) outside. She had a partner but he was killed in 2010 and they'd only been together a couple of weeks. I have been feeling absolutely awful about this for a long time but as she gets older it gets worse and i honestly do cry over it. We can't afford another rabbit, according to Mum and Dad. We're making loads of cutbacks, one in particular me giving up my lifetime dream and stopping riding :cry:.Just the fact we're saving loads of money and we can't afford another rabbit, yet we're buying stuff we don't really need is what annoys me the most :?

I think part of it is that Mum doesn't seem to understand how cruel and unnatural it is, really, to keep a rabbit alone. I've said several times I'll pay for him, I'll do anything she wants, as long as Dee can get a friend. She keeps brushing it off with 'we can't afford it'. Part of me giving up riding was to save more money, yet we're not reaping the benefits of that so I've given up my dream for nothing. I probably sound really ungrateful here and I do understand that we do pay a lot of money out in bills etc but I KNOW if we sat down and figured it out we could afford another rabbit. I'd adopt from a rescue so it'd be neutered, saving us some money, and the food/vaccinations/hay etc wouldn't be a problem. I just feel so so so awful about it. Dee is my absolute soul-bun and the thought of her being lonely is the worst thing in the world. She's spayed and all as well, but I don't really want to risk bonding with my pair because my girl is a right nutcase and is pretty mental/moody!


Anyone else ever felt like this? What did you do to help yourself? could you tell yourself 'well there is nothing I can do about it, end of.' or did you ever get upset over circumstances that you know you couldnt change yet would do anything to change?
 
I have enough money to let Leo and Poppy have partners but because we live at home we are not allowed any more. Which absolutely breaks my heart, because all Poppy wants is a rabbit companion :cry: Leo is 6 and Poppy is 5.

I've had to accept it, it's not my house. If Leo went outside he could have a friend and Poppy could too, but it's too dangerous at my bf's house and we have no more room in our garden.

One day though.. :)
 
Have you tried sitting and having a proper talk with your parents about it, and how you are feeling having given up riding. My daughter is 14 and if I'm honest a lot of the time when she just says things in passing, I don't pay anywhere near as much attention as to when she actually says to me 'mum, can we sit and have a talk about something that is really bothering me.' I'll make us a drink and then we sit and have a good talk about whatever it is, and she is far more likely to get the response she wants then. I've just agreed to her having another guinea pig, as because Marmalade was a rescue piggy that was homed by herself and lives in the house, to be honest because she gets so much fuss and is out of her cage every night, I'd never given it a thought and she seemed very happy, but Katie presented a good case, and I was impressed that she had got so much info on it, and so have agreed. Might your parents have said no, because you haven't actually sat and talked it through with them properly? If that is the case, I'm sure if you were too, they would agree. Good Luck.
 
There is always a solution to any problem and so don't let it get you down. Just sometimes you have to put a lot of thought into it to come up with the answer. If the talk doesn't work, what about if that were to be your next birthday present, or a reward for a glowing school report or something similar. I'm sure if your parents knew how very upset you were about this, they would rethink it, or show them your post as that says it all.
 
Oh JemimaH, I am sorry to hear about your upsetting situation. I too would feel the same as you if I were in your shoes.

I'm sure that Dee is much loved by you and you'll always endeavour to do your best for her. Perhaps you might be able to spend more time with her and give her some new toys, (I buy from charity shops) to keep her mentally stimulated.


Maybe in the springtime she could become a houserabbit and that way she would have much more one to one attention.

Either way she is a very lucky bunny by having such a thoughtful and caring owner.

Best of luck in whatever happens. x
 
I too have a lone rabbit just now. Fortunately I will be able to adopt another because I'm older and don't live with my parents, but due to very difficult family circumstances I can't do anything right at the moment. We did try to bond her with another bunny and she just kept attacking him, that was pretty awful. I do feel sad though, as she used to come out a lot and run and play with her partner, but now she comes out into the garden much less often :( She also doesn't care much for human company, which makes it even harder

I agree about sitting down with your mum and making a good case. Maybe you can make some concessions as well although it sounds as if you already have.
 
thankyou all so much for your lovely replies, especially Mrs Bunnkyins, I really appreciate it :love: I've tried to explain to Mum how much I'd do to get her a friend and how annoyed I am at the fact we've now got an extra £150 per month (riding and giving up my tutor every week combined) yet she's spending it on stuff that we don't really need, but she just comes back with 'we still can't afford one'. Our rabbits don't take £150 a month to look after, probably about £50 (if that) unless we have to vaccinate! and he'd be a rescue so would be neutered but she's not budging :roll:


Hmm, I'd love to have her inside but every time Mum suggests that, i always say 'well yeah I'd love that but we'd have to pay for boarding, plus i don't have a clue where there is a place' and Mum suggests that we just put her back outside again... in summer, I don't think it'd be a problem, but we often go away in winter and depending on the weather I'm not sure that it'd be as wise for me to do that?

It may seem like I'm being a bit OTT and paranoid but bar stasis and bladder infection caused by a spay, dee has never been poorly in her life and spent her first 3 years un-vaccinated (we didn't know much then:oops:) and I really dont want to risk her getting snuffles and being a medicated bun now!:lol:

xx
 
you sound amazingly 'entitled' and selfish to me, i'm afraid. there is no reason on earth why your parents should adjust their finances to pay for another rabbit they don't want. try to see it from their point of view. when you earn, and have your own place, you can make the decisions about how money is spent.
 
you sound amazingly 'entitled' and selfish to me, i'm afraid. there is no reason on earth why your parents should adjust their finances to pay for another rabbit they don't want. try to see it from their point of view. when you earn, and have your own place, you can make the decisions about how money is spent.

The OP is thinking about what is best for her bunny, that isn't selfish! It is being a responsible pet owner :wave: her parents shouldn't have got Dee if they couldn't afford to give her what she needs :? I think Jemima is doing right trying to educate them about what bunnies need x
 
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