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I don't understand!

Hesperus

Warren Veteran
I've been reflecting, espeically in light of eBay bunnies who got fed potato peelings :cry:, and then my lovely Ludo bunny who gets fed a luxury diet and still gets ill...

How is it that we hear all these stories of bunnies stuck in tiny hutches being fed rubbish who manage to survive and yet our lovely bunnies who are looked after get ill?

Or do we just not see all the ones who die who are neglected?

Or, worst still, do we make our bunnies sensitive because we feed them such a good diet?

Thoughts please!
 
I know what you mean, you're not the first to think like that on here :(

But I think that it's because rabbits tend to go down hill so very fast, in the cases of the buns stuck in a hutch at the bottom of the garden they don't get to the vets as nobody notices that they are ill, they are just found dead, buried and replaced with yet another pet shop or back yard breeder bun. Yes there are a few who survive in horrible conditions but I think we just don't even hear about the multitude who die in silence :cry::cry::cry:
 
Or I have heard of rabbits who go downhill after being rescued, perhaps it's like how you always get ill on holiday as you relax and lower your defences. Maybe buns living in rubbish conditions get by on pure adrenaline and stress :(
 
I have no idea. Mr B diet has to be strictly controlled and he is on profibre as he doesn't have great poos, how would he be if he was fed potato and bread.

With my first two bunnies (brother and sister) I gave them huge amounts of carrots, apples and broccoli and big bowls of rabbit muesli. I mean huge. A bag of carrot in one go, half a bag of apples and a whole broccoli. (Not all at the same time). They would eat the whole bag of carrots too. :oops: Really weird but they never had a single days illness and both lived to an old age of 7.5 and 9 years old. My girl might have lived longer if a fox didn't cause her to have a heart attack. :cry:

I didn't know any better on a rabbits diet back then but thought fresh veggies and fruit, which was only apples would be healthy. Never tried potato.
 
I've often wondered this very same question.

Perhaps in some sturdy cases the rabbits 'adapt' to a poor diet. :? Also, I think views of what is an acceptable diet for rabbits have change considerably over the years ... it may be that this explains why so many people are shocked when I answer the 'how long do rabbits live?' question.
 
Its very frustrating...I often get this bought up in conversation with a friend of mine...she has a p@h mini lop (not vacced, not neutered, fed pets at home museli, tonnes of veg peelings...he only ever gets peeling...he also get potato peelings...i have tried to tell her they are poisonus but she wont listen) and he hasnt once needed ANY vet treatment :shock: In the time she has had Alfie my Daisy has had three bouts of stasis in a year, Poppy had a bout of stasis last year and we have constant problems with Willows weight. We also lost lily at 8 months.
 
It is very horrible to think that we do the best we can for our rabbits and yet neglected rabbits live longer lives. However shelters see many rabbits every year and some don't make it because of their previous living situation. Last February Paige was brought into the shelter with her sister Bailey, both had been kept in tiny cages, never let out, and fed :censored: When they took them to be spayed Bailey freaked out in the carrier and broke her back. This would not have happened if she had a better diet; when they got to the vets a blood test was done and it was discovered that they had a calcium defiency, making their bones weak.

I'm sure that the shelters on here have seen similar things to this. The conditions that these rabbits suffer through is nothing short of cruel and we are most certainly the ones doing the best by our rabbits.
 
I'm interested in this too. My childhood (it was a long time ago) bunnies used to eat jacket potatoes, yorkshire puddings, porridge, toast, every kid of veg peeling...basically all the scraps. She also lived outside in a burrow under the shed for the last few years of her life as she preferred it after her sister died (a couple of years previously). She lived to almost 13 and was healthy until the day she died.

I would never give Poppy all of those things but she does eat a lot of veg and hay and I'm not choosy about what veg I feed her (except no onion type veggies or potatoes). We dont know how old she is but shes a mature bunny, good weight, good health and had her first very minor dental this year. She is vacc'd and neutered though.
 
Like susie said, these rabbits might be healthy 'all' their life, but that life isn't very long. People have posted on here asking if their rabbit is dying of old age at 4. When I tell people rabbits live until 10 they are almost always shocked.
 
This is so true. I knew someone who had a bun for 5 years, then I got misty and had her for 4 short years, looked after her to the very best if my ability and now she's gone, and that rabbit only passed away a few months ago, it was so mistreated, never ate a strand of hay in its life, had loads of carrot. Never ailed at all, mustve been at least 9 if not older. It's so unfair :(
 
I guess bunnies are like humans in some ways...some people can eat complete rubbish and yet be very healthy all their lives...and others have to eat restricted diets and still suffer from problems. If you look at some of the starving people in Africa - despite having not enought to eat, dirty water, every disease possible - alot of the children do grow into adults and old (ish) age.

Tests on Lab Rats also show that a semi-starvation diet can actually increase their life span. Maybe that has something to do with it.

I'm just stabbing in the dark here...haven't got a clue really. Just wish people would have a bit more care about their animals...:(
 
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