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peter

peterjames

Warren Scout
I am sorry I was so abrupt, and unappreciative of the problems faced by bunny owners on this site, especially when dealing with rescue bunnies. I was going by what I had read from bunny owners on other discussion forums. Where one did say she gave her rabbit chocolate, and how he loved it and leaped on her lap for more each time she ate a bar. Where some said they gave their rabbit nothing but pellets. and my friend says a woman she visits feeds her two rabbits on mostly carrots. None of these think they are doing anything wrong. When rabbis were kept 72 years ago, none were given pellets. They survived. There were no pellets then. When I worked as a horse man on the farm where I lived, the horses only got anything other than grass on the days they worked, then they got hay and oats, cows only got other than grass in the winter, when they were fed on silage, As I said pellets are a modern invention. originally meant to make rabbits fat fast, for food and fur. It did not matter if the rabbits would then not eat enough grass and hay to wear there teeth out the would not live long enough to suffer from these results. nor if their digestive system failed to work properly. There are not many rabbit farmers about now, so the suppliers had to find a new market. I wonder how our rabbits managed to stay alive and fit 72 years ago
 
I don't think that excuses how horrid you were to some people, but I guess your point makes sense. It was very big of you to apologise to the members you offended openly though :wave:
 
:wave: Apology accepted. Here's my dental bun Scarlet who we just found out is blind in one eye.

WP_000638_zpsa8594686.jpg


The picture was for an awareness campaign we ran on here earlier in the year.
 
I actually have a rabbit who can only eat pellets, her teeth are so misaligned that she can't grip or eat anything else. She tries, but she can't. She's 6 now and whilst I understand she may not live as long as my other rabbits (who 2 of them in contrast, are on a hay/forage only diet) because of her diet, it's all she can eat.
The pellets are available all day, although she is limited to a bowl a day and fed it throughout and this keeps her teeth down. She's only had 2 dentals, she went in for one the other week but her teeth were fine (as fine as they can be) a didn't need one, so that's nearly another year she's managed to wear them down.

My grandad kept rabbits and fed them veg and hay everyday, no pellets! That was 40 odd years ago when my mom was younger.
 
Even 30 odd years ago, rabbits were considered old at 4 because rabbit care and vet treatment was so much poorer than now. Most rabbit would get ill and then die, thanks to more knowledgable husbandry and vet care, rabbits can live to 10-12 today.
Its the same with cats and dogs, they were considered old at 10 back then, whereas now its more common for them to get to their mid teen, and with cats especially, their early 20's.
Comparing things to decades ago is not accurate or a true comparison for these days.:D
 
I'm glad you have had a look around now and can see that we are all caring rabbit owners who do our very best for the rabbits in our care. I hope you stick around longer so you can learn more about the different ways to look after our bunnies. However long we have had rabbits there are always new things to learn and rabbit medicine and care has certainly come a long way in the thirty years you have kept rabbits.

Of course there are still bad owners out there but hopefully you will come to realise that many of us on here go out if our way to help rabbits that have been previously neglected and go above and beyond to make them as happy and comfortable as possible :)
 
I think such an open apology does excuse it, it takes a big person to say when they're wrong or changed their mind.

Welcome to the forum. :wave:
 
Hi Peter. I agree that it was brave of you to apologise. It must be frustrating to go on other forums and see poor husbandry (you should see us lot when people don't listen! :shock:)

Most people on here will err on agreeing with you about the food thing, the general concensus is that pellets, carrots, apples etc are to bunnies what sweets are to children - treats and not suitable for the main part of a diet. Most members feed mainly hay and natural forage because they seem to help prevent digestive/teeth issues.

Good luck with searching for a wifey bun for your boy. Some rescues (honeybunnies and barc spring to mind) will rehome nationally and will do the stressful bonding bit for you.

:wave:
 
:)

I think, with things like this, you (as in the collective) have decided what the 'right' way is. For me, keeping bunnies indoors is 'right'. It took coming on here, seeing some beautiful outdoor setups and people caring for them brilliantly, for me to realise that no, it's not 'right', it's just right for me/my rabbits. Pellets aren't right for you - that's fine, your reasoning is solid and they can definitely survive and be happy and healthy without pellets, as is evidenced by all the lovely no-pellet rabbits here on RU. But they can also survive and be happy and healthy with them, which people here also prove. Everyone knows they're not a complete diet (unless in difficult situations like Aly's), and everyone knows their rabbit best. I'm sure your rabbits have a lovely life, you obviously care about them a lot :)
 
:)

I think, with things like this, you (as in the collective) have decided what the 'right' way is. For me, keeping bunnies indoors is 'right'. It took coming on here, seeing some beautiful outdoor setups and people caring for them brilliantly, for me to realise that no, it's not 'right', it's just right for me/my rabbits. Pellets aren't right for you - that's fine, your reasoning is solid and they can definitely survive and be happy and healthy without pellets, as is evidenced by all the lovely no-pellet rabbits here on RU. But they can also survive and be happy and healthy with them, which people here also prove. Everyone knows they're not a complete diet (unless in difficult situations like Aly's), and everyone knows their rabbit best. I'm sure your rabbits have a lovely life, you obviously care about them a lot :)

:thumb: Mine need a few (not that I feed pellets, but Fibafirst) due to being inside and needing something for Vit D. I find if I reduce them then they tend to be down a little on weight when they get weighed at the vets.
 
:thumb: Mine need a few (not that I feed pellets, but Fibafirst) due to being inside and needing something for Vit D. I find if I reduce them then they tend to be down a little on weight when they get weighed at the vets.

That's a really good point! My bunny also struggles to keep his weight on, and that's with a few pellets too!
 
It is brave of you to apologize and I'm glad you can see different methods do work for different rabbits. One of my rabbits in particular needs to eat pellets so his stomach has something to work with, he can't subsist on hay and grass alone. I've had rabbits for 11 years now and the first 9 years were largely problem free. The last 2 years, I have seen major health problems and situations and things happen that I never thought would happen because they didn't happen at all for so long. Basically I am still learning after all this time and if there is one thing I have learned its that every bunny is different which means their needs vary.
 
I actually have a rabbit who can only eat pellets, her teeth are so misaligned that she can't grip or eat anything else. She tries, but she can't. She's 6 now and whilst I understand she may not live as long as my other rabbits (who 2 of them in contrast, are on a hay/forage only diet) because of her diet, it's all she can eat.
The pellets are available all day, although she is limited to a bowl a day and fed it throughout and this keeps her teeth down. She's only had 2 dentals, she went in for one the other week but her teeth were fine (as fine as they can be) a didn't need one, so that's nearly another year she's managed to wear them down.

My grandad kept rabbits and fed them veg and hay everyday, no pellets! That was 40 odd years ago when my mom was younger.

Hope this doesn't seem rude, but just thought I'd offer a suggestion :oops: Can your rabbit eat vegetable pulp? If you own a juicer, there's pulp left over that you could give to her. It would be easier for her to chew and you'll have some juice to drink as well! Just a thought :thumb:
 
Many thanks for the apology as you can see we are a friendly lot and into the promotion of correct care and welfare
 
It's very big of you to apologise, and much appreciated :) Just be careful how you word your posts, us rabbit owners are highly sensitive beings, especially when it comes to our buns! ;) I implore you not to advise ANYONE to put their rabbit to sleep again, you will never know the full story from posts on a forum. Only a vet and the rabbits care giver can ever make that heartbreaking decision. It can be severely damaging to tell a distraught rabbit owner who isn't thinking straight to "let go."

:thumb: Mine need a few (not that I feed pellets, but Fibafirst) due to being inside and needing something for Vit D. I find if I reduce them then they tend to be down a little on weight when they get weighed at the vets.

This for my buns too. There are some very good quality pellets on the market now, and mine get an egg cup full each a day to keep them topped up on nutrients and at a good weight.
 
Very brave of you to appologise :thumb: Here we are lead by our own rabbits, we discuss with other owners to get their opinions as everyone has advise to offer and we follow vet advise. Some of us feed hay only, some feed hay pellets and veg, some feed hay and forage there are so many buns on different diets you need to find what is right for you. We want people to be able to adjust their diets and ask for help without being judged and told off, all your opinions are valid but you have to think before you type.
My rabbits get fed a horrific amount of pellets but without it they struggle to keep weight on, I'd never tell someone to feed this many pellets but it works for mine :)
 
Hi Peter, as you now realise, we are absolutely passionate about the welfare of all rabbits.

You've had rather a steep learning curve since you joined but I hope that you remain active on RU and continue to learn as we are all are still doing.

Rabbits have been a major part of my life since 1995, and I am still finding out more and more about them each day.

Your apology has been welcomed and accepted. A brave thing to do but one most appreciated.


Now back to bunnies..........................we will be looking forward to seeing photos of your bunnies and hearing about their adventures.:thumb:

Enjoy being a member on here.

Di.
 
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