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Feel guilty

to start off with i would never ever ever release my rabbit into the wild. but i always look at my rabbit and think she would be happier living outside free to go whereever she wants and act like a real rabbit rather than having a restricted life waiting for someone to feed her eachday having limited space to run not being able to dig a warren have unlimited rabbit friends and mates and things like that. i give her the best possible life i can but it makes me sad thinking she isnt fulfilling her life like a real rabbit should :(
 
Well - you can make things better for her. Can you get her a friend and improve her accommodation?
 
Idealistic life like that doesn't really exist. In the wild there's all kinds of bad things - predators, disease, stress, short life, etc. So if you can get her rabbit friends and make tunnels/burrows using pipe with dirt/grass over them and gave her safe free range time etc then you could make an even better life for her than her life would've been had she been a wild rabbit (assuming you don't already do these things) :)
 
Idealistic life like that doesn't really exist. In the wild there's all kinds of bad things - predators, disease, stress, short life, etc. So if you can get her rabbit friends and make tunnels/burrows using pipe with dirt/grass over them and gave her safe free range time etc then you could make an even better life for her than her life would've been had she been a wild rabbit (assuming you don't already do these things) :)

Agree:thumb:

And I also think that they have never experienced it so won't miss it. But as has been mentioned - you can give them as much space as possible and a bunny friend.
 
You can improve things by having her spayed if she isn't already, then approaching a rescue for a neutered male rabbit to bond her with - almost all rabbits are happier with a companion (think of them in the wild).

You could also provide as large a run as you can and attach it to the hutch (again, as large as poss) so that she has constant access to it.
 
Idealistic life like that doesn't really exist. In the wild there's all kinds of bad things - predators, disease, stress, short life, etc. So if you can get her rabbit friends and make tunnels/burrows using pipe with dirt/grass over them and gave her safe free range time etc then you could make an even better life for her than her life would've been had she been a wild rabbit (assuming you don't already do these things) :)

Great post! :thumb::thumb:

You could make her a 'digging box' :wave: Have a little search on here, lots of people make them for both indoor and outdoor bunnies.

As for food - how about hiding some pellets in her hay? She'd have to work hard to find them then and it would be exciting for her!

:wave:
 
she has a huge hutch and run and gets to free range in the garden whenever someone is in. she used to have a bunny friend but he died recently, i am looking into getting her a new one. dont get me wrong, by rabbit standards shes as happy as can be, she binkies all over the place and after shes tired herself out will flop into a dbf position until shes ready for another sprint around. but however good i make her life, it will never be as good as what she would have in the wild. she would have unlimited space to go, she could pick and choose her friends instead of waiting for me to bring one home etc. just wondered if anyone else felt this too but it seems not.
 
Agree:thumb:

And I also think that they have never experienced it so won't miss it. But as has been mentioned - you can give them as much space as possible and a bunny friend.

but dont you think that their natural digging and other behaviours mean that living wild would be innate to them?
 
she has a huge hutch and run and gets to free range in the garden whenever someone is in. she used to have a bunny friend but he died recently, i am looking into getting her a new one. dont get me wrong, by rabbit standards shes as happy as can be, she binkies all over the place and after shes tired herself out will flop into a dbf position until shes ready for another sprint around. but however good i make her life, it will never be as good as what she would have in the wild. she would have unlimited space to go, she could pick and choose her friends instead of waiting for me to bring one home etc. just wondered if anyone else felt this too but it seems not.

Wild rabbits live much shorter lives than domestic ones. You can't really compare the two.

But getting her a new friend is a great idea - most rabbits aren't that fussy about who they're friends with!
 
Wild rabbits live much shorter lives than domestic ones. You can't really compare the two.

But getting her a new friend is a great idea - most rabbits aren't that fussy about who they're friends with!

i know this but what i mean is would it not be better that a rabbit can live a natural wild life and if it is shorter then so be it. that is like saying a person should stay indoors and live a sheltered life and never take any risks so that they can live longer instead of going out and living life and taking the dangers involved with it
 
but dont you think that their natural digging and other behaviours mean that living wild would be innate to them?

My two have a large area of garden fenced off where they burrow and dig as much as they like (I've posted pictures on here of their magnificent tunnels!) - not a lot of people can provide this, but perhaps you could set aside somewhere she was able to dig?

I think providing her with another companion would make her happier but apart from that you sound as though you're doing a good job!
 
Idealistic life like that doesn't really exist. In the wild there's all kinds of bad things - predators, disease, stress, short life, etc. So if you can get her rabbit friends and make tunnels/burrows using pipe with dirt/grass over them and gave her safe free range time etc then you could make an even better life for her than her life would've been had she been a wild rabbit (assuming you don't already do these things) :)

really sensible points there.
 
i know this but what i mean is would it not be better that a rabbit can live a natural wild life and if it is shorter then so be it. that is like saying a person should stay indoors and live a sheltered life and never take any risks so that they can live longer instead of going out and living life and taking the dangers involved with it

But a natural wild life could mean getting eaten by something after a few days.

If she had beenborn wild and then taken into captivity maybe she would be unhappy, but domestic rabbits are not equipped to live in the same way as wild ones. For example lop eared rabbits often can't hear as well as uppy eared ones. That is something people bred into rabbits and it would be cruel to expect a lop to live as a wild rabbit.
 
to start off with i would never ever ever release my rabbit into the wild. but i always look at my rabbit and think she would be happier living outside free to go whereever she wants and act like a real rabbit rather than having a restricted life waiting for someone to feed her eachday having limited space to run not being able to dig a warren have unlimited rabbit friends and mates and things like that. i give her the best possible life i can but it makes me sad thinking she isnt fulfilling her life like a real rabbit should :(

I don't feel guilty. Because expecting a domestic rabbit to survive in the wild like a wild rabbit, is like expecting a domestic dog to survive in the wild like a wolf does. Of course you can always make your rabbits environment better, I'm in the process of deciding how to expand their run area, but as long as you give them lots of love, affection, care for them correctly and give them as much space to run around in as possible, I think that is fine. My buns obviously are attached to me, they run over to see me as soon as I go out to their run, they love attention, and Levi is constantly licking me. They would do none of these things if they were not happy little buns. :)
 
Humans have domesticated rabbits, taken away the instincts they need to survive in the wild, and bred physical traits that would make survival very difficult. Does your rabbit like to be cuddled or petted, does s/he run over to you, and/or play with your other pets? Is your rabbit a color other than brown? Is your rabbit a lop earred rabbit, do they have rex fur? All of these things would make a domesticated rabbit a sitting duck for predators and it would most likely be dead in a couple months.

Hunters, parasites, vhd/myxi, cars, extreme elements, lack of food, and more are all dangers that a wild rabbit may face on a day to day basis depending on the area. In one year all of the wild rabbits in my area were killed because the neighbor started letting his cats out. I pesonally believe that medical care, food year around, and general safety is more important than extra space. My rabbits have run of the whole house when they're out: they binky, they flop, they dig, they run through tunnels, they chew. They have the most natural, healthy, safe life I can provide.
 
I sort of get what your saying, rabbits who live in the wild have no restrictions over their lives they can run free, eat whatthey want when thdy want and mate with who ever they like BUT I imagine their lives to be quite stressful as they ard constantly at risk from predator s and illness and being run over, so I guess you have to judge the goodcand bad, Ifeel bad right now for my harvey as hes all alone , well, apart from the kitten lol but he clearly needsca bunny friend and as he got a clean bill of health from the vets today I can now do somthing about that
 
I definately feel guilty that my lot are shut in a mesh and wood box with a hutch (or shed, depending on which rabbits I am thinking of) and are not able to dig where they like and are totally dependent on me for food and water. They have fairly good sized runs but nothing like free range garden time let alone what they would have in the wild. Same with gpigs and hamster and even the dogs get bored between walks. It is the price our pets pay for being domesticated and its not always comfortable to be the one 'in charge' of their lives. Cant wait for my group to be bonded (oh stress and worry) and thus have more space.
 
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