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Do you get bad reactions from other pet owners?

Lucy-Lou

Mama Doe
Just a bit miffed because I've been in the pub with friends tonight and people have been chatting about their dogs and cats, telling all sorts of stories about how they misbehave and play around and come for cuddles... When I mention my rabbits and all the things they get up to I just get blank looks :? I'll say how loving and funny they are and I just get a look and an 'ah, okay' like people don't believe me! (the only person who shows any interest was my mum's friend who has a few rescue cats :thumb:)

It really annoys me :? I don't go on and on about my buns but if people are chatting about their pets I expect to be able to join in without being looked at like I'm weird!
 
People don't understand rabbits :lol:
My friends, family, and even my OH didn't believe everything I said about my rabbits...until they met them :lol::lol: they all thought I was crazy!
 
I mostly get 'rabbit pie' jokes. Makes me want to make jokes about eating their dogs/cats/children (delete where applicable, although apparently atheists eat babies anyway). :evil: Really annoying; they've never owned rabbits, or if they did it was in a tiny hutch at the bottom of a garden, they don't know rabbits and just how loving, loyal and affectionate they can be.

Ever heard the saying 'a dog is the only creature that loves its owner more than itself'? (Pretty sure that's not exactly right, but you get the point) Whilst I will never be one to cast doubt upon the fidelity of dogs, there are several times when I was certain Pipkin, and now Amy, loved me more than their own selves. Whilst it's arguable that as singles they had/have no other company, I'm still pretty certain that when I (hopefully) find Amy a husbun, she'll not stop loving me so much, she has the biggest heart in the world, I swear.

Though a few do get quite interested when I tell them stories, and get amused at their various exploits. Mostly because if there is one thing I, as an extremely shy and socially awkward fellow, can talk about, is bunnies. (I'm considering using the question 'Do you like rabbits?' as a screening process to work out if they're worth my time or not)
 
I mostly get 'rabbit pie' jokes. Makes me want to make jokes about eating their dogs/cats/children (delete where applicable, although apparently atheists eat babies anyway). :evil: Really annoying; they've never owned rabbits, or if they did it was in a tiny hutch at the bottom of a garden, they don't know rabbits and just how loving, loyal and affectionate they can be.

Ever heard the saying 'a dog is the only creature that loves its owner more than itself'? (Pretty sure that's not exactly right, but you get the point) Whilst I will never be one to cast doubt upon the fidelity of dogs, there are several times when I was certain Pipkin, and now Amy, loved me more than their own selves. Whilst it's arguable that as singles they had/have no other company, I'm still pretty certain that when I (hopefully) find Amy a husbun, she'll not stop loving me so much, she has the biggest heart in the world, I swear.

Though a few do get quite interested when I tell them stories, and get amused at their various exploits. Mostly because if there is one thing I, as an extremely shy and socially awkward fellow, can talk about, is bunnies. (I'm considering using the question 'Do you like rabbits?' as a screening process to work out if they're worth my time or not)

I get the rabbit pie jokes too :roll: also, saying "I've got 3 rabbits" will get some laughs from dirty minded people :roll:

Most of my friends have now met the rabbits, and if they haven't, at least one in the group I'm with has, so they tell stories about when they were here, and people realise I'm not actually crazy.

My OH thought I was nuts when I told him I had 3 house rabbits, he thought I was even more nuts when he saw how they've taken over my flat, but now he'll ask me if they've been playing up, or if they've been good etc. When I was on the phone to him last week, Maizie pee'd on me, and he instantly said "what have you done to annoy her?"
He talks about them when we're out with his friends, and his little sister loves coming over to see them.
He claims that I'm insane for having them, and takes the pee out of me sometimes, but I know he's starting to love them :)!

Agree about them loving, Marble definitely loves me. I sit on the floor with her for an hour every night and she licks my legs constantly while I'm fussing her, she comes running to the door when she hears me, and comes running to the foot of the bed in the mornings when I'm getting up.
Maizie loves me, in the last week or so I can be lying on the sofa, I'll call her and she'll come running, and jump onto the sofa for fussing. I don't think she loves me more than she loves Daisy, but they are sisters :lol:
Daisy is a lot more reserved, but she will nudge me every time she's near me, I see it as a bit like her saying "'ight mumz"

I'm the same as you with regards to talking to people. I can be very quiet, especially in crowds of people I don't know well (happens a lot down here being with my OH) but can talk to anyone about the girls :lol:
Using "do you like rabbits" as a screening process is a great idea :thumb: I might use it when I interview people ;)
 
I get funny reactions from people in general! You're right, no one thinks chatting about your dog is weird, but talk about your rabbits and all of a sudden people are looking at you like you're going to die alone. The responses are normally blank stares, immature sexual references (rabbit, hahaa so funny. :evil:) or rabbit pie jokes.

It's because they still have the reputation for being a 'children's pet' or like you said, a silent creature that sits in a hutch. My boyfriend had no interest in bunnies at all and still asks lots of silly questions sometimes, but he's seen now that they can be quite funny and affectionate. He's still not fussed about them though, but he asks me how they're doing to be polite and because he knows I love them :) He's never had a pet before so he didn't realise just how attached you get to them, and because he knows a little more about bunnies now he asks other people about their pet rabbits too sometimes, bless him.
 
No not all tbh, from people who don't own pets at all yes I do though! But I'm ok with that, they probably don't own pets because they're not interested in them so of course if be boring them with my stories, just like they'd bore me if they went on about something I have no interest in!

I'm surprised so many on here have had negative responses from other pet owners! I've not had other pet owners ever react in that way, they're always happy to hear about my two! I actually have a friend who would never have pets (he says it's unusual to in his culture), and finds pets very unusual who almost every time he sees me he asks how the rabbits are with genuine interest! So if he makes the effort then I'd be very disappointed if my pet owning friends were derogatory about my rabbits!

I just can't believe friends would be like that, especially other pet owners!

I do of course get the rabbit pie jokes from lots of people, but then I make them myself too, if my two put on weight I tell them they need to lean up because I want lean meat in my pies :oops: obviously I'm joking when I say it, and my friends are also obviously joking too, I don't take any offence in rabbit pie jokes at all!
 
I mostly get 'rabbit pie' jokes. Makes me want to make jokes about eating their dogs/cats/children (delete where applicable, although apparently atheists eat babies anyway). :evil:

I get this...from my dad...and I did respond with " you know they eat dogs in China/Korea etc. too so your dog would make a good pie" or something like that :lol:
 
Having 5 cats and 3 rabbits, I am known as the mad cat woman and the mad bunny woman.

People usually avoid me in the pub:lol:
 
I mostly get the "oh yeah my sister is thinking of getting a rabbit each for her children who are 4 and 2" :roll:
 
Pffft see the reactions you get when people find out I have rabbits, rats, snakes, tarantulas and lizards.

The worst reactions I've gotten have been with the rats. Once Stewart and me were forced to rush a very elderly rat in to the vet to be put to sleep. She had refused to be bonded with any other rats in her old age after losing all of her companions so we spent a lot of time with her. As we waited for our consultation we had her just wrapped in a blanket and I was sobbing. A woman approached us (as you do when it's blindingly obvious that a person is upset and wants to be left alone) and asked if we had a puppy. Stewart gave her a dirty look and replied that it was a rat only for the woman to scream, recover some dignity then ask if it was a wild or pet rat. By this point everyone in the waiting room was looking at her like she was from mars.

On another occasion a chap commented that my rat would make a good meal for his cat. Wasn't impressed when I replied that his cat would make an even better meal for my boa constrictor.
 
On another occasion a chap commented that my rat would make a good meal for his cat. Wasn't impressed when I replied that his cat would make an even better meal for my boa constrictor.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
The worst reactions I've gotten have been with the rats. Once Stewart and me were forced to rush a very elderly rat in to the vet to be put to sleep. She had refused to be bonded with any other rats in her old age after losing all of her companions so we spent a lot of time with her. As we waited for our consultation we had her just wrapped in a blanket and I was sobbing. A woman approached us (as you do when it's blindingly obvious that a person is upset and wants to be left alone) and asked if we had a puppy. Stewart gave her a dirty look and replied that it was a rat only for the woman to scream, recover some dignity then ask if it was a wild or pet rat. By this point everyone in the waiting room was looking at her like she was from mars.

:cry::cry::cry:

I think people can relate to my love of bunnies although they think I'm OTT about it. My rats are definitely the most misunderstood, people just have an awful perception of them and refuse to change.
 
People are more understanding when I talk about my cat (except dog people :roll: :lol:) but when I had rabbits I always got nasty comments. Either that or people just weren't interested :(
 
I don't often get bad reactions now. I spend a lot of time with dog people but even a few of those have neutered and vaccinated rabbits in proper accommodation so I just talk to those people about the rabbits!

I think for the most part once I start talking about my pets, people realise I'm totally mad about them and think better than to be abusive :lol:

The odd person who says to "put the rabbits in a pie" just gets told they're vaccinated and therefore unfit for human consumption.
 
bleh, that's what makes owning bunnies so special :) not everyone has the ability or patience to relate to them. we're lucky :) I love dogs and love my family dog more than anything, but I find people who rule out anything but a cat or dog a bit needy! they need the interaction and 'love' and don't have the emotional capacity to tune in to a pet who takes a little more time to bond.
 
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I mostly get the "oh yeah my sister is thinking of getting a rabbit each for her children who are 4 and 2" :roll:

Yep I get that a lot, along with the rabbit pie/stew jokes and the "ooh night in with your rabbit" wink wink jokes :roll:

My close friends listen to me bangin on about them but I try to reign it in a bit. I'm pretty sure they all think I'm mental :lol:
 
Most people just dont 'get' rabbits. I must admit, until Arthur and Elsie actually arrived I didnt really fully appreciate what complex and intelligent little souls they are :love:

I am the mad animal woman though, with my collection of furry friends and mainly just get the eye roll thing when I talk about any of them :evil:
 
:oops: I must be a bad bunny mummy, I tell my lot all the time if they don't buck their ideas up they'll be going in the stock pot!

Whenever my mum sees Barney she tells him he'd make a lovely pair of gloves :shock: I don't mind her doing it cause I know she loves him really :lol:
 
Yes the other day I joined in with some cat/dog owners and got the usual stupid rabbit pie jokes.

It didn't upset me but it's just a bit annoying.

I tend to just put rabbity things on RU or talk to people at church. They take Ludo quite seriously :)
 
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