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Is it Me?

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper
I have just read an article in Rabbiting On entitled 'Help, I dont think I want me Rabbits anymore'.......

I am left feeling more than a little irritated by it. Has anyone else read it and what do you think :?:

Janex
 
I have RO but only had chance to have a quick flick through it. I'll have a read of this article later on today and post my views.
 
i havent read it, but it is fairer on the buns to have a better home?
i'm sure they would like a nice loving home instead of being kept by someone who doesn't want them.
just thinking of the buns, but she should have though about it before buying her pets, as they are for life and not just for christmas.
some times people forget to think when getting a pet :(
 
I read it and it left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, I don't think it's neccesary a bad thing for someone to admit that rabbits aren't for them after all, that they are not giving their rabbits the best possible home and that the buns would be better off in a home where they are loved and wanted. On the other hand, it does seem to have an air of 'you know, it's OK not to want your rabbits anymore'. I personally found it very confusing. :?

The part that left me most irritated though was in the section about unrealistic expectations / unmet needs. Here the scenario is where someone had chosen a pet rabbit as a substitute for the dog they really want but can't find in their lifestyle. Part of this section reads:

'Dogs are wonderful but truly demanding pets. You certainly can't leave them for 24 (or even 12) hours with a litter tray and a pile of hay and greens!'

I know we have had this debate before and I have no wish to restart that, but I personally feel it would be very irresponsible for someone to leave a rabbit alone for 24hrs with a pile of 'hay and greens'. Rabbits and dogs are different pets - I do not believe that one is neccessarily an easy option over the other and I don't believe that it is wise for rabbits to be advertised as such.
 
Morrigan1981 said:
I read it and it left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, I don't think it's neccesary a bad thing for someone to admit that rabbits aren't for them after all, that they are not giving their rabbits the best possible home and that the buns would be better off in a home where they are loved and wanted. On the other hand, it does seem to have an air of 'you know, it's OK not to want your rabbits anymore'. I personally found it very confusing. :?

The part that left me most irritated though was in the section about unrealistic expectations / unmet needs. Here the scenario is where someone had chosen a pet rabbit as a substitute for the dog they really want but can't find in their lifestyle. Part of this section reads:

'Dogs are wonderful but truly demanding pets. You certainly can't leave them for 24 (or even 12) hours with a litter tray and a pile of hay and greens!'

I know we have had this debate before and I have no wish to restart that, but I personally feel it would be very irresponsible for someone to leave a rabbit alone for 24hrs with a pile of 'hay and greens'. Rabbits and dogs are different pets - I do not believe that one is neccessarily an easy option over the other and I don't believe that it is wise for rabbits to be advertised as such.

Agree 100%
I know that people may find their circumstances change and they need to rehome their Rabbit/Rabbits. But the whole article had an air of 'well if you give having Pet Rabbits a go and it doesn't work out then, hey, thats OK, you can rehome them and its not your fault. To me the article did little to PREVENT the impulse purchase/homing of a Rabbit and really seemed to give the impression that owning a Rabbit does not need as much forthought as owning a dog.

I posted this because from the other thread re how long can one leave Rabbits unattended it was obvious that my 4 hour rule is NOT the norm and so I was not sure if my impression of the RO article was misguided :?
Also, I do disagree with a few other things I have read in RO in recent editions............. :?

Janex
 
Havent read the article, but surely its better that people accept they dont really want the rabbit and try to rehome it rather than just sticking it in a cage at the bottom of the garden and forgetting about it?
 
buttons&thumper said:
Havent read the article, but surely its better that people accept they dont really want the rabbit and try to rehome it rather than just sticking it in a cage at the bottom of the garden and forgetting about it?

Absolutely, but the article really appeared to give the impression that Rabbits are easy to 'off load' if things dont work out. Or at least thats how it came across to me

Janex
 
I have to say that when I read it I thought the article gave out mixed messages, however I agree that a rabbit would be much better off rehoed to a loving family than forgotten about. I was a bit surprised that RO didn't take the opportunity to give more advice on how to turn around a negative situation.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
buttons&thumper said:
Havent read the article, but surely its better that people accept they dont really want the rabbit and try to rehome it rather than just sticking it in a cage at the bottom of the garden and forgetting about it?

Absolutely, but the article really appeared to give the impression that Rabbits are easy to 'off load' if things dont work out. Or at least thats how it came across to me

Janex

I agree - and why is it in the rabbiting on mag? all of us rabbit mad people do anything for our pets!! but i suppose you never know whats around the corner - i could break up with OH and then i would prob have to part with some of bunnies - not a thought i want to dwel on!!! :(
 
I read the article on Friday and took a different slant from it. I don't think it was meant as a preventative to impulse buying as most people reading that article will proably be members of RWA anyway and therefore unlikely to have made an impulse buy. I felt it was slanted more towards people riddled with guilt about having, for whatever reason, to consider rehoming their rabbit.
 
I thought the article was interesting and showed a different side to rabbit keeping that lots of people experience but that most of RO readers and this forum users will not encounter or fully understand.

The 24 hours thing definately struck me though, thats not right surely?
 
nicolar said:
Were they trying to say it's OK to leave them for 24 hours with nobody checking on them or being there?

When talking about whether to get a dog or a Rabbit I quote from the article:

''Dogs are truely wonderful but they are incredibly demanding Pets. You certainly cant leave a dog for 24 hours (or even 12 hours) with a litter tray and a pile of hay and greens''

I read that as implying that its OK to do that with Rabbits.......... :?

Janex
 
capel said:
I read the article on Friday and took a different slant from it. I don't think it was meant as a preventative to impulse buying as most people reading that article will proably be members of RWA anyway and therefore unlikely to have made an impulse buy. I felt it was slanted more towards people riddled with guilt about having, for whatever reason, to consider rehoming their rabbit.

^^agree

the people who read RO are not likely to have bought a rabbit on an impulse, but sometimes circumstances do change and no matter how much some people love their bunnies it is sometimes in the rabbits best interest to be rehomed
 
Yes it does sound as though that is what it is implying. I wonder whether they actually thought before they wrote it!! If only they would say that bunnies are lots of work + although they can be left all day unlike most dogs, they need just as much interaction when you are about!!!
 
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