fluffiebunnie
Warren Veteran
I agree. Every day I beat myself up at how my three bunnies lived years ago... I feel that if I learn from that and give my current bunnies the best they can have, then at least they did not live with me in vain.
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Rookie 'mistakes' in your early days
- Thread starter Mackers
- Start date
I agree. Every day I beat myself up at how my three bunnies lived years ago... I feel that if I learn from that and give my current bunnies the best they can have, then at least they did not live with me in vain.
steph182
Wise Old Thumper
I bought an indoor cage when I got Charlie, so not really big enough. He got a new hutch pretty soon though, once he was too big for the smaller cage.
He came on a crappy mix food, but we got told to change him over anyway.
Got his gender wrong.
I think that's it really, I joined here the day I got him so I learnt pretty quick.
He came on a crappy mix food, but we got told to change him over anyway.
Got his gender wrong.
I think that's it really, I joined here the day I got him so I learnt pretty quick.
Crystal butterfly
Warren Veteran
1) bought Crystal on an impulse (had never even thought of getting a rabbit)
2) placed her ina 3ft cage with a Guinea pig as a friend
3) bought her a boyfriend and let them mate at 4/5 months
4) fed on cheap mix food
5) never fed unlimited hay! always gave them straw instead
6) didnt give daily exercise
7) no toys :shock:
8) i even looked into going into breeding rabbits :shock: :shock:
i was the sort of owner i tut at now when i see them on other forums :lol:
Thank god for the forum eh :lol:
2) placed her ina 3ft cage with a Guinea pig as a friend
3) bought her a boyfriend and let them mate at 4/5 months
4) fed on cheap mix food
5) never fed unlimited hay! always gave them straw instead
6) didnt give daily exercise
7) no toys :shock:
8) i even looked into going into breeding rabbits :shock: :shock:
i was the sort of owner i tut at now when i see them on other forums :lol:
Thank god for the forum eh :lol:
I hate thinking back, it makes me so mad and upset
They had a Thistle Hall hutch, and one of those small runs that fir onto it.
We then bought another run and attached them together (getting better)
Then thats when I joined the forum.
We home built a run with wire mesh, which was quite big, but not at all fox proof
Then - after a few months on here, they got a playhouse.
Then they had a huge wooden run built around it.
Then they got the kennel.
I used to feed them Muesli, and used to pick the bits that they ate, out of the bag, and put them into their bowl
When they got neutered, the vets we used told us not to feed them before they had it done (that upsets me so much )
I was a pretty rubbish bunny daddy when I first got them, but hopefully now they live a life of luxury, in a huhg house and everything they could ever want.
They had a Thistle Hall hutch, and one of those small runs that fir onto it.
We then bought another run and attached them together (getting better)
Then thats when I joined the forum.
We home built a run with wire mesh, which was quite big, but not at all fox proof
Then - after a few months on here, they got a playhouse.
Then they had a huge wooden run built around it.
Then they got the kennel.
I used to feed them Muesli, and used to pick the bits that they ate, out of the bag, and put them into their bowl
When they got neutered, the vets we used told us not to feed them before they had it done
(that upsets me so much )I was a pretty rubbish bunny daddy when I first got them, but hopefully now they live a life of luxury, in a huhg house and everything they could ever want.
Lisa & Amos
Warren Scout
1) Fed him muesli style mix, it was 20 odd years ago and not sure if you could get anything else.
2) Never neutered - didn't even know you could
3) Kept alone
He still lived till over 10 so I obviously did some bits right and he did have a huge run in the summer and free reign of a green house in the winter though.
Fast forward 15 years
1) Over fed! (not too badly though)
2) Underestimated how much damage a rabbit could do!
I have absolutely no control over my two. Any tips on training?
2) Never neutered - didn't even know you could
3) Kept alone
He still lived till over 10 so I obviously did some bits right and he did have a huge run in the summer and free reign of a green house in the winter though.
Fast forward 15 years
1) Over fed! (not too badly though)
2) Underestimated how much damage a rabbit could do!
I have absolutely no control over my two. Any tips on training?
its good to recognise where we can improve but we shouldn't hang on to guilt about things we did out of ignorance or innocence, not out of lack of love.
also, i am a different person now than i was when i had my previous pair of bunnies; when i was that girl, a single mum trying to work her way through uni, i did what i knew and what i could do. when i got advice, i took it. there was no internet for me, in those days - probably not for most people back then! i'm an old lady now, i can indulge my little friends and i have access to reliable information here. i think matthew and tabitha really benefit. but i don't think that any of us should beat ourselves up about the past we can't change.
also, i am a different person now than i was when i had my previous pair of bunnies; when i was that girl, a single mum trying to work her way through uni, i did what i knew and what i could do. when i got advice, i took it. there was no internet for me, in those days - probably not for most people back then! i'm an old lady now, i can indulge my little friends and i have access to reliable information here. i think matthew and tabitha really benefit. but i don't think that any of us should beat ourselves up about the past we can't change.
winnies angel
Mama Doe
I was only a child but my worst ever mistake was when I was teen and my bunny had recovered from flystrike, we washed her everyday but one sunday 1 year after (todays her anniversary) I decide to do her after I had went out for the morning what would an hour harm? She had maggots all over her and we took the decision to pts. I always feel that I was to blame. (we hadjust heard of rearguard when she was first found with it and done her with it all time)
However I know she forgives me as she comes to visit my 2 buns now but Ill never get over the what if...
However I know she forgives me as she comes to visit my 2 buns now but Ill never get over the what if...
Precisely :wave:
bunny foo foo
Alpha Buck
I completely agree. :thumb:
Before I found RU-
1. Kept bunny in a guinea pig cage.
3. No toys.
4. No hay.
5. Drank out of water bottle..:?
6. Never let out in the backyard or room. :shock:
7. Used grid sizes that she could get her head stuck through.
6. Barely ever held...
7. Fed her chocolate...:shock:
8. Not neutered
9. No vaccinations
Just want to say thanks to RU, you have helped me so much on so many levels, now...
After RU-
1. Big, big cage.
2. Vaccinations
3. Neutered
4. garden time outside
5. looking for a friend for her
7. bowl of water
8. toys
9. hay
10. held all the time
11. never fed human foods.
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clutterydrawer
Wise Old Thumper
Totally. The majority of people joining a rabbit forum are doing so because they want to learn more about their pets, not because they want 20+ people yelling at them over the size of their hutch.
When I got my first bun I "rescued" her from my friend was neglecting her....spent all my spare money on a new hutch and run for her....when I realised they were too small, I didn't have the money to rush out and buy her another straight away....does this make me neglectful? your call...but I'm super glad i didn't post pics of her accommodation on the forum at that point cos who knows what could've kicked off
I did these with button, who i got when I was 12-
3. Keep a rabbit on its own.
4. Feed a museli mix and replace it when bunny has picked out all the best bits.
5. Feed very little hay - actually one summer no hay at all, i kept him on straw! i never realised they had to have hay!.
6. Keep rabbits un-neutered (never heard if rabbits being neutered til i got to this forum).
Also, button only went to the vets once in the whole of his life and that was for a nail cut so all of my badness of not regular clean outs (sometimes once every 3 weeks...the shame!), very little excercise (i used to sit him on my bed and he would sit still between the piles of cuddly toys, so not much running around there), very infrequent veg (and yes i fed iceberg lettice!!!), a run in with a neighbours escaped ferret one night (it resulted in button being so scared he had diorreah) and a cat that sat in his hutch with him daily, little button remained healthy (i think) fly strike free and lived to the ripe old age of 10.
Good thing my mum didn't let me have a guinea pig despite my constant pestering as I would have broken that rule too!
oh and i did the molassas musli too, for about 2 years! opps....
now i don't do any of this with ruby...trying to make up for the wrong i did to poor button
3. Keep a rabbit on its own.
4. Feed a museli mix and replace it when bunny has picked out all the best bits.
5. Feed very little hay - actually one summer no hay at all, i kept him on straw! i never realised they had to have hay!.
6. Keep rabbits un-neutered (never heard if rabbits being neutered til i got to this forum).
Also, button only went to the vets once in the whole of his life and that was for a nail cut so all of my badness of not regular clean outs (sometimes once every 3 weeks...the shame!), very little excercise (i used to sit him on my bed and he would sit still between the piles of cuddly toys, so not much running around there), very infrequent veg (and yes i fed iceberg lettice!!!), a run in with a neighbours escaped ferret one night (it resulted in button being so scared he had diorreah) and a cat that sat in his hutch with him daily, little button remained healthy (i think) fly strike free and lived to the ripe old age of 10.
Good thing my mum didn't let me have a guinea pig despite my constant pestering as I would have broken that rule too!
oh and i did the molassas musli too, for about 2 years! opps....
now i don't do any of this with ruby...trying to make up for the wrong i did to poor button
I dont think i was too bad got my first rabbit at 14 he was a house rabbit,i did feed him a mix food he wasnt neutered or vaccinted he was a dental bunny so he only lived untill he was 5 years old After that i bought a rabbit from focous petworld he lived in the garden in a 12ft x5ft run
Simon
Warren Scout
Before I started to keep Rabbits I researched how they live in the wild, how they live domestically and the main illnesses they suffer from. I got the housing, vacks and grooming right but I made 2 big mistakes, 1 nearly fatal.
1, I built a home that was big enough for 6-8 rabbits to live in comfortabley but I didn't get them all at the same time so I'm still boning now.
2, this is the worst and if she had died I would never have forgiven myself. Penny got a nip during bonding, I checked her over after and couldn't find a mark so I left it. A week later I noticed she was limping. I took her to the vets and she had an abscess from an untreated bite between her leg and chest. the infection had spred down her leg and across her chest. I was devastated. Because of the way it had spread she could not have surgery and it took nearly 2 months to get her better. I now check for nips evey morning.
What is panacure and what is it used for? I don't want to make anymore mistake.
1, I built a home that was big enough for 6-8 rabbits to live in comfortabley but I didn't get them all at the same time so I'm still boning now.
2, this is the worst and if she had died I would never have forgiven myself. Penny got a nip during bonding, I checked her over after and couldn't find a mark so I left it. A week later I noticed she was limping. I took her to the vets and she had an abscess from an untreated bite between her leg and chest. the infection had spred down her leg and across her chest. I was devastated. Because of the way it had spread she could not have surgery and it took nearly 2 months to get her better. I now check for nips evey morning.
What is panacure and what is it used for? I don't want to make anymore mistake.
Simon
Warren Scout
What is EC and how do you know if your rabbit has worms?
Just to throw a spanner in the works, there was a long discussion a while back about the effectiveness of the 9 day preventative courses & it was suggested that a one off 28 day course of panacur would be better.
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=169937
Sam_Spice
Mama Doe
1. Got a rabbit on an impulse (£32?!!)
2. Got the same rabbit from a pet shop
3. Kept it in a guinea pig indoor cage
4. Tried bonding with female unneutured rabbit who attacked alot
5. Kept on shavings
Other than that hopefully it wasn't too bad I did find RU the day I bought Spice
2. Got the same rabbit from a pet shop
3. Kept it in a guinea pig indoor cage
4. Tried bonding with female unneutured rabbit who attacked alot
5. Kept on shavings
Other than that hopefully it wasn't too bad
I did find RU the day I bought Spice Thank goodness for this thread. I have felt so bad for so long about the bunnies I had as a child. Now I can say this 'out loud'.
I had three one after another, they all lived alone, were un-neutered and not vaccinated. They did have reasonable accommodation but no toys.
And as for food, no hay, unlimited muesli mix and masses of greens. One poor bun had frequent diarrhoea, one died of uterine cancer and one was PTS due to teeth problems. I was at uni at the time and my mother to this day won't tell me about the state of Pip's mouth. Now I know more I am so ashamed and cry thinking about it.
Forgive me Benjamin, Jubilee and Pip.
I had three one after another, they all lived alone, were un-neutered and not vaccinated. They did have reasonable accommodation but no toys.
And as for food, no hay, unlimited muesli mix and masses of greens. One poor bun had frequent diarrhoea, one died of uterine cancer and one was PTS due to teeth problems. I was at uni at the time and my mother to this day won't tell me about the state of Pip's mouth. Now I know more I am so ashamed and cry thinking about it.
Forgive me Benjamin, Jubilee and Pip.
LloydFerris
Warren Scout
Because of RU, I haven't made any mistakes (that I know of!) yet! Thank you all so much!!!
I joined shortly after adopting Lloyd from the SPCA and have had many of my questions answered here. Of course, before I commited to a house bun I researched buns very thoroughly.
I had wanted a bun for years but I had Terriers and didn't want a bunny that had to live in a cage, so I waited until the situation was more bun-friendly.
I now have a Pug and 2 older teens who adore the buns! Oh, and because of RU, I adopted another bun for Lloyd! His wifey's name is Saffy and they bonded instantly! Of course, this was so successful because I had learned HERE how to do it properly!
I LOVE YOU, RU!
I joined shortly after adopting Lloyd from the SPCA and have had many of my questions answered here. Of course, before I commited to a house bun I researched buns very thoroughly.
I had wanted a bun for years but I had Terriers and didn't want a bunny that had to live in a cage, so I waited until the situation was more bun-friendly.
I now have a Pug and 2 older teens who adore the buns! Oh, and because of RU, I adopted another bun for Lloyd! His wifey's name is Saffy and they bonded instantly! Of course, this was so successful because I had learned HERE how to do it properly!
I LOVE YOU, RU!
