where rabbits come from

[SiStampie]

Yes this is very true, a friend for him would be great

You will need to leave it a few weeks once he has been done to let his hormones settle down again. Have you looked on the rehome part of the forum for a possible girly

He's a bit more himself today but I did think it would take a while for his hormones to settle.
He had a little accident on the sofa today, came back to a wet patch. He's usually good however he has done his business a couple of times on the sofa.

Suppose one down side to having him inside!

We're both looking forward to the new bun and hoping they are going to learn off each other for the benefit of both of them.

 

[helgalush]

hya , ive been lurking round for some time now without becoming a member .
i just have a few questions .
everyone seems to keep their rabbits indoors which just seems a little odd to me ,
they are a creature designed to live outdoors in the wild in the fresh air & eating grass .
their fur is meant to grow thicker to compensate for the drop in temperature
whereas surely if kept indoors the heating in the house will inhibit its natural biology ?

why is it better to get an older rabbit from a rescue which may well have behavioural issues etc
than a baby which will grow up knowing you & being in a loving home from the off ?

why is it that its highly promoted that all rabbits should be neutred & kept paired ?

& why are breeders (whether for show or for 'fun') lambasted & persecuted ? but if no one bred rabbits then in a few years all of you would have empty hutches:?

dont get me wrong , im not a disgruntled breeder , in fact i dont have a rabbit , i came here for information & was a little astounded at what i found

I have four rabbits outdoors and 1 indoors :? Lots of people have outdoor rabbits. As I am sure you will have gleaned while lurking, there are many pros and cons to either.

There are 33,000 rabbits in rescues. A loving home with plenty of attention and company, whilst also being safe, is better than one without these things, whether indoors or outdoors.

Rabbits that have been abandoned, abused, overbred, maltreated or neglected, deserve a happy ending as much as a baby rabbit who hasnt experienced such horrendous things.

Taking on a rabbit that has been rescued is incredibly rewarding both for adopter and the rabbit. You know what health problems the animal has and its temperament - which you do not when you take on a baby.

The 33,000 rabbits in rescue are one of the reasons neutering is promoted. Behavioural issues are another. I dont fancy being sprayed with urine by a buck or being bitten. Equally I would hate to unnecessarily put a rabbit through an emergency spay or to face PTS because I hadnt bothered to read that they stand an 85% chance of uterine cancer if I didnt neuter her.

Rabbits are social creatures - they need company like you or I, therefore it is recommended that they are paired. To reduce rabbits hurting or killing each other, or creating more babies that may be abandoned, neglected, killed or sent to rescue, neutering is advised.

There is no chance of us having empty hutches/sheds/kennels/aviaries/pens/houses because rabbits, well they breed like rabbits dont they? Those who give careful consideration to their rabbits do all they can to prevent unwanted pregnancies. There are always sufficient purposeful or ignorant and accidental breeders to ensure that rescues will be full for years to come. Where are all these 33,000 rabbits meant to go exactly? Or should we just let nature take care of them and just buy cute fluffy babies from pet shops so that they and breeders can make profit at the expense of rabbit welfare?

Personally I would prefer to have no rabbits than to know that every day hundreds, possibly thousands, of rabbits suffer needlessly.

I hope this answers your questions.

 

[Tasmin's MOB]

There are always sufficient purposeful or ignorant and accidental breeders to ensure that rescues will be full for years to come. Where are all these 33,000 rabbits meant to go exactly? Or should we just let nature take care of them and just buy cute fluffy babies from pet shops so that they and breeders can make profit at the expense of rabbit welfare?

Personally I would prefer to have no rabbits than to know that every day hundreds, possibly thousands, of rabbits suffer needlessly.

Very well said helgalush!

 

[weeble]

He's a bit more himself today but I did think it would take a while for his hormones to settle.
He had a little accident on the sofa today, came back to a wet patch. He's usually good however he has done his business a couple of times on the sofa.

Suppose one down side to having him inside!

We're both looking forward to the new bun and hoping they are going to learn off each other for the benefit of both of them.

Fingers crossed that might be a territory marking thing and might stop now he has been snipped. Glad he is recovering well

 

[Sky-O]

What I find interesting about your post is that 'everyone' keeps their rabbits indoors and 'all rabbits should be neutred & kept paired'. Those are two pretty massive generalisations.

Not everyone here keeps their bunnies indoors. Some are inside, some are outside. Personally, right now I have 13 outside and 7 inside.

As for 'all rabbits should be neutered and kept paired', again, not true.

What people on here promote is what is best for the bunny. Not everything is going to be the same and best for each bunny; some are better in pairs and groups, some are happier or need to be alone. Some are best to be 'fixed' for others thats not appropriate.

As for why to get a rescue bunny (I'm talking adult for the first two points). There are tons of reasons, but for starters, you know what you are getting, which you don't with a baby, you can choose the bunny you want, which you can't with a baby (because hormones provide a huge personality transplant and you never know what the adult rabbit will be like), you will also be likely to get advice and assistance from a reputable rescue which generally you won't get elsewhere. To top it off, you are providing a rabbit that has had a rough life, the second chance they may need. I've seen a lot of rabbits in rescues and then the same rabbits in homes and the difference in astounding; it makes such a difference and all rabbits deserve that.

In my opinion, breeders are not an issue and I'm not anti breeder; however, I am anti irresponsibility, be it breeder, owner, rescue, whoever, because no bunny deserves to suffer just to ignorance or the mentality of a person.

I'm unsure what's shocked you about people being interested in what is best for the bunnies?

 

[Elena]

Mine are indoors because we are near fields and there are a lot of foxes. Also one of mine freaks out easily so even the sight of a fox would send him into stasis. I also don't have the space outside for two adequate sized setups. Would struggle with space for one.

Plus I get the wonderful privilege of interacting with them, seeing them a lot more often than if they were outside. I struggle with the cold due to my M.E. so I wouldn't be able to sit out there with them and would find it hard feeding and cleaning them each day. They are so tidy on the whole so having them inside is not a problem. They are strongly bonded to me and that's wonderful.

They get fresh air, windows are often open a bit, fresh grass, aka hay, and they do get a slightly thicker coat even indoors but not as thick as if they were outside. Our house isn't particularly warm, sadly, due to us having a solid fuel fire to heat the house.

As for the rest of your questions, I think others have explained the answers to them really well.

 

[Tamsin]

Welcome to the forum

everyone seems to keep their rabbits indoors which just seems a little odd to me , they are a creature designed to live outdoors in the wild in the fresh air & eating grass .their fur is meant to grow thicker to compensate for the drop in temperature whereas surely if kept indoors the heating in the house will inhibit its natural biology ?

With any pet or really animal kept in captivity the goal is to as successfully meet their needs as possible. That usually means compromises. Certainly keeping rabbits outdoors has some pro's, the temperatures are more natural and the outdoor sights and smells provide good enrichment and it can mean access to graze. However, indoors also has some benefits, wild rabbits live underground which provides insulations to allow them to survive the freezing temperatures. Keeping pet rabbits in an underground warren is impractical as you have to contain digging (to prevent escapes), have issues with flooding, and it is difficult to monitor a rabbits health or catch them if they are sick. Indoors provides other benefits, it's often easier to provide a larger safe space for exercise than outside as house wall naturally keep predators out. It also allows rabbits to have more interaction with humans, the increased socialisation reduces the behaviour issue you mention and also provides rabbits with the social contact they need. Although a lot of people have indoor bunnies just as many have outdoor bunnies and quite a few bunnies have access to both.

why is it better to get an older rabbit from a rescue which may well have behavioural issues etc than a baby which will grow up knowing you & being in a loving home from the off ?

That's quite a common question. Predicting the personality of a baby rabbit is very difficult. After all, all those older rabbits in rescue were cute babies that people choose once. That didn't mean they didn't grow up with behaviour issues. Most 8 week old babies are easy to pick up and with no hormones it's virtually unheard of for them to show aggression. The cute little 8 weeks old baby you get can have a dramatic personality change when it turns into a teenager though. Picking a friendly neutered adult rabbit is a much safer choice. Their personalities are much more set and what you see is more likely to be what you get. It also means you don't have to go through the worry of neutering, separating youngsters to prevent breeding or bonding (if you get a pair). Of course if you are set on a baby, there are plenty of those in rescues too

why is it that its highly promoted that all rabbits should be neutred & kept paired ?

Rabbits are social animals, it's not practical or responsible to keep them in natural breeding colonies but by neutering and pairing them up they can have the social companionship with the issues related to over breeding.

& why are breeders (whether for show or for 'fun') lambasted & persecuted ? but if no one bred rabbits then in a few years all of you would have empty hutches:?

Unfortunately, breeders tend to get somewhat lumped together and whilst some are responsible others are not and give the whole field a bad name. Irresponsible breeders create problems with unwanted and unhealthy rabbits that other people have to clear up. Many breeders also keep rabbits in living conditions much below the standards welfare organisations recommend for pets ie. in small hutches, inadequate exercise facilities and of course there are issues with social contact as unneutered rabbits cannot be allowed to interact freely.