bun-education


Make Mine Chocolate presents The Interactive Bun

I thought this might be fun for anyone interested in rabbit care and/or eventually getting a rabbit for themselves. There are some sad bun stories (caution: somewhat upsetting photos) to check out, too.

* One of the reasons I'm posting this: I'm sure that HRH N. was an Easter dump - one of the lucky few who were surrendered to a no-kill shelter last year. I feel very grateful to have her, and would love to spare other bunnies that fate, or much worse. So would she.

* If you'd like more info. on rabbits as companions, and on rabbit care, please visit The House Rabbit Society's site. (Includes shelter/rescue links.)

I'm beautiful when I'm hungry...
I'm beautiful when I'm hungry...
12 comments


5 people marked this as a favorite.

This also appears in:

Next Posts

Previous Posts

Comments

IG
[this is good]
This is so adorable and informative--I love it! I hope everyone sees it who is even remotely considering adopting a bun. Would you consider making this post public so everyone can read it? I'll favorite it instantly if you do. If not, let me know, and I'll post the link myself. It's awesome!
e2c
Your wish is my command, IG! (besides, I know Indy's telling you to keep bugging me until I change the privacy settings...)
Lauri
[this is good]
This IS a great site! Thanks for sharing! I can't get a bun yet, but I will be prepared when I can!
e2c
Cool - glad you found it helpful. I'm sure you'd like The House Rabbit Society's site, too.

One of *the* gig things for you to be thinking about: bunnies and dogs. If you do get one, you might well have to keep him/her in a place completely away from your dogs. The predator/prey thing can be very hard to overcome in this case. (Not so much with bunnies and cats, though I'd still be very cautious about it.)

And - this is just me - but much as I like dogs, i doubt I'll ever get one now. I know of too many "accidents" to feel OK about introducing the two species.
little miao
[this is good]
Thanks for sharing, e2c. If I ever know anyone who's thinking about getting a bunny, I'll direct them to that site.

As for me, I'd love a bunny-friendly kitty and a kitty-friendly bunny as companions. But how do you know they'll get along until after you've adopted them both? I'd never want to put a bunny in danger, and that chance, however slim, will probably prevent me from ever getting a bunny. *sigh*

But it will likely be several years before I can get critters of my own anyway.
e2c
It seems to work out far better than you'd imagine - though rabbits are notorious for bothering the hell out of cats. They have a very different sense of propriety than cats do, and often pounce on their fave cat playmates without any invitation.

You might want to take a look at www.rabbit.org for more info. .... Cat/bun companionship seems to be pretty common, actually.
mariser

you may also want to check with Theo and Jaye. Willow "da pillow" seems to live quite harmoniously with Mr. Bounce and Spot the Satisfactory.


little miao
[this is good]
Wow, that's good news, e2c. They have an entire page about it. I never imagined that it would be the bunny that would boss the kitty! I'd love to see a bunny put Prince Tantra in his place! (well, maybe not, poor Tantra would be too traumatized).

Maybe if bunny and kitty are both little when they're introduced, they could grow up thinking they're littermates. Perhaps there is a bunny in my future after all.
little miao
Ah, yes, I thought there were at least one or 2 vox/co peeps who had bunnies + kitties. I think YGRS did at one point too...
mariser

yep, YGRS did at one point, but not now. she's sure to have good advice too.


e2c
From what I've been told (and read), most people prefer it if the cat is a bit older - less chance for the bun being whacked badly. (bunny bones are easily broken, which is part of the concern.) OTOH, I bet a lot of it depends on the personalities of the individual animals. And I'd be *far* more concerned about bad rabbit-dog interactions, myself.
little miao
Hmmm, yes, a cat in a calmer, less frisky stage would be best. But yeah, there are some cats who won't even adjust to other cats, let alone other species. I suppose there's only so much one can do, except to supervise them really really closely.
e2c
Supervision is one of the keys, it seems.

BTW, that's true of bunnies with other bunnies. They're *very* territorial and will fight fiercely if they feel another bun is horning in on what's theirs. The fight scenes in Watership Down seem to be pretty accurate in terms of describing the kicking and trying to rip each other open with hind feet.

Beatrix Potter's "A Fierce Bad Rabbit" is a more appropriate title than most of us realize.
Valerae
[this is good]
These links are great. I was happy to see on the local news last night that they went to great lengths to describe the amount of work involved with a house rabbit and to instead go for the chocolate alternative this weekend.

A co-worker of mine got a rabbit a few years ago, I warned her that while he was just a cute little baby bun, it was going to get difficult. And soon he became a bunny teenager and she was ready to take him back to the shelter. I hooked her up with my mother-in-law who is a bunny genius and helped her through it. I have heard too many sad stories from my m-i-l throughout the years about abandoned buns to let someone I know make the same mistake.
mariser

this comment made me smile. I had a coworker years ago who decided to bring a 2nd bunny into the household. (...) fast-forward four years after the event and the house was still divided between the domain of first bunny and the areas controlled by the interloper*


* that ended up being 2nd bunny's name: the interloper (spoken in scary tones)


IG
ha! almost two years ago we tried to foster a bunny and forgot to obtain indy's permission first. Chip (the foster rabbit) was almost four times Indy's size and weight and she STILL would have killed him if we'd given her half a chance. it didn't help that Chip developed an instant crush on Indy and behaved as if he thought he stood a romantic chance in hell with her. she would have slain him where he stood just for that. i've never seen her so furious.
e2c
Y'know, I'm thinking seriously about fostering, but the scenario you just described seems like something that could happen here. The only local bun needing a foster home is a 3-yr. old, gregarious fellow named Sophie. I can see it all now: fights, crush, the whole megillah. So I'm thinking that I'd better invest in some body armor before I bring another bun into this house. ;)
jaypo
Like mariser said. I have a friend who has tried to bond two rabbits...two years later one will tolerate the presence of the other--who is smitten of course because it has to be one-sided love--but they still have to be separated by barriers. I've heard two males are the best combo. Females are much more territorial and will fight.

And little Buz is a rebellious, unpredictable teenbun. I'm determined to ride it out with the little schmoe, 'cause he's gonna be even more perfect when he grows into his britches!
IG
[this is good]
e2c!!! Hey! TIG--congratulations!!
mariser
!yay! on the [this is good]. I hope this is widely read.
and IG, way to call'em!
crunkypants
[this is good]
Yay! Explore page for you and Arbed!
arbed
congrats to my fellow [tig]'er!
e2c
Wow! I was hoping this would attract some attention - IG, thanks so much for encouraging me to make it a public post, and abed, congrats!
little miao
[this is good]
congrats on the [tig]. This is a great post for more people to see. yay!
jaypo
[this is good]
Congratulations, e, on TIG! I just caught up--I hope many people got some education about not using animals for holiday props. And on giving their chosen companions everything they need to be happy.

About Me

e2c
View my profile
Nope, no sir, I won't write one!

other places

My Groups

View my groups

Archives

  • Powered by Vox