Rabbit Owners Unite

[Tanzigrrl]

Hi, All,
There have been many threads about cats and dogs lately. Let's hear from the bunny owners! I know from some of the avatar pictures that we have some devoted rabbit fans on this board. I have a Dutch bunny who will be turning 1 year old next week. I'm having a pretty big party for him (and my friends) on Saturday! It'll be fun.

Post pics and share rabbit stories here!

 

[elrohwen]

I have two bunnies, and it might be my avatar you're thinking of since I haven't seen any other bunny ones lately Nice to hear from another rabbit owner! Did you get your bun as a baby?

Otto is almost 2 years old and he's a black and white holland lop - he's famously adorable and when I started a FB page for him he quickly had over 100 members (even though I only know 30 of them ). Hannah is almost 4 and she's a grey and white mini lop. I've had Otto since he was a baby and we just got Hannah in March to bond with him - Hannah's pretty bossy but they're best friends and I'm so glad we have two. Otto's also not very bright (though cute!) and it's fun to have Hannah around who is the bunny equivalent of a border collie. She definitely needs a lot of stimulation to keep her out of trouble, but it's fun to watch her solve problems and figure things out.

We can't have a dog living in an apartment, so I talked DH into bunnies instead. They're really our little babies - we love them so much! They bring such joy into our lives. I'm involved in some rabbit message boards and have also spent time volunteering at a rabbit shelter, so they're a big part of my life. We'll still get a dog someday, but we'll always have rabbits too

 

[movie zombie]

OMG, bunnies under the christmas tree!!!! how cute!

MoZo

 

[elrohwen]

OMG, bunnies under the christmas tree!!!! how cute!

MoZo

They're obsessed with the tree! First Otto tried to eat it (even though it's plastic), but now they've both moved on to digging in the tree skirt. Bad bunnies! Mostly they just hang out under it or run around it in circles, totally messing up my nicely arranged skirt. And I'm not even going to attempt putting presents under there until Christmas Eve because there wouldn't be any wrapping paper left on them. Haha

 

[Autumnovember]

I have a holland lop!

Honestly, I currently feel like -the- worst pet owner ever when it comes to my bunny.

 

[Hera]

More rabbit pictures please, there can never be enough. I'm sure there's some bunny shots somewhere in your folders!

 

[diva rose]

I don't have rabbits but those rabbits are so cute!!! Can't wait to see more photos.

 

[Autumnovember]

Just a baby here:

 

[Hera]

Oh my gosh. I can't take it!!!

 

[violet3]

your bunnies are TOOOOOOOOOOO cute! love them all

out of curiousity, can you potty train a rabbit? are they litter trained like kitties?

 

[Autumnovember]

your bunnies are TOOOOOOOOOOO cute! love them all

out of curiousity, can you potty train a rabbit? are they litter trained like kitties?

I haven't gotten around to that yet with my bunny because he isn't neutered yet but I think Elro has been successful with training hers!

 

[Autumnovember]

Us tonight, soon after this he was almost asleep in my arms:

He also really loves to lay on his back on my lap while I rub behind his ear/on his belly.

 

[Imdanny]

They're adorable!

Dumb question but I'm curious- do they interact with you the way cats do?

 

[elrohwen]

your bunnies are TOOOOOOOOOOO cute! love them all

out of curiousity, can you potty train a rabbit? are they litter trained like kitties?

Both of mine are fully litter trained and they're housebroken better than my friends' dogs. Haha. In order to litter train they really have to be spayed and neutered or else they'll spend a lot of time marking their territory. Most people don't know they can and should be fixed (I certainly didn't when I started researching them) and I think a lot of the sterotypes of bunnies being smelly, messy, or mean come from unfixed buns. They don't smell at all (except for their hay, which smells like grass) and never have accidents (though Hannah has marked her territory a couple times, which many animals will do, especially when we first got her). The litter training wasn't really "training" so much as giving them a litter box and letting them do their thing - most bunnies will instinctively go in one spot and it's not hard to convince them to only go in the litter box.

When we're home they're allowed free roam of the first floor (both of the pictures I posted are them in our living room - their favorite place to hang out in the evenings). If we only had Otto I think we'd leave him out all the time, but Hannah's too much of a trouble maker for us to trust her home alone. When we're not home or sleeping they have a 4'x8' pen area with a cheap area rug and lots of toys.

Danny, they are similar to cats, especially because their personalities are so varied. Some are aloof while others are extremely affectionate. Neither of my buns like to be picked up, but Hannah especially loves pets and attention. Otto's more aloof and doesn't really like pets, but he loves to check out what we're doing and even knows a few tricks. Both will jump up on the couches with us looking for treats or attention. They don't play like cats, since they're not predators, but they do play in their own way by running fast circles around the room, doing funny jumps in the air, and shredding up old phone books or cardboard boxes.

 

[Tanzigrrl]

My little guy, Oliver, is a Dutch bunny. I got him when he was a teeny tiny baby. He is the sweetest little guy. Very loving and cuddly.

 

[elrohwen]

He's darling! I love his coloring too.

 

[dragonfly411]

Now I want a bunny.

 

[tyty333]

Oh my gosh, last time we were at the pet store they had bunnies. One bunny just loved to be petted. You could stick
your hand down in their big cage and he would come over and get under your hand. He was so sweet and I wanted to
take him home so bad but...we have 2 kitties that I think would be just a little too friendly with him if you know what
I mean.

Love those bunny pictures!

 

[elrohwen]

Oh my gosh, last time we were at the pet store they had bunnies. One bunny just loved to be petted. You could stick
your hand down in their big cage and he would come over and get under your hand. He was so sweet and I wanted to
take him home so bad but...we have 2 kitties that I think would be just a little too friendly with him if you know what
I mean.

Love those bunny pictures!

Most kitties actually get along with bunnies really well! In fact, the bunnies terrorize the cats more than anything else. I wouldn't recommend leaving them out without supervision, but there are tons of stories of happy cat/bunny relationships.

If you ever do get a bunny, I'd recommend a shelter or a reputable breed over a pet store though. The pet store bunnies suck you in with their cuteness, but they often have health problems, unfortunately.

 

[Tanzigrrl]

Speaking of health:

can rabbits get human colds/flu? I called my vet and asked and he hasn't gotten back to me. I ask because there will be preschoolers at our house on Saturday for Oliver's birthday party and generally speaking kids (and parents, I guess) tend to carry germs this time of year. Do I need to worry about my precious baby bunny catching something from a human?

 

[elrohwen]

Speaking of health:

can rabbits get human colds/flu? I called my vet and asked and he hasn't gotten back to me. I ask because there will be preschoolers at our house on Saturday for Oliver's birthday party and generally speaking kids (and parents, I guess) tend to carry germs this time of year. Do I need to worry about my precious baby bunny catching something from a human?

Nope, they can't. No need to worry!

 

[Tanzigrrl]

Elrohwen - are you sure? I Googled it upon not hearing back from my vet and saw answers that conflicted online from yes, they can, to no, they can't. I have heard that certain things like ringworm or HSV-1 (cold sores) can be passed from human to rabbit. Those aren't in question. I'm just worried about garden variety colds that are circulating right now.

 

[elrohwen]

Elrohwen - are you sure? I Googled it upon not hearing back from my vet and saw answers that conflicted online from yes, they can, to no, they can't. I have heard that certain things like ringworm or HSV-1 (cold sores) can be passed from human to rabbit. Those aren't in question. I'm just worried about garden variety colds that are circulating right now.

Yep, positive. I've spent time volunteering with rabbit rescues and I'm actually a mod on a rabbit health and care forum so I've seen this question a lot. Colds and flu can definitely not be transferred (though you are right that parasites or fungus can). In fact, rabbits don't get cold viruses at all, even from each other - if a rabbit is sniffley, it is the result of a bacterial infection or another, rabbit specific, disease.

 

[Tanzigrrl]

This is probably breaking some type of protocol, but I'd love to join a rabbit forum! Oliver is my first bunny and the light of my life and I really want all of my friends and their kids to come over this weekend for a modified rabbit's birthday/holiday party but I just know some of them will be sniffly, themselves. Glad I don't have to worry about bunny contracting an infection. I realize I sound like a super over protective mother worrying that her kid will get germs from the other kids on the playground. Let's just say, "guilty as charged" and that's why I only have fur-babies not human babies! Thanks for your help Elrohwen

 

[elrohwen]

This is probably breaking some type of protocol, but I'd love to join a rabbit forum! Oliver is my first bunny and the light of my life and I really want all of my friends and their kids to come over this weekend for a modified rabbit's birthday/holiday party but I just know some of them will be sniffly, themselves. Glad I don't have to worry about bunny contracting an infection. I realize I sound like a super over protective mother worrying that her kid will get germs from the other kids on the playground. Let's just say, "guilty as charged" and that's why I only have fur-babies not human babies! Thanks for your help Elrohwen

It's a really common question so it's definitely something first time bunny owners worry about a lot! We all worry about our little fur babies

I don't think I can post a link, but there is a website called Binky Bunny that is full of tons of information. I spend much more time there than on the site I'm a mod of (there are many other mods to take up the slack )

 

[Autumnovember]

Oh my gosh, last time we were at the pet store they had bunnies. One bunny just loved to be petted. You could stick
your hand down in their big cage and he would come over and get under your hand. He was so sweet and I wanted to
take him home so bad but...we have 2 kitties that I think would be just a little too friendly with him if you know what
I mean.

Love those bunny pictures!

Most kitties actually get along with bunnies really well! In fact, the bunnies terrorize the cats more than anything else. I wouldn't recommend leaving them out without supervision, but there are tons of stories of happy cat/bunny relationships.

If you ever do get a bunny, I'd recommend a shelter or a reputable breed over a pet store though. The pet store bunnies suck you in with their cuteness, but they often have health problems, unfortunately.

So true! My bunny used to HARASS my cat all the time to try to get its attention. Needless to say, my cat passed away a few years ago so now my bunny has to deal with my dog. I've tried to get them to be "friends" but my bunny seems to be afraid of my dog (20 lbs). I think its because the dog comes off too strong. The dog doesn't realize that she is coming off too strong...*I* know she just wants to play with the bunny but the bunny probably thinks she is out to get him. Sigh. This is part of the problem as to why I can't let him out more often

 

[tyty333]

Oh my gosh, last time we were at the pet store they had bunnies. One bunny just loved to be petted. You could stick
your hand down in their big cage and he would come over and get under your hand. He was so sweet and I wanted to
take him home so bad but...we have 2 kitties that I think would be just a little too friendly with him if you know what
I mean.

Love those bunny pictures!

Most kitties actually get along with bunnies really well! In fact, the bunnies terrorize the cats more than anything else. I wouldn't recommend leaving them out without supervision, but there are tons of stories of happy cat/bunny relationships.

If you ever do get a bunny, I'd recommend a shelter or a reputable breed over a pet store though. The pet store bunnies suck you in with their cuteness, but they often have health problems, unfortunately.

So true! My bunny used to HARASS my cat all the time to try to get its attention. Needless to say, my cat passed away a few years ago so now my bunny has to deal with my dog. I've tried to get them to be "friends" but my bunny seems to be afraid of my dog (20 lbs). I think its because the dog comes off too strong. The dog doesn't realize that she is coming off too strong...*I* know she just wants to play with the bunny but the bunny probably thinks she is out to get him. Sigh. This is part of the problem as to why I can't let him out more often

You need another kitty!

Its true that my kitties are pretty timid so a bunny can probably hold his own. Last time I was at the pound looking for a new kitty
I did see at least 4/5 bunnies there. If I ever decide to take the plunge I will head there first.