What Rabbits Do You Have? Show Off Your Rabbits Here!

[ChocolateMouse]

I love selling to snake owners. (I've owned some snakes and worked with some reptile rescue as well, we have a really great reptile rescue 2 blocks from my house.) Some snakes get so big that rats are too small. That leaves guinea pigs (which are fatty and hard to digest), chickens (hard to get, tbh), and rabbits (common and cheap as dirt). So most reptile owners like feeding rabbits. And it can be really hard to find people willing to sell their rabbits to a snake owner. Which is sad... Snakes DO need to eat!

I have a friend with an 8.5 ft boa who I sell to. I actually help him feed his snake. The snake has serious eating issues (poor sense of smell due to burning his nose) and would rather waste away than eat pre-killed prey regularly enough to sustain him. We feed him my runt rabbits live. Snakes are efficient hunters and they kill their prey before eating them, or else they could be severely injured by their prey. It's over in less than a minute after the snake strikes. Most snakes are constrictors of some sort and snap the necks of their prey, crush their ribs, or otherwise suffocate them very quickly. Most constrictors bite their face and twist the animal in their coils around the neck until the animal stops moving, usually because the neck is broken or they're passing out from a lack of air. Also, most snake owners only feed live if they feel VERY confident in their snakes hunting abilities, otherwise the prey could hurt the snake and the snakes are their pets, their babies, as much as any body's pet is. If they're not efficient hunters, most owners feed pre-killed, usually snapping their neck or using a CO2 chamber before feeding, for the safety of the snakes. Very few people feed live and 9/10 times they feed live because the snake has issues eating pre-killed prey. Even then, it's a low risk scenario, it's supervised, and it's over quick.

 

[Monstro]

I love selling to snake owners. (I've owned some snakes and worked with some reptile rescue as well, we have a really great reptile rescue 2 blocks from my house.) Some snakes get so big that rats are too small. That leaves guinea pigs (which are fatty and hard to digest), chickens (hard to get, tbh), and rabbits (common and cheap as dirt). So most reptile owners like feeding rabbits. And it can be really hard to find people willing to sell their rabbits to a snake owner. Which is sad... Snakes DO need to eat!

I have a friend with an 8.5 ft boa who I sell to. I actually help him feed his snake. The snake has serious eating issues (poor sense of smell due to burning his nose) and would rather waste away than eat pre-killed prey regularly enough to sustain him. We feed him my runt rabbits live. Snakes are efficient hunters and they kill their prey before eating them, or else they could be severely injured by their prey. It's over in less than a minute after the snake strikes. Most snakes are constrictors of some sort and snap the necks of their prey, crush their ribs, or otherwise suffocate them very quickly. Most constrictors bite their face and twist the animal in their coils around the neck until the animal stops moving, usually because the neck is broken or they're passing out from a lack of air. Also, most snake owners only feed live if they feel VERY confident in their snakes hunting abilities, otherwise the prey could hurt the snake and the snakes are their pets, their babies, as much as any body's pet is. If they're not efficient hunters, most owners feed pre-killed, usually snapping their neck or using a CO2 chamber before feeding, for the safety of the snakes. Very few people feed live and 9/10 times they feed live because the snake has issues eating pre-killed prey. Even then, it's a low risk scenario, it's supervised, and it's over quick.

Thats neat. Learn something new. Ive only a snake eat once and that was live mice back in grade school. Cant say i remember all those details haha

 

[BantamSlave02]

Thats neat. Learn something new. Ive only a snake eat once and that was live mice back in grade school. Cant say i remember all those details haha

I don't enjoy snakes, I think of them as chicken killers

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Well, I mean, so are dogs, cats, hawks, coons, coyotes, wolves, bears, weasels, skunks, foxes.... Bigger chickens... Us. I mean, if I disliked every animal that ate chickens I'd be hating every carnivore/omnivore over 1lb.

I'm also surprised to hear that you have problems with snakes eating chickens. Except for giant tropical and venomous species I can't imagine a snake killing or eating an adult bird.... Chicks and eggs maybe, but not adult birds. Most of the time I hear about how chickens eat snakes, not the other way around!

Actually, I think snakes get a bad rap. Most snakes are good for chicken operations if you can exclude them from nest boxes and chick brooders. They eat mostly mice, rats and chipmunks that spread diseases, nest in your bedding and coop, eat your eggs and eat your chicken feed. I'd rather have a snake around than dozens of mice digging into my bags of chicken feed and bales of rabbit hay...

 

[CyndiD]

we have a King snake. we feed it mice and snakes. i have a snake that lives in my garden; at least i have seen it in there 2 times and i dont try to make it leave, cuz i know i have moles &/or voles in my garden, so i hope this snake is feasting on them.
one of our dogs has killed some of my chickens yrs ago; i have since rehabilitated her to leave my chickens & ducks & now rabbits alone. so now she getsporccupines.... we have to make sure she is in the house by a certain time, we cant take her for runs through our property when porcupines are mating/traveling in search of a mate and then now, this time of year when they have babies that are being weaned. our neighbor just killed 7 small porpupines in our rual neighborhood.

We eat our rabbits, chickens & ducks. i can be kinds and give my animals a comfortable life; some are my pets and i could not cull them, but the ones that we will eat, my dh has to do the actual culling. i can pluck the chickens and ducks and skin the rabbits, etc.

On a different note: my buck that was sick last week and lost weight, is feeling much better, he is eating & drinking well and he has gained 4oz. this does not seem like a lot of weight to gain... what do you think?
P.S. the pine 2x4 wood i used for the toys, my dh said they are kiln dried and do not have linseed oil on them. i cant tell if the rabbits are playing w/t wood & hemp toys i made for them.
i am going to make some willow branch toys, should i wait until the will branches dry before i give them to the rabbits or give them fresh?
thanks for your reply

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Kiln died does not mean they are not treated with chemicals which is why I gave you the link to wood treatment. Most lumber wood is what's known as "pressure treated" and that is unsafe for rabbits. Linseed would probably be the SAFEST commercial wood treatment so it's not a good thing that they're not treated with linseed, though as Bunnylady said, if they were they may still be unsafe. My guess is that you asked your husband the wrong question, which should have been "is this treated lumber" to which the answer is almost always yes... Nobody buys untreated lumber unless they are looking for something specific and strange.

They may be avoiding it because it is pressure treated, actually. They smell much better than us and it smells very different than fresh wood that's safe to eat. They may also just not know what to do with it. Different rabbits like different toys. As time goes on you should be able to see bite marks on the wood, tooth imprints, etc. if they are chewing them. It would be an occasional thing if they were. Some might just like nosing them around. My guess is they have no idea what they are, but will figure it out over time. It's not like it's a snack, it's a sometimes thing.

I actually stole your idea this week and did the same thing for four of my rabbit cages, but I used chunks of fresh maple wood. I got a bunch of cut maple logs for free on CL, I used an axe and a circular saw to turn one of the nicest ones into chunks, drilled holes and did the exact same thing that you dud, bark and all. Some bunnies are chewing on them, some are not.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/Branch/Branch_en.htm

Here's a page on trees that are rabbit safe. I would go easy on the trees that are rich in tannins as they can upset their stomachs. If you use a tannin-rich wood it's best to make sure it's well dried and the bark is removed, which reduces the risk of problems from consuming too many tannins. Tannins are a toxin which is why they can be anti-parasitic. Don't give anything with leaves attached as the leaves may wilt and develop toxins.

 

[Bunnylady]

Just a couple of notes - willow bark contains salicylic acid, which is the natural form of aspirin.

I buy untreated wood all the time. Unless it is specifically for a project that will expose it to the direct effects of the weather, I buy untreated. At least half of the dimensional lumber at the local home improvement center is untreated, as of course are all of the moldings and other specialty stuff intended for interior use. It's not always as easy to see if it is treated now (some, like wood treated with ACQ, is noticibly green in color, though some other treatments are not as distinctive, they usually have an unnatural greenish or yellowish tinge when new). Lumber that is treated has a sticker stapled to it that will say "ground contact" or "above ground applications only;" these make it clear that even somewhat weathered boards are treated wood.

Some rabbits just don't care about chewing, just like some don't care about salt blocks. Some of 'em, I swear it doesn't matter how interesting you try to make their space, all they do is lie there and stare at you.

 

[CyndiD]

Kiln died does not mean they are not treated with chemicals which is why I gave you the link to wood treatment. Most lumber wood is what's known as "pressure treated" and that is unsafe for rabbits. Linseed would probably be the SAFEST commercial wood treatment so it's not a good thing that they're not treated with linseed, though as Bunnylady said, if they were they may still be unsafe. My guess is that you asked your husband the wrong question, which should have been "is this treated lumber" to which the answer is almost always yes... Nobody buys untreated lumber unless they are looking for something specific and strange.

They may be avoiding it because it is pressure treated, actually. They smell much better than us and it smells very different than fresh wood that's safe to eat. They may also just not know what to do with it. Different rabbits like different toys. As time goes on you should be able to see bite marks on the wood, tooth imprints, etc. if they are chewing them. It would be an occasional thing if they were. Some might just like nosing them around. My guess is they have no idea what they are, but will figure it out over time. It's not like it's a snack, it's a sometimes thing.

I actually stole your idea this week and did the same thing for four of my rabbit cages, but I used chunks of fresh maple wood. I got a bunch of cut maple logs for free on CL, I used an axe and a circular saw to turn one of the nicest ones into chunks, drilled holes and did the exact same thing that you dud, bark and all. Some bunnies are chewing on them, some are not.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/Branch/Branch_en.htm

Here's a page on trees that are rabbit safe. I would go easy on the trees that are rich in tannins as they can upset their stomachs. If you use a tannin-rich wood it's best to make sure it's well dried and the bark is removed, which reduces the risk of problems from consuming too many tannins. Tannins are a toxin which is why they can be anti-parasitic. Don't give anything with leaves attached as the leaves may wilt and develop toxins.

thank you for caring and trying so hard to inform us with your knowledge of rabbits, breeding and toys for rabbits. i appreciate your knowledge, and recognize you can be zealous in your responses.

 

[CyndiD]

Just a couple of notes - willow bark contains salicylic acid, which is the natural form of aspirin. 

I buy untreated wood all the time. Unless it is specifically for a project that will expose it to the direct effects of the weather, I buy untreated. At least half of the dimensional lumber at the local home improvement center is untreated, as of course are all of the moldings and other specialty stuff intended for interior use. It's not always as easy to see if it is treated now (some, like wood treated with ACQ, is noticibly green in color, though some other treatments are not as distinctive, they usually have an unnatural greenish or yellowish tinge when new). Lumber that is treated has a sticker stapled to it that will say "ground contact" or "above ground applications only;" these make it clear that even somewhat weathered boards are treated wood.

Some rabbits just don't care about chewing, just like some don't care about salt blocks. Some of 'em, I swear it doesn't matter how interesting you try to make their space, all they do is lie there and stare at you.  

thank you for your knowledge on lumber, willow bark and rabbit habits, i agree w/you about the rabbits being or not being interested in toys or items i may place in their cage.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Sorry if I'm a little over enthusiastic. Yes, some bunnies dont use certain toys much. I've never met a bunny who didn't like any of them though. I'll tone it down for a bit.