The Bunny Chat Thread - For Bunny Owners

[igorsMistress]

When I go to drop stuff off for them I'm going to ask them those questions and see if they have a building we could turn into a bunny room. I'd also love to be able to sit with them and maybe get to earn their trust a bit. Of course that takes time but it's a start. I'm going to try to see if I can move Sprite into the area with the other three. Since they haven't been bonded yet I'm going to setup a gate so Sprite can have just a little less than half the area.

Yeah I can tell that they were trying their best to give them a good life but the volunteers are uneducated about them and unwilling to change anything or really help.
You should have seen the ducks.
There was a large Muscovy with Mallards and white Call ducks. The Muscovy (female) was trying to mate one of the Mallard drakes probably for dominance and injuring the Mallard in the process. The drake to duck ratio was bad. And two of the ducks had angel wing (a female Mallard and a Call).
Most of the other animals had a pretty bad diet and not the cleanest environment. A lot of wasted space on the property too. There were large grassy areas that could be used for the goats or sheep (or others) but instead were being used as a playground that they weren't even making money off of.
Eventually I'll talk to maybe the owner about some of these things and find a place for the rabbits. We may have to either but a large shed or build one which could be expensive.

I might be talking to authorities instead of the owner, but that’s just me.

 

[EverythingDucks]

I might be talking to authorities instead of the owner, but that’s just me.

I've thought about that but I worry that they'll just take them away and/or euthanize the animals. Apparently someone comes once a month to check o them and has a approved it

 

[igorsMistress]

I've thought about that but I worry that they'll just take them away and/or euthanize the animals. Apparently someone comes once a month to check o them and has a approved it

I understand your thinking. I would rather see an animal euthanized than live in bad conditions. The conditions don’t seem too horrible based on pics but I wasn’t there to see it first hand. A rescue should treat animals well though and make sure they have what they need. It sounded to me based on your description, that the basic needs may not be met. If the workers know when the person who checks is coming then it’s not difficult to make appearances for that inspection and then ignore them afterward.
I’m not saying turn them in, this is just my perspective. You were there and know more than I.

 

[EverythingDucks]

I understand your thinking. I would rather see an animal euthanized than live in bad conditions. The conditions don’t seem too horrible based on pics but I wasn’t there to see it first hand. A rescue should treat animals well though and make sure they have what they need. It sounded to me based on your description, that the basic needs may not be met. If the workers know when the person who checks is coming then it’s not difficult to make appearances for that inspection and then ignore them afterward.
I’m not saying turn them in, this is just my perspective. You were there and know more than I.

In this case I'd rather take things I to my own hands and give them a second chance.
I live really close to there so I'll check on them often. When I'm a bit older and maybe have my own car I'll probably volunteer there.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

In all honesty I don't know what to think of the situation. I've been there before and my mom (the other animal lover in my family) and I always felt like they were a fairly good and trustworthy place. We even dropped off baby squirrels there when their nest was destroyed by a hurricane passing through. But it's been a few years since we've last been, so it could be I cannot remember correctly, we were not aware of the situation of some of the animals, or it has gone downhill in the last few years. Or perhaps you just saw some of the animals pens before they were cleaned up, I dunno. I know they have a lot of animals so it may take them a bit to get everything changed out.

But, maybe I'm giving them too much benefit of the doubt. I'm seriously just going off of my own personal experience, since I always viewed them as a fine place. Anyways; your toys and treats sound like a great plan! I'm sure the rabbits will just love them. I personally would question workers or the owner, it could be the situation isn't as bad as it is. And if it is, then you can go from there.

 

[EverythingDucks]

In all honesty I don't know what to think of the situation. I've been there before and my mom (the other animal lover in my family) and I always felt like they were a fairly good and trustworthy place. We even dropped off baby squirrels there when their nest was destroyed by a hurricane passing through. But it's been a few years since we've last been, so it could be I cannot remember correctly, we were not aware of the situation of some of the animals, or it has gone downhill in the last few years. Or perhaps you just saw some of the animals pens before they were cleaned up, I dunno. I know they have a lot of animals so it may take them a bit to get everything changed out.

But, maybe I'm giving them too much benefit of the doubt. I'm seriously just going off of my own personal experience, since I always viewed them as a fine place. Anyways; your toys and treats sound like a great plan! I'm sure the rabbits will just love them. I personally would question workers or the owner, it could be the situation isn't as bad as it is. And if it is, then you can go from there.

I think they've just taken in more animals than they can really care for.
They've got lots if people coming in and buying stuff but even just the food for all if the animals is expensive. The money for the horses alone is a lot.
When people donate money, day $100, maybe $2 goes to each species of animal.
That's why I want to buy the right stuff and give to directly to the animals that need the most help.
Obviously I'm starting with the rabbits because of the ones in most need I k ow the most about them. Next I'll help the sugar gliders, then some of the other small rodents.
Besides that hope to be able to share info about the animals so any future problems can be avoided.

 

[Compost King]

I have some okra...I will have to give some leaves to mine!

I had been giving them a leaf every 3 days the past month, they loved it. Then I found out humans can cook and eat Okra Leaves like spinach or any other green. I am not 100% certain that giving them a lot of leaves in one day was a good idea but they didn't eat them all, ate a bunch then went back to hay and pellets. Next year I will be harvesting leaves as well as pods for food.

 

[drstratton]

I had been giving them a leaf every 3 days the past month, they loved it. Then I found out humans can cook and eat Okra Leaves like spinach or any other green. I am not 100% certain that giving them a lot of leaves in one day was a good idea but they didn't eat them all, ate a bunch then went back to hay and pellets. Next year I will be harvesting leaves as well as pods for food.

Thank you for that info! I always slowly introduce anything new to my animals! I had no idea you could eat okra leaves! I personally don't like okra, but my husband does, maybe I'll like the leaves!

 

[Fvzn]

I used to do this with my long haired cat, for years. Then one day I knicked him. Nope, don’t recommend it at all, it’s too stressful. However, if you are able to put a comb between his skin and the scissors, well take your chances, but please be extremely careful.

He's gonna loose trust but seems like a one time thing if grooming is maintained so I'll try.

 

[Compost King]

I just found out the hard way (not too hard though) why I should not use a bungee cord to lock down a rabbit cage. I gambled that it would not matter because predators can't even get into the run to get to the cage. I also know that even if I leave the door open rabbits can not find the opening up top. However what I should have figured out... female rabbits can get into the male rabbits cage. One of the rabbits chewed the bungee cord until it broke and a female rabbit got into a male rabbits cage. I went and got a metal spring clasp which I should have done from the start. I was going to breed them anyways but the female is 2 months younger than when I wanted to start breeding her. Everything should be ok because she is full size now. Just sharing my mistake and now I have to back out and replace the bungee cord on the other rabbit cage.