any rabbit experts? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #16 01-26-2007, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

you might want to consider a chinchilla, they make really good pets and you just have to feed them chinchilla food.

thanks for the suggestion, mistress. i will take a look at them.

tom w

t walgamuth · #17 01-26-2007, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwbuge

My only experience is with New Zealands. I had 17 at one time in 4 different cages. Of the few things I learned, 1) They eat alot 2) They poo alot 3) They screw alot 4) They are very resiliant and can stand very cold temps 5) Rabbits in general are dumb.

New Z would be a good choice. I had an albino grandma rabbit that lasted quite a few years. They can grow to be quite large also.

i had new zealand white as a kid for 4-H. they were nice.

my first rabbit was named "bunny".....very creative.

thanks for the info.

tom w

t walgamuth · #18 01-26-2007, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Doe

I have been told I boink like one, but I don't think that really qualifies me as an expert.

me too.....

wanna anyway.

tom w

t walgamuth · #19 01-26-2007, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel4me

Yeah i read the thread you were refering to and now i understand. We're not supposed to call names but VWBuge is an idiot. I have said too much already.

you guys.....i should have known!

tom w

t walgamuth · #20 01-26-2007, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrgrassi

My daughter has a Mini Rex, that is pushing 7 years old. All he gets to eat is the 16% protien rabbit pellets and occasional coastal bermuda grass.

so maybe i would have been ok with just rabbit food.

thanks.

tom w

t walgamuth · #21 01-26-2007, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MedMech

They taste like chicken.

yeah, tame ones do.

tom w

TWeatherford · #22 01-26-2007, 07:25 PM

this one from my brother's soccer coach.

The neighbors got a cute little white Easter bunny. Coach and family went over and saw how cute it was and petted it and all that.

A few days later, coach sees his dog playing with something in the back yard. To his dismay, it turned out to be the rabbit, which was now dead. Since it was not bleeding or very dirty, and because he didn't want to tell his neighbor about it, he carefully washed and dried the little bunny and put it back in its cage.

The next day, the neighbor calls: "Dude, you have to come over here right now." Coach asks why, and he just says "You just have to come over." Reluctantly coach goes over.

Neighbor is standing by the rabbit hutch pointing. "That thing died two days ago, and I buried it, and now its back in there!!!

True story.

t walgamuth · #23 01-26-2007, 07:33 PM

groooooaaaaaan!

funny in a kindof sick way.

tom w

BENZ-LGB · #24 01-26-2007, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

my bunny p.j's died a few days ago. he was a mini rex i think. white with gray markings. he was the second mini rex that i had which died after less than two years of age.

the only thing that i suspect is that maybe i was feeding him too many treats like fruit and bread.

would i be better to just feed him rabbit food? or are mini rexes just not known for their longivigy?

i need to buy another rabbit....the grand kids expect one to pet. but i dont want another one which dies so young. our previous new zealand red lived about seven years and died of old age!

tom w

Tom, I don't think that you should get another rabbit, until after you have read up on the do's and don'ts of how to keep a rabbit.

1. rabbits MUST be fed a daily diet of timothy hay

2. half a cup to a cup of timothy pellets (in addition to the hay)

3. occasional treats of apple or mango are OK

4. bread is NEVER good for a rabbit, giving a rabbit a steady diet of bread and treats is a recipe for trouble, the starchs contained in bread load up the rabbit's system with sugar--DEADLY for rabbits

5. rabbits can live for up to ten years, mini-rexes included, a REAL old rabbit would be 15 to 20 years

6. depending on how old your grandkids are, rabbits wouldnot make good pets. Rabbits are prey animals, they don't paticularly like to be picked up (especially from above) they also have very weak backs that can be easily broken. Kitten make better pets for younger kids.

7. rabbits are not dumb, they are bright animals that lead complex social lives

I don't mean to pick on you and I am glad that you are asking for information. We are stewards for the pets and animals that we keep. We owe a duty to them to learn as uch as possible about their well-being, safety and comfort BEFORE we acquire them.

Here is a link that will give you additional information on house rabbits.

Good luck

www.rabbit.org

P.S. I learned all of this information from my daughter who keeps rescue rabbits. She has also kept rescue cats.

t walgamuth · #25 01-26-2007, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BENZ-LGB

Tom, I don't think that you should get another rabbit, until after you have read up on the do's and don'ts of how to keep a rabbit.

1. rabbits MUST be fed a daily diet of timothy hay

2. half a cup to a cup of timothy pellets (in addition to the hay)

3. occasional treats of apple or mango are OK

4. bread is NEVER good for a rabbit, giving a rabbit a steady diet of bread and treats is a recipe for trouble, the starchs contained in bread load up the rabbit's system with sugar--DEADLY for rabbits

5. rabbits can live for up to ten years, mini-rexes included, a REAL old rabbit would be 15 to 20 years

6. depending on how old your grandkids are, rabbits wouldnot make good pets. Rabbits are prey animals, they don't paticularly like to be picked up (especially from above) they also have very weak backs that can be easily broken. Kitten make better pets for younger kids.

7. rabbits are not dumb, they are bright animals that lead complex social lives

I don't mean to pick on you and I am glad that you are asking for information. We are stewards for the pets and animals that we keep. We owe a duty to them to learn as uch as possible about their well-being, safety and comfort BEFORE we acquire them.

Here is a link that will give you additional information on house rabbits.

Good luck

www.rabbit.org

P.S. I learned all of this information from my daughter who keeps rescue rabbits. She has also kept rescue cats.

thanks lbz.

i couldnt find my rabbit book. i probably did feed a little too much bread. never had a clue it might be bad for him. occasional bannana too, and that is not recommended. but mostly i gave him the pellets, veggie scraps and dandelion greens. mostly pellets.

i don't let the grand kids play with them unattended. rabbits don't like being picked up by their abdomines and the correct way is by the scruff of the neck.

i think most animal folks agree that rabbits arent all that bright.

what is a rescue rabbit? i am picturing life guards or st benards here, but i suppose it is orphan pets?

my new zealand red only lived seven years and she was skinny and feeble when she died. and she never lacked for food, being a nice plump little gal when she was only four or five.

that web site has one recommendation that i question. leaving a rabbit outside and bringing it in at night will make it miserable at least here. it is cold out there and if you bring them inside in the winter they suffer from the heat with their winter coats.

oh and i cant get them to eat hay at all. i thought it would make a great change of pace for them but they snub it for the pellets.

tom w

vwbuge · #26 01-26-2007, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinperkins

Only if you're gay.

That comeback is funny dude....seriously. I meant nothing by the original posting. I have many friends that are gay and I was just poking fun. Everyone has their own opinions so I guess I'll be labeled an idiot from here on out. I've been called worse.

vwbuge · #27 01-26-2007, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel4me

Yeah i read the thread you were refering to and now i understand. We're not supposed to call names but VWBuge is an idiot. I have said too much already.

You're gay also?............Sorry, couldn't resist.

TWeatherford · #28 01-27-2007, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

i think most animal folks agree that rabbits arent all that bright.

hahaha, I think so.

Ara T. · #29 01-27-2007, 04:11 AM

Tom, you know better than to start a rabbit thread.. it leads to accusations of idiocy and gayness (?)

BENZ-LGB · #30 01-27-2007, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

thanks lbz.

i couldnt find my rabbit book. i probably did feed a little too much bread. never had a clue it might be bad for him. occasional bannana too, and that is not recommended. but mostly i gave him the pellets, veggie scraps and dandelion greens. mostly pellets.

i don't let the grand kids play with them unattended. rabbits don't like being picked up by their abdomines and the correct way is by the scruff of the neck.

i think most animal folks agree that rabbits arent all that bright.

what is a rescue rabbit? i am picturing life guards or st benards here, but i suppose it is orphan pets?

my new zealand red only lived seven years and she was skinny and feeble when she died. and she never lacked for food, being a nice plump little gal when she was only four or five.

that web site has one recommendation that i question. leaving a rabbit outside and bringing it in at night will make it miserable at least here. it is cold out there and if you bring them inside in the winter they suffer from the heat with their winter coats.

oh and i cant get them to eat hay at all. i thought it would make a great change of pace for them but they snub it for the pellets.

tom w

tom, rabbits will eat hay, they need it in order for their digestive systemt to work properly.

Like all animals, humans included, rabbits will pass up what is good for them for what is bad for them. If they have a steady diet of pellets they will, as you found out, pass up on hay. Cut back on the pellets and feed them hay.

The hay must be fresh, however. We don't buy it in bulk, we just buy enough so that it won't get all brown and yucky.

check out the site below for info on the best supplier of timothy hay:

http://www.oxbowhay.com/Shop/showProduct.sp?PRODUCT_NO=35

A rescue rabbit is one that has been rescued from a shelter. Every year, around Easter, well meaning parents buy bunnies for their kids. In a couple of months, when the kids get tired of their new pets, the poor rabbits end up in shelters. If the rabbit is lucky (no pun intended) he will end up in a no-kill shelter and will be tehre until someone rescues him. If he is not lucky, the shelter will euthanise (sp?) him after sometime has elapsed w/o a rescue.

You can pick up a rabbit by the scruff ONLY if you immediately cradle him in your arms and hold him securely. Rabbits are prey animals and predators whohunt rabbits will bite them on the neck and pick them up by the scruff. so when you pick up a rabbit by the scruff he thinks he has been snatched by a bobcat or whatever. The rabbit will kick furiously in an effort to free himself. That is how they get hurt. So when you pick them up, you must hold them securely in your arms.

Rabbits are for the most part healthy, resilient animals. But because they are prey animals they are good at masking or hiding when they are sick or ill. I guess it is a survival skill. So a healthy rabbit may just drop dead and leave you wondering what happened.

One thing to watch in a rabbit is their stool. If they don't poop every day, that means that something has gone very wrong with their digestive system and they can die very quickly from septic shock.

I have learned a lot about rabbits from my duaghter and from one of our vets, who is an expert on pocket pets. If you lived in the "left" coast I'd recommend her to you.

I don't want to come across as fanatical on this issue, but i guess that I am. We have been given stewardship over our animal companions, so we owe them a duty to take good care of them.

Incidentally, I am convinced that rabbits have a sense of humor. We had a rabbit that loved to play games, including hide and seek games. He was a good rabbit who died far too young. I still miss that rapscally wabbit.

Our rabbits are indoor rabbits. They don't sweat, so their cooling system is their ears. That is why rabbits who live in hot climates have large ears, for cooling, while rabbits who live in colder climates have smaller ears.

tom, i am glad that you are seriously reading on this subject and that you are becoming more informed about rabbits (or any other companion animal). I'd expect no less from you.

Good luck.