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Forum THE LOUNGE Well I’m in for a fight with a co-worker…

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    • MarkBun
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        I have one of those co-workers that just doesn’t quite get it when it comes to having a rabbit.  Her first rabbit she adopted from the House Rabbit Society however she would let the rabbit outside to play and eventually it ‘ran away’.  She still sees it around the area and feels that it is much more happy being outside and free since it isn’t coming back to her.  I tried to explain things but now catching the rabbit is all but impossible. 

        Well this holiday season her and her family got two new baby bunnies from a feed supply store.  She went this route because when the HRS found out what happened with her first rabbit, they gave her the riot act and now she doesn’t want to deal with anyone who requires ‘all those rules’ in order to adopt it.  She says that they are two 6 month old baby girl rabbits but that just doesn’t sound right to me.  I told her that she should get them to a vet ASAP to be checked out and sexed since there have been too many cases of two girl rabbits turning out to be one boy and one girl.  She seemed surprised by this but said she would.

        She is also not sure what to feed them as her family is allergic to timothy hay.  I suggested getting some alfalfa for the buns as I think that they are actually under 4 months of age from what it sounded like.  And also to check in on some orchard grass when they get older to see if that is less allergetic.  I also have renewed my ‘strong suggestion’ that they should not be let outside of the house as their time for survivial is very short in such cases.

        She says she’ll come to me with any questions but I still feel I’ll be in for a bit of a fight.  It’s hard as I know that she wants to do right but I feel that she just doesn’t see rabbits on the same level as cats and dogs.


      • Elrohwen
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          Ugh, that is so hard. I have such a difficult time with people who don’t seem to care about the level of care their animals get. It’s one thing to not know, but it’s another to just not care and to ignore things that others tell you. Blech. I find it so hard not to get into fights with these kinds of people (and trust me, they are out there for dogs and cats as well as buns).


        • katie, max & penny
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            have you showed her the bunny 10 commandments that monkeybun posted? that might be a less confrontational way to give her tips.


          • Sarita
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              I doubt anyway the HRS would adopt to her again.

              It would be nice if she would actually listen to what you say because what is the point in asking if she isn’t. It would be nice if she would but she sounds as if she has her might make up about what is right and what is not. Well, I wish you luck with this because she could learn alot from you.


            • MarkBun
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                My problem is that I could easily be looked upon as a rabbit fanatic – and she could see it as me over-reacting. Sort of the way I look at dog owners who only give bottled water to their dogs. I understand it, but it is one of those ‘excess’ things.


              • TARM
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                  Ugh, I hate situations like this. I don’t know any rabbit owners who aren’t associated with the rescue so I haven’t encountered this with bunnies but I deal with it all the time with dogs. I’m much more well known as a dog person and I get asked TONS of questions and when I explain my they question my explanation, and then when I site a source of information they throw up their hands and say “normal” people don’t do things this way or that way…only nutty people do.

                  *sigh* I feel your pain.


                • MimzMum
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                    I’m glad that you will be the voice for the voiceless. I can’t think of anyone who’d be a better “spokesbun” in a sitch like this. And *ahem* what exactly is wrong with looking like a bunny fanatic? lol…
                    Isn’t it odd how the ‘good’ people wind up being the ones who worry about how they will appear to others when they try to do right? Ignorant, uncaring or hurtful people don’t care what anyone else’s opinion is, they just do their thing, regardless.
                    And no…I don’t feed my dog bottled water…much. *whistles*


                  • Monkeybun
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                      *bangs head on desk*

                      Ugh, i hate it when people are like that… poor buns. I don’t see them living long, or end up havign a pile more “magically appear”. *sigh*


                    • Cassi&Charlie
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                        I recently got into a fight with a friend who let their rabbit roam aorund the back yard unsupervised, until one day it was taken by a hawke. He doesn’t see anything wrong with that! His argument was that the rabbit was happy wandering around the yard, until it died a horrible, preventable death. Now he wants to get a rabbit for his 3 year old son. I’m trying so hard to convince him otherwise but he just doens’t seem to care about the well-being of any animal in his care. It makes me so angry and upset when people are like this.


                      • LucyTwoBunz
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                          Get her to check this site out…I thought I was a bunny fanatic until I got more educated thru this arena & now I’m binkying with them, teaching them tricks & am now working on body language.  WAY too fun!  Good luck…sounds like you are going to need it.


                        • jerseygirl
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                            so tricky…..may I suggest you just vent here on the boards what you really want to say to her and try be diplomatic toward her face to face? Seems to me you are actually in a position to make more of a difference to these bunnies while things are amicable. Her avoidance of HRS sort of shows how she deals with conflicts or been “reprimanded”. If she knows your a “bunny person” and that you’ve learnt lots over the years, I would think she more likely to approach you for guidance. Hopefully, then she’ll come to see rabbits as we do.

                            Of course that means you’re likely going to bang your head against the wall on some things but you may be able to make a difference on others. I don’t envy your position!


                          • MissPinUp
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                              I didn’t realize how hardcore bunny rescues were until I applied and they wagged their finger at me for my kitty being a month overdue for her shots. They put me in my place for sure. My cat got shots and I got a bun People who think the way she seems to are definitely frustrating. They’re the people who lift up the plastic igloo’s at pet stores and such (which makes me cringe by the way).

                              Maybe try telling her something like “I know some may see me as a fanatic, and that may be true, but I do it because I love my bun” Does she have kids? Try comparing it to her kids. When my cat was a kitten, she chewed non-stop. Anything and everything. Especially cords, which is dangerous. We did the very best we could, but she got ahold of my brother’s Turtle Bay Xbox headset….three times. These headsets are $70 each. It was partially his fault for leaving them out, but being a 16 year old kid he flipped. My dad did as well, saying how we were going to get rid of her yadda yadda. I said point blank to my dad “You don’t get rid of a child because he takes too long to potty train. You don’t get rid of a child because he sucks his thumb for 10 years. You don’t get rid of a child who can’t remember to do his homework. You work through it.” The comparison to children stuck with my dad, and he used it in reference to my bunny, pre-spay.

                              Try proving to her how smart buns are, how they know times, voices, commands, etc. I’m sure you’ll find the right words to say and actions to take. She’s lucky to have someone who knows what they’re doing available!


                            • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                ZOMG Markus I’m so sorry-it’s hard enough hearing of ill treatment but it to be in your own yard is another thing.

                                rabbits dogs and cats and well ANY OTHER animal do not RUN AWAY . I frankly shiver at taht-garbage. Did they pack their things and leave a note? Nope cuz they just ‘got out’ *cries* period-animals do not run away. You can beat a dog. He wil still love you. He will not run away  

                                I feel for that loose rabbit.

                                Mark-I’m not going to offer you advice as you seem to be amazing with these situations. My thoughts and prayers are with you.


                              • babybunsmum
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                                  Posted By MarkBun on 01/04/2010 02:19 PM
                                  My problem is that I could easily be looked upon as a rabbit fanatic – and she could see it as me over-reacting. Sort of the way I look at dog owners who only give bottled water to their dogs. I understand it, but it is one of those ‘excess’ things.

                                   

                                  i know exactly what you mean and its a frustrating situation.  do you know if she has a good rabbit vet?  maybe the best piece of advice to give her is a list of a couple great vets.  you could tell her “no need to be a rabbit fanatic like me (wink wink), just follow the advice of a good vet and your bunnies will stay healthy and happy.”  let the vet reinforce what you have already told her about rabbit care. 

                                  it really p’s me off when people who don’t even like animals get pets.  why bother?  i find the responsibility to be a lot some days and i love love love my furries.  anyways… good luck mark.  i know you’ll be great!


                                • MarkBun
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                                    Posted By Kokaneeandkahlua on 01/05/2010 03:26 AM

                                    ZOMG Markus I’m so sorry-it’s hard enough hearing of ill treatment but it to be in your own yard is another thing.

                                    rabbits dogs and cats and well ANY OTHER animal do not RUN AWAY . I frankly shiver at taht-garbage. Did they pack their things and leave a note? Nope cuz they just ‘got out’ *cries* period-animals do not run away. You can beat a dog. He wil still love you. He will not run away  

                                    I feel for that loose rabbit.

                                    Mark-I’m not going to offer you advice as you seem to be amazing with these situations. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

                                     

                                    I never looked at it like that.  My thought is that the rabbit wasn’t mistreated, it just found more enjoyment being free than being with the people.  She did mention that it was a ‘slow progression’ where it would just stay out longer and longer and then one day it just didn’t come back in.  My guess is that it found a bunny buddie.  

                                    I don’t think that she’s one to put a lot of time and effort into a pet – that is why I think she thinks rabbits are a much better choice over say a dog.  So directing her to this site would be rather fruitless.  I have explained that rabbits are at least as much trouble as a cat.  She did heed something I said months ago and got two so they could have someone to keep them company when she is at work and the kids are at school.  My hope is that she will see the uniqueness of a rabbit and like a light switch that has hit many of us, she’ll suddenly realize there is more to a rabbit’s personality than the wiggling nose.

                                    I’m going to show her some of the rabbit jumping competitions to show her just how well trained they can be.  I’ll just tell her it is my rabbit doing the jumping so I can be a ‘proud rabbit nut’ instead of the ‘recriminating rabbit nut’.


                                  • Elrohwen
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                                      At least she got two, but now she’ll probably have fighting issues when those little girls grow up 🙁 And she probably won’t see the sense in spaying. Poor little bunnies.


                                    • MarkBun
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                                        Nope, already have her talked into going to the vet within the next week to have them resexed and then she knows they need to get spayed.I’ve warned her about the perils of teenage buns.


                                      • Sarita
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                                          I’m glad she is taking your advice on that – maybe it won’t be hopeless.


                                        • ScooterandAnnette
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                                            Just had to chime in and say that bunnies are WAY more work than cats! Probably at least 3 times the work. You can go away for a long weekend and leave a cat (or cats) with a big bowl of food and some water and they’ll be just fine and you don’t even need to worry for a moment about them. Sure the litter will be a headache to clean when you get back but it’s not THAT bad, doesn’t take too long to deal with. When a cat is feeling a little ill you can generally tell pretty quickly. A bunny NEEDS someone to look in on it for a long weekend, needs resupplying with food and water, and a bunny cage that hasn’t been cleaned for 4 days is a total mess! But even just the every day stuff with cats is way less work than with a bunny. Cats are just extremely independent. I love our bunnies but low-maintence is just not a term that anyone should ever use regarding a bunny!
                                            – Annette


                                          • Elrohwen
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                                              Yay for spaying! I’m surprised that you were able to win her over on that one. Good job!


                                            • bunnytowne
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                                                Hey we can recommenda sock bunny


                                              • Monkeybun
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                                                  Hehehe sock bunnies win!

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                                              Forum THE LOUNGE Well I’m in for a fight with a co-worker…