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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum THE LOUNGE I’ve corrupted him into bun ownership!

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    • Lis
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         I was talking to my boyfriend last night over the phone. We’re just chatting along, and he suddenly goes, “Baby, how would I rabbit proof my room? How would I protect my computer?” 

        He found someone who had an “opps” and is desperately trying to find someone to take baby Flemmie mixes, and both he and his roommate love the idea of adding a Flemmie to the zoo that is their apartment already (his roommate has a cat and a beagle, neither of which are allowed in his room). He’s decided he’s not even going to bother with a cage, because of the size, but litter train right off the bat. His roommate still doesn’t quite believe how big the bun will be. I gave him my rough estimate of how big the bun will get, and he went “Holy! That’s bigger than Pandora! (his cat) You’re kidding, right? That’s awesome.”

        I had a discussion with him on rabbit care, so now he knows what he’s getting into. I still have to talk to him about proper litter types, but I figure that won’t be too big of a deal. 

        So, now I’m planning out a way to get him a bale of hay from my stash so I know the bun is getting quality hay. I’ll probably also make him a NIC cage soon too, but I’m worried that any cage that’ll hold a Flemmie mix wouldn’t fit in his room and still leave roaming space. 


      • RabbitPam
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          I’m sorry to be a wet blanket, but Beagles are hunting dogs, and they are bred instinctively to catch small animals – like rabbits.

          They cannot be left alone with a bunny, and it may cause a bunny to be very afraid, since they want to do the right thing, which is hunt and bring back the catch to their owners. They will bark a lot, too. My brother had beagles, so it’s not just hearsay.

          I would seriously reconsider unless the beagle is not permanent and a different living arrangement can be made. If the housing with the roommate is temporary (college, maybe?) then it’s great that your BF is considering a bunny companion. Maybe research the info. now, then get one later on. If you two become roommates, and lose the other person and the dog, it’s a perfect set up.


        • Lis
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            It is temporary; they’re both in college. And Odie inhabits the roommate’s room and main room – the rabbit will be in my boyfriend’s room only, and I’ll be making sure they’re kept separate once I move nearby in fall.


          • Barbie
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              Wooo new baby bunnies! (But boo irresponsibility!) I have to agree with Pam though… the thought of a beagle – bunny household scares me a bit. Beagles are very prey driven, and even if your bf is good about shutting the door and keeping the dog out, the bog will still be able to smell the bunny, and that will make both the dog and bunny crazy.  So even if the dog doesn’t have physical access to the bunny, its barking/howling could scare the bun, especially a baby bun who might be very timid and frightened – new place, new smells, no momma…

              I know in the long run the bunny won’t be with the dog, which is good, but actually, if the dog was your bf’s dog, I might feel better about it. At least if the dog was your bf’s dog, then he would be the one with full control over where the dog went and what it did and what kind of training the dog receives. I don’t know if your bf and his roommate are on good enough terms for your bf to discipline/reprimand the dog… Also, if they’re in college, how often do they have parties there? Some stranger (or even a drunk friend who, when sober would know better) could inadvertently open your bf’s bedroom door and the dog could slip in or bunny could slip out. I’m sorry, I just see a lot of bad situations arising from this.

              I hate to sound so discouraging, especially since I know how exciting it is for us when friends or significant others jump on the bunny band wagon and we’re there to guide them through proper bunny care. I just wanted to give you something to think about. Also, vet bills are expensive, and the spay/neuter is a huge, necessary cost, so maybe ask him to consider adopting from a shelter? That will give him time to think everything through, talk to his roommate about the dog, make plans for the bunny, and go into this with both eyes open and armed with a plan, rather than feeling rushed just to take one of the babies (I’m sure they’re ADORABLE though! )

              It’s possible that it could work. Dog-bunny households are possible with a lot of obedience training for the dog and desensitization for the bunnies, but a lot of the success/failure depends on the specific dog’s temperament and how much work you put into training the dog to calm down and be gentle..


            • Beka27
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                I’m also thinking that this isn’t a great idea. Flemish rabbits get big, and having only ONE room to exercise in is not going to cut it, in my opinion. If there wasn’t a dog, the whole main living area could be bunny-proofed and I’d say to go for it… but not in this situation. Even for smaller buns, I believe they need bigger spaces than just one room.

                You, on the other hand… if you have a whole bun-proofed house, it’s possibly you could swing it… lol.


              • Barbie
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                  Beka, I thought of that too. And that might be a good option… he pays the bun’s bills and comes to visit and you keep the bun at your place. However, what happens if your bunny bonds wih your bf’s bunny and you and your bf break up (not saying it will happen, just saying that it’s a possibility)? So do you keep both buns and pay all the extra bills that you may or may not be able to handle? It’s not like you can get “bun support” Or what if your bf just decides he doesn’t care about the bunny and just stops paying the bills and stops taking care of the bunny, leaving everything to you because he knows you won’t neglect the bun? I’m not accusing him or anything, just pointing out the possibilities…


                • Minty
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                    Although I agree with a lot of what people are saying, I have to say that I own a ‘hunting’ breed and even though it could be considered an ingrained trait, I have never seen a dog farther from a hunter, lol. I used to have a lovebird and her wings were clipped and she was allowed out of her cage when I was around and my dog was always there too. If she ever fell to the floor and ran around, he was more afraid of her than anything. Of course, I was always there and I never left the two unsupervised. He is also afraid of my rabbits lol. Actually, he is fine with Sully because Sully is calmer, but he gets freaked out when Frankie runs around and binkies and always wines to leave the room if the door is closed. All of this from a 95lb Weimaraner. This being said, he is MY dog, so I have control over his training and supervision (like Barbie said) and if it were my roommates dog I don’t think I could trust him as much. He is never left unattended with the bunnies. I agree that a rabbit knows when a ‘predator’ like a dog has bad intentions. My bunnies are fine when my dog is in the room, but once my dad’s lab (a crazy and untrained dog) was in the house, and they freaked out! (they were caged for that time)

                    Anyways, think it through before deciding for sure you want this bunny. It is a lot of responsibility for your boyfriend’s roommate that he might not be realizing.


                  • Lis
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                      First of all, Odie (the beagle) doesn’t chase wild buns or squirrels outside. He shows no predator instincts. He totally ignores the cat.
                      Secondly, my bf and his roommate aren’t big drinkers, and neither are any of their friends. I know them all, since I went to the school they attend for a year. So the likelyhood of a drunk friend letting Odie in with the bun are slim.
                      Third, yes, my bf is allowed to discipline/train Odie. As am I, when I visit. My bf was actually actively involved in the process of obtaining Odie, because his roommate knew he’s wary of dogs and wanted to make sure he’s comfortable with the chosen dog (my bf was attacked by a Doberman as a kid).

                      My bf reserved this baby bun today. He’s really excited because, I quote, “This is my first real pet”. The only pet he had in his house growing up was his brother’s hamster. He already has a name all picked out – Benjamin.
                      We agreed that if things don’t work out with Odie in the house, I will take him into my apartment in the fall, as my roommate also grew up with buns, so she doesn’t mind if he has full roam of the place.
                      And I might add that he’s been ring shopping. I don’t think we’ll be breaking up anytime soon. And if we do, I wouldn’t mind bearing the financial burden of an extra rabbit.

                      He’s already in the process of bunny-proofing, using my input and the stuff off this site that I sent him.


                    • Elrohwen
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                        Not all beagles have a high prey drive. Terriers make me very nervous, as they often seem to have the highest prey drives, but I’ve known many beagles who are totally fine with house pets. Generally they’re used more for tracking, and less for attacking bunnies, so they seem more interested in the smell than anything. I think it could definitely work. It’s the terriers that seem bent on eating little animals (though not all – 3 of the 4 schnauzers we owned had little prey drive and two were scared of the gerbils in their plastic exercise balls).

                        Do you know how Odie is with the cat in the house? That’s often a good indication. Most dogs who will chase and bother cats will do the same to rabbits. If he’s scared of the cat, or friendly with it, he’ll probably have a similar attitude towards the bun. (eta: I just saw you said he ignores the cat, which is great)

                        I’m so excited to see pics of his new baby! Multi-pet households can certainly work out with the right care and training. I plan to get a hunting dog some day (a brittany, which is bred to point and seek game, not kill) so I obviously believe that not every hunting dog is a no-go with rabbits.

                        eta: When I was looking to get a big bunny as a companion to Otto, I was worried about the size of the living area I could provide. The rescue assured me that most big bunnies are less active than little ones, so they don’t need as much space as one would think, which makes sense. Just because they weigh 10 times more than a dwarf, doesn’t mean they necessarily need 10 times as much space. I think having a whole bedroom would be fine for a flemmie, personally. 


                      • Monkeybun
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                          Grats ont he baby bun, and on the shopping!


                        • 4Lily
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                            I laugh about beagles are hunting dogs! LOL! the reason hunters use beagles is because they don’t chase the pray, instead they put their noses to the ground & sniff, they shut their eyes and ears off! The bunny could be hopping all around them & the beagle would just fallow the scent! LOL! Pretty funny to see! Should watch the Fox & the Hound Disney movie!


                          • 4Lily
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                              even though though the dog’s a diferent breed, same type of hunter!


                            • Lunar~Atticus
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                                i would have to agree with the prey drive in the dog. it is known to the breed but some dogs, if it isnt incouraged wont act on it. this is big for me cause i have a huskey cross who is mostly huskey and it is said with them they cant live with cats or rabbits if not introduced at a young age cause yes huskies are known for their prey drive and i had adopted my dog at a year old (4 years ago) and after 6 months got a cat and he was great with the cat….and this year i got the buns and he is awsome with the buns. he doesnt pay attention to them at all. i swear he doesnt even know they are here…unless he is looking for their little poops to eat. he loves to eat bunny droppings…the regular ones. anyone else dog do this?!


                              • Lis
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                                  Yeah, Starsky (my collie) eats them. And Odie eats Pandora’s poop out of the litterbox, I imagine he’ll do the same with Benjamin if given access.


                                • jerseygirl
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                                    And Odie eats Pandora’s poop out of the litterbox

                                    The cat’s poop? Eewww!

                                    It sounds like you/bf/bf’s roomie are getting well prepared & it’s good you have some back up options if the rabbit can’t stay there. I’m of the mind that it would be beneficial to socialise Odie and the rabbit. If they ever were accidentally together then at least they’d met and some excitement/fear has dissipated. Here’s an old thread a member posted when she had just the one rabbit and socialised it with her Beagle (also an Odie!). Unfortunately, not all the images are there. https://www.binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/a…fault.aspx

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                                Forum THE LOUNGE I’ve corrupted him into bun ownership!