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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum THE LOUNGE I’m torturing my animals…

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    • RetroSquid
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        I know That sounds dramatic, but it really does feel like I’m, one by one, torturing my animals…

        Link, our bun with eye problems… He’s on a few different meds at the moment… Regular Metacam, 2ml of Baytril in the morning and eye drops… And we all know how buns feel about Baytril…
        I’ve been the one giving him the meds, while my wife is either out of the flat, or just out of the room so he doesn’t associate her with them in any way. And he’s still fine with her. He’ll sit with her, get strokes and chatter quite content… But as soon as I come into the room, he’s off, into his cage or under a chair where he thinks I either can’t see him, or won’t get him… It’s utterly heartbreaking.

        He’s actually taken to actively trying to bite me when I go near him now…
        And this course of medication has another two or three weeks, then back to the vets, but it’s likely, there’s just going to be more medication after that…

        Navi, was Link’s companion, but after a trip to the vets last year, he’ll no longer abide her company, he just bites…

        We started to trust him a little more with her. She knew not to put her nose by him and is generally quicker than link, so, if he went to nip her nose, she was able to get out of the way…
        The nipping subsided somewhat and he seemed almost happy to be in her room, in her company…

        But, one day, we noticed Navi had a tuft of fur sticking out on her neck… upon closer inspection, it’s actually a bit of skin that’s been pulled right back… only the top layers, the skin underneath wasn’t bloody or anything, just tender, exposed ‘new’ skin, so, we’ve been treating that with a gentle antibacterial healing cream that we’ve already been told by a specialist is safe for buns.

        It’s now all tried and the bit of loose skin looks like it’s ready to drop off, and Navi doesn’t seem to be behaving like she’s uncomfortable. She’s mostly in high spirits… UNTIL I come into the room… As I’ve been the one holding her while we put the cream on…

        So now, we have two rabbits who actively avoid me constantly. Both are scared, one also very angry and I utterly hate it…

        Daisy, our newest addition, she’s a beautiful soft natured, friendly bun who loves being petter and is very fond of her fresh greens, but, seems to hate Navi, so, that’s three buns, segregated into three different rooms for their own good…
        Every evening is like a military manoeuvre making sure we spend time with everyone and that they get their meds, greens and treats.

        And then, at the end of the day, I can’t even go and sit in the bedroom with Link or in the bun room with Navi to spend any time with them because they genuinely hate me right now.

        Gah, buns are just such complicated little animals. In all my years of having animals, we’ve had more problems, been to see more vets and specialists and generally been on our toes more since getting rabbits than I ever have growing up with a mother obsessed with animals, and then having any and every pet conceivable through my teens.
        I love our buns, just as I love the cats and ferrets, but my lord, they’re a pain in the ass…


      • LittlePuffyTail
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          I can certainly relate. Everyone knows I love my buns with all my heart but, yes, bunnies can be a real pain in the butt!

          I have two that I can’t bond. Olivia is way too aggressive and hates other rabbits. My life would be way easier if I could just bond them and have them free roam, but she has to be too difficult, the little bugger.

          And it can get difficult to have such a sensitive pet. In the last couple of years, I’ve dealt with abscesses, chronic ear infections, blocked tear ducts, E. Cunniculi with head tilt, GI stasis and sinusitis JUST with Bindi!!!!! Not to mention his twice a year dental trims. It’s really quite insane how often he goes to the vet. Sometimes my vet takes pity on us and doesn’t even charge us because we are there so often.

          I have 2 cats and a horse and I spend WAY more on vet bills for Bindi than all my other animals combined. And I have a diabetic horse and a hyperthyroid cat!

          And, yup, they certainly make you feel just horrible when you have to treat them for an illness. I feel so terrible giving Baytril. Even when they flavour it, it smells like rubbing alcohol.

          So to sum it up, they are ridiculously cute, expensive pains in the butt that you can’t help but love with all your heart.


        • Deleted User
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            Be grateful your bun’s have a reason to dislike you! Ha ha ha ha….. I gave Henry a flea/mite treatment over 4 weeks ago now, and the little bugga still won’t let me approach him! But my hubby walks straight up to him and can even give him a ‘rough’ ruffle pat and Henry sits still for him!
            “I” got rid of his fleas!
            I’m also the idiot, when the veg shop has no Kale left the day we shop and I go back the next day to get it for HIM! I’m so over this bunny! But as LPT said – I adore him in a way I can’t explain to anyone? Gosh I hate that! LOL! Loving something you normally wouldn’t like????? HA HA HA HA……


          • BunnyLady1989
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              Lol we sure do endure so much for these little furry butts!


            • RetroSquid
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                Yet another day of moving animals around to make sure they all get the time out and about that they need.
                Navi is temporarily caged so we can let Daisy have a run of the bun room… Daisy’s usual pen is about 2.5-3m, but she gets a good few hours in Navi’s room. Then, while she’s in there, the ferrets get out… All while medicating Link and cleaning Navi’s wound…

                *sigh* Another end to another day and my animals likely hate me a little more… Well, Link and Navi do, anyway…

                As you said, LittlePuffyTail, they definitely do make you feel like crap for the medicating…
                Link’s condition isn’t really going to get better, we’re just reducing any inflammation and the likes and making him as comfortable as possible until the likely even that his eye is to be removed… And, hopefully, after he’s started to recover from all that, I can finally stay building a bond with him again…
                It’s such a shame, because thinking about it, I’m pretty sure Link is just about to have his first birthday… He’s had a pretty rough first year… I don’t blame him for hating me… :/

                Ha, AndHenry. Link is like that with the wife. He’ll sit with her on the bed for ages, quite happy. But I come in and he runs and hides under his chair… (His chair has towels hanging over it so he can go under and feel like he’s truly hiding ^_^ )


              • LittlePuffyTail
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                  Awww…I’m sure they don’t hate you….


                • Katscarpena
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                    They ARE complicated little animals! We have to move the boys around a bit too in order to make sure they both get some free time. Licorice still has free run of the house. He’s not a destruct-o bun. Chipper is terrible! He digs and chews at everything he thinks he can sample without me snapping my fingers.

                    I say “hey you, no” firmly and snap my fingers – they both literally stand at attention. lol Then run off. It’s funny because they have the exact same response – and seem to know whether or not it’s directed at them!

                    Licorice is happy-go-lucky, until he sees the brush – he bolts!

                    Chipper – spends a lot of his free time thumping or running under the couch unless my 7 years old is there. Then he stay with him.

                    *sigh*


                  • JackRabbit
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                      I could be making a really bad assumption here but, you don’t have any children do you? Similar to our bunnies, we torture our children by giving them meds, haircuts (grooming), taking them to the doctor, limiting treats, taking harmful things away from them (no matter had bad they want them), etc., and they both cost a small fortune, make unbelievable messes, go through the teenage thing, and can be a real pain in the rear end! Being honest, I’ve had the same fleeting “what was I thinking?” thought about both the bunnies and my son at times!. I don’t remember my son ever biting me, but he did try to run and hide at medicine time, kick and squirm about meds, had to be bribed during haircuts (oreo cookies), etc. Remember that the “torture” is really love and when it comes down to it they remember who has taken care of them! My son is 19 now and is the one that brought our first bunny (Kieko) into our lives. I wouldn’t trade a minute with any of my 4 “children” (3 with fur and 1 without — well, son has a beard now so I guess all 4 are furry!). I say this as Moshi is upstairs trying to dig his way to China via his litter box, Marlee is thumping (most likely because the litter that Moshi is flinging out of the litter box is landing on her), and I’m getting ready to go torture Kieko with antibiotic eye drops. . .


                    • Deleted User
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                        You said it JR! LOL!
                        PS – my youngest son tries to be a furry too, but can’t do/get the beard right?!?! He does a great Mo*vember though! (thankfully that only happens once a year! it’s not a good look on him?) ha ha ha ha….. And he bought me my Henry too (for Mother’s Day). So cool!

                        *Growing a MO for men’s charity/research in November in Australia.

                        Hang in there Retro Squid, I am. I know Henry LOVES me too – you and I just have to be patient, our bun’s will ‘show’ us the love when they ‘get over it’.

                         
                         


                      • Diamond
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                          I feel you. Especially now that it’s spring, and Bunny Brushing Season is upon us.

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                      Forum THE LOUNGE I’m torturing my animals…