bunny fever… am i crazy???

[FionaMay]

So my little Marjory passed away last week at nearly 9, who was actually my parent’s bun since about age 2. And something unexpected occurred… I now have bunny fever All this reminiscing about her and remembering when she lived with me and my roommates and also discussing with my mom about her hopefully finding the right kind of bunny again someday (they will have to be kind of picky in that process to appease my dad) and now I find myself perusing animal shelter websites in my area for bunnies! I’ve been doing this for about 3 days now…

I don’t know, I figured you lovely people on here could talk some sense into me either way. A part of me believes it’s just because I am super emotional about Marjory passing and also coming up with a gameplan for my mom to look for another bun in her neck of the woods. Also I currently have 2 dogs. They are large dogs and older so I just have very low hope that they would be able to coexist simultaneously. There’d have to be zero interaction between them.

So those are some of the “don’t do it” points. Then the other side of me thinks we not too long ago had THREE dogs as we were taking care of a friends’ dog while they served a mission trip overseas for 3 years. They have now returned and it’s back to just our 2 pups. I keep thinking how we still have that extra bedroom with just a treadmill and boxes in it and how it’d be perfect as a “private” room for a bun if I moved all that out… in fact that is where we kept my friend’s guinea pigs when she went to Europe for a month It was easy to keep the dogs separated. Plus I have long completed my degree so my stress level is down and my schedule is a little more normalized and time is a little more abundant than a few years ago.

But the last “con” I guess would be being able to divide my time effectively. I would love to litter train a bun so they could have the run of that room on the daily and work up to that. And perhaps down the road get a companion for the bun to have. There aren’t any rabbit rescues nearby, so the buns end up in animal control type facilities. But still… the dogs would probably end up getting more of my time as they’d be in front of my face 24/7.

I don’t know if I’m thinking rationally… please be honest what you all think. Should I let it go? Should I just focus on my dogs? Just help my mom for now? Or should I seriously consider opening my home to a bun… Either way, I’m definitely not running out and doing it tomorrow or anything. I’m trying to really sit here and think it through first.

[Lyia]

Hi FionaMay,

Sorry to hear about Marjory It’s hard to overcome the loss of our little companions.

It’s good that you do not want to rush and you basically nailed all the pros and cons in your post.

Take time to consider what is the main reason why you would want a bunny: is it just because you miss Marjory or do you want to offer a chance to a homeless bunny and just have lots of love to offer? It’s probably a mix of both but time will help you decide.

From a practical standpoint, I would say it depends if your dogs bark a lot during the day – you would not want the new bunny to be stressed over the noise. The bunny would definitely need to be kept separately and may feel lonely during the day at first without a friend. I keep mine in the living room so there is always some action and they do not feel lonely even when I’m not playing with them.

[Sarita]

Why don’t you first help your mom find a new bun and that will give you a bit more time to see how you feel. Maybe knowing your Mom has a rabbit that is also “yours” might make you feel differently. I think what you are feeling is a part of the grieving process – I think your home would be a great one though for a rabbit if that is what you do decide eventually.

[Roberta]

Sarita is right… Help your Mum and you may find a bun of your own in the process… It may take weeks or you may fall in love instantly. Look at the shelters etc (I would avoid breeders) When the right bunny comes along Marjory will let you know who she has chosen for you… She’ll send a sign.

[LongEaredLions]

If you feel it is right to get another bunny, it sounds like you can offer a great home. I know there are lots of pros/cons, but really we can’t help you too much with this question as it is your decision to make. You know best what Marjory would want, and what you want. I agree with Sarita and Roberta. If your mom would like another bunny, go along. Maybe having a bun that is “yours” but lives with your mom may satisfy your need for bunny love. But maybe it won’t. At that point, if you want a bunny, I would see if you can find a special someone.
Wishing you the best in whatever you decide.

[FionaMay]

Oy, so there is one bunny in particular that I keep checking on everyday online, and he’s still there. It’s at an animal control facility about 45 minutes away. He’s kind of stolen my heart… I’m thinking of at least emailing the facility today and getting some info on him such as where he came from and whatnot. They may not know, but I thought I’d try.

I just don’t know… I know you’ve said it’s my decision to make, I just need help with one “con” in particular… and that is the inability to have cohabitation with my dogs. Marjory was our only pet in college, and was the only pet at my parents. So she was always the focus. Just like my dogs are always my focus. Has anyone here lived with animals that had to be separate? Did it work well, or did it spell bad news? Did you always feel guilty, or did it somehow work for you? I keep dreaming of this extra room for a bunny room as someone would pine for a nursery! LOL

[FionaMay]

Posted By FionaMay on 6/06/2014 10:33 AM

Oy, so there is one bunny in particular that I keep checking on everyday online, and he’s still there. It’s at an animal control facility about 45 minutes away. He’s kind of stolen my heart… I’m thinking of at least emailing the facility today and getting some info on him such as where he came from and whatnot. They may not know, but I thought I’d try.

I just don’t know… I know you’ve said it’s my decision to make, I just need help with one “con” in particular… and that is the inability to have cohabitation with my dogs. Marjory was our only pet in college, and was the only pet at my parents. So she was always the focus. Just like my dogs are always my focus. Has anyone here lived with animals that had to be separate? Did it work well, or did it spell bad news? Did you always feel guilty, or did it somehow work for you? I keep dreaming of this extra room for a bunny room as someone would pine for a nursery! LOL

Anyone?

[JackRabbit]

I have three rabbits and one dog. The dog would absolutely not do well with the rabbits. Our dog lives downstairs and buns are upstairs. We have a baby gate at the foot of the stairs and baby gates at the doors of both rooms the buns are in, in addition to the condo or xpen areas where the buns live. Sounds complicated but we’ve gotten used to it and everyone is much more safe!

[manic_muncher]

I have 2 dogs (had 3) and Bumpy. Just got another 2 bunnies, but lets not count those right now. My dogs pretty much ignore the rabbits altogether. Bumpy has been at minimum free-roam 18hrs a day. It’s all about the temperment of your dogs. Them being older I find as a plus, because older dogs generally are trained enough to listen and control.

If my dogs had a high-prey drive where I would not be able to control them, I would definitely keep them separate. Otherwise with proper introductions and acclimation, you could very well have your cake and eat it too!

You talk about the dogs being in your face and I totally understand that. What I can tell you about my experience is that every time my dogs are in my face, Bumpy is generally RIGHT there, trying to see what treats he’s missing out on. Your rabbit doesn’t need direct interaction as much as your dogs. Bumpy seems quite pleased with sitting 4 ft from us where he can see us. That’s him spending quality time with us. LOL

[JackRabbit]

Manic_muncher is right about the temperament and prey drive of the dog. Our dog is a black lab. She’s 12 but still chases after squirrels, birds, and I imagine rabbits (hubby deals with her and whatever she catches in the yard but does not tell me). She’s great with people but has never gotten along with other dogs or with cats. I know I can’t control a 70 pound dog following her instincts. If your dogs are friendly with other animals and not driven to catch everything that moves, you might see how it goes.

[Bam]

My dog has a high prey drive, but it’s a drive to chase, not to kill. I wouldn’t trust a husky or a dachshound with bunnies. My dog will chase outdoors bunnies (the wild bunnies i e) if she gets the chance, but she won’t chase the house-bunnies. Lots of dogs are like that with cats, they get along excellently with the house cat but will chase every other cat it sees outdoors. My dog can be a bit jeallous of the bunnies when my mother comes to visit, because she likes to have her grandmother to herself. Other than that the only problem is that my dog will eat my bunnies’ veggies. So I have to stand guard when it’s veggie-time and if I look away, the dog will steal every last piece of cabbage or lettuce =)

I live with my two bunnies separated because they hate each other (I know hatred is a human feeling, but for lack of a better word), but the dog gets along with both rabbits. I divide my at home-time between the bunnies. I have my computer in the bedroom where Yohio (yellow bunny) lives, so I do studying and Netflixing there, I’ve the tv and another computer in the living-room where Bam (black bunny) lives. Sometimes I do feel like I’m not enough for them, but I think that’s a personality-trait of my own, to always feel a bit ..insufficient or lacking or how to express it. Before i got my second lap top though, I felt Yohio got an unfairly small amount of my time, we almost only spent real time togeather sleeping. I don’t have a bunny room but if I did, I’d like to have the possibility of using it as a study or to watch tv there, because otherwise I’d not spend as much time as I’d like with my buns. They really like company. 

[Deleted User]

My Henry lives free roam 24/7 in our (sorry, HIS!) house with 3 dog’s. We built Henry a bunny house (why did we bother??? Lol!) and all’s it does is contain his food (hay only), water and toilet. He even eats his salad/veggies under the breakfast bar where the dog food used to be (had to move it cause Henry ate the dog food too!). So where bam’s dog eats the bunny’s food, my bunny eats the dog’s food! CRAZY! I agree with JR completely – if I thought for one second my dog/s would be unkind to Henry, no way would they be in contact. My situation with Henry and the dog’s is very much like manic’s – my dog’s don’t give Henry a second thought, walking away from him when all he want’s is some love! (poor Henry!).
Even though my dog’s are a small breed (to fit them all in our bed), since meeting bam on BB (ages ago), I never disregard larger dog breeds as being able to be bunny friendly. Like manic said – it’s the dog’s temperament, though I (personally) think an older dog is always a positive, as once my dog’s (youngest being 8 at the time Henry became a family member) sniffed him and realized he was a keeper don’t bother with him. Henry and the dog’s never get put to bed while we sleep, and it’s nothing for us to wake up with 3 dog’s and a bunny on the bed in the morning. I know my dog’s and have never ever worried about them hurting Henry (except his feelings) in anyway – otherwise they wouldn’t be free throughout the house.
I can’t comment on housing pets separately – except for a disabled lorikeet that was caged, but still very much in our face (location of cage), I couldn’t imagine what it would be like? When Henry was ‘spraying’ and I tried to shut him out of the bedroom (sick of washing my bedding daily), I felt so bad cause he kept trying to come in to be with us, that only lasted one night. SIGH! (we had him neutered within days – problem solved!) ha ha ha.
BUT in saying all that about me/us/Henry – a lot of BBer’s successfully have pets separated in the home and I can assure you if you are dedicated and committed like JR and bam (for example. They are awesome bunny/dog parents!), and this is something you really want, I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t work? My (meaning ME) only concern is do you have the time to dedicate to them separately? I do, but as much as I hate to admit this – I couldn’t be bothered, so much easier to love all my pets together at the one time (obviously I’m lazy, ha ha ha). That’s just me – only you really know YOU! Good luck with your decision – I can only imagine how hard it is……. Cheers FionaMay.

[MK]

We have a Border Collie, talk about prey drive! And she is actually very submissive around the bunnies. I would NEVER trust her alone where she could get them, but as they have to live in pens (big ones) all the time it is safe.

I recommend what I did with our dog, if you do get bunnies, put them in their pen or cage, and bring your dog(s) and make them lie down.
Gently but firmly push them on their side if they whine or bark. You can press on their muzzle and say “no” firmly.
In between censoring them, pet them and talk to them, while keeping them down.
You are trying to put them in a submissive state. It is safer for everyone if the bunnies are “dominant”

That said, I wouldn’t trust them around the bunnies alone, but of course they may respond really well and become friends, so whatever happens, that is something to try.

We mostly keep our dog and bunnies separate, but of course mine can’t free roam So I hope whatever you decide will work.  

[Beka27]

Even dogs with high prey drive can sometimes be trained to distinguish between outside “wild bunnies” and inside “family members”. It takes time and patience, and the bigger risk seems to be the fear the rabbit experiences. You don’t want them to live in a constant state of fear.

[Author]

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