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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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 Changed by a Bunny

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    • BunnyHugger
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        Seven weeks ago today, I rescued a terrified, starving, dehydrated Lionhead from a busy road. We’ve had quite a struggle. I wasn’t ready or set up to have a bunny in my home or in my life. In fact, I’d been thinking for some time about getting a dog again. I’ve always been a dog person. My family has always had them. I’ve trained dogs for myself and others, shown them, rescued and rehabbed for decades.

        As traumatized animals are, Borys is mistrustful. Being a bunny, he’s suspicious and quick to take offense. I’ve made mistakes with him, not understanding exactly what he was trying to say. As he’s still unneutered, his territorial sense is fierce. There’s been a lot of struggle with cleaning up his markers. I have to be extremely mindful about how and when I clean his litter boxes, and in making sure I move them back to precisely the same spots.

        Though his lunging at me has lessened from 20X a day to maybe once, it’s still present and unexpected. Allowing himself to be petted has increased from once a day to several, depending upon how long I’m willing to play tag. His pissiness factor when I put him in his crate, is off the scale. Today he was so mad, he stayed in the crate with his back turned for a good 10 minutes after I opened the door again. He then ignored my offers of treats.

        Today I saw a lovely, familiar Spaniel tied outside the community centre. She and I have met many times, and I always take time to sit and talk to her, rub her ears and tummy. Her owner takes her “everywhere,” and leaves her tied for short periods of time outside the library, the store, etc. Always in the shade. She whimpers and jumps up and down when she sees me. She has been my dog fix many times.

        Today, as usual, I sat on the bench. She jumped up, and I began stroking her ears. Something strange happened. The eagerness to be with me after a long separation, bothered me. The absence of dignity in the way she asked for affection, was offputting. Her doggy smell was suddenly, just too much. I thought, “You’re not at all like a bunny. You’re…overly familiar.” I began to worry that the dog smell would upset Borys. I went home.

        Sure enough, Borys had spent his time in his crate chewing another portal in his semi-detached, 2 bedroom condo. When I walked in, he had his neck twisted so he was actually chewing upside down (can’t miss a spot near the roof!). I burst out laughing and got his evening veggies from the fridge. I was so happy to be with my crazy bunny, I didn’t care that he ignored me for a while. It was a pleasure just watching him enjoy the food, and listening to him munch.

        Is this a phase, or have I been a closeted Bunny Person all along?


      • RabbitPam
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          LOL You have discovered the joys of being a bunny slave.
          I think the dog friend also probably smelled your bunny on you, which made him more eager to be all over you as well.

          It sounds like you are making fast and excellent progress with Borys, even if it feels slow. He definitely trusts you now, and is just working out his preferences of where he wants to be and when. I would urge you to get the neuter done quickly, for the hormonal relief it will bring to you both.
          It’s fun, and I don’t know why, to watch a bunny eat and play and work on their habitats. It just is.
          So, consider the closet door open. You’ve moved on from dogs to bunnies!


        • JackRabbit
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            Bunnies are amazing creatures. I’ve wondered if the saying that you appreciate things more if you’ve had to work for and earn them also applies to our pets. Dogs are wonderful, but they easily give their trust and love. We bunny slaves work hard to earn the affection of our bunnies and, as you’ve now discovered, come to appreciate and live for them to trust us enough to just let us watch them, and hope for the occasional snuggle! Once you’re hooked, there’s no turning back!


          • BunnyHugger
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              Thanks, RP. I will take your words to heart. I know that rehabbing and training can be like watching paint dry, so Borys’ progress is remarkable. He spent the first few days huddling in the back of his crate, shaking and drinking water. It’s clear he was thrown around, probably dropped. Certainly neglected. He didn’t even seem to know what hay was, at first.

              I’ve rescued animals all my life, but they’ve usually found homes with someone else. I also rehab wildlife, so of course handle the animals only when completely necessary, then release or hand over to a sanctuary.

              But I knew I was keeping Borys the first time I looked into those bright, insolent eyes at roadside. He came over, did a few binkies around me, and that was that. Owned by a bunny.


            • JPetrucci84
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                BunnyHugger I know exactly how you feel!!

                A few years ago I rescued this tiny Satin and I had the same struggles that you did. The only differences were that Cinder is a girl who just so happened to be eating for seven when I rescued her, unbeknownst to me. So I never really understood why she was so aggressive with me at times, then run circles around me later. I would do simple things like clean up little messes and she would try to lunge at me! Over the years we really bonded and now I can’t imagine my life without her. It’s been a wild ride, but I’m glad I stuck with it.


              • BunnyHugger
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                  OMG JP, the pregnant animals are the most difficult. How did you find homes for them all? I find that part overwhelming with babies.


                • ScampersMom
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                    My experience with dogs sounds very similar to yours. When my Brittany, Brandon, died two years ago I thought the world was going to end if I didn’t get another dog. We already had our first bun, Eddie. On days when my depression was so bad I just couldn’t get myself to do anything Brandon used to curl up next to me and just be. I loved that. Without him I felt so lost. Well, Eddie started getting more active and doing the craziest stuff. I found myself laughing and it felt so good. We now have three rabbits and still have not gotten a dog.

                    I have come to realize that dogs as predators can afford to trust. Rabbits, being prey, can not. So, when that trust has been given, it is even more precious. my dogs brought me comfort but my rabbits bring me joy.


                  • Little Lion Head
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                      I’m so happy that Borys found you BunnyHugger!


                    • BunnyHugger
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                        SM, I guess that’s why my favorite breed of dog is Doberman. You have to earn their trust and they continually test you, even when you’ve had them since puppyhood. I dissuade people from getting Dobes, as they can be as challenging as a bunny in this way. And destructive. Since they’re bred to be a protection dog, they literally become part of you. They watch you shower, they watch you have sex, they place themselves between you and other people. Like a bunny, they often destroy things when you leave them alone. Except with Dobes, it’s couches and doors, not cardboard. Most people aren’t prepared for this degree of attachment. I’d certainly think twice about having one again, because it makes it very hard to go anywhere without them.

                        Yes, a bunny’s trust is very precious. I love getting that trust from horses and ponies, too. They’re hyperalert prey animals, so it’s hard to gain their trust. Many people think they have a great relationship with their horse because they can ride them, but you find out how close you really are by how they behave when you walk out to the pasture, where they have the option of avoiding you all day, if they like! They do the “pissy and wounded” back turn like a bunny, too. With a quivering lower lip.


                      • JPetrucci84
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                          Unfortunately Rainbow Bridge came to take them all away. I wasn’t sure if Cinder was feeding them, but they still felt cold. By the time I tried to keep them warm and feed them KMR, they were already on their way. Damned if I didn’t try to keep them warm and syringe feed them, though.


                        • BunnyHugger
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                            JP, that’s so tough. If she was a rescue, it was probably already determined they wouldn’t make it. Malnourished, frightened, not able to produce milk…it’s common for traumatized animals to lose their babies, especially prey animals. Rescued bunnies and equines are notorious for losing their babies.

                            You don’t know what kind of physical abuse she went through, either. It’s possible the babies were damaged badly in utero. I’m sorry. It’s hard to see them go.


                          • Diamond
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                              My uncle described getting a doberman puppy as “three years of hell, but after that you have the best dog you could ask for” which was more or less our experience with Remus. Total velcro dog. Needs someone be to hold his bone while he chews it.


                            • JackRabbit
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                                Many labs are like that too — takes them a reeeaaaallly long time to grow up. Ours was attached to my husband’s hip, but she expected me to hold an umbrella, over her if it was raining and she had to “go”.


                              • DethronedbyQueenB
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                                  Posted By JackRabbit on 11/04/2014 12:02 PM

                                  Bunnies are amazing creatures. I’ve wondered if the saying that you appreciate things more if you’ve had to work for and earn them also applies to our pets. Dogs are wonderful, but they easily give their trust and love. We bunny slaves work hard to earn the affection of our bunnies and, as you’ve now discovered, come to appreciate and live for them to trust us enough to just let us watch them, and hope for the occasional snuggle! Once you’re hooked, there’s no turning back!

                                  This resonated so much with me…agree, agree, agree!

                                  About Dobies,

                                  When I met my hubs, many years ago, he had just adopted a huge Dane/Dobie mix from a rescue that initially scared the heebie jeebies out of me due to his size because I was afraid of dogs and this boy was 100 lbs. Once I got to know him he  just seemed like the typical hyperactive, drooling, friendly dog trying to take over the couch- unless something went wrong.

                                  This dog was the best with women and children. He was so friendly kids could climb all over him and he would lurve it. We had 2 children born during our time with him and he would take up “watchdog” status over the babies and stick with them until they were just beyond toddler years. We were living on a cattle ranch and one day my 3 year old went missing and wandered off into a bull pen. That dog stuck with him and made circles around him keeping all the other animals away from him until we spotted him. He was so good with kids.

                                  Sometimes his desire to help others would get him into a bind tho- especially when he would try to help a baby skunk get across a pond and momma skunk didn’t appreciate it, lol. He never learned and did that a few times. >.<


                                • BunnyHugger
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                                    Diamond, I have held a bone while a Doberman chews it. In my bed LOL

                                    DebyQB, what a combination. Two of the best family dogs ever, in one package. Danes and Dobes are two of the best breeds to have around children, as long as you have their respect.

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                                Forum THE LOUNGE Changed by a Bunny