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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Strange, strange bunny myths (Why research is important)

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    • beebun
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        Hey, guys! Been thinking about doing this post since several days ago.

        I’ve been wondering whether our bunnies (Indonesian bunnies in particular) are different with other bunnies. I mean–physiologically. I know that rabbits are native to Northern Europe and so I tend to believe ~international~ resources more. Anyway. These are the funny/weird information I get from around me from the nearly two months we take care of Chito that makes me want to write an article about buns in our local media. I don’t know if some of these are true or not :0

        1. Bunnies can eat anything. My friend’s bun eats fried tofu. And chips. And everything. My mum’s vet friend has a bun and she feeds it rice (cooked) with water in it. And chicken feed. I don’t even know why, but they are perfectly healthy. It’s strange. My fellow bun parent friends stare weirdly at me when I go shopping for hay (I think buns here generally eat grass–we call collecting grass ngarit). They think I’m spoiling Chito and I go… “Uh guys.” The breeder especially told me to give ‘less hay and more pellets’.

        2. We should never, ever neuter buns. Especially females. This is what the vet in the hospital (and the breeder and several other friends) told me. They said it’s going to make them very stressed and will continue to be stressed and “it’s not worth it”. The vet also told me that yes boys need to be neutered, but girls don’t. She is, clearly, not bun-savvy (bunny-knowledgeable vets are in fact very rare).

        3. No fresh veggies! Everything has to be wilted first. Everything. And don’t give buns a lot of (wilted) greens! Just stick to the pellets and you will be fine as day!

        4. Don’t give cold stuff to your bun, especially veggies straight from the refrigerator. It will give them gas.

        That’s all I could think about. If you want to share other strange information you have heard, or rebbutals to these arguments, or tell me that some of those ^ are true…you know what to do.

        ((((everybun)))


      • Little Lion Head
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          Haha wow, I’ve never heard any of that…it’s all opposite of the research I’ve done and what my vet says!
          Maybe bunnies in Indonesia have just adapted differently based on their environment?!


        • Bam
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            Wow! I think perhaps it is like LLH suggests, the Indonesian rabbits that didn’t cope with chicken feed etc, they just died. Those that tolerated strange food got babies. The babies inherited their tendency towards tolerance of weird food. And so on.

            Many bunnies here in Sweden get bunny-inappropriate food like the bunny treats they sell in petshops (bunny yoghurt drops, bunny chocolate, bunny seed “bars” etc) and the VILE bunny-müesli that is extremely common. But I think it’s gotten better with the Internet. People are still convinced bunnies mainly eat carrots though.

            And then of course we have the really, really strange dietary preferences of Henry, the bunny belonging to member AndHenry here on BB. Henry steals dog-kibble and coca-cola whenever he gets the chance =)


          • beebun
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              I have the same thoughts! Makes me confused, though, because I try to do things by the book and my mum (backed by her vet friend that I suspect isn’t bunny savvy) keeps telling me about the ~local wisdoms~ that doesnt make sense to me :<

              Oh and right there’s a myth too that rabbits don’t need to drink. Where the pillows did that come from… (i think it’s the veggies like they get water from veggies but I think wilted veggies cannot have that much water…. Strange)

              LLH – i know! Every research I’ve done tells me to do the opposite! Durrr. I guess I will translate some of the HRS articles to help spread the info..

              Bam – Oh my god yes! I don’t get the chocolates and yoghurt–they’re not safe at all aren’t they? I admit I was very close to buying one of the seed snacks but then I didn’t. Phew! Some brands of pellets here also feature colored bits like Carrots and all :< never bought them. Just the plain ones!


            • LBJ10
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                Rabbits can eat anything. Doesn’t mean it’s good for them.

                I agree, these are some very strange myths. But the hay and veggies ones aren’t WAY out there. I think I mentioned this on here at one point, but for some reason this PSA at the end of the Inspector Gadget cartoon I watched when I was a kid has stuck in my mind. They said rabbits should only be fed pellets and water. Of course, this was quite some time ago! LOL When I was a kid, spaying/neutering a bunny was simply unheard of. It doesn’t mean that spaying/neutering isn’t beneficial for pet rabbits. I think it’s just a lack of knowledge. Perhaps they are “behind the times” there in Indonesia when it comes to bunny knowledge?


              • Avantika
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                  Beebun, I can relate to this. We are from the same side of the world. I am from India. I’ll give you my word that its not easy to keep a bunny/guinea pig/hamster here. From hay to vet, if you are able to find a good one, consider yourself lucky. Its as if they do not give these animals the same level of respect as they would give to a dog. Must be because of their small size. (Which is pathetic…)

                  Rabbits are not that uncommon here. Considering that, its a shame how less people try to know about them. I personally have not known any rabbit who has lived past 5 years of age. (They are mostly Florida White and New Zealand White). Most of them die within 2 years or so. They are mostly kept on vegetables and too much fruits.

                  My friend’s bun eats fried tofu. And chips. And everything. My mum’s vet friend has a bun and she feeds it rice (cooked) with water in it. And chicken feed. I don’t even know why, but they are perfectly healthy. It’s strange.

                  I know someone who feeds a mixture of milk and rice to their bunnies. I once read an Indian guy’s post online where he said his bunny ate rice and fish curry and lived for 5 years 😐 Maybe what they dont realize if that their bunnies might be just surviving, not thriving.

                  Spaying/Neutering are not seen necessary here. I think what they think is… that a rabbit must breed once in a while to “let out their emotions” xD

                  Here, its less of myths but more of lack of knowledge. I have been to three vets so far, out of which only one of them seemed slightly reliable. The first vet I went to, he said you can give rabbits anything. He made bunnies seem like such easy pets, the fact is that they are not. The first two could not diagnosis GI Stasis and UTI, and I had to spend long hours on the web everyday to diagnose it myself.

                  How has your experience with vets been so far ?


                • beebun
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                    LBJ10, I think it’s because rabbits are mostly considered as livestock here. Or as Avantika mentioned, the bunnies are just surviving, not thriving. The ones I know will provide relevant information (although still infused with local wisdom) is the breeders. There is also a pet rabbit forum and bunny people are helping each other. Process is slow, sadly…

                    Avantika, OH my god I know right. It’s frustrating how many people (including my mum) take rabbits as easy pets. And I share the woes of spaying bunnies! I will still spay chito though, but the bunny-savvy vet is so far away and charges a lot. The last vet (in the hospital where I sent chito to) didn’t really strike me as knowledgeable about rabbits too. I’m sorry for both of us. Thank God we have forums and books to look up to :<

                    Express their emotions, though! Lol!


                  • LBJ10
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                      Rabbits are considered livestock by many people here in the US. But things have gradually been changing with each generation. There is more information out there now. That doesn’t mean that some people do not treat their rabbits like livestock. But more and more people are seeing them as the wonderful animals they are so things have improved significantly since I was a kid. Like I said, when I was a kid, spaying/neutering a rabbit was simply unheard of. Why would you do that for such a “disposable” pet? There was no demand for it because that is how people felt. At least in the area where I grew up. LOL I had a bunny when I was a kid and I know now that she was not properly taken care of by today’s standards. She was inside the house. BUT she had a tiny cage (pet shop told my mom she would only be 3-4 lbs and she ended up being 12lbs by the time she was an adult). Plus she was only fed rabbit food we purchased from the pet shop. We did get some willow branches for her to chew on at the pet shop, but she never had hay. Veggies? Heck no! Those were not good for rabbits. They were way too rich.


                    • LittlePuffyTail
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                        Here’s a bunny myth for ya: Bunnies are cheap pets!!!!!!!!!!!! I actually thought that was true until I got a bunny!!!! Very misleading!


                      • Little Lion Head
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                          Cheap and EASY to take care of and you can just leave them in their cage!!! Wow did we get a rude awakening when we got Boston!


                        • Eepster
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                            Some of it is that the bad advice works for certain circumstances.

                            The first example about mostly pellets and not too much hay works for a breeder. Breeding bunnies who are having litter after litter have a much higher protein and calorie requirement than a spoiled pet bunny does. So pellets which are high in protein and calories are just what a pregnant or nursing mother bunny needs, but will make your pet fat.

                            The second example would really come down to whether or not you can find an experienced rabbit vet. If there are no vets who have experience spaying a rabbit then the statistics for rabbits surviving the surgery are probably bad. If the vet sometimes is only able to remove the uterus and not the ovaries the bunny is getting a lot of risk for little benefit. So while the benefits outweigh the risks when you have an experienced vet, they may not when you have a vet that normally only spays dogs and cats.

                            The third has to do with rabbits digestive tracts tending to get used to what ever they got before. If the bunny has never ever been given lots of fresh green suddenly getting them can cause diarrhea. Also, if the greens aren’t well washed they may have bacteria and stuff.

                            I have no idea about the fourth one though.


                          • Flopsie
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                              Eepster, those are some good counter points, makes some sense!


                            • Beka27
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                                I know… It’s crazy how much misinformation is out there! And really, it’s not just for rabbits… Most pets get the short end of the stick when it comes to care. People will do whatever is most convenient for them even if that is detrimental to what is in the best interest of their pets. The “lucky” ones get rehomed to people who know what they are doing. The unlucky ones just wither away and end up dying of “natural causes” or “old age”, when many ailments could have been prevented with proper care and vet attention.

                                A big bunny myth here that bothers me is that rabbits are just overgrown hamsters or mice. I don’t say this implying that “pocket pets” don’t deserve the best care, but rabbits get lumped into the same category of easy, starter pets. So not true!


                              • JackRabbit
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                                  My first experience with a rabbit was bringing the class pet rabbit home over a long weekend. I was probably 8 or 9. The teacher sent no pellets, no hay, no food period. We fed him what the teacher said — lettuce, carrots, and celery. He came home with us in a large cardboard box which he peed his way out of. No litter, no toys. I feel so sorry for that bunny.

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                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Strange, strange bunny myths (Why research is important)