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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Where did you get your bunny?

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    • LillyBear
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        I feel like everyone on every forum Ive gone to has rescued their bunny either from a shelter or another home situation.  I got my Lilly at a Petland (previously unowned).  Is that bad?  Should people not buy petstore bunnies and instead buy rescue rabbits?

        The only reason I ask is because I really don’t know which is better!!  What happens to the buns at the petstores?  Shelters I know euthanize them, right, do petstores do this too?  I am confused.. I am starting to feel like maybe I should have bought a bunny from a shelter instead cause everyone else did..

        So.. If I were to get another bun.. what should I do.. Im not considering getting one until way in the future.. since I can not financially support more than one at the moment.. but you know..


      • Anita Stark
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          Hi LillyBear
          I know what you mean about the confusion.  We got Sable at SuperPet, at the time I was completely unaware of rabbit rescues though I did have misgivings about feeding the cycle of production.  On the other hand, we didn’t go there looking for a bunny, I just fell in love with Sable as soon as I saw him.  I can’t believe that I could have forced myself to walk away even if I had been better informed. 

          I also understand what everyone else is saying about there being enough bunnies in need of rescue without encouraging breeding by buying from a pet store and, if we ever get a buddy for Sable, I would definitely look into a rescue.

          Someone on another thread said that unsold bunnies become snake food!!  If that’s the case I’m glad I bought Sable.  Also, I have started looking at it as a "pre-emptive rescue" .. knowing that less responsible people might also fall in love with that little fuzzy face and he might end up with a life less pampered than he’s getting.

          I’m not sure that there is a better or worse in this situation, but I guess I would encourage you to look into rescues if you decide to get a second bun and maybe we can strike some kind of balance.

          Btw, I think Lilly is precious.  Is she as cuddly as she looks?


        • dmh426
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            I got Sophie from a friend who had about 20 rabbits that she was fostering for the HRS on top of her own 5. As far as petsores go, I must say that I am very anti. I’ve stood in line paying for my Yesterday’s News litter watching kids stick their hands inside the open boxes to grab a bunny, parents all but putting their kids in the open boxes laughing at their little hellions antics while scaring the poor rabbit half to death as it is “captured” and the loud noise on top of it all….it’s hard not to look at the bunnies and want to take them home though. Did anyone ever notice how all the bunny cages are listed as “dwarf rabbit”. Very misleading to the consumer who knows nothing of bunnies except how cute they are how they are the perfect pet for their five year old (the biggest urban legend if I ever heard one).

            Pet stores often also sell rabbits that are not the customary 12 weeks old. It is very traumatic for a rabbit to be seperated from its mother and siblings before 10 weeks. I actually turned in a local pet store here to the Humane Society and local police department because the rabbits that they were selling were no larger than a pound a half and after all my time in the HRS I would bet my brand new three bedroom bungalow house that they weren’t a day over 6 weeks. Why sell so early you might ask? Small bunnies sell. The mother was also probably a “professional breeder” and was due with a new litter any day now and they had to liquidize. Yes, the business word of “liquidize” seems appropriate.

            Let’s save the bunnies that are already unloved in the world without increasing the demand for pet stores to overbreed and supply stores with litters that really are too immature to sell.


          • osprey
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              As someone who works in rescue, let me be the first to say that beating yourself up about buying a bunny serves no purpose.  She is yours now, and if you give her a good home and proper care, there is no fault to be found.  The biggest problem with petstore bunnies is that they are impulse buys.  People look at them and think they are like a hamster or a rat, something that does not live very long and can hang out in a cage or hutch all day and be fine.  The people selling the animal and the people buying the animal do not know much about what they are getting themselves into.  After a few months, the rabbit  grows much bigger, gets crabby because it is crazy with hormones, and it isn’t quite so adorable or fun anymore.  This is when the animal gets dumped, either at a shelter or in a field someplace.

              If a time comes when you want to get a companion for your bunny, I would suggest a local rescue or a shelter where there are advocates that really know the rabbits they care for.  They can help you with choosing potential mates whose temprament matches your household, they can help you with the bonding process, and you can feel really good about saving two lives (the bun you adopt and the one that takes its place rather than getting put down).  Shelters and rescues also really stress spay/neuter (we get the babies back when people have unintentional litters after all).


            • LillyBear
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                Thanks guys I never thought about the fact that buying from the pet stores increases demand for breeding! Now I can safely say that when I fell in love with Lilly I never even knew of such things as rabbit rescues. And I would never ever dump her! She is mine and I am in love! hehe. And she is crabby as hell, but hey, I can deal. I do wonder how old she was when I got her though, they said 12 weeks, but she only weighed about 1lb! eep. No worries, now she is a healthy 3.5-4lbs

                lol Anita. Though she looks very cuddly, she is only so when she chooses to be, and most the time she is crabby and wants nothing to do with being cuddled! Thank you though!


              • Lucy
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                  I got Fujoe from craigslist…

                  The thing about selling bunnies too young, I got that shoved in my face about a week ago. I was in a part of downtown LA called Santee Alley. It’s a place where you can buy bootleg ANYTHING. I love going there and getting knock-off sunglasses and such, I had to buy luggage the day I went. I went with my two friends… on a corner of a street there was a woman selling animals in a cart type thing. She had a bunny that was so tiny- so tiny that it’s eyes weren’t even open. I started to cry in the street. I wanted to save it, but my friends convinced me otherwise. She was selling it for $20- and they said if I bought it, even with the intention of saving it, that she would breed more to sell. I mean, there was no way this bunny was going to survive… I had to convince myself of that, as difficult as that was. I didn’t know if I could save it, and then I had to leave LA to go to Chicago… then what? Leave it with my parents? My cat would catch it here. I just couldn’t believe that someone would take away a baby from it’s mother when it can’t even see the world it’s being shoved in.

                  I hope no one thinks I am a bad person for not trying to save the baby…I wanted to, but…I don’t think it would have survived the rest of that day…


                • Gravehearted
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                    all three of my bunnies are rescues from the rabbit haven. now that I’m educated about rescue – there’s no way I could ever buy a bunny. the amount of bunnies that are euthanized breaks my heart, all the bunnies we try to rescue – but can’t save…

                    bunnies at petstores are generally weaned too young, poorly cared for, mis-sexed and the people buying them are often given poor information about how to care for bunnies. store owners generally don’t care that the rabbits are on pine shavings, are looking dehydrated or have diarrhea. most pet stores don’t care about the rabbit’s well being, they’re simply a way to make a profit. And if the rabbit gets sick – do you think they pay for a vet to get it well? What do they do with the bunnies once they’re not tiny babies anymore?

                    I do completely understand that many people buy rabbits before they learn about about rescue. I’m certainly not condeming people for buying a rabbit. But, once you learn about rescue – the fact that you can get a baby bunny through rescue – that rescues provide education and support to bunny owners and bunnies, that most rescue bunnies are neutered/ spayed before you bring them home. it makes adopting a rescue the sensible thing to do.


                  • Elena Niznik
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                      Both my bunnies are rescue rabbits, I grew up on a farm which had a close alliance with the scottish society for the protection of cruelty to animals. (SSPCA) So i was lucky enough to be aware of rescue shelters.

                      I went to the shelter intent on getting a pet any kind of pet and thats when i found boo. She had been there a while people overlooked her for the more handsome lops or dutch rabbits that came in. So i decided to take her home with me.

                      I got Rolo from a different shelter from a lady who has dedicated her whole life to resuing and rehoming rabbits.

                      After rescuing my rabbist i would never consider buying any pet from a pet store or breeder. There were just so many ickle animals all unwanted and waiting to be loved.

                      Fujoethebunny what a horrible story, I would have no idea what i would have done in your situation im so sorry you had to go through that.


                    • Anita Stark
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                        Posted By LillyBear on 01/04/2007 5:38 PM
                        lol Anita. Though she looks very cuddly, she is only so when she chooses to be, and most the time she is crabby and wants nothing to do with being cuddled! Thank you though!

                        .. I can see why you call her "Bear".  We are lucky that Sable is a cuddle bun.  He lets me pick him up in some situations though most of his free time cuddling is on his terms only.  Sometimes he even flops in my lap when I’m stretched out on the couch.

                        As for what others have posted regarding pet store buns I just wanted to add that we had a good experience with SuperPet in that the lady caring for the bunnies has a free-roaming house rabbit of her own and gave us good advice.  She showed me how to handle him, showed me how to check his gender and though she admitted she couldn’t be 100% certain rightly identified him as a boy.  I’m also happy to say that all of the advice she gave has been echoed on these forums so I feel a bit better that at least the buns in that store are being cared for by a knowledgeable person.  I have never seen tiny helpless babies in there either.

                        As for what happens when they are unsold, I’m thinking of inquiring into that and perhaps lobbying them to start dealing with rescues instead of breeders.  I believe they are currently the only pet store in our area that deals in rabbits.  Will let you know what I find out.

                         


                      • dmh426
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                          Ok, first of all I have to hit Canal Street in NYC, about 4 hours away to do that knid of shopping. So jealous.  We can’t save them all, you ahve to remember that. If it’s eyes weren’t even open, there is a good chance it wouldn’t survive away from its mother and not in a heated nest box. Do you know what I mean, Lucy? i think i would cried too. Then I would have gotten violent.  Congrats on not getting arrested, because I would have! 


                        • osprey
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                            Two very large pet store chains here in California (PetCo and PetsMart) no longer sell bunnies, puppies or kittens.  I do not know very much about PetCo, but PetsMart does a lot of good for rescues.  They give grants for spay/neuter, they provide space and advertizing for adoption events, and they give rescues cash bonuses for attending adoption shows and for doing in store adoptions.  This is good business for them; the shows bring in customers, and people who get a new pet are more likely to buy high margin items like xpens, cages, etc.  They have a permanent display of adoptable cats; dogs and rabbits are individual events.


                          • wendyzski
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                              Pepper came from a local shelter.  I had seen their buns at pet store adoption events (when I was buying hamster supplies) so I was very familiar with them.  Their volunteers answered all my questions as I began the process of researching and eventually adopting.  I also buy my hay from them (they get money and I don’t have to pay shipping) and in a few months I will be taking Pepper over there to pick out a bunny-friend.


                            • Lucy
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                                I’m gald everyone’s supportive with my desicion…

                                oh, Danielle, I’m really sad cause now I’m leaving LA and going back to Chicago.. and there’s really nothing like it there.. there is a little something, and I can’t think of what it’s called.. but nothing compared to Santee Alley. 4 hours seems worth the drive to me..


                              • BridgetteBunny
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                                  I fostered bunnies through the shelter that I have volunteered and worked at for two years while I was in undergrad since I wasn’t sure where I would be living next. I just officially adopted my own bunny from this same shelter. I know first hand how many bunnies come into the shelter. This shelter was not very big and yet euthanized about 80-100 rabbits a year. Surrenders came in every week and were often euthanized immediately. Luckily for us we were able to get a selection of our rabbits into Pet Supplies Plus. They adopted out our bunnies with appropriate cages and literature instead of selling their own. It worked well for everyone. I actually came to find out that two babies from a litter I fostered were adopted by one of my riding friends. That was really fun! I also know that the Petco around here allows people who want to surrender their bunnies try to adopt them out through there. You can never really be sure they are going to great homes that way but I still think it is better than breeding them just for the purpose of selling. Its amazing how many people don’ know this so don’t feel bad. Even the people at the shelter had no clue until we started getting education and literature out there. All you can do now is get the word out yourself! Good luck!


                                • KOKKINIKLOSTI
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                                    I don’t think tha tyous hould blame yourself just because you got your bunny by a pet shop! I was planning to get my first bunny by the pet shop of my town! Mark that this pet shop is owned by a vet! So, rahter than asking them i preferrend to educate myself through the internet! So, i spent some months learning about rabbits and also through the internet i found the lady who was in need of giving away her rabbits because they were multyplying uncontrollably! That’s how i found Aftias! Now i just go to the pet shop to get feeds and accessories for the bunny and the hammies! Because when i noticed that the rabbits that they had there where eating the wood shavings i told them that and the vet (huh) said, “so what?”! Most pet shops do not know a thing about animals and that’s another reason that we should prefer shelters! they ar better educated!


                                  • BinkyBunny
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                                      What actually happens to the unsold pets?  It depends on where you live and what the regulations are there, and the agreements made.  But my understanding is that some go back to the breeder to be euthanized, or rebred, or sold to medical testing labs. I have also heard of the snake food issue.  I haven’t done enough research to know who and where and what the numbers are.    You can do a google search to find out the details.  When I do this, it just breaks my heart, and I usually save the search for another day.

                                      Many shelters euthanize, most rescue groups do not.  Most of the time the rescue groups are saving the 11th hour animals.   Shelters have different regulations in regards to how many days, and how many animals.  

                                      Ultimately if everyone would take care of their animals like you do, then shelters would most likely only be housing lost and found, as well as any animals in transition due to a tragedy like their owners death.  But most animals are just abandoned.  Also, if  people would only go to shelters now to adopt animal companions,  then the numbers to euthanize would most likely go down.   

                                      Being euthanized because the animal is unwanted is sad, whether it never had a chance at a good life  because it wasn’t sold at a pet store, or because it was abandoned at a shelter.   But at least if breeding came to a halt until the numbers of abandoned animals were under control, then maybe that would help some.   But that will never happen, so we just do what we can.  And part of that in my opinion is to adopt instead of buy.

                                      Now with that said, there is no way I can look down on anyone for not knowing.  And I also don’t want to demonize breeders.  People are ultimately responsible.  Even people who have gotten their bunnies from rescues can abandoned them too.   There are very caring responsible breeders out there.  I mean, geez, my first bunny came from a knowledgable caring breeder and she was the one that originally directed me to HRS for more information, and that started me on the road to rescue.   I think now, how did I not know, but really unless you are involved, unless you really hear about it, or consciously seek out  the information out, then how would  you know the how serious it really is.  I mean everyone knows we have shelters, but  many times it’s just like other things in life – we know a bit about them, but unless something really happens to involve us, then sometimes we just don’t know the real details.  

                                      For example, I knew about dog, cat, rabbit rescues, but I was amazed to find out about all the other animals in shelters and rescue groups – lizards, snakes, birds from finches to exotic expensive parrots, guinea pigs, goats, chickens…the list goes on.   I remember when I was transporting a huge injured iguana from animal care and control to a reptile rescue group.  I thought, there is every kind of animal available!  No one has to go to the a pet store or breeder with so many types of animals in need.  I just never knew!  So I totally understand how others don’t.

                                      I mean look at all of the things in the world that beg for our awareness – cancers, illnesses, poverty, starvation, global warming… the list is endless!   We get involved with things that either touch us emotionally, or actually affect our lives in a direct way.  

                                      Though I wish people would no longer get their pets at pet stores, what I really wish is that more people would just make a lifetime commitment to their animal companion. And it sounds like that is what you are doing, so in that respect, you are not feeding back into the cycle

                                      Ultimately, you have to do what is best for you.   But if that includes adopting next time, there are many positive things about adopting a bunny.  1.  Usually there are so many personalities to choose from, and the rescuers will be able to guide you to the one that would best suit you.   2.  Most are already spayed/neutered.  3.  You save two lives.  The bunny you adopted and the one that will take its place when you free up space for another to be saved from euthanasia.

                                      Anyway, the best thing you can do is what you are doing.  Giving a loving lifetime commitment to your bunny.    If everyone did what you do, then the rescue problem would be less of an issue.  


                                    • wendyzski
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                                        Posted By BinkyBunny on 01/06/2007 11:33 PM

                                        For example, I knew about dog, cat, rabbit rescues, but I was amazed to find out about all the other animals in shelters and rescue groups – lizards, snakes, birds from finches to exotic expensive parrots, guinea pigs, goats, chickens…the list goes on.    

                                        *nods*  I got my hamster from a shelter, and people were always like "Wow – I didn’t know shelters had hamsters!"  He was a bit undersocalized, but I had the expereince and patience to work with him, and we had a lot of fun for 2 yrs.

                                        When Pepper and I ride the bus, I always have flyers for my local shelter with me because we are always bombarded with questions.  She’s my little bunny ambassador!


                                      • Deleted User
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                                          I got Cassy from a pet store in Berkeley that is a small family owned pet store that was very good at educating its customers about rabbits (based on all the stuff I read online for months) They offer to pay for any vet expenses for the first two weeks of ownership and take on foster kittens. I think that Cassy may have been from a breeder, but I really fell in love with her when I walked into the petstore, and couldnt imagine someone who wasnt willing to do right by her adopting her. I also felt that even though I am pro rescue bunnies, does that mean that all bunnies in pet stores must go with out homes/face unknown fates? I suppose it supports the industry, but at the same time, buying toys, food and bedding from big pet stores is also supporting the industry, who often promote things that are unhealthy for rabbits by having them in their stores (pellet mixes that have seeds and tons of junk food, cedar shavings etc.

                                          I conclude that there is no really right answer (for me at least) but I really want every bunny, rescue or pet store, to live a healthy, happy life with as many binkies as possible!


                                        • BinkyBunny
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                                            Posted By nitetygress on 01/16/2007 1:58 AM
                                            …. I really want every bunny, rescue or pet store, to live a healthy, happy life with as many binkies as possible!

                                            I absolutely agree with that!!!  That is the bottomline. I so wish everyone felt that and was committed to their own pets with that concept in mind.


                                          • Hilde
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                                              We rescued our first, Hazel, off the street. She was a tiny baby bun, hopping along the gutter with 4 other siblings, likely disturbed in their nest and run off. She had a broken leg and couldn’t run, so she was the only one "rescued" by my brother-in-law’s housemates.
                                              They actually just kept her in a box in their room, full of smoke, so we rescued her from them and brought her home, took her to a vet, and cared for her. Well, that was 4 years ago, and she’s now our little princess, loved to pieces and loving us right back.

                                              This is Hazel, at 3 1/2 weeks old.

                                              Our second bunny, White Chocolate, was adopted at an adoption event organised by the House Rabbit Society at a pet store. She had been in and out of the local shelter, and in foster, a few times, and was "on death row", about to be put down. Well, my husband just couldn’t let that happen, so she became my daughter’s bun . Her choosing, she bonded with my daughter, and is now a real "mommy’s bun", never bites or lunges at her, trusts her completely…. to the rest of us she was "Atilla the Bun" , though she’s a lot better now.


                                            • Hilde
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                                                Ugh, the pictures didn’t work again… let me try this way.
                                                First one is Hazel, as a baby, next is White Chocolate.
                                                1117342985071.jpg
                                                1117342999154.jpg


                                              • Deleted User
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                                                  aw! so cute!


                                                • Hedi
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                                                    My bunnies are so important to me! I miss them when im not with them, worry sick if we got on vacation and they stay with their "grandparents."  We have no children yet so my buns are my children. They are spoiled rotten, have free roam of the house and get all the luv we can give them. My husband said he never thought he would have "fuzzy animals" in his house. lol But he luvs them so much too, its so cute to see him in the floor playing with them.

                                                    The rabbits at the pet store break my heart. I would take them all home with me if i could.  I got both of mine from a pet store because i had no idea there were rabbit shelters. I just thought only cats and dogs were at the shelters.

                                                    Right now we have two rabbits and two hedgehogs. My husband has promised me once we move into a bigger house i can have more rabbits.

                                                    The water meter reader lady was at our house this week and when she came in Carrera was in the dining room. She was so fascinated with her and stayed a few minutes asking questions. She couldnt believe that Carrera was litter trained and actually goes to her upstairs bedroom to go potty. lol

                                                     


                                                  • erina
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                                                      I agree with the sentiments that most people have posted–no need to beat yourself up about what you didn’t know.  What matters most is that you’re a loving parent to a happy bun!  Something I wanted to add for people considering now whether to adopt or buy–the majority of pet stores, like all businesses, base their inventory on the principles of supply and demand.  If there is no demand, then there will be no supply.  If people stop buying rabbits from pet stores, in time, the store will cease to offer them.  Or for the pet stores who still offer rabbits, consider recommending they work closely with a rescue group–Osprey mentioned Petsmart which doesn’t sell rabbits, but allows The Rabbit Haven to use their facilities to hold adoption agencies–this is both ethical AND economically savvy since they have no overhead costs to house and feed the rabbits until they are sold, no pay-off to breeders AND adopters can buy food and housing for their new buns!  We all win! 


                                                    • BinkyBunny
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                                                        Hazel-mom.  Those pictures are PRECIOUS!!!! SOOO cute!!!  Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad the picture thing finally worked for you.  How did you end up doing it?


                                                      • Hilde
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                                                          BinkyBunny, I had to send them as attachments, the other method I used to put them in the reply didn’t seem to work anymore.
                                                          BTW, the “quote” doesn’t work for me anymore either… is that because of the recent changes/upgrades you made? I use Netscape 7
                                                          as my browser, maybe that makes a difference? (the webcam doesn’t work for me either, neither does it work in Safari, we have a Mac computer).


                                                        • BinkyBunny
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                                                            It’s good that the attachment thing is finally working.  The rest of the stuff though is good info for us to keep correct these ongoing compatibility problems.   We have a third party group that does our forum, and we are dependent on them for improvements and upgrades.  Another upgrade has recently come out, and so we’ll see what happens when we download it.  We always hope it will solve all of the problems.  Most of the time it solves some "behind the scenes issues, that keep things running smoothly, but it isn’t something that users can see.  

                                                            This compatibility problem has been an issue for many users, and so I know they are working on it..

                                                            Right now the webcams are in beta, and they have only been tested  with IE, and work only with IE that we know of.   We are working on that too!


                                                          • Lucy
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                                                              Hazel- Mom…. you can “quote” and use hyperlinks (i think that’s what they are called) if you’re using FireFox.

                                                              I’m on a Mac also, and it seems this is the only internet browser that works with binkybunny… though I have not been able to see the web cam- not with any browser. In safari at least two little 3-D qestion mark boxes come up saying I don’t have the plug in. But I remember BInky said it took Windows media player…. which I have.

                                                              here, you can dl it here as long as your running on MacOSX:

                                                              http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

                                                              it should clear up a lot of problems


                                                            • lennyjames
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                                                                We found Happy abandoned in the big field across from our home. Since the area we live in is very green and lush (and quiet), we suspect that Happy was not the only animal chucked out into the wild. When we found him, he was certainly very grotty and covered in mud. We discovered later that he had been spotted in the field for over a month and some let their dogs chase him for the fun of it! Talk about concerned neighbours! Lucky for him, he survived the ordeal of tropical thunderstorms, dogs, and other nasty stuff.

                                                                Many months later, we then got a companion for him, L’ll Miss Grumps (aka Sofi) from the local HRS. It was love at first sight for both of them!


                                                              • FuegaNetsah
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                                                                  When I decided to look for a rabbit, I did a good deal of research first because I never had one before. I live in Southern Oregon and the closest rabbit rescue is almost 5 hours away by car in Portland. The pet stores sold supplies but not the actual rabbits. I found a small rabbitry. Little did I know at the time, that I actually found a decent one. When I went up to see what she had, she asked me several questions while I was looking. When I picked Oren and asked why is he not show worthy *big nose*. She brought out his mom and showed the differences, how to pick them up, how to idenify if they are not well, etc. I left with his pedigree *which is kind of nice, I know his exact birthday*, a bag of food, and a manual with info and weblinks and vets in the area.

                                                                  Now comes the interesting part. I have been thinking about getting Oren a friend. Come to find out there are 5 rabbitries in my area. So I have been emailing and seeing what they have to say. I am going to share one bit that I got a disturbing feeling from:

                                                                  “Are all your rabbits, 50.00?
                                                                  No, all of my rabbits are not $50.00, some breeding stock and show animals are quite a bit more (up to $150.00 each) and a few sold as pets are only $20.00 and up or as fryers or feeders are $1.50 a pound liveweight.”

                                                                  I saw that last bit and my jaw dropped. There is more, to top it off here is how she ended the email:

                                                                  “Although I am always happy to sell bunnies and make money, I will not always do so if I think it is not in the best interest of the owner or the bunny.”

                                                                  Either I am being over sensitive or maybe it is just my naiveness about this “community”. I didn’t like this and sent her back a tactful email saying oh no thank you. Good news though, I contacted the original rabbitry and the owner has a lilac girl that might be a good fit for Oren. He will be going to met her on Monday.


                                                                • BinkyBunny
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                                                                    Feuganetsah, did you find another bunny today?


                                                                  • Lippy
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                                                                      We got OJ from a pet shop chain. We had done lots of research and knew we wanted one and when we went to the store to get supplies for the future bunny we saw him and had to have him. If we choose to bond him we will try and find a rescue nearby and get a friend from there though. The guy who saw us at the pet shop was really good – he gave us lots of advice and made sure that we knew what we were taking on and were prepared (although he did tell us he was a she), but I’ve seen other staff there just handing out animals to families with no advice or anything which I think is really bad. But then, I also blame the families who allow their children to stand around and poke the rabbits and guinea pigs and then buy one with no real thought just to shut their children up – I’ve seen that a few times and it really angers me – that for me is the biggest problem with pet shops.


                                                                    • FuegaNetsah
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                                                                        Binky,
                                                                        I set up a date at the original rabbitry where I got Oren. The owner thought she had a good match. That was on 2/4 and I brought home Calil, the Lilac fuzz muffin.

                                                                        Donna


                                                                      • Spacehopper
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                                                                          When I moved in with the boyfriend we wanted a dog. We got Stanley from a rescue centre and it turned out the evil woman lied to us to get shot of him, and it broke my heart to have to return him, but we couldn’t have a dog that was endlessly going for our faces. I spent a week mourning Stan, and sat here at work day boyfriend rang and said he’d been past a place that had baby wabbits of every colour for sale, and if i could have any what would i want? I told him under no circumstances did i want a lop eared or ginger colour, as it would remind me too much of Saffy, my bunnykin when I was a little girl. I said I’d love a little black one, as that was the ONE colour he said he didnt think they had at this particular place. Then throughout the afternoon he told me he didn’t manage to get one as he had to go to work, and we’d go over at the weekend. I had a go at him for getting me excited and spent the rest of the day really peed off, but convincing myself that we would be better not having an animal to look after.

                                                                          I got home, and he said to go and see if I thought the cage he’d bought would be ok for a rabbit, went into the bedroom, and it took me a while to realise that in the corner of the cage was a little ball of black fluff. And it’s a sad state of affairs when I actually admit to the fact I could now not live without Mr Bum. lol So I still don’t know where our Brian came from…(Essex I think) 🙂


                                                                        • BinkyBunny
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                                                                            Aw,  Spacehopper, what a sad but sweet happy ending story. 


                                                                          • BinkyBunny
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                                                                              hazel mom, i just corrected your post so your pictures would show. What you do with http links is – when you are the edit box to write your post, you will see a little tool bar. Click on the icon that has a little mountain, past the link. It should show up. Yours were large, but there is the area to resize your pictures while you are posting the link.


                                                                            • Mindy
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                                                                                My first bunny was sort of a rescue, but I didn’t really realize it was a rescue when I agreed to take her. A young girl had bought the bun at a state fair and then decided she didn’t want her anymore after a few months, so I decided to take her. When I picked her up I found her in the girls basement in a cage so small that she couldn’t even lay down and stretch out, so it actually turned out to be a rescue. My new bun that I just got is basically a breeder throw away. The breeder didn’t want him anymore because he "wouldn’t produce" so I took him. Apparently he is just too much of a gentleman to breed on the first date!


                                                                              • kittsbuns
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                                                                                  My first bunny was also a pet store bunny I got him(her) Buster and then my next three were rescues after I learned that so my bunnys needed life long homes. And now all get all my bunnys from a rescue or a shelter. Life’s to short not to save a life.


                                                                                • elle.em.gee
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                                                                                    I got my two from a bunny rescue a few months ago. Although their site has been offline for a while now, so I wonder if they no longer exist. (Anyone in the DC-area now anything about the status of Bunny Magic Rabbit Rescue?)

                                                                                    Not to give anyone nightmares, but another reason pet stores should NOT sell rabbits – I knew a guy in college whose roommate owned an 11-foot python, and guess what he fed it, and where he got them? A rescue is going to check out people’s backgrounds, and while it’s not foolproof, rabbits are less likely to placed somewhere they shouldn’t be. The average pet store probably doesn’t care who they’re selling too.

                                                                                    At the time I was pretty horrified, but I don’t know if there was anything I could do. I realize that in nature, snakes eat rabbits… but at least it happens naturally… the rabbit has a chance to try to escape, and is not trapped in a small area with the predator, not standing a chance.

                                                                                    Sadly, even those snakes often wind up mistreated…  like rabbits, people don’t realize what they’re getting themselves into or how long they live. I’ve heard there are a lot of exotic pythons loose in the Everglades because former owners got tired of them.

                                                                                    I hate to be so pessimistic, but sometimes I feel like 90% of pet owners, regardless of the animal, and NOT providing healthy and happy lives for their pets.

                                                                                     


                                                                                  • babybunsmum
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                                                                                      omg thats disgusting.  i know too that this is what happens in the wild but i shudder to think why a person would even want a pet that they feed live animals to under their care.  gees louise.  i know nothing about snakes, but something tells me that they do not thrive in captivity like domestic cats & dogs & bunnies & so on.


                                                                                    • Lisa_43
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                                                                                        I know this sort of thing happens,  I was doing a Google search on baby rabbits and this breeder had said if you have a runt of the litter it is going to have some deformity so when it gets older you sell it to the pet shops as snake food, I was sick to my stomach in disbelief.

                                                                                        I got my Ebony off a vet close to home, I thought she was pregnant and the vet said no and of course I was right.

                                                                                        I now have 6 babies one was a runt and so far nothing wrong with him he is the boss.   I couldn’t imagine any of mine being snake food.


                                                                                      • notjulesverne
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                                                                                          I got Piccolino at a pet store. I had read about rescue bunnies, but never really thought about getting a bunny. I was considering a small pet for my new apartment like a reptile or hamster or bird. But my friend showed me these baby lionheads at a local pet store near her home (Dolphin Pet Village). She had seen them a few days previous, but they weren’t for sale yet. They just went up for sale the day she showed them to me because they were turning 8 weeks old that day. I fell in love with him and lions are my favorite animals anyway, so ..I did debate for a while and then a little girl and her dad came in and sang the praises of house bunnies, so  I’m afraid he was a bit of an impulse buy.  The stores employees seemed very knowledgeable and handled the buns frequently and they semed very well cared for there. But if I can ever afford or have room for another bun it will definitely be from a rescue.

                                                                                           


                                                                                        • skunklionshow
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                                                                                            I have 2 geckos and have an issue w/ feeding live animals.  This is the reason that I couldn’t get anything but my leopard geckos…they eat crickets!  They need to be live b/c one of my geckos is dumb & seems half blind.  We’ve tried dead crickets, but they won’t touch em!  Do crickets count as feeding live animals?

                                                                                            All our bunnies came as rehomers from craigslist, this includes Oreo & Trigger from my former pet therapy program.  Actually all our classroom animals came from Craigslist, 4 turtles, 4 bunnies, and a hamster.  They were all looking for a new home b/c their owners could no longer care for them.

                                                                                            Our main building had a pet therapy program that had everything: birds (i.e. a macaw w/ PTSD), lizards, snakes, hamsters, chinchillas, sugar gliders, you name it they had it.  They had only 1 bunny b/c we were the "bunny site". 

                                                                                            I didn’t realize that shelters had every kind of animal until I ran a grant funded humane education program at our local SPCA.  They told me that the farm animals were usually taken out of the city into the country SPCA locations.  Those locations had horses & pigs!  We were blown away by all the animals:  birds, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc.

                                                                                            Another thought…I actually work several blocks from a live animal butcher shop–I don’t know what’s the real name of those places.  I drive by every day and am always sad by the bunnies.  I’m blown away that bunnies are a tasty treat!  I’m a veg head but the hubby is a carnivore.  He LOVES meat!  However, he told me that after having the bunnies in his life, he could never eat a rabbit…even if they are stuffed w/ craisin goodness !


                                                                                          • skunklionshow
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                                                                                              Notjulesverne….are you in Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world?  How’s the garlic ice cream?


                                                                                            • notjulesverne
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                                                                                                Very umm…interesting…It tates like someone scooped ice cream after scooping garlic and forgot to rinse the spoon

                                                                                                It smells pretty potenet here…one of the first days I moved into town I got in the shower and was like "I can’t smell THAT bad!" and then I realized it was the garlic wafting on the breeze through the window. But you get used to it.


                                                                                              • notjulesverne
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                                                                                                  I have a leopard gecko, too and I don’t think crickets count as feeding live animals…It was suggested to feed him a pinky mouse every now and then, but no way I could do that! So I just use crickets and live meal worms (which are way less noisy and smelly BTW) There is a reptile store that just moved in right next door to my apartment and the animals are cool, but he said the other day that he fed one of the snakes a rabbit! It made me sad.


                                                                                                • skunklionshow
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                                                                                                    I had heard that about geckos as well, that you can feed them pinkies, that really grosses me out b/c I think the worms & crickets are just fine.  Our one, Strawberry Shortcake, won’t eat the worms, she’s the one who doesn’t hunt the live crickets very well as it is.  Our lil’ Starbuck will eat anything.  She was so small and damaged when we acquired her, from Craigslist, that we fed her wax and butter-worms. 

                                                                                                    When we had our turtles at school, we actually discussed w/ the students how they felt about feeding them feeder fish.  Our most hard-core kids were totally against it!  That really surprised me.  Often the really rough boys, love live prey feeds.

                                                                                                    My first trip to Cali, we drove through Gilroy on our way from San Diego to San Fran (not via the PCH).  You could smell it miles away!  A few years later my mom visited a college friend in Gilroy.  She said that she surprisingly got used to the smell w/in 24 hrs.  I think that’s so funny!


                                                                                                  • 5cats1bun
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                                                                                                      when I was a kid, I loooved rabbits! it actually all came back to me over a pet store easter bunny whom I fell in love with! However I had gotten my cats from a shelter and knew they had rabbits in shelters. I knew enough about petstores that I didn’t want to encorage anymore breeding at the least. So I did lots of research on rabbits, came across a rabbit rescue in my state and planned to go through them…until I found Craigslist lol! I would see buns on there but hadn’t really inquired as I thought I would still go through a rescue, then isaw little rocky (I had actually intended on a large rabbit to do the fact that I have 5 cats!), and he kept popping up every few days (there were about 4 people that claimed they were going to pick him up & never fdid) so I inquired and he was mine! To top it off the cats are scared of all 3 lbs of him!! 2 of them are coming around though!


                                                                                                    • Beka27
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                                                                                                        this is such an interesting thread.  i started reading it from the beginning and i was thinking who are some of these people?!  i didn’t realize it was an old thread that was bumped up… lol!

                                                                                                        it was a little backwards how i came across Meadow.  we had Stephen some years ago who i "rescued" from a "crazy lady"  (we used to be friends but we had a falling out…)  her daughter had been terrorizing poor Stephen, so i took him and gave him a better life.  not perfect, but better.

                                                                                                        i knew i wanted to get another rabbit for awhile.  once i convinced the hubby, we were going to get two rabbits from the city animal shelter here.  they were running a "buy one get one" deal (i know it sounds kinda weird, but that’s what they said).  it was a few months after Easter so i guess they had many rabbits there.  we went to the petstore on a saturday to get some supplies in preparation, and they had a rescue group with animals there.  i got my dog thru a Petsmart/Rescue program some years ago, so i knew that rescues sometimes worked with stores that did not sell animls.  i went over to see what they had.  it was mostly cats, a couple small dogs (terriers and other mixed breeds), and a couple rabbits.  there was only one small rabbit.  a little girl (maybe 7 or 8 years old) was looking at Meadow (who was not Meadow then) and she was WHINING at her mom to get her.  flat out about ready to cry tantrum-throwin’ whining.  i kinda freaked b/c i knew this was not going to go over well for this small bunny.  the mom and daughter walked away to do some other shopping i guess, and i asked about Meadow and she never left my arms after that.  it didn’t go exactly as planned (one rabbit instead of two) but i’m so thankful to have her and i’m really glad that she has a better life with me.

                                                                                                        Meadow the day we brought her home…

                                                                                                        Meadow not long ago…


                                                                                                      • Lion_Lop_Lover
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                                                                                                          I got all 4 of my buns from 2 breeders…

                                                                                                          Yuuki (my male Lionhead), Smile (female Holland Lop) and Rye (male Holland Lop, Smile’s brother) came from a Lionhead and Lop breeder an hour from my city…I got Yuuki at 8 weeks old and when the lops were born, the breeder and I were such good friends by the time they were 6 weeks she let me pick them up at 6 weeks old.

                                                                                                          Kibou (my female Lionhead) came from PEI, so I paid quite a bit extra for her and it’s funny because Kibou doesn’t like me very much and she was a $90 rabbit! I had to pay her normal fee and a bridge fee!
                                                                                                          Kibou’s breeder, unfortunately, weans her buns at 4 weeks old… so unbeknownst to me when I got Kibou I had no idea she was 4 weeks and 6 days old!
                                                                                                          But, she’s done well and suffered no repercussions from early weaning.
                                                                                                          The breeder’s been breeding buns for 20 years and she knows by now what she can ‘get away with’ I guess, in terms of weaning.


                                                                                                        • Cari
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                                                                                                            I got all three of my rabbits from Petco… I really had no idea about rescues or anything like that. I bought the first one because I fell in love as soon as I saw her and the other two were about a month and a half later. I was looking at the rabbits to see if maybe I could find a companion for Bunny(the first one) and one of the employees said something about having rabbits in the back. When I asked why, he said they’d been there too long and weren’t selling. Well, I asked him to bring them out and they were so adorable and clearly so attached to each other, I couldn’t stand the thought of them being separated or just left unbought(didn’t know what would happen in that case), so I took them home!

                                                                                                            In retrospect, I should have looked into it more and adopted a rabbit that needed a home, but I couldn’t be happier with my three bunnies. If I ever want to add another bunny in to the mix, I’d definitely look into a rescue.


                                                                                                          • Vinnie D.
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                                                                                                              I got Nel from a small local pet store.  I did my research first and checked with local shelters and rescues, but this is a very much dog/cat town and the shelters reflected that.  Dogs and cats, the occasional guinni pig or bird.  One bunny, which someone beat me to adopting, so I went with a pet store confident that there were no homeless bunnies I was ignoring.

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                              The staff were very knowledgeble about rabbits, explained proper feeding (including hay and limiting pellets) and were even kind enough to show me to credentials of their breeder.

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                              The choice at the time was between a rather hyperactive looking yellow spotted bunny, and of course the little white marshmallow.  The white one seemed to have a more calm and mellow outlook, so she came home with me.  And thus was how Nel came to live with me.  The girl who sold her to me said she was sad to see her go because she’d fallen in love with her.

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                              I go back from time to time and they always ask about Nel.  I rarely see rabbits there now.  Seems they’ve cut back on rabbit sales too.  I suppose the breeder may have gone out of business, as I’ve not seen any rabbits around here since. 

                                                                                                              As I’ve said, it’s a very much cat and dog town.  More unusual animals aren’t so common.  The downside is vets around here almost never see rabbits, and I’m having a hard time finding any with experience.

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                              I’ve found one who says he’s done a few rabbits, and as such is my current emergency vet.  But he sees ferrets and turtles more often than rabbits, if that’s any indicator.

                                                                                                              Is it ironic to say that bunnies are actually underpopulated here?

                                                                                                               


                                                                                                            • Hannah
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                                                                                                                Monty I got from a god-awful mall pet store, mainly because he was the first bunny I had ever seen who I wasn’t allergic to. He was really skinny and weak and had been there for a *long* time, through like 6 other litters of “cute tiny bunnies.” When the pet store lady picked him up he screamed at her, but when she handed him to me he calmed down and cuddled up on my lap. ;_____; (Of course, now he’s a rambunctious little devil who never sits still, but I think he was just happy to have someone warm hold him properly…)

                                                                                                                By the time I got Humphrey, I had learned all about rabbit rescues and knew I could get rexes from… not petstores… and drove into Boston to get him from a foster home that was part of the House Rabbit Network. He’s such a sweetie pie. n___n

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                                                                                                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Where did you get your bunny?