I can sympathize with you on this, because I have been in a similar situation. I opted to try and share some information with people and buy the bunny “gifts” of things like hay, floor mats and help educate them on good bunny care. I don’t know how much it really helped, but I did at least try to make a better life for the bunny.

People like that don’t see rabbits as pets along the lines of ‘cats and dogs’ but more of ‘hamsters and fish’. Trouble is that eve hamsters get a roller ball.

Some people need a wake up call, how would she like to just eat pellets and stand on a wire floor for the rest of her life.

Ignorant COW!

Some people just don’t want to know ….. or LISTEN for that matter!

People like that just don’t want to be wrong…so they will ignore advice, refuse help etc. To accept means admitting they were wrong. I work with a guy that has a rabbit in a hutch, feeds the poor thing sunflower seeds and cannot believe my rabbit lives inside, has run of the house, is litter trained and that seeds are bad. The response is but he loves them, he runs around outside….he is fine.

As markusdark said…they consider rabbits a big hamster and no bother pet. It they wanted a pet that was “work” they’d have a dog or cat.

It makes me mad too. I was almost shunned several weeks back when a new member of staff commented on my bun pics up on my office wall. “what? they live inside all the time”….”under my bed actually hahaha” said I…”What? They don’t go out in the garden ever?” “Well no, they are HOUSE rabbits and get plenty of greens and we even made a run so Brian could enjoy the great outdoors and he hated it, sat in the corner and didn’t move much unless he was trying to get out”…..

People like that don’t want to be wrong, and don’t want to be told. Ignorant fools. It annoys me though when confronted with such idiots as i find myself preaching to them, and i hate that side of it. He took the p too when a fish at work died and went on about going to bury it. Oh so because it’s a “fish” it should just be flushed down the loo??? NEVER, even my fish get a decent burial (my two darlin’s are subsequently buried up the side of our flat, and my Fatty fish was taken and buried in ma and pa’s garden along with all the mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, stick insects, cat, rabbit, and all with very nice ornaments atop – our recent dog and cat were cremated and still sit on the cabinet in their gorgeously carved wooden boxes…some may think a bit morbid (my dad included) but it’s where they belong.

Watching Miami Ink a while ago a man had a tattoo done WITH the ashes of someone very dear to him mixed in with the ink. WHAT A CRACKIN’ idea!!!

Sep1118, the only way to deal with people like that is to be firm and STATE the obvious, and try and make them think differently. Good luck. 🙂

She’s probably just being defensive and she might be like that about everything. It’s not necessarily about the rabbit but about her.

That is heartbreaking! Can you get them outta there somehow? I just hate people like that.

that makes me so sad.  like you said, you might not have known much before this site, but it still is sad how some animals have to live.  people choose to be ignorant.  i think they think… if they feed healthy food, they have to have expensive cages… and toys… and devote their entire lives to the animal… and pay for medical care.  and that seems like such a huge task to them, so they’d rather do nothing… and just say they didn’t know any better.  if you had a rabbit in your house sitting in a wirebottom hutch and he just stared at you all day long, you would feel so guilty (i would at least) but as long as they’re in the backyard they can be conveniently forgotten about.

have you tried talking to her parents?  they may be more receptive than she is.  they might not change what they do, but they may allow you to look for another home for the rabbit where he’ll be cared for properly.

oh… and you say she’s your roommate.  my suggestion would be to “do what you do”.  love your buns.  shower them with attention.  buy them the good stuff.   (we know you already do all of the above!)  and don’t say a word about it.  she will be able to see how your rabbits respond to the love and attention you give them.  if she asks a question, answer it… but i wouldn’t get too preachy, b/c she’ll just tune you out.  good luck.  i know it’s frustrating… but there’s not a whole lot you can do.

thats so ignorant my goodness. when I meet people I carry my bun pics and on the bus soemtimes when a friendly face comes I show them the pics or at dr. office or what have you they say ohhh wow I never knew that or oh I used to have a bunny etc. anyway. maybe you can sneak it some hay and put the matt in there when she isn’t around and hopefully she will discover he is enjoying all this and eating his hay I don’t know what to tell you can you try leaving this site or other houserabbit sites on your comp or print and leave lying around. maybe she will get curious and see how you do things with your buns. and gradually open up. some people just think a rabbit is  an outside pet to just sit in a hutch cuz they poo and pee all over and it  stinks etc. and they need to really be shown by actions the wonderfull world of bunny luv. and the full capabilities of buns to understand litterbox etc.  poor rabbit sounds like a jail situation to me. i have wire botton cage for mine the cage was given to me and is big however my bun has run of the living room all day and half the nite. I have things in there for him to lie on too. so he isn’t standing or lying on wire all day that must be so uncomfortable for that poor bun outside like that ouch!!! my mom doesn’t like animals in the house either. she wants me to go move to louisiana but she won’t tolerate my rabbit in her house so I refuse to go. lets send good vibes to that bun maybe his owner will come around. or give her that poem about easter bunnies I think it is on houserabbit.org somewhere. how he ends up getting stuck in a hutch out back after the children tire of him and his adolescent behavior kicks in.

It is amazing sometimes how people just don’t get it.  I am a total animal lover- most of the websites I visit are animal related, my job is animal related and I volunteer to transport dogs for Australian Shepherd Rescue.  

My parents both grew up on a farm and while we had pets when I was a kid- they never allowed the cats to be indoor only and the bunnies I had when I was younger were outdoor only.  My parents had not had pets for a couple of years- they had a million excuses, etc.  In fact over a year ago- my Mom said there was a sweet outside kitten at my Grandmother’s farm that I should take home with me to adopt  outt (I have done this before).  She even had a box in her car so I could take the kitten with me.  Well we had our dogs in our car and when we went to take them for a walk- they treed the kitten- well, the dogs did not even know the kitten was there- but the kitten was freaked out and I knew there was no way we were going to catch the 3 month old kitten.

Long story shortened- this kitten continued to come into my Grandparents farm house to visit- my Mom pretty much lived there alot because my Grandfather was terminally ill.  My Dad died of a heart attack at the end of Jan 2007 and my grandfather died of cancer less than 1 month later.  So my Mom had 2 major losses in a very short period of time- 1 was quite unexpected.  She spent so much time with that kitten during some really hard weeks and totally bonded to her.  She had her spayed and front declawed and totally pampers her.  Although she spends alot of her time at her house and the kitty is strictly indoors there- she also spends time at my Grandparents house, so my Grandma can be at her home for awhile- and the cat travels with her and is indoor/outdoor there.  I never in a million years would have thought I Mom would have allowed a cat to live in her house- due to litterboxes, etc.  She always said that she loved her grandkitties and grandpuppies- but she loved them most when they were at my house.  She could handle short visits from the dogs- but that was about it.  Her perspective about my bond with my pets has really changed- she used to say “Chad, how could you let her get another pet?”- when I got Cotton recently she said “aww, how cute.”

People can change- and I think that showing her what a house bunny REALLY is- will make her view rabbits differently.

Julie

I know those people just really get you, ya know? Just flaunt in her face how fun and gorgeous your house rabbit is, put pictures everywhere etc. She just might get the idea. Also what I really find is that when the animal becomes sick, injured or they don’t want it anymore, they will be knocking at your door or dumping the rabbit with you. What you can say is that you tried and you planted the idea in her head. It coudl be the poor rabbit would not know what to do with the nicer things because it has never had it or they tried once and gave up, too much trouble etc. Some bunnies you have to work with them to get them to eat veggies and of course the cheap stuff is what the rabbit wants because it’s chock full of fillers and not very nutritious for a rabbit. I hope bunny karma thumps her on the head.