Grr….

[Bunnymad111]

I’m Realy annoyed today because my boyfriend who i  recently moved in with  hates my rabbits! there not to keen on him to be honest but he keeps trying to get me to give them up because he says there hard work, cost alot and there unsociable, to him maybe but to me there like my little children, they dont like him because he keeps trying to scare them for a ‘joke’ nothing that physically hurts them or anything but  things like when there relaxed he usualy jumps out and scares them and things they realy dont like!its so immature and yes they do cost alot and are probably more work then some animals with cleaning them out and food, vet bills and things but i hate the feeling of them just being a waste of space,time and money for him. i try get him to understand but it isnt working. what could i do and is anyone in a similar position?

[Joyfull_music]

You might not like my answer, but I say get a new boyfriend.

A real man is one who understands and accepts you and your hobbies. He would also never try to “force” you to get rid of anything you love so much. My husband and I both share the same philosophy on animals that they are all Gods creatures, members of the family, and deserve nothing but the best from their humans. Our saying goes: “The value of a life can not be determined by any dollar amount.” And we live by that. He also sounds very immature to me, if he keeps harassing your poor rabbits like that.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

I agree with Joyful. Also, this is kinda something that should’ve been discussed before you guys moved in together. I’m sure you knew he disliked your bunnies while you weren’t living together? He sounds like a real jerk to scare the buns for fun :/

[Sarita]

Luckily no. I would be upset if my husband tried to scare my rabbits for a joke.

I’m not sure what you can do, perhaps he is jealous of them.

You don’t make him try to take care of them do you? If so, maybe he resents that or the time you spend caring for them.

[Helenor]

That’s is very immature of him to do that to you and your buns. My ex didn’t approve of me getting bunnies, but he was the one who got me Lago in the first place, because he could see how much I wanted her. He thinks I spent an awful lot of money on them, but he knows how much I cherish them. When I was having financial problems, he stepped in to pay for the vet bill himself until I could pay him back. He also helped me pay for Panko’s expensive neuter. My bunnies were social with him at first, but they learned he was funny when he was jokingly shooing them away (they would stand up on their hind legs while he would say “shoo shoo” while waving his hands). It took some time, but he did warm up to them and they still love him. He comes over sometimes to see me and the buns. To them he’s still their daddy. He’s even thinking of getting himself a bunny because he misses them.

I would say give it some time, but if your boyfriend continues something has to change. I wouldn’t want to be with someone who treats my animals like that. I believe that if he truly loves you, he will understand and learn to love your bunnies. Even my father (who hates rabbits) has learned to deal with it and not tell me to give them up. He knows I love them too much. Hopefully your boyfriend will also learn that your bunnies are important to you and he needs to respect them.

[peppypoo]

I agree with everybody else – by not respecting the bunnies, he is not respecting you either. Maybe you could try sitting down and having a talk with him over these issues, and make it clear that you will not put up with his abuse of your bunnies.  Even if it does not physically hurt them, it could still be dangerous, since bunnies are capable of dying from fright and stress. Personally, a guy who didn’t respect my bunnies would be out the door in a moment. I live with my boyfriend too, but I’m lucky that my boyfriend loves the bunnies every little bit as much as I do. Hopefully you and your boyfriend can come to an understanding about this…even if he never loves them, he should at least leave them alone and not bother you about them.

[brittbritt]

I had a boyfriend years ago that loved my cat Charlie. When I took in another kitten he hated Abby. Refused to be near her and one night just kicked her off the bed. I threw a fit and sent him to the couch and the next day he was gone and I am glad I put my foot down with his treatment of Abby. Do what’s in your heart even if it hurts right now.

[Elrohwen]

I’m with the others that he has definitely crossed a line and I think you need to sit down and have a talk with him. There’s a chance that he will change his mind over time – my husband wasn’t crazy about getting a rabbit, but he’s so in love with Otto now. He wasn’t sold on getting a second either, but now he calls Hannah his princess. I think a man who is mature and loves you (ie wants you to be happy) will be supportive of your buns, even if he’s not so fond of them. To harass them and tell you to get rid of them is just selfish and immature.

[LBJ10]

My husband hates cats. He thought my parents’ cats were okay though, I think partly because they were old at that time and had mellowed A LOT. When we moved into our house, we got a cat. Well, actually, the cat came with the house. The previous owners left him behind. My husband said we could keep him. He didn’t know how “annoying” a young, energetic cat can really be. He hated that cat, but he never did anything to him. Well, he did tease him sometimes. But it wasn’t anything too awful. He would often blame the cat for stuff though, even when it was obvious the cat wasn’t the culprit (we have a dog, but she is his baby). Anyway, now that he is gone (he had cancer), my husband still blames him for stuff. It’s strange how men can be sometimes. He was the one who wanted a rabbit. The rabbits can be horrible little brats. Yet, he doesn’t get mad at them like he did the cat. He’s always laughing at their little bunnitudes. Go figure.

I don’t think you should necessarily get rid of the boyfriend just yet. Have you tried sitting down with him and discussing this with him? Let him know that disrespecting your bunnies is like disrespecting you. Let him know how much this hurts you and how much you love them. Make a promise to him that you are going to be the one who always takes care of them. Perhaps he is worried he will have to help you take care of them. Whatever it is, find out what is going on inside his head before you completely give up on the relationship.

[Tate]

I have been in a similar situation as well. My ex got me my first bun, Velvateen, but I paid for everything else-cage, food, accessories, neuter… When Velvateen broke his leg, we took him to the vet and had a cast put on. We were both extremely relieved that his leg could be casted and we didn’t have to have him put down or anything. The vet did mention that if his leg didn’t properly heal, we would have to amputate it. As we were walking out to the car, my ex says, “Glad we probably don’t have to amputate, because we’d just put him down and get a new one”. WHAT. That was a huge difference between us and it took me 4 years to see. I don’t expect everyone around me to be compassionate, but it was downright WRONG for him to say I wouldn’t be allowed (with my OWN money) to have V’s leg amputated. If you have a genuine love of animals, it’s important to find someone that can understand that. You may find yourself in a battle when one of your rabbits needs vet care and your boyfriend isn’t being supportive.

[LoveChaCha]

I would not be happy with a person that did not accept my rabbit. They are apart of me and I’m the one responsible for cleaning, feeding, etc. They may take up space, but that is what a pet does and will do, no matter what type it is.

My boyfriend loves my rabbit, and she adores him. He is not fond of cats because they are wonderers.. I tried telling him that so are rabbits

[Author]

Messages