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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
- This topic has 12sd replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 4 months ago by
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Hello everyone, my name is Ellie and I’m 32 years old and from the Netherlands (sorry about any bad English, I’ll try to do my best!).
Nearly two years ago I met a wonderful guy on our uni campus named Bas. He is my boyfriend right now, and he has a cinnamon coloured dwarf bunny called Breintje (“little brainy one” in Dutch). My BF is in his last year of Biomedical Engineering now. After our second date we decided that there should be a bunny space in my house as well. You know, just for convenience, when my BF sleeps over, and erm… the bun has been living here for over 1,5 years now
Breintje will be 4 in august, and he was 2 years and 3 months when he moved in with me. The first months went perfectly: he neatly did all of his business in his cage, he hardly chewed any furniture or carpets, and he was snuggly. Breintje never showed any typically male behaviours when he lived with Bas, but after a few months around me his hormones kicked in. He started circling me and making amourous advances towards all things round and fluffy.
After Breintje ruined several balls of yarn, my knitting-in-progress, an expensive piece of fabric and other crafts projects, my BF finally agreed to have him neutered. Sorry about the gross story, but this bunny was out of control and my BF had always refused to neuter him. He had heard several wild stories about bunnies dying on the table, and that it would “destroy their personality” if they are neutered too young. When Breintjes behaviour went out of control, he finally gave in and we went to an expert rabbit vet.
The surgery went totally fine, Breintje made a quick recovery and it was a relief for everyone. He was less frustrated, my yarns were finally safe, and there hardly were any personality changes. We just seem to have a calmer, happier, snuggly bun. Yes, whenever he’s not running round or sleeping he’s a snuggler at times. Most of the day he sleeps in his box under the coffee table, and in the evening he joins me on the couch for his petting session. This is all governed by a strict time table: when I’m behind the PC instead of on the couch at 10PM sharp, he jumps on the couch and demonstratively starts licking-looking at me-licking-looking at me… This bunny doesn’t do subtlety
Yes, he’s a licker allright. He licks hands, bare feet, faces, furniture, my legs when I wear pyjama pants *tickles!*. I’m very happy to have this cute company throughout the day, we’re together all the time. I’m home all day because I have a disability (a reumatoid disease), and my BF thought it would be a great idea if I had a pet to keep eachother company. Although I have a degree in Chemical Engineering it’s quite difficult to find a job if you’re disabled. In the meantime I make costumes for a LARP club my friends started up 5 years ago. Whenever I feel well I knit, crochet and sew costumes in a medieval-looking style. I also teach others about sewing and crafting, and many friends visit us to make stuff together. Breintje just loves all the visits and the attention, he’s especially fond of girls and will follow them around until he is petted.
I’ve joined this forum because I obviously love bunnies, and because I have some questions about training bunnies. Our little fluff is quite stubborn, and I’d like to try and teach him some new habits that will make it easier to care for him. I’ll make a topic about that question.
So, here he is:
This day he finally sat still long enough to make this:
He’s completely crazy about bananas, you can never eat one in peace without a set of ears popping up (like a shark fin out of water, DUN DUN).
He’s a very relaxed traveller and goes on the train with us when we travel the country to visit family. However, our little furball flirts incessantly with all females on the train, whether they’re passengers or railway personnel. Oh well, he’s got the looks, why not flaunt them…
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Posted By Azerane on 7/01/2016 2:29 AM
Hello there, welcome to Binky Bunny, Breintje is very cute. Does his name have a meaning in English, or is it just a cute name?
Thanks
In fact Breintje means: “little brainy one” in Dutch. He’s clearly the brains of the outfit and we strongly suspect that he’s training us, instead of the other way around… -
Yup, he’s cheeky around girls. A few weeks ago we were travelling with him, and he was in his favourite spot: laying on my chest supported by my arm. A girl walked into the compartment and she started smiling instantly. Turns out that she and her flatmates were considering having buns, but they were still in the research-phase. I invited her to join us and asked if she wanted to hold him. Breintje, being his charming cheeky self, started to snuggle and lick her immediately. That certainly made the decision a lot easier for her: people never expect bunnies to be such affectionate pets. We talked some more about proper bunny care, and I think they’ll make a great loving household for a pair of buns
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When he’s home he’s a big strong grown-up guy: not too much holding and cuddling, thank you kindly… But on the train he turns into a super cuddle-monster that wants to be held. It’s the movement and the new environment I guess, he relaxes after a couple of minutes. We carry him in a cat carrier, but as soon as we’re seated on the train he starts voicing his opinion. AKA: rattling the carrier metal door. As soon as you open it, he hops out and uses me or my boyfriend as a lookout post. He sits comfortably on my chest supported by my arm, either looking out the window or wiggling his nose at other people. Sometimes when my BF starts dozing off Breintje will use him as a bed too.
I always used to hate train travel, but bunny company makes it a lot better. We’ve had very nice conversations with strangers about him, they are surprised at how much personality a bun can have. It is terribly sad how many horrible misunderstandings there are about bunny care. People thinking that bunnies love to be picked up and held tightly, that they make great pets for very young children etc.. Here in the Netherlands most bunnies are bought for little kids, and put alone in a cage in the yard. They often discover that the bunny doesn’t like being held tightly *duh* and that it bites when an overenthousiastic child handles it too clumsily *double duh!*. A few weeks later the novelty factor has gone away, and they care for it like they would care for a fish: feed occasionally, clean out habitat, and that’s it… Sadly to say those buns don’t lead long and happy lives
We always try to show people that bunnies can be the equals of dogs and cats when handled properly, and that they make lovely house-pets. Their personality can only shine if you bond with them, that’s what we like to show people. Hoping to change our country’s attitude to rabbits, even if it’s only a few people per month.
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I have a coworker (also a mechanical engineer) who has rheumatoid arthritis. I wish you luck if you are looking for a position!
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