so, how did you end up with your buns?

[angie-la]

I thought some people might have interesting stories! 

as for myself, I like to think I rescued them.. haha. my boyfriend’s niece was 7 and her mom’s coworker had an accidental litter of bunnies. he was giving them away for free and Mica [the little girl] lit up at the thought of having furry little bunnies as her pets. she got two of them, and for the first week or so was completely entranced with them. however, she got bored quickly [as most children do] since it’s difficult to play with them like you would with a dog. they stayed in their cage almost all day, on top of the laundry machine. at first it wasn’t much of a problem since they were super tiny, but they were sitting in their filth since they weren’t litter trained and there was no litterpan in the cage. as they got bigger, you could tell they were getting much more aggravated from being in the cage all day. I felt terrible seeing them like this, and I would research what to feed them, ways to play with them, and nagged my boyfriend to let them out for some play time each day. space is scarce in his house and it was difficult to figure out a permanent habitat for them.

my boyfriend would bring them with him to stay with me at my house for a weekend, and I gave them plenty of space to run around. after seeing how delighted I was with them he talked to Mica and she agreed to let me keep them, as long as she could visit them. well, with her young attention span, she hasn’t visited them lol. I litter trained them quickly and tried to clean rorschach’s feet since they were so yellow from being on a filthy diaper pad all the time, but he took care of it himself. now they are happy and healthy, and have tons of space to run around and do binkies. and they also get organic greens from yours truly on a daily basis, lol.

[LBJ10]

We had chinchillas before. They both died in 2009 within 6 months of each other. MY husband was really missing them and he came up with the idea of getting a rabbit. We went to the local shelter, but they didn’t have any rabbits. Then one day we were at a feed store and my husband saw some baby lops there. He held them and instantly fell in love with one. So we brought him home with the intention of only having one rabbit. Some time down the line, a coworker of mine was going to give her little bunny to the shelter. I heard of this and said I would take the bunny. He was so little when I brought him home! I was worried about how the other rabbit would react, but he turned out to be such a sweet baby! And that’s it I guess.

[Monkeybun]

Well, I wanted a pet. But I didn’t want to get a cat in a little apartment, so I mentioned bunies to my hubby one day. We used to have a bunny when I was very little that I helped care for.. mom limited me to picking dandelions for him and putting them in his cage though lol. That was all I was allowed to help with. Hubby agreed to a bunny.

So, we went looking for bunnies, and went to a few bunny shows (before I found BB and the rescue here) and found little Monkey at a show, all alone in a little wire cage. So, she came home with me, all of 7.5 weeks old. She fit in the palm of my hand! That Christmas, about 6 months later, we got Moose from the Rabbit Advocates, Monkey picked him out Naturally, Moose later decided he preferred just chasing her and biting her butt, so they never bonded. They both have nice pens to hang out in

And then there was Smudge. I had gotten an email through RA about this little bun that had been abandoned at a lady’s house while they were moving. No one else had responded to the message to foster her, so I went to hubby again.. begging him to let me foster her. He agreed, eventually (like 5 minutes later)

We picked up Smudge, who was thought to be a boy. I checked, she was a girl, whom they had named Chester. Not a good name for a little grey and white girl. Got her home, got her spayed the next day, and… well, we got a call from RA saying someone wanted to adopt a little rabbit. Me and hubby looked at each other… and said we were keeping her. She’s just too sweet

So far, thats all the buns

[LoveChaCha]

Angie-la, are your bunnies siblings then?

I am squealing over your signature picture!

My mom passed in December of 2009. I had to move out of the apartment that her and I shared. I moved in with my dad. My grandma and I were together almost all December for support, and she and I discussed me living with my dad. The topic of a pet came up (not sure how), and I have always loved bunnies. My room is filled with bunny dolls.

I got my dad’s approval and went to buy a bunch of rabbit books. Between packing and other stuff, I would read the books to educate myself.

I contacted breeders (My next bunny will be from a shelter, and will forever be!) and had several falling outs with the people. I finally found Chacha. I was sent her photo of recent babies born. There was a connection and that feeling of ‘she is meant for me!’

I had a name picked out for her before I met her.

My boyfriend drove me North to a city named Marysville. It was a 1 1/2 – 2 hour drive. But it was worth it. She has grown up so fast!! I miss her being so small !!!!!!!!!!!!

[angie-la]

they are! hehe. and that’s why I lectured rorschach so much when he kept mounting her, I was like “STOP DOING THAT TO YOUR SISTER!” hahaha. my signature picture is still hilarious to me, it looks like some kind of ad you would see in a bunny version of vogue magazine. I’m so glad Mica adopted a pair so they could keep eachother company and they bonded immediately. they were so tiny too, now they’re all grown up! in fact, I have some baby pictures of them:

[LoveChaCha]

*FAINTTTTTTTTTTT*  

AH, bunnies do not know that is their sibling  But I’m glad both get along.

It seems like bunnies’ ears are always the biggest.. but as they grow, bunnies will grow into ’em

 

[peppypoo]

Growing up, my parents never let my siblings and I have pets…they were big on keeping a clean house and didn’t want the house to “smell like dog”. In fact, my dad always told us that we could have a dog “as soon as we found one that didn’t poop”, lol.  So for pretty much all my childhood, we had a small series of fish (yay?). My freshman year of college, the idea of having a rabbit somehow started circulating around the house (not quite sure how, as I was at school) and before I knew it, we picked up Tammo, a chocolate dutch, at a pet store.

My second bun, Peppy, was a rescue…my boyfriend and I wanted a pet bun, so we started searching Craigslist.  One night, I found a listing for a “free bunny”, with a picture of my adorable girl, and I knew I had to have her! She had been gifted to two young boys, who had quickly lost interest in her (same story, angie-la) and the parents didn’t want to take care of her anymore, so we gladly took her in .  Considering that she was advertised as free, I’m so glad I got to her before anybody else with alternate intentions did!

A few months after Tammo passed away, my family decided that it was time to adopt another bunny.  We found Remi at the shelter; he’d been given up when his previous owners moved to a pet-free apartment…and now he’s with us

[Elrohwen]

Angie-la, your pair is so adorable!

I’ve always had pets and I love dogs, but living in a townhouse (rented) we couldn’t have a dog. I also traveled for work every week and DH didn’t want the responsibility of caring for a dog all by himself every night. I had gerbils (had them almost continuously since I was 8 years old) but I wanted something more cuddly that could come out into the house instead of staying in a cage. Neither of us are cat people (and I’m allergic) so somehow I got stuck on the idea of getting a bunny. It took a month or so of convincing, but he finally agreed to a bunny for my birthday (I used the birthday angle to make my case 😛 ) I really wanted a broken tort holland lop and I started emailing breeders. Otto’s breeder had a litter born on 2/20 (my birthday is 2/23), though they were all broken black, but we decided to get one anyway. She had three little boys and I picked the one I wanted, but then she promised him to another family with kids and I ended up with my last choice bunny. Turns out he was the best bunny! We love Otto so much and DH went from unenthusiastic to entirely devoted to Otto.

About a year after getting Otto I talked DH into a second bun. We both love lops, and DH was adamant that we look for a lop before considering other bunnies (and since he barely agreed to a second, I figured I should go with that). The local shelters had a couple lops, but they were all adopted out right before we could look at them. Frustrated, I went on Craigslist and typed in “spayed lop” because we agreed that whatever we got would be already fixed. Well, little Hannah came up (then Merlin). We drove down the Harlem to see her – she was from a pet store and owned by a young actress for three years. The girl decided she couldn’t care for Hannah anymore because she’s very active, but had to stay in a cage for the majority of the day and the girl didn’t have a fixed schedule. We introduced her and Otto in the bathroom for 20 min and they were pretty good with some humping at the end. We brought her home and set her up and the next day she spent 4+ hours digging and shredding everything in sight. She just wasn’t what I imagined and I was very very close to taking her back and looking for another rabbit that fit our lifestyle better. We ended up keeping her and I’m so glad we did! She’s still a bit hyper but has calmed down – she’s so funny and so smart and I can’t imagine the house without her.

Sorry that was so long!

[Sarita]

Mango was initially a foster with a rabbit foster group I started and he never got adopted so, he’s mine. I think his story was that he was a baby rabbit that someone dumped outside an apartment complex and he wound up in some dogs mouth. Anyway we couldn’t find him a home and I don’t know why, he was and is such a pretty rabbit. However, he went through several very bad cases of stasis and now he’s got severe poopy butt – he’s just got issues and well now, he’s about 8 1/2 years old so he’s retired and living his golden years with me at the Golden yEars Retirement Home.

Toffee came from an animal shelter in Dallas and was bonded with what I guess was either her sister or mother (no way to know) about 8 years ago as well. Never found them a home either and Twizzler has passed on so Toffee is retirement as well at Golden yEars Retirement Home.

Peaches and Peppermint were strays – mother and son, I think at least, who were going to go to a rabbit rescue but I just didn’t have the heart to take them there and it probably was best. They are extremely shy rabbits and I don’t think they would have been adopted. I’m fine with them this way, but I’m afraid some people may have been disappointed that they are so outgoing. They are about 8 years old as well and living at Golden yEars Retirement Home.

Bobby was dumped at a guinea pig rescue about 6 months ago – he had severe dental problems. My friend who runs the rescue’s husband was very ill and she asked to me take him and care for him while her husband recovered. I have him up on Petfinders but no one seems to want a rabbit with no teeth (he has most of them though) and he’s truly very healthy. I’m probably going to keep him. He’s absolutely adorable and really a good rabbit.

Bogie – he’s my friend’s rabbit and he’s about 8…I’m beginning to think he’s going to be permanent too….which is fine, he’s a good rabbit and he’s no problem. She asks about him, but never asks for him back…I guess she heard about all the other retiree’s at Golden yEars Retirement Home that are keeping him company.

[MarkBun]

My fiancee in 1987 gave me a rabbit for a valentine’s day present. I was in college and I treated her like you would a dog (the rabbit, not my GF). She lived in a cage in my closet since pets weren’t allowed. If she was being ‘bad’ such as peeing places or making noises on the bars, I’d pick her up and yell at her to stop. She was never spayed and her entire life was spent trying to get onto my bed so she could pee on my pillow. The only time she’d let me hold her was when we were at the vets. She only lived 3 years before dying from, which I believe now, was cancer.

In 2000, my girlfriend of the time left me and moved back east and I felt that enough time had passed that it was time to get a pet, another rabbit. This time I did my research, found out ALL of my mistakes (don’t think I did one thing right the first time) and got Maryann from the Alameda Shelter. About five years into our relationship, I was spending less and less time with her and was out of the apartment too much. So I went and we finally settled on Dono to help her have company while I’m away.

[FluffyBunny]

I’ve always loved rabbits, and after I discovered that rabbits could be house pets, I knew that I wanted one.

On November 20th, 2008, my parents decided to go to PetSmart to get some bunny supplies. We were originally planning to get a bunny around Christmas. When we walked in there, we immediately noticed the bunny cages by the door. In one cage, there was a pair of tiny black dwarf bunnies, and in the other cage, there was a 4.5-pound REW bunny. The REW hopped up to the front of the cage, nibbled my finger, and then hopped away to eat pellets. An employee came up to us and let me hold the REW. After holding him, I knew that there was no way that I would be leaving without the little REW, who I later named Mr. Bunny.

Ms. Rabbit’s story is quite similar. Last September, my family and I decided to adopt a friend for Mr. Bunny from the HRS. We weren’t having much luck with the HRS, though – no matter what we told them, they seemed convinced that just because I’m a teen, it meant that I would abandon my bunnies in the near future. So, on September 22nd, we decided to stop by the PetSmart that we adopted Mr. Bunny from to see if they had any cute bunnies.
In one of the cages, there was an adorable chocolate-tipped agouti bunny. After I held her and saw how much she was shedding, I decided that I’d take her home and brush her out there.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Kokanee
In pet store to buy a toy for Mandy who was just diagnosed with cancer and I wanted to get something for her. I saw her and realized that I was a)an adult and b) gainfully employed and c) always wanted a bunny. I rationalized with Dave thinking that bunnies weren’t homeless so it was OK to get a bunny from a petshop. So I got her and a starter kit and brought her home (promptly learning that yes-bunnies are in shelters and no you shouldn’t get them from pet stores).

Kahlua
I was told by Dave that the only way I was getting a second (*giggle*) bunny was if it was a lionhead becasue they look silly-so I searched the shelters but they were still new so I found an ARBA breeder and brought her home.

Rupert
Saw him on the humane society webpage and wanted him. Three months later (after he’d been there six months total) I saw him at the pet expo (where I was volunteering) and found out he had a crooked leg and had been a stray. I put my foot down and called Dave crying. Two days later we both phoned in sick (eeep!) and went and adopted him.

Chuck
Was looking specifically for a special needs bunny, found him, heard his story and zoink I was making preperations to go to Vancouver to adopt him. Stole my heart.

Noot
At a shelter I volunteered with, stopped eating, was senior. I took him home with no intention of returning him, and he bonded instantly with Chuck and was his rock through Chucks’ illness-never regretted bringing him home.

[lashkay]

I was just walking down the block in Berkeley, CA when I came to a sign: Your Basic Bird….a pet store! And there in the window, the cutest little bun imaginable looking back at me with big brown eyes….it was love at first sight, through the petshop window. The petshop was very appealing as pet shops go…and I asked about the bun. Would I like to hold it? Would I! Holding the little ball of fur against my chest which just snuggled in, cemented it. We were smitten with each other. The bun was a male. The next time I went to the pet store to cuddle him some more, there was a little female in there with him and he was trying to mount her and she kept hopping away. I resolved to rescue her and said to myself, say…I can have that bunny! I cuddled her and she too was docile against my chest with long black eyelashes. I named her Lash. I put a fifteen dollar deposit on her and picked her up a few days later, transporting her to my apartment in San Francisco in a cardboard box. The next day, I brought home a cage but she soon became free run, as she would take the bars of her cage in her teeth at night and rattle them…she would jump up on my chest as I lay on the mattress on the floor and sleep with me. We loved each other. .we were together for 7 years four months of mutual bliss til she passed away during a surgery on a tumor. I was so deep in mourning it was years before I was able to consider another rabbit….Buddie who I also had bliss with except that he was unfortunately plagued by seizures and after 5 months, passed away during one. I soon had another bun in my life who was shy and a challenge to bond with….Dustor. My wanting a companion for Dustor led to me getting Petie. All three of the buns were gotten from reputable breeders with good references and reputations. Petie and Dustor live in their own pens. It would be hard to find a bun with what was as special as I had with Lash…and Buddie. Dustor & Petie are good little buns though. Cant’ wait to give them free roam together in the apartment when they’re neutered.

[Robyn89]

Almost 4 years ago in March of 2007 I brought my Rowan home. At the time I knew very little about bunnies. I had initially been looking in pet stores (which I would never do again) but there were no buns to be found. As I had no patience to wait until more came in “stock” I looked through a local buy/sell magazine. There was an ad for a 4 month old lop bunny. I called and knew right away he would be mine. I sort of like to think that I “rescued” Rowan. He was living with another bunny in a tiny cage and had just been through a long journey. Shipped from the end of western Canada to as far east as you can go, he endured a super long plane ride and 2 owners. I knew he must be a very strong rabbit. Long story short, he was the best $20 I ever spent. The first time I held him I knew he was the match for me. He was so soft and cuddly. I know now that he must of really wanted to come home with me because that was the only time he ever let me cuddle him like that. Now it’s all on his terms, haha.

Here’s my Rowan (born November 14, 2006).
                      

[RabbitPam]

Because Rowan is so incredibly adorable, I will let him share my birthday.

Mark, that’s a very nice, cleaned up version of your life with Maryanne, who whipped you into shape big time. Talk about Karmic revenge! We love her, and she has trained you well. Dono was her boy-toy reward, and we love him too because he is sweet. Even in leather.

[Author]

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