Someone I know doesn’t understand “house” rabbit

[anneNjoerule]

Okay so my mom is great with dogs, just not so much with cats and rabbits. Or any animal that doesn’t like you to grab them and give them rasberries and exclaim to the world how cute they are. Anyway a few months ago she picked up a rabbit from her yard. The bunny was obviously an escapee because she didn’t look wild at all. However, she isn’t super friendly and she is quite a hefty bun. I think she might be a runaway meat bunny. Now my mother (who has all the good intentions in the world), keeps her in a small cage outside that is completely open to the elements, and feeds her alfalfa pellets, the stalks and leftovers of fresh veggies, and absolutely NO hay. She barely ever takes her out, and when she does it’s simply to coo over the poor bunny and hold her, not to let her run around and play. 

Now as her daughter, I don’t want to criticize her too much but… It’s driving me mad! I have my own animals to worry about so I can’t take the bunny in myself. I do try to tell my mom about the basic needs of a bunny and she doesn’t believe any of it. Plus, if I try to talk to her in front of her friends, they always side with her and than I’m just getting attacked. Now I don’t know if it’s a generational thing (no offence to any of the older bunny lovers out there) or what. I’ve mentioned that spaying is a must for health and behavorial reasons. This sends them into hysterics, saying that they’ve never heard of a fixed rabbit before. I tell all these women (mom included) that the bunny should be inside and they respond by saying that bunnies were meant to live outside. Yeah, not domesticated ones! Than I explain about their sensitive digestive tracts and my mom waves her hand out the window and says, “but look, she’s fine.” Anyway, I had kind of given up but I still feel bad for that bun. Any suggestions?

[Kafrn]

Does she come over to your house a lot and see how your bunnies live? And how happy they are, and how much fun they can be inside?

[camerella]

Try printing off how to take care of a house bunny and showing them to your mom. My mom seems to be just like yours and sometimes showing her stuff in print gets across more. Or if you think your moms gunna pull the whole “you can’t believe everything you read online” call up a vet and write down the answers to the questions you have and show those to her. Its hard to explain whats right and whats wrong to someone that doesn’t seem to understand [unfortunately to say ] but you just have to be persistent and hope for the best! If worse comes to worse, offer the bun bun to a local rabbit shelter and hope she gets a good home.

[jerseygirl]

Maybe get her to think about it as a role reversal? Say for instance you describe a scenario of someone having a dog and caring for it in a well intended way but, outdated and possibly harmful. Something that would make your Mum want to give them some advice.

[Beka27]

We’ve heard this so many times, and it can be very, very difficult to change someone’s mind on something like this. Sometimes it’s more about not wanting to admit they were WRONG, than about the best thing for the bunny. But really, we were all wrong at some point; many of us came to BB knowing very little about the ways of house rabbits and we’ve improved our methods from there. If the rabbit doesn’t really matter to her, there is probably not a lot you’d be able to say that would change her mind. I would see if she’d allow you take the bunny in, even temporarily, vet her, and try to rehome.

[Isabelle]

Your mom needs a bunny intervention Try again talking to her, with perhaps a book or other stuff that explains about bunny care. Let your mom know she isn’t an outside bunny, since her weight obviously says she has been very well if not overfed, a wild bunny wouldn’t be that large I don’t think. You might suggest she take the rabbit to a vet to get it checked out, and also check if there is a microchip in her to see if she has an owner that is looking for her. After that, let the vet talk to your mom about the bunny basics. In any case I think you should take the bunny to a place to double check if there is a microchip in her, and if worse comes to worse and your mom refuses to listen to you then I’d suggest what Beka did, try to rehome her.

[Sarita]

Well, I would say that you’ve tried and your mom has good intentions in that she did save this rabbit and is taking care of her to the best of her abilities. This rabbit could have been in a much worse situation than she is.

You could try bringing the rabbit the proper food and hay for the rabbit and perhaps making a more appropriate habitat outside for her. You could even offer to get her spayed. That’s what I would end up doing with my mom and she had a rabbit.

[bunnytowne]

does your mom read?  i mean like reading?     perhaps you could bring her a book       or 2.

houserabbit primer              or rabbits for dummies

i understand your frustration

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Maybe get her to think about it as a role reversal? Say for instance you describe a scenario of someone having a dog and caring for it in a well intended way but, outdated and possibly harmful. Something that would make your Mum want to give them some advice.

GREAT idea.

Honestly is there anyone you could get to say it to her? I know you said the friends were on her side…sometimes you can tell someone something 10,000 times and they hear it from someone else and it’s the gospel truth…

Other then that…there are people who just don’t take care of their pets. And short of being inhumane (which the laws really don’t do anything) there is that no-mans’ land where we know it’s wrong but the law doesn’t and the people keeping the animal that way don’t…so there isn’t much you can do, and just because you happen to be related doesn’t mean you can change her mind.

[MayaConsuelo]

Any updates? I second the idea of bringing printed info over, and also a bag of hay. How close do you live, and can you just walk into your mom’s house anytime? I would start going over daily and making sure the rabbit gets care and exercise. Of course, that may not be feasible. Maybe if it possible under your circumstances to do this, when she sees the rabbit enjoying herself, she’ll follow your example, or even let you adopt her.

[Michelle&Lolli]

I have had to explain to people that rabbits are just like dogs and cats. You wouldn’t keep a dog or cat in a crate/cage/small space for long periods of time because they need exercise, companionship, etc. People seem to grasp house rabbits a bit better then.

I was going to suggest you refer to rabbit.org or even this website with the info section. Or perhaps you could just “bring up” the sites when you are over sometime and be like “hey mom! Look at this.”

[anneNjoerule]

Okay today it was 38 degrees and pouring rain and that poor bunny was still outside in a cage with no roof and no floor. No way for her to get away from the weather. That’s it, when I get my x pen I’m taking her in and trying to bond her to my bunny.

[anneNjoerule]

That whole trying to explain that bunnies are just as big a commitment and just as great a pet as a dog and or a cat is lost on my mother, she just doesn’t believe it.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

She’s in freezing rain???? Ok that’s not acceptable…

[Otti]

Anne, while you wait to have an xpen to be able to keep the bunny with you, maybe you can do a few things to make its life within that cage more bearable?

Could you put a piece of cardboard (replaced when it gets ruined) to provide a more comfortable place for her to stand in part of the cage? It doesn’t need to cover the whole floor but just so she has somewhere that isn’t wire. You could also then add maybe a piece of plastic of some sort or anything really on top of the cage that would allow her for some temporary shelter from the elements.

You could then make sure she has plenty of hay to burrow into for warmth, maybe a towel or small blanket?

I think if you did just that for now it would already make things considerably better.

[anneNjoerule]

Pretty much. It makes me sad because at this very moment my bunny is snuggled in bed with me giving me kisses and the two of us are listening to the rain falling outside. I can’t imagine her actually being out in it!

[Otti]

If you can just give a roof and a floor somehow I think that would make a big difference in her comfort/health as an immediate concern.

[Beka27]

Is there a covered garage, shed, or enclosed porch she can be moved to? Or can you move her into your room and block off her access from your other bunny? It would be better to move her old cage into the house than wait an indefinite length of time to get an xpen.

[MayaConsuelo]

Ugh poor baby! From what I understand rabbits can deal with the cold, but she needs to be able to burrow into something and protect herself. And she definitely shouldn’t get wet! I second what everyone else here is saying, get a plastic sheet to put over the cage for now, some dry bedding and old clothing or something, so she can be more protected.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Yeah, they’re okay with the cold definitely, but getting wet presents a lot of problems. They can get sick from being wet for prolonged periods of time, and also it can stress them out to the point of panic or even shock.

[Dee]

That makes me so sad . I think lots of moms don’t like to be “told” what to do by their kids (I’m a mother of teenagers myself and my kids laugh about how I am NEVER wrong and things are always someone else’s fault- lol). My mom and I are very close, but she can’t stand it when I make suggestions about her management of her pets, house, car, etc… she won’t admit it but I can tell. Besides, it’s pretty obvious since she never listens to me :p .The problem is that your situation involves a living creature that is probably quite uncomfortable to say the least.

If you are willing to take the bunny, I think that would be the best thing. Anything at your place would be preferable to the current situation, even a small cage in your room (since you will give her free playtime it wouldn’t be too bad for a little while). You mentioned freezing rain- I’m thinking it’s winter where you live…? Could you maybe present it as “Mom, you’ve done such a great thing rescuing this bunny, but I know how much trouble it is having to go outside to feed her and all- especially in bad weather. How about I take her to my place, at least for a while (if it’s winter you could say “for the winter”). She will still be your bunny to visit and cuddle with, but it will save you a lot of aggravation.”

Would that work? I know that everyone’s relationship with their parents is different, so it could be the complete wrong approach. It just needs to be something that doesn’t make your mom feel attacked/insulted and convinces her that it will be a better situation for her as well as the bunny. I hope you can get this rabbit to your home soon- you are obviously a very caring bunny mommy!

[anneNjoerule]

Okay guys, update. I’ve had her inside with me for a day and a night now and she is warm and dry. She had her first ever helping of hay and inhaled it. Than she got some fresh veggies and pellets and she came out to be with me. While I considered what to do with her she came by my feet and flopped, even put her head on the floor and than began happily grinding her teeth. I couldn’t get rid of her after that.

[Karla]

That is so sweet! Great that you got her inside. So, for how long can you keep her indoors?

My mum doesn’t want to hear about indoor bunnies either. She thinks it is such a cruel way to keep bunnies when they should be outside and enjoy the breeze and fresh vegetation. Of course, I do understand a lot of her arguments, but I think most of it is because if she agrees with my way of having bunnies, it would mean that the bunnies we had when I was a kid were not kept properly and I don’t think she wants to admit that. Similarly to your mum who has done what she believed best and who wants to be corrected? None of us really

[anneNjoerule]

Well I’m not sending her back out to be cold and ignored. She’s staying with me. I’m currently working on getting her into see the vet and getting a better space for her to live. THan of coarse comes the long and grueling, bonding process.

[Deleted User]

I think I would gave done the same in your situation.

[Isabelle]

Kudos to you anne!!

[Beka27]

This is fantastic! Thank you for being an advocate for her.

[Author]

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