I was reading on another board about breeder bias and the view that pet owners think they know so much more about rabbits than breeders. I don\'t belong to that board, so I will post here for those who are wondering.
The House Rabbit Society partners with the American Humane Society, the ASPCA and Animal Control. They take rabbits from these organizations to rehome, and in turn, these organizations support the views of the HRS. Most HRS chapters will not accept rabbits from individuals. I believe the reason for this is political interest. So if you are looking for information on the web, the HRS, ASPCA and AHS will all tell you that rabbits only belong in the home.
In England, the Rabbit Welfare Association, along with other animal rescue groups, partner with corporations and businesses. With these partnerships, companies are advised on how to produce products that will improve the lives of all rabbits. In the U.K., you can find larger hutches, and hutch covers to keep out the cold weather, and a number of products that you can\'t find in the U.S. to make life better for all rabbits in general.
This is an interesting topic and one that often gets alot of folk\'s \"panties in a bunch\".
I think that we can all agree that as human beings we have the responsibility to see to the basic welfare of our charges. I can find a lot of positives in the views of the HRS, AHS, and ASPCA, however their position is quite obviously slanted and biased against breeders such as myself.
Rabbits do great outdoors (sometimes better than indoors), but the above organizations absolutely refuse to acknowledge this. I think we see a more open and tolerant view in England because over there, rabbits are not only household pets and show animals, but have been considered a viable food source for centuries. (Yes, that\'s right. That\'s the original reason rabbits were first domesticated.) Rabbits are raised for food in the US, but not nearly to the level that you see in Europe and China. There is a definite bias in this country against eating \"Fluffy\", \"Thumper\", or the Easter Bunny.
Tolerance would be the key here. Pet owners should continue to love and care for their rabbit pets. Breeders should see that their rabbit herd is well cared for and comfortable. Groups like PETA...well no comment, other than rabbits (or any other animal) are NOT humans.
WE put that on them (and sometimes to their detriment).
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
What I think is so sad about the house rabbit movement, is that because rabbits have been promoted so heavily as great house pets, people go into owning pet rabbits with unreal expectations, and the shelters are now being flooded with unwanted rabbits like never before. These partnerships bring in a lot of money in the form of new members for the HRS, but I wonder how much the rescue organizations are really benifiting from the partnerships, when the outcome is a greater number of unwanted rabbits?!!
I agree with you 100%.
Rabbits DO make great pets, but people need to understand that they have certain behaviors that don\'t always make for the best of HOUSE PETS. Yes, rabbits can be litter trained. But...rabbits also chew and dig. These are normal behaviors, but can cause a lot of frustration on the part of their owners. Going into pet rabbit ownership with a lack of foreknowledge, many decide that rabbit ownership is not for them and poor \"Thumper\" gets dumped at the local shelter (or worse).
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
This conversation just came up with my 8 year old daughter, so I\'m anxious to share my opinion here. After months of hearing my daughter beg for a new pet this past summer, we decided on a bunny, mostly because a friend of mine (who had an OUTDOOR bunny) told me they were great pets especially for first pets for children. So I contacted a local breeder we knew from an acquaintance, who also concurred that they were great pets that required little maintenance and were overall \"easy\" pets.
We did our research as to what an indoor bunny needs, and went ahead and bought Petey for $5! My daughter was delighted. It didn\'t take long to realize that Petey is a destructive machine. He has munched 30% of the wallpaper off the wall, damaged drywall, destroyed carpet, and even nibbled a homework paper (nothing\'s off limits). Most importantly, however, is that he is also very cute and smart, and we have fallen in love (my husband doesn\'t count!).
I will tell you honestly, however, that if I had known how destructive and expensive he is, I would NOT have chosen him as an indoor pet. I personally feel a rabbit is more suited to being an outside pet because of his natural habits, etc. I wished I had more insight, knowledge and honesty about indoor rabbits--maybe I should\'ve looked here first ...
Needless to say, Petey is loved and is ours, and we\'re committed, thus the $75 surgery. Cats and dogs and their care are very common and familiar to people, but rabbits are VERY different and their care can be overwhelming and frustrating.
Rabbits who are chosen to be indoor pets are lucky if they find loving, patient and committed families. Otherwise, although unfortunate, its no wonder there are so many ending up in shelters.
Thank goodness for this website and the incredibly knowledgeable members (thank you), who have shared a lot of great ideas and tips, etc.
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your story. Bunnies, like puppies, settle down after a couple of years, so as Petey gets older, he should be a little less destructive. Let us know if you need some advice, should you decide to keep Petey outside this summer.
I think rabbits make great indoor pets, but i also warn people about chewing behaviors of rabbits.My rabbits are never unsupervised while in the house.they go into their cage when i cant watch them ,its for their own protection.I wouldnt let my child play in the street.bluebird
There is a wonderful article at
http://www.drsfostersmith.com on rabbit proofing your home. Areas for concern are: electrical and other cords, wooden furniture and baseboards, upholstered furniture, carpet and drapes, books, newspapers, and magazines, closets, kitchen area, food, cleaning supplies, plants, fireplaces, space heaters, and candles, fans and air ducts, open exterior doors and windows, child - rabbit interactions, and interactions with other pets. So what do most people have to change inside of their homes to safely accomodate having a rabbit as a house pet? Just about everything!
Many people find it easier and more practical to preditor proof an area of their yard, than to rabbit proof their home. The HRS recommends a rabbit be given at least 4 hour out of cage time per day, with 100% supervision. Rabbits are harder to keep an eye on than small children because children don\'t crawl under the furniture and eat the carpet. In summary, letting the rabbit out for exercise can become a part time job! Rabbits do make wonderful house pets for pet owners that can meet their needs, but for many people, keeping a rabbit as a house pet can become a truly difficult experience.
Well said (written). I think most pet owners, and parents, would agree that even with close supervision, there are still times of misbehavior.
We limit Petey to one room and cage him when we are not home or not available to closely bunny sit. We have wrapped electrical cords, sprayed deterrent products on his areas of \"interest\", blocked other areas that cannot be sprayed, and offered many other fun alternatives for munching. My little booger still finds trouble. I know it is his nature, thus my personal opinion that most rabbits are just more suited for their natural habitat--outdoors.
Many people I\'ve talked to about rabbit chewing/digging have indicated that the \"extreme\" of this natural behavior is not only related to their gender, but also their personality, just like in any other pet. I know of some rabbits to roam freely with no chewing/litter box problems.
I know Petey needs more exercise than just 30 minutes a day, and unfortunately, that\'s about all he could get if someone sat exclusively to bunnysit. I don\'t like the idea of confining him all day in a 20\" cage either. Until we can offer Petey more \"acreage\" outdoors, thank goodness for those helpful websites, and bring on the deterrent spray!
OK, I\'m probably not going to be very popular after this - but we breed our rabbits for meat. Not to sell, just for our family. Where we live, on a farm in the mountains, it is the norm.
And we do take care of our rabbits. They have individual hutches and get time out of their hutches several times a week. The hutches are preditor proof and kept in a barn, so they are not exposed to the weather. The HRA does a great dis-service to breeders like us. We are not inhumane, we just breed for a different purpose. At least our rabbits don\'tend up in shelters.
We also have a house rabbit who is adored by my family. She has an area that is easily sectioned off for play outside of her cage. But I will agree that rabbits do better outside than in.