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C R E A T E A D |
| #1 :: October 3rd, 2011 @ 3:26 PM | |
 MagnavoxIs Lonely    433 Posts 376 Achievements  
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This is my deviantArt, go stalk it
(No idea if this is the right place) You see, my bunny Smoky lives outside and at night, lives in the garage with garage door closed so he doesn't get bothered by cats or such. But that doesn't stop me from getting paranoid at night that someone will break into our garage and steal Smoky or that a loose dog will get him when he's in his hutch or run during the day and kill him. Sometimes I cry when I get paranoid. I'm not worried about cats or anything small like that, he's too big to be attacked by cats! Images so you get an idea of his size: Smoky on my knee Me stroking Smoky As you can see, he's a bigger than normal grey ordinary lop. What makes it worse is now I'm teaching him how to use his harness and I'm paranoid he'll get poisoned by plants or pesticides when I walk him or he'll get aggresive and attack anything that comes near him if he feels threatened. All in all, if he dies through my fault, I would never forgive myself. Crap, I'm getting teary-eyed right now. That's how much I love him. TL;DR I cry at night when I get scared for my rabbit's life. Here comes 4 question I need to have answered for his benefits. 1) Do I need pet insurance? 2) Am I old enough to get pet insurance (I'm 16 and live in England, Great Britain)? 3) Should I get him fixed so he doesn't get aggresive towards others on his walks? 4) Should I stop being paranoid about him? Congratz if anyone actually read every word. |
| #2 :: October 4th, 2011 @ 2:43 PM | |
| Demorg Donated to the Cash Shop  254 Posts 299 Achievements |
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But don't worry so much that you miss out on enjoying your companion, too. And try to relax. If you're so worried about him being outdoors a lot, just find a way to bring him inside. Have a place set up for him, like a pen or something. | #3 :: October 4th, 2011 @ 4:22 PM | |
| Magnavox Is Lonely 433 Posts 376 Achievements |
This is my deviantArt, go stalk it
@RAVALTY We used to sometimes let him in when it was too wet (hates having wet ears) when we cleaned his hutch, now we don't because he poops everywhere and is a pain to catch. Plus, landlady doesn't allow pets inside so he's forced outside. When he's outside, all he has for protection is his run, but we've only ever had one loose dog have a go at him and he was in his hutch at the time. All the cats don't have the balls to annoy him. |
| #4 :: October 4th, 2011 @ 4:25 PM | |
| Demorg Donated to the Cash Shop 254 Posts 299 Achievements |
@Magnavox
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| #5 :: October 4th, 2011 @ 5:44 PM | |
| Magnavox Is Lonely 433 Posts 376 Achievements |
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| #6 :: October 4th, 2011 @ 5:55 PM | |
| Demorg Donated to the Cash Shop 254 Posts 299 Achievements |
@Magnavox
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| #7 :: October 4th, 2011 @ 6:05 PM | |
| Imperial is a Sun-Worshipper  4,592 Posts 448 Achievements |
 @MagnavoxYou're bunny is adorable! And I'm not really a rabbit expert in any way, but I do know a couple of things, so hopefully this'll help (or add on to what User not found (1): Ravalty said  )1. If you really, really think you do. Like User not found (1): ravalty said, it just depends on what you're looking for. I'm thinking people usually only do it for incredibly valuable animals (ie; top, prize-winning show dogs/cats/horses, etc.) 2. I'm thinking it's probably 18, but I'm not from England so I really don't know. You could probably do some research and look around and I'm sure you'll find some answers. 3. Yes. Male animals especially calm down a lot after being neutered. Aggression can become a very serious problem. They can also become territorial and start spraying (much like cats). 4. You really should. I know it can be hard, but animals are hardy and they know how to take care of themselves (yes, I'm looking at you spoiled housecat). They have instincts, and rabbits are very fast. I would also highly advise getting a fenced run if you don't have one already. It'll stop the dogs from getting in. Also, is there any way that the rabbit could live indoors? Because overall that would be my most recommended advice. But when you have him on the harness, just be wary and make sure he doesn't eat anything. And I really wouldn't worry yourself about people coming in and trying to steal your rabbit. I like to have faith that people wouldn't do something like that, especially since he's in the garage, which closes. Last Edit by:
Imperial 10/04/11 - 6:05:26 pm
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| #8 :: October 4th, 2011 @ 7:04 PM | |
| victorian_era Gets Around  3,308 Posts 354 Achievements |
 @Magnavox 1) Honestly, I'm going with no. I've had 24 rabbits over four years, most of which lived outside at some point and never had anything happen to them and we even leave our backyard gate open PLUS we have people over all the time to egg the house/steal things because my sister is a cheerleader. 2) No idea, sorry. Probably not. 3) NO!! If he's over a year old and you have no problems with him, you'll be WASTING MONEY. There is no reason to neuter a male rabbit unless he is aggressive- and most aren't. I hate- HATE- when people say to always neuter everything. Sometimes, like in the case of rabbits, it isn't necessary. Don't waste your money- you could end up like me, and you'll neuter him and he'll BECOME aggressive. 4) Yes. How long have you had him? You'll get less paranoid the longer you have him. Make sure his run has a top over it, and is buried down into the ground too. I've harness trained one rabbit before, and you'll be able to stop him if he wants to eat a plant/will become aggressive. Usually rabbits sniff things out for a least a few seconds before deciding what to do, pay attention and you'll be able to stop him. 
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| #9 :: October 5th, 2011 @ 4:02 PM | |
| Magnavox Is Lonely 433 Posts 376 Achievements |
This is my deviantArt, go stalk it
For everyone's sake, this is his run: Medium sized and this is his hutch: Giant one @RAVALTY Yeah, I don't really understand what you mean *Slowpoke*. @Imperial Pet insurance is just for the case of poisoning. I think it helps with vet bills I think? My only source of money is DLA (Disability Living Allowance). No, he can't come indoors. He's not allowed in because of our landlady. @victorian_era That's interesting, I've never heard of rabbits being aggressive after being fixed. He's 2 years old, I read somewhere that fixing rabbits is risky over the age of 1. Sometimes he nips. He used to bite a lot, now he rarely does it. Majority of the time, when we go to put him in his hutch for the night, he starts running around like a mad bunny, spraying everywhere. I don't whether it's him having balls or if he's just taking the piss (pun not intended). Had him since autumn last year. I've been showing his harness and plopping it on his back for 8 days, should I try putting it on him properly now? |
| #10 :: October 5th, 2011 @ 4:10 PM | |
| Demorg Donated to the Cash Shop 254 Posts 299 Achievements |
@Magnavox
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| #11 :: October 5th, 2011 @ 4:12 PM | |
| Magnavox Is Lonely 433 Posts 376 Achievements |
This is my deviantArt, go stalk it
@RAVALTY Does it have to be partly buried? If yes, then I don't know if landlady will let us do that. |
| #12 :: October 5th, 2011 @ 6:52 PM | |
| victorian_era Gets Around 3,308 Posts 354 Achievements |
@Magnavox Neither did I, but it happened to me. I don't know how common that is, but I wouldn't want to risk it again. Fixing rabbits over one is very risky- rabbit anaesthesiology isn't very perfected anyway, and putting an older rabbit under is a lot more difficult. He's spraying his cage to mark his territory, it most likely smells different and/or he wants to reaffirm his ownership. My neutered rabbit will still pee places he shouldn't when it smells different. Most likely, both behaviours he's been doing his whole life and won't be fixed by neutering. I progressed to the next step whenever my rabbit was comfortable. If he's good with it sitting on his back, then yeah go ahead and try clipping it on. (:
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| #13 :: October 6th, 2011 @ 1:19 PM | |
| Magnavox Is Lonely 433 Posts 376 Achievements |
This is my deviantArt, go stalk it
@victorian_era Today I put the neck strap under his chin and he didn't freak out, he just looked at me like "What are you doing?". Wonder if he's one of these bunnies that don't care what you do to him. Gave him a treat afterwards. Although he has a funny habit of rubbing his chin on everything. And I mean, EVERYTHING. |
| #14 :: October 6th, 2011 @ 3:57 PM | |
| Tomorrow is a Mirage  3,947 Posts 608 Achievements |
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1) Do I need pet insurance? I can say quite distinctly NO. Pet insurance is terribly expensive and, more importantly, only really "works" with traditional pets like cats and dogs. Not animals that can be considered as 'exotics.' Vet visits with exotic pets are already terribly expensive. In the end, pet insurance would ultimately just increase this. 2) Am I old enough to get pet insurance (I'm 16 and live in England, Great Britain)? Again, DON'T!!! 3) Should I get him fixed so he doesn't get aggresive towards others on his walks? Well, that one might be a good idea. But I also don't anything about fixing rabbits. In dogs however, it can help a lot with agression. 4) Should I stop being paranoid about him? Yes and no. Yes, because some of these things are ultimately out of anyone's control. No, because, in my case, it's my paranoia with my animals that has saved their lives. What I would do is make sure he has a good, safe hide in the garage that dogs couldn't get into. Even if they tried. Rabbits are timid animals by nature, and will hide in the presence of a predator or perceived threat. You would just be facilitating this natural instinct. As for the walking thing- I don't know anything about bunny intelligence. Generally speaking though, he should know what he can and cannot eat. My brain damaged iguana knows what he can eat in the yard after all. Maybe take hi out on a number of walks, and find out if he can tell the difference between edible plants and inedible ones? Once you're established that he can, or cannot, then you can go from there.
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| #15 :: October 6th, 2011 @ 6:22 PM | |
| victorian_era Gets Around 3,308 Posts 354 Achievements |
@Magnavox Perhaps. About 1/3 or 1/2 of my rabbits have not really cared about anything I did to them. :p Rubbing his chin is marking his territory- there are scent glands under there. When I change out the bunny toys it's funny to watch them just go nuts rubbing their chin all over it because it smells like another rabbit.
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| #16 :: October 6th, 2011 @ 8:48 PM | |
| Demorg Donated to the Cash Shop 254 Posts 299 Achievements |
@Magnavox
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| #17 :: October 7th, 2011 @ 3:43 AM | |
| Magnavox Is Lonely 433 Posts 376 Achievements |
This is my deviantArt, go stalk it
@victorian_era Tonight, I might try and properly put it on him since I get home earlier from sixth form. @RAVALTY Okay, then. I might think about that. |
| #18 :: November 9th, 2011 @ 11:37 PM | |
| Kululu Is a Survivor  3,433 Posts 160 Achievements |
You can't live in fear. I had rabbits for ten years. I lived in the countr for six years and then in the city for four with them. They're in a little barn and never had anything attack them. I know people who've had them outside and raccoons or bobcats broke int the cage, though. Last Edit by: User not found (1): Vivid 11/09/11 - 11:42:23 pm
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| #19 :: November 16th, 2011 @ 9:10 PM | |
| BlackMetal Is the Pumpkin King!  80 Posts 92 Achievements |
I would'nt really worry about pet insurance because if something happened to him and he died, somehow I don't think getting money for him would make your feel any better, and in my experience vet bills for bunnies don't usually run too high but I live in canada. My male rabbit was MUCH less aggressive after we fixed him so I would definitely recommend getting it done. I don't think you should be too paranoid about it because it seems like you've done the best you can and he should be safe. A raccoon got ahold of one of my rabbits and tore it to pieces, which wasn't great, but my rabbit actually ran out of my arms when it saw the raccoon which is why it got killed. So even if you're right there watching him, these fluke things can happen. =/ Sorry, I bet that doesn't make you feel any better but the point is being paranoid about your rabbit won't keep him safe but taking precautions (which you've done!) will. As for walking him, I usually tried to keep my rabbit on pavement (not always easy on their feet though) or areas of grass where there were no visible plants I could'nt identify. Basically all you really have to do is keep avery close eye on him.
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