Is it humane to keep rabbits as pets?

[kirsterz09]

It definatly seems to be a one sided affair, there's no harm in educating people about rabbits but lets include both sides of the story. I can not disagree with their points as, some rabbits are kept in bad conditions especially by the uneducated, but this is not the case for every rabbit out there. My buns all live in huge 3 tiered hutches, are given run access to grass whenever the weather is fine enough, are brought in and health checked including being sprayed against flystrike and claws clipped and checked, every week, as well as being cleaned every week.
As for rabbit food most bags do state that they are to be fed as a supplement and therefore should not be fed on their own.
The thing that makes me laugh is when they state that the pressure exerted on rabbits when people hold them causes internal injuries! Wow now I might be wrong here but surely that has to be a lot! (to which I would say deliberate!) of pressure to cause internal injuries, I'm sure when we all hold our buns, they are just screaming in pain cuz we're sqeezing the life out of them, please that seems so far fetched!
All my buns freely approach me for affection and cuddles, they binky and run round and seem happy enough to me, they are fed the best food and are given lots of toys and attention, any way I must be doing something right as, all my buns have reached the age of 10 that, she says they are capable of reaching.
To end I guess all I can say is this person obviously hasn't seen any of the bunny owners that are included on this forum, to whom bunnies are treated as family and are cared for like royalty and maybe they should take a look over here before they write anouther article regarding rabbit ownership.

 

[l.lai]

When Rabbits binky is that a sign of happiness or just them doing exercise?

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

l.lai wrote:

When Rabbits binky is that a sign of happiness or just them doing exercis

YES TO HAPPINESS

 

[Orchid]

Nancy McClelland wrote:

Let's see, the writer does have a point. As long as he keeps his hat on no one will see it. In the last seven years, we have rescued 27 rabbits from shelters that were going to PTS or murder them as I see it and have accepted several from owners that loved their bunnies, but, due to circumstances, could no longer keep them. Not every one is a good owner, but, not everyone is an Ohio Petland employee either. Like it or not, the bunnies are a domestic animal that we all have and most would not survive in truly wild climes. I don't usually agree with most of PETA as they seem to tend to the fanatical, but the ideal is good and they get my support as does the Humane Society, ASPCA, and House Rabbit Society. As in all things, I feel the author of the article deliberately lacks in insight and perspective so that their point can be supported on face value only and cannot hold up under examine in the light of day. Every one is entitled to their point of view, and, like Voltaire, I have the right to disagree. Read some of the posts at any Rainbow Bridge site and you get the true perspective of people who love their pets--if only everyone was like that.:bunnydance:

I second that...

 

[lovebunnyok]

Where, I wonder, would the writer suggest Tupper go? Tupper is deaf, and on the outside world he probably wouldn't last 10 minutes!

Sometimes it is our jobs as the human race to take care of those smaller, and defenseless. I don't think of our bunnies as being imprisoned! We are good mommies and daddies (slaves), and we try to to the best for our bun buns!

 

[Orchid]

pamnock wrote:

I think it would belike saying, "Some people are bad parents, so no one should have children."



Pam

That reminds me of a quote from the MOVIE.....Parenthood?

You have to have a license to drive, to fish,..to do most anything...but they will let BEEP BEEP BEEP guy be a dad.....

 

[Erins Rabbits]

Crackpot. :rollseyes

Humans were initially the ones who domesticated the animals in the first place. And initially, it was so that they could be raised for meat and fur in their own homes, and to up production levels, because hunting for meat is generally not as efficient and more costly than raising it in your own home. Hope I haven't offended anyone with this paragraph, I don't mean to, just stating facts.

When it comes down to it, you put a domesticated animal back into their original, natural environment (in this case, in the UK) the animal would be shell shocked. There's no way you could release your domesticated rabbit into the wild today and hope for it to survive. My thoughts- WE have done this to them. The massive inbreeding, the 'dumbing down', the luxury they are often allowed, even caged and used as breeders is astounding. They don't have to forage for food when you offer it in copious ammounts. They down need to burrow or search for lodging in the hutches we provide as caretakers/breeders. They have it easy as livestock, really, when it comes down to it. They in most cases are cared for with great attentiveness. And I know there are exceptions, there are ALWAYS exceptions. The impulsively bought pet, for example, that is often dumped or turned over to the shelter. The accidental litter that ends up in a box on the side of the road. But because we've done centuries of selective breeding for the genetic mutations we call fancy breeds we owe it to the species to keep them fed and cared for. Nowadays, do you think the fragile Belgian Hare would last a minute in the wild, while they are prone to leg and spinal injuries? NO. Your sweet Fluffy would not survive a minute in a world that's motto is very much 'eat or be eaten.'

As for wild rabbits, I agree. They don't belong in your home, they belong ONLY in the wild. End of story.

That being said, my rabbits are not pets. They are more livestock than anything. No- I do not butcher or eat my rabbits. Do I intend to in the near future? No. In essence, no, it is not right to keep a wild rabbit stuck in a hutch all day. That's because it is a WILD animal you are taking from a natural environment and sticking it into it's own personal hell. However, I see nothing wrong with keeping domesticated rabbits in hutches all day. Mine are. They don't know the difference. They have been bred for centuries to be adapted to the hutch, to the pelleted feed, to maximise littering potential. My thoughts are that domesticated rabbits would not survive very long without human help.

 

[Baby Juliet]

My domestic rabbits must have high IQ's because they certainly know how to survive in my back yard without me. They are smart enough not to eat the azalea, dug comfortable warrens where they can escape heat and cold. The only reasons I don't let them all run loose at the same time is that they breed like rabbits and they fight. Even my most recent adoptee gets to run around by himself a couple hours a day. He was an unwanted house rabbit.

I learned from observing them that when it's 100F, they rest on the ground under evergreens where it's only 80F and the ground surface is even cooler. Checked the ground temperature with a cookie thermometer.

 

[l.lai]

Haha i think some comments need to be left at the bottom of the article!

 

[LadyBug]

Wabbitdad12 wrote:

The writer is intellectually challenged.

i agree. okay, i didn't read the whole article, but the person seemingly didn't even bother to spell check.....i noticed in scanning through it that at least one word was misspelled(socialise...?....'z' anyone?). that doesn't do much to make me want to take it very serously........:wink

that's just me

 

[pamnock]

LadyBug wrote:

Wabbitdad12 wrote:

The writer is intellectually challenged.

i agree. okay, i didn't read the whole article, but the person seemingly didn't even bother to spell check.....i noticed in scanning through it that at least one word was misspelled(socialise...?....'z' anyone?). that doesn't do much to make me want to take it very serously........:wink

that's just me

Socialise is a British variant of socialize.

You spelled seriously wrong ; )

Pam

 

[Baby Juliet]

Due to the negative comments here I went and reread it 2 more times. I have to say I agree with the article. Just because some of you are not hurting or killing your pet rabbits doesn't mean the article is wrong.

Spending hundreds on vet care certainly doesn't mean the rabbit is being well treated. The lucky pet rabbit is the one that only need annual check-ups at the vet.

To me, altering your rabbit for behavior purposes is like having your daughter lobotomized so she won't rebel.

 

[Happi Bun]

You do realize the article is saying no one should have rabbit's as pets, that is bad for their health and sanity, and they are not designed to live the life of a domestic pet?

:?

 

[Konotashi]

The reason I got Salem neutered was because I wasn't going to ever breed him, and I read in many places that they can live longer, happier lives altered. He sprayed my wall two days before his appointment, so it wasn't for any behavioral issues. I'm not saying EVERYBODY neuters/spays for these reasons, because I know some do get their bunnies altered for behavioral issues - but not everyone does.

I don't think anyone on this board is hurting or killing their rabbit(s). However, how long do you think an angora rabbit would last in the wild? I know Salem wouldn't last long! I can catch him! (He's a Holland lop.) How long do you think he'd last with a cat or a stray dog or coyote? Or even a car?

Domestic rabbits should be kept as pets, since I'm sure not many at all would be able to live on their own in the wild for long. However, wild rabbits such as cottontails and jackrabbits should be left in the wild. The stresses of keeping THEM in cages and poking and prodding could stress them out to death, no doubt about it. But then again, I don't see any pet store selling jackrabbits around here!

 

[l.lai]

Baby Juliet wrote:

Due to the negative comments here I went and reread it 2 more times. I have to say I agree with the article. Just because some of you are not hurting or killing your pet rabbits doesn't mean the article is wrong.

Spending hundreds on vet care certainly doesn't mean the rabbit is being well treated. The lucky pet rabbit is the one that only need annual check-ups at the vet.

To me, altering your rabbit for behavior purposes is like having your daughter lobotomized so she won't rebel.

What about spaying them to avoid uterine cancer? Unwanted pregnancy?

You disagree with spaying and neutering?

 

[JeffS]

As evidence this guy says that rabbits make bad pets because people take in wild rabbits as pets and think that's ok. Well um, would you take in a wolf as a pet? It's just people being stupid and has nothing to do with domestic rabbits. Anyway, I'm not sure the writer is against rabbits as pets in 100% of cases, but that 99% of people aren't ready or willing to do what it takes. That I could agree with. But making his article so focused on the bad ways people take care of their rabbits he misses a chance at increasing awareness of how to properly care for a rabbit. Not that a neglectful owner would bother reading the article either way.

He also forgets to mention that in the wild a coyote might eat you, or a lawnmower might eat all your children while you're away feeding. Since all he has to go on are emotional arguments, it's pretty lame that he isn't able to deal with the nasty facts of life in the wild.

Oh and my rabbits love me. They love cuddles and giving me kisses. If that's not evidence of humaneness I dunno what is.

...omg the rabbit in the video with the article is sooooo chill. No way can I do that with my rabbits. It'd be great if they trusted me that much though.

Interesting link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_hoarding

 

[Baby Juliet]

Happi Bun wrote:

You do realize the article is saying no one should have rabbit's as pets, that is bad for their health and sanity, and they are not designed to live the life of a domestic pet?

:?

No. It does not say that. You are just reading that into it. Now I've read the article 4 times. He is just reporting what he sees while volunteering.

 

[Maureen Las]

The author states that domestic and wild rabbit should not be kept as pets but his description of the manner in which they arekept would be unacceptable toALL OF US also. He is basing his thinking on his negative experiences .

I agree that no one shuld keep a rabbit as a pet if it is confined to a to a solitary life in a tiny hutch ...but since i don't do that there is no reason for me to not have a rabbit as a pet because my rabbits have good diets , live in a house and get attention.

He has taken his experiences and made asweeping generalization

 

[Happi Bun]

:yeahthat:

 

[Konotashi]

I couldn't help it. I had to leave a comment. Didn't mean for it to be so long, though.