Not what it seems

[RWAF]

Please take a look at this hugely thought-provoking video. You need to bear with it; it’s not what it first seems!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gJxj5CRlSs[/ame]

The video, in a simple and maybe rather shocking way, says something that we have said for some time: Most people wouldn’t dream of keeping a cat in a cage, but it’s seen as somehow okay to do so with a rabbit.

We at the RWAF are striving to change the perception of rabbits as pets. They are not cheap and disposable and need as much care and responsibility as a cat or a dog. They need an environment that allows them to perform their natural behaviours of running, jumping, digging and companionship with their own kind.

Please note that we abhor all animal cruelty. We don’t favour rabbits above other animals but recognise that they are on the receiving end of a huge amount of neglect due to misconceptions and ignorance. Of course we do not condone keeping cats in cages, and nor does the video; it’s merely using the extremely striking image as a tool to get this vital point across.

Please forward this to your friends who have rabbits – let’s get people thinking!

 

[Imbrium]

I have a rabbit cage just like that... one of my Syrian hamsters lives in it. I hate that they actually sell cages that size marketed for rabbits! if I ruled the world, they'd sell NIC condo kits in pet stores.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Housing rabbits in cages isn't inherently cruel or neglectful, nor does it reflect ignorance or misguidance.

Cages like the one above are marketed and appropriate for small, dwarf breed rabbits. Medium to large breeds (closer to the size of the cat) need larger cages. In any case, it's important that the rabbit is able to move about, lay down, stretch out and stand on two feet. Rabbits can be housed in cages safely and humanely.

 

[whitelop]

I have my rabbit in that same cage. That is like the largest plastic bottomed cage you can buy.
She is a mini lop. And while, it is a little small; she can stand up on two feet. Walk around, stretch out completely. She also gets let out for upwards of 20 hours a day into the kitchen. But I think as long as the rabbits get let out for at least a few hours a day, then they're really only sleeping in there at night.
They make NIC type cages for cats, with different levels and stuff. Like bunny cages.

 

[agnesthelion]

That is a very thought provoking video! I do think, sadly, people do think of rabbits as "cage" animals. I can't tell you how many people think it's AMAZING that I have two free run bunnies who use a litterbox. In fact, my neighbor at our neighborhood party last weekend was stunned. Her words..."I've never heard of such a thing!"

So videos like these are great. I think we do need to educate and spread the word. I don't care if it was a 2 lb Netherland dwarf. Caged all day in that type of cage isn't an ideal life. I rarely see a pet store cage that in MY opinion is big enough for a rabbit to spend 7-10 years in. Now, if bunny gets out for several hours a day then it's fine. But unfortunately I think people end up not giving their buns as much free time as they should.

 

[Anaira]

I have this cage. I bought it along with Nermal(dwarf), who wasn't even full grown at the time, and no way would I have kept him in that long term. I kept him in there only two days, until Reuben decided he likes him. True, there was plenty of room for him to hop around, and stand up, etc. But no room to binky.

I agree with Morgan that maybe at night they would be fine, but tbh I prefer not even doing that, unless I were an early riser; which I am not! Nermal is most active at around dawn, and I'm sometimes awake at that time to watch her go binky-crazy! I used to have a pen a couple of years ago, and Willoughby would always wake me at dawn so I could let him out for mad binky-ness!. Is why I no longer have a pen, lol.

I'm all for free-ranging house bunnies. I'm aware it isn't practical for everyone(dogs, cats, kids) but I have dogs and cats and manage; mind you, I do have Reuben who is good at keeping them in line! The point of the video is to change people's perception of rabbits. They do not belong in cages any more than cats or dogs do.

A lot of things are safe, and humane, but I do not believe are right. Cages are one of them.

 

[Hyatt101]

I think those types of cages are absolutely fine for dwarf rabbits who get enough time out of the cage.

 

[Anaira]

Would you say the cage was ok for a Chihuahua?

 

[Hyatt101]

Sorry, not sure if that question was to me or not No, it wouldn't be fine for a dog, I'm just saying it's fine for a dwarf bun IF they get enough time out of it.

 

[Anaira]

lol yeah, to you. I'm just trying to make you see that if it isn't ok for a dog smaller than a rabbit, then why is it ok for the rabbit? Morgan's rabbit gets enough time out, so that's fine. But since she only spends about 4 hours out of 24 inside the cage, I don't call that keeping a rabbit inside a cage. I'm talking about rabbits who spend more than half the day inside one.

Different opinions of course, I'm not saying people who do think they're fine are wrong; I'm just saying I disagree with you. And explaining why. And trying to get you to agree with me. lol.

We have a Chihuahua X, who is the same age as Nermal. Nermal rivals her in activeness. Mad crazy house!

 

[Hyatt101]

Lol! Sorry, what I was trying to say was that it's okay for a rabbit to stay in IF they get adequate time out of the cage. That's what I meant, anyway!

 

[tamsin]

If you watch the video when she's talking about the cat she says something on the lines of she used to let it out an hour a day but then it scratched the sofa so she didn't let it out at all.

I think the point to take away isn't that you can never put a rabbit in a cage, but that a cage shouldn't be it's whole world. A rabbit that spends 20 hours a day not in the cage isn't a problem it's the rabbits that spend 23 hours, or more, a day in the cage.

It's not okay, whatever the size rabbit to shut them in a cage with little or no out time. It's bad for their health, rabbits, like people, need to get exercise to have healthy hearts and bodies, exercise is also important for bone density, gut movement, muscles development to support bones. And for their mental well-being - we all know rabbits, like cats, are curious little animals that like to explore. Being locked in a small space with nothing to do is not conducive to a well adjusted rabbit which results in all sorts of behavioural problems.

I think the vid is an excellent way to get people thinking

 

[ladysown]

one thing that also needs to be understood. so comparing the two is inappropriate.

rabbits handle confinement relatively well.

Cats on the other hand DO NOT. Cats can get downright neurotic when kept caged.

Now... keeping a rabbit in a cage that is too small for it.. that's a whole different ball game. But an appropriately sized cage, a rabbit will be quite content. They are safe, they are fed, they aren't being hunted. That works out pretty good in their minds.

 

[lauratunes12]

We did have a cage like that for a couple weeks before we could figure out other housing. But she did get out for a couple hours every night. They can be used for small rabbits as long as they get time out of the cage, but not something as big as a cat.

Also, I would love to have Faith be free all day, but we have two dogs who can and will kill Faith. Our entire house is also wood flooring, which Faith will not move on. So even when she is out, she's kind of confined to the towels and rugs we can put down.(and the couches, which she jumps all over)

 

[Imbrium]

Now... keeping a rabbit in a cage that is too small for it.. that's a whole different ball game. But an appropriately sized cage, a rabbit will be quite content. They are safe, they are fed, they aren't being hunted. That works out pretty good in their minds.

I have to disagree with that... keeping small animals like hamsters, rats, gerbils, mice, chinchillas, degus, sugar gliders (cage or bonding pouch for them), hedgehogs, etc. in a cage the vast majority of the time is one thing, rabbits are another thing entirely. the difference being that all the other animals I listed get a wheel to run on for their exercise. a rabbit NEEDS 4-5h a day out of the cage or a "cage" that's a minimum of 60 square feet (mine get 120 square feet and love it) so that they can get exercise and run off all that extra energy. heck, the more social animals out of the ones I listed still need an hour or two a day outside the cage/bonding with their owners - I take my sugar gliders for a couple hours of "tent time" almost every night.

my rabbits have a 3-story NIC condo (it's 2Wx3Lx5H) and there's no way I would ever lock them in it 24/7 or anywhere close to it. in the wild, rabbits travel miles a day and it's just not possible to get remotely close to that while confined in a cage.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

one thing that also needs to be understood. so comparing the two is inappropriate.

rabbits handle confinement relatively well.

Cats on the other hand DO NOT. Cats can get downright neurotic when kept caged.

Now... keeping a rabbit in a cage that is too small for it.. that's a whole different ball game. But an appropriately sized cage, a rabbit will be quite content. They are safe, they are fed, they aren't being hunted. That works out pretty good in their minds.

I agree. A cage that's too small is definitely a concern. Rabbits need enough room stretch out in all directions and hop around. But from my experience, they are content in a cage that's appropriately sized, as long as they're able to exercise and play inside of it.

Mine are housed in cages with toys that I switch in and out for them to play with. Most of them love shredding or crushing cardboard tubes, pushing their jingly balls around, or throwing their key rings. They also have hay racks attached to the doors. They have to pull the hay through the wire to get it out, so the bunnies spend quite a bit of their day pulling out hay from the top, bottom and sides.

So they do get exercise through play and enrichment through the different toys. :happybunny:

 

[Troller]

I wanted a house rabbit so always thought of a cage as a temporary thing until the rabbit is litter trained and behaved. Well to my surprise training flew by fast and he got used to the apartment so I was going to remove the cage but Conan seemed so happy in it, spending a majority amount of his time in his cage even with the door open. So as long as the cage is spacious enough I doubt they want to live without one.

 

[tamsin]

Cats can get downright neurotic when kept caged.

I think that's more the difference, rabbits will often take confinement quietly, that doesn't mean it's okay, just that they aren't as demonstrative. People don't see spending 99% of the time staring into space as a rabbit going quietly crazy. I wonder if some rabbits just never know that there is anything better - which is incredibly sad. I don't think they are content so much as withdrawn and resigned.

That said, rabbits that have had the experience of space and are then confined often have a similar reaction to cats - they want out and try and and get through the cage to do that. How many people have rabbits that rattle the bars when it's exercise time? They want out because they find that experience enjoyable and get upset if they don't get it.

I'm not saying never put a rabbit in a cage, but they need several hours a day exercise outside it to keep them healthy and stimulate their brains.

 

[Anaira]

Ok, lets put things this way. Would you like to spend most of your day locked inside a bathroom? ("you" is not pointed at anyone in particular, it's just a generic "you" pointed at anyone in this discussion ) Because that gives about the same amount of room that a dwarf gets inside that particular cage. You get plenty of exercise, being let out into a large rumpus room, and you have a tv inside your bathroom to amuse you, and maybe even a phone, books, computer, etc. Would you be happy in this life? Actually, I would be, short term. lol. But then, I'm an antisocial bookworm, but long term it wouldn't work out, and didn't. Because I've done it, on a slightly larger scale(my bedroom lol) and it is hell, eventually. It drove me mental.

And some people do keep cats in a cage. They actually do get used to it, if that's all they've known. Much larger cages of course, that provide room for climbing, but still. I agree with Tamsin, it is their different nature. Cats aren't as accepting, plus, rabbits have been bred into captivity for longer. Cats were domesticated first by being used as rat catchers, and from there I believe they gradually got used to being lap cats. Never caged. I don't know anything about the history of domesticating rabbits, but they would always have been kept in cages. For as long as they have been domesticated. Wild rabbits hate cages as much as a cat would, and even half-wild rabbits dislike it, and need plenty of room.

 

[KittyKatMe]

I am a firm believer that rabbits should be out in a very large area for 12+ hours of the day. That cage is okay. For a hamster.