I felt that rabbits were under-represented in this section...

[swolek]

so here are my current two!

Fiona, 5 year old French Angora (some Satin Angora in her lines, she was part of a litter specifically for wool spinning and not show) :



Elvis, 10+ year old mixed breed:



And some past bunnies:

Puchiko:



Sake:



Akiko, Sake, Kioko:



Stash:



Sparkie:



Sakura, my heart bunny:



Yuki:



Ok, now this section feels more balanced :p.

I've recently decided to try a more natural diet for my rabbits so maybe I'll update this thread with my progress. The new diet will mainly consist of native edible plants and grasses plus hay and vegetables...no pellets, grains, or fruits. I had done a vegetable based diet in the past but Fiona drove me insane (she's a pellet addict) and I switched back. I think the new diet may work because she'll have fresh grass and plants to munch on all day instead of just hay...it might keep her occupied enough that she won't harass me for pellets.

[swolek]

and so as not to leave out the foster buns...

Faline:



Latte:



Mocha:

[DaneMama]

Very cute bunnies!!!

We just recently got 6 lop eared bunnies (mixed breed probably...). Jon's mom bought them at an Amish auction out of the blue. They are super cute!

[RawFedDogs]

To many of us rabbits aren't pets. They are food.

[swolek]

To many of us rabbits aren't pets. They are food.

Ah, number one rule when I mention my pet rabbits to someone...

They either mention eating rabbits or tell me a horrible story about their childhood bunny. I'm OK with the fact they're used for food by some people but I'd rather everyone not make comments like this on a thread about my PET rabbits :(. So please guys, can we leave those comments out of this post?

[DaneMama]

Sorry if I offended you! Wasn't my intent....edited my post for ya!

[minnieme]

Adorable! I had no idea they could live so long!

[SilverBeat]

Lovely buns! My own rabbit, Bella, is on a mostly Hay and Fresh Food Diet. Along with my guinea pigs... obviously they have different nutritional needs.

The piggers get 1/4 cup of pellets between the three of them every few days... basically any day that they don't get outside to munch fresh grass and forages. They have unlimited hay, and they get about 2-3 cups of greens, veggies and scraps between the three of them every morning. We have a "pig bucket" under the sink into which all edible scraps of raw veggies go [things like peels and cores]. I am an avid juicer and they get most of my pulp, which is what really helps me assure they're getting a lot of variety and good stuff [and makes me want to juice more!].
And then Bella gets out as often as possible, but she's not a big grazer like the pigs, so most of her forage intake is from me weeding the garden. In the morning she gets a small salad and some fruit if we have any. In the evening she gets the occasional sprinkle of oats and about 1/8-1/4 cup of oxbow pellets. She is a 5.5-lb dutch mix.
My foster rabbits eat a small amount of alfalfa pellets, unlimited hay, and a small amount of greens. Right now they're on some Blue Seal pellets that someone donated but I am switching them to Sweet Meadow as soon as that runs out. They are doing well on this, I try to get as many greens in their diets as possible, but the three of them are just obsessed with hay. Bella is not, she does much better with more fresh foods in her diet.

How do you/will you supply your buns with a constant supply of grass/greens? I have a couple of ideas for this for the winter.. but would love some new ones!

And for funsies... here are my buns:

Bella-Monster, 5 year old Dutch/dwarf mix:


My heart bunny, Newman, who died in my arms [from a URI ]..

He was a New Zealand mix. His mother was found as a stray and gave birth the day after she was rescued to Ben, Newman and their five sisters. Unfortunately all of her children died relatively young [Newman and his sister Hyacinth were the oldest, they lived to 5]. Mama Marshmallow passed away during the summer of last year.

His brother, Benner, who died of heart complications at age 3. <3



My fosters... Abbey- age 5


Owen


And Peony who has an adoption pending


Links to photos of the pigs, and the org that I foster for are in my sig. As well as more of the bunnies!

[swolek]

Sorry if I offended you! Wasn't my intent....edited my post for ya!

Sorry, it wasn't really your post but the other one and the future posts I knew were coming from experience. But thanks for understanding! :) For me, my house rabbits are on the same level as the dogs. Actually, they're better trained, ha.

Adorable! I had no idea they could live so long!

Unfortunately, most rabbits die younger than they should due to poor diet, improper housing, and cancer. Spaying and neutering also increases lifespan quite a bit :). Over 80% (can't remember the exact stats) of intact does get uterine cancer before the age of 4. But fixed, cared for house bunnies can easily live 10+ years :D. The larger breeds live a bit shorter, just like dogs. Sparkie was a Giant Chinchilla rabbit and lived for about 6-7 years, for example, but dwarf rabbits can make it to their teens.

[swolek]

Beautiful rabbits, SilverBeat!

Your diet sounds similar to the one I've been feeding. For a while I tried just vegetables and hay but Fiona basically threw a temper tantrum and wouldn't let me sleep or do anything...she loves pellets. I really hope this new diet works.

We have two cavies as well :). They're kind of my sister's but I should post them some time! I'm not a huge cavy fan (awesome critters, just not a good pet choice for me) but they are adorable :).

Right now I'm just storing a lot of extra grass and weeds to get me through at least part of the winter. My plan is to also grow some grass and herbs inside. I will probably feed more hay, including a bit of alfalfa, in the winter to compensate. Wild rabbits tend to eat buds and shrubs in winter so I'm looking into ones I could possibly "harvest" here. I know they'll also consume more bark in winter so I will be providing a steady supply of apple and willow branches.

I'm also sorry about your heart rabbit. I still think about my Sakura almost every day...she was tied with my dog Sophie for the best pet I've ever had (and I've had many). I had to put her to sleep a few years ago due to liver failure (she was a senior at that point...about 7 years old, old for a Californian rabbit).