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



## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

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 .

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.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

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

Faline:










Latte:










Mocha:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

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!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

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


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

RawFedDogs said:


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


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?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

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


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

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


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

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:sad: ].. 








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!


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> 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.



minnieme said:


> 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 . 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.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

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).


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

My rescue is doing a fundraiser selling apple branches online. I helped prune them in April.. 

I agree on the cavies, I will not be adopting any more for a while if ever. I may foster way in the future, but I prefer dogs and bunnies. At one point I had eight but when I moved I couldn't handle all of them and had to re-home four. A couple of weeks later my seniormost and dearest pig, Sophie-Mo, passed away. She was 5-6+ and her health had been failing, so it was expected but still very sad.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

SilverBeat said:


> My rescue is doing a fundraiser selling apple branches online. I helped prune them in April..
> 
> I agree on the cavies, I will not be adopting any more for a while if ever. I may foster way in the future, but I prefer dogs and bunnies. At one point I had eight but when I moved I couldn't handle all of them and had to re-home four. A couple of weeks later my seniormost and dearest pig, Sophie-Mo, passed away. She was 5-6+ and her health had been failing, so it was expected but still very sad.


I can get apple branches locally (fellow New Yorker, ha) but link me to the rescue and I'll buy some there, too, when I run out .

We didn't really plan to get cavies but took them in as rescues. They're a mother and daughter pair...the poor mom gave birth when she was a baby herself. They're sweet but not the right pets for us.

I'm sorry to hear about your piggie . Ours are around 3 years old (the mother's probably more like 4) so hopefully we get a few more years with them.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

We have been feeding ours all the broad leafed greens around the property. They especially like clover and , which is good because we have an over abundance of them lol. They actually don't eat much of their pellet food, and come running when we bring fresh greens for them to eat!


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I had a bunny for a while but I had to rehome him because I was allergic! I'm not allergic to any other animal and I didn't even realize it was cause of him for a long time! He was very sweet.. his name was Nutmeg.

Aww, our foster doxie we had for a bit. I miss her.


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

Here is my rescue's site: Upstate New York House Rabbit Society - Index a link to the apple branches fundraiser is right there on the main page.

I am allergic to both hay and guinea pigs. So I'm always looking to feed less hay and more fresh grass and stuff. They have hay for something to munch on and keep their g.i. tracts moving, but the less I have to touch it/breathe it in, the better.

I'm putting together a seed mix for the colder months.. so far I have oat and timothy grass, fescue and red and white clover. That was all I could get from my feed store. I may buy a small amount of "wildlife mix" seed from them too...
I'm collecting burlap sacks, going to sterilize them in the sun, cut them into strips, wet them down, lay the seeds on top of them and then another wetted burlap strip, like a sandwich, and put them in a plastic bag [a produce bag or newspaper bag] for a couple of days. When they start to sprout I'll take them out of the plastic for a few hours a day and put them in a sunny windowsill, or outside if it's warm enough, to get some sunlight and reduce the chance of molding. Then I will throw it in the pigs' or bella's cage and let them munch! 
I'm doing something similar with big plastic tubs like sherbet tubs and large butter tubs. The extra layer of burlap keeps them from getting to the seeds, so you can re-sprout a couple of times.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Everyone's bunny's are so darn sweet looking. Little fluff balls! Umm Hope this is ok to write~ if not you can delete this ~ But I had a cute white rabbit with pink eyes when I was a teenager (gee long time ago haha) was just wonderful bunny would romp through the house . So darn cute! But seeing these bunny's after our last guinea pig OOOOOHHHHHHH I want one! They are all so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Here are my two, Armani and Willow. Both came from animal control and I think they're both about 4 yrs old. Willow is a Lionhead and is sweet but very shy. She would prefer I left her alone and only allows me to pet her when she's getting a treat. Armani on the other hand is a total social butterfly. He seems to just enjoy everything and everyone. He is also HUGE. I don't know what he weighs but he's bigger than most of my dogs. My Min Pins are quite prey driven and would gladly kill my buns if given half a chance so they live safely out in their own home that I also use as a foster building for puppies. They currently have the building to themselves, (well they have 2 cats that live with them too) and their own enclosed yard to play in and stay safe. They have heat and air and are quite pampered. They've lived with me for the past 3-1/2 yrs and have not seen the inside of a rabbit cage since!


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

I am soo jealous. 
I had a bunny for a few months once (neighbors didn't want), but it was ferocious, didn't like to be pet, or carried, it would turn around and "punch" me when I tried, it HATED Sparky (but I blame Sparky for trying to play with it too rough). On the bright-side once it was here it never had to be locked in it's cage again.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> We have been feeding ours all the broad leafed greens around the property. They especially like clover and , which is good because we have an over abundance of them lol. They actually don't eat much of their pellet food, and come running when we bring fresh greens for them to eat!


Yup, that's what my bunnies have been getting...lots of clover (a few species)! Plus a few types of grass, dandelion greens, lavender, and random weeds that seemed edible (based on watching native rabbits). That's in addition to some stuff from the garden (kale, spinach, various types of lettuce, basil, marigolds, and broccoli leaves), corn husks, store-bought peppers and romaine lettuce, plus the usual hay mix. I'm hoping this will be enough to keep Fiona from harassing me, haha. She's used to getting a quarter cup of pellets a day. But I really think she could benefit from the new diet as Angora rabbits are of course prone to woolblock .



Caty M said:


> I had a bunny for a while but I had to rehome him because I was allergic! I'm not allergic to any other animal and I didn't even realize it was cause of him for a long time! He was very sweet.. his name was Nutmeg.
> 
> Aww, our foster doxie we had for a bit. I miss her.


Aww, he's adorable, I'm sorry you had to rehome him. My Dachshund wasn't quite as nice as your foster, ha, he wanted to eat the bunnies.



SilverBeat said:


> Here is my rescue's site: Upstate New York House Rabbit Society - Index a link to the apple branches fundraiser is right there on the main page.
> 
> I am allergic to both hay and guinea pigs. So I'm always looking to feed less hay and more fresh grass and stuff. They have hay for something to munch on and keep their g.i. tracts moving, but the less I have to touch it/breathe it in, the better.
> 
> ...


Oh, I know that rescue, my mom sent me the link a few months ago and told me to buy apple branches (after I had just gotten a bunch, of course). She must have you guys added on Facebook, ha.

That's an interesting idea. I might have to try something like that .



3Musketeers said:


> I am soo jealous.
> I had a bunny for a few months once (neighbors didn't want), but it was ferocious, didn't like to be pet, or carried, it would turn around and "punch" me when I tried, it HATED Sparky (but I blame Sparky for trying to play with it too rough). On the bright-side once it was here it never had to be locked in it's cage again.


That sounds like a typical intact rabbit, actually! They're monsters when not spayed or neutered, it's part of why so many are dumped . Most rabbits don't like being carried but the aggressive behavior was probably hormonal behavior.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Your rabbits are beautiful! Do you usually have more than one at a time? Where do they live, I was always under the impression bunnies need quite a bit of space.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

lauren43 said:


> Your rabbits are beautiful! Do you usually have more than one at a time? Where do they live, I was always under the impression bunnies need quite a bit of space.


Yeah, the most we've had in the house at any one time was six although I just have the one pair now. My current two are kind of tricky because they've never gotten along.

It's depended on the rabbit. A few were totally free-range, only caged in emergencies (Sakura and Sparkie were like that...they had run of the house together). Most have been semi free-range...allowed to roam when people are around. A couple have had to be caged, though, and only let out under supervision. Those rabbits always got the larger cages since they spent more time caged (now I'd probably use pens, though).

My current two are caged when I'm not around to watch them. Elvis is allowed to roam when I'm home and spends most of his time in his cardboard mansion in the closet, ha. Fiona is difficult. She's very sweet, friendly, and people-oriented. Unfortunately, she is also extremely rabbit-aggressive and quite pushy towards other animals like dogs. If I let her roam my room unsupervised she'll attack Elvis through the bars (he's no angel either and hates her just as much...so he'll happily bite back) and she also harasses my dog. So she has to be supervised closely or left to roam the hallway/kitchen area. I try to give her more outside grazing time to make up for it but I still feel bad. I'm hoping she calms down a bit with age, ha.


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