# retarded rabbit?



## muchloveforbunny (May 8, 2006)

We got two new bunnies this weekend. They are so cute. They are a Dutch/Rex mix. I'm told they are 8 weeks old. 

We couldn't stand not having a rabbit. It was just so sad with our rabbit gone. 

One thing I noticed is that they are very intelligent and they dothings which my now deceased rabbit never did. The girl does binkieseverywhere and she tries to climb us. She also thumps when you put tryto put her in the cage! And the boy loves attention. He demands beingpet. He looks like he is in heaven when you pet him. They are fearlessand filled with joy.

My older, now deceased rabbit, never did these things. We got her whenshe was two years old, so she was an adult already.In fact,she used to just sit there or hide. She often looked depressed. Shenever, ever played. We just thought rabbits were kind of like that. 

One lady in a pet store (when I got her nails cut) once told me myolder rabbit was inbred and retarded, because she would sway her head(not head tilt, but swaying to see you). I got so mad at her when shesaid that. SoI asked the vet if my rabbit was retardedandshe said my rabbit was not retarded, but then she said itwas wonderful of me to give her a home and she looked at me odd, whichmade me think she was lying.

Do you guysthink that my older rabbit really wasretarded?I was just reading rabbits do things likebinkies,because I was trying to figure out this little danceour new bunny does.And just the general happy, free,unconcious, joyful, inquisitive nature of these new bunnies compared tohow, for lack of another word, dull my older rabbit used to be is justamazing me. 

Do you think my bunnies will become more dull, like my olderrabbit?I want them to stay happy this way. I really like it.Don't get me wrong. I loved my last rabbit. but I think I like thisliveliness in the new bunnies, too.

Well, anyway, the difference is amazing. I guessI can't helpbut compare them to my last rabbit, sinceI got them so soon.

They are SO cute. I'll have to upload photos. They will getbiggerthan my now-deceased Netherland Dwarf. I wonder how bigthey will be. Maybe I'll have to make a cage by hand. The cage they arein is almost already too small and its the largest cagethatPetco sells.

I'm gladI found this place. I have learned so much in my short time on this forum. 

Thank you guys so much for your support when my rabbit died. I stillmiss her. She was shy and, yes, not as playful, but she left a mark onmy heart in her own way. It was a good idea to get these newbunnies.I love rabbits. Just their precense makes me so happy.


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## naturestee (May 8, 2006)

I doubt your rabbit had mentalproblems. The swaying could be because she had troubleseeing. Did she have pink eyes? "Scanning" iscommon in pink eyed rabbits, but other rabbits could do ittoo. If she did have eye problems, she might not have feltcomfortable running around and doing binkies.

Babies are always much more active than adult animals.Compare a puppy or a kitten to an adult dog or cat. Theadults still play, but they don't have the constant energy.

What kind of home did you get your rabbit from? If she wasnot let out to play, not given toys, and kept in a small cage then it'spossible that she forgot how to play because she was neverallowed. My Loki actually had to be taught how torun. He wanted to, but he didn't know how to go faster than aslow jog. That wasuntil after he was bonded withMocha and Mocha started running bunny 500's (running flatout). He got this look on his face like the light bulb justwent on and then copied her exactly.


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## muchloveforbunny (May 8, 2006)

*naturestee wrote:*


> I doubt your rabbit had mental problems. Theswaying could be because she had trouble seeing. Did she havepink eyes? "Scanning" is common in pink eyed rabbits, butother rabbits could do it too. If she did have eye problems,she might not have felt comfortable running around and doing binkies.
> 
> Babies are always much more active than adult animals.Compare a puppy or a kitten to an adult dog or cat. Theadults still play, but they don't have the constant energy.
> 
> What kind of home did you get your rabbit from? If she wasnot let out to play, not given toys, and kept in a small cage then it'spossible that she forgot how to play because she was neverallowed. My Loki actually had to be taught how torun. He wanted to, but he didn't know how to go faster than aslow jog. That wasuntil after he was bonded withMocha and Mocha started running bunny 500's (running flatout). He got this look on his face like the light bulb justwent on and then copied her exactly.




Thanks for your reply. Those are good points. She didn't have pinkeyes. She had black ones. But she did do a lot of scanning.Ijust learned about scanning btw. I asked the vet about the scanning.She didn't know.

The girl at the Petco told me that,like rats, rabbitsthey sway their heads when they are retarded. 

I got my former rabbit at a 4-H fair from someone who I think was partof 4-H. She had rented a hall and had hundreds of former show rabbitson sale. I don't know if they were all hers or if she was arepresentative. My rabbit had a tatoo andI was told it was aformer show rabbit. But yea, I have to wonder if they were reallyletting her out to play or even interacting with her at all.OftenI would wonder about her previous owners, because shejust seemed kind of scared of everything. After awhile, she kind ofopened up with us. She had her own kind of communication going on. 

That is so cute about your Loki. Aw... Often i wanted toget a friend for her, but the 4-H lady told me not to. She said sheliked being alone. It never seemed that way however with my cats. Sheseemed to love my cats. I kind of wished I tried to get her a friend.Maybe it would have made her happier, like your Loki.


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## naturestee (May 8, 2006)

And this girl knows what about testing animalIQs? Probably nothing. For future reference, takeeverything that a pet store employee tells you with a grain ofsalt. I've had employees tell me to feed the pellets with thetreats mixed in and buy treats on top of that, that rabbits are greatchildrens pets and can be kept in a tiny cage with no exercise, thatthey're rodents (they're lagomorphs, it's a totally different order)...

Not that there aren't knowledgable pet store employees, just that theytend to be few and far between. Especially when it comes torabbits and the little critters like hamsters.


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