# Shelter bunnies



## ilovetegocalderon (Jan 23, 2006)

Ok, i dont know why i do it to myself but im addicted to sites like petfinder.com and other sites that offer adoptable rabbits because i get soooooooooo sad and want to adopt everybunny i see. my question is,a lot of the sites say stuff like "this poor guy needs a forever home before he just gives up" or "this cute bun is becoming depressed becausehe doesnt have a home" - i mean, maybe im just asking this because i want someone on here to say that it isnt true and they are just trying to get ppl to adopt the bunnies - but do they REALLY AND TRULY get depressed from not having a home - i mean if they get proper food and time outside their cage and the workers there pet them and give them attention and they are amongst other rabbits as well- do they seriously get that depressed from not having a home? how do they know that they arent in just one big huge bunny home? i mean, how can they actually know that they are there because someone else abandoned them and they are orphans waiting for some human to come by and adopt them?i just cant take thesadness of these sites.:sad:

is it true? are theydepressed there?


----------



## Lissa (Jan 23, 2006)

Animals do feel depressed.Unfortunately, there is little that we can do for these rabbits but hope and pray that someday they find nice homes. I'm still thinking about that poor bunny I saw at the pet store yesterday. It breaks my heart but I know I cannot have him for several reasons.


----------



## bunnydude (Jan 23, 2006)

Not having a home probably is depressing for a rabbit (or any animal). Living in a home and being around the same people all the time is very different than a shelter environment where the main goal is keeping them healthy untill they do find that froever home. Rescues do the best that they can, but there are certain things that they just cannot offer a bunny. I also think that animals have a deeper understanding of their situations than one might think. That, too, could contribute to their sadness.


----------



## Lissa (Jan 23, 2006)

I've often wondered about my own bunnies' depression at home. They get bored when I'm away. I know they do. And I feel terrible leaving them.


----------



## alfie and angel (Jan 23, 2006)

i see cats get depressed at the rescue place I help out. They just stop eating - it's so horrid. I guess that that for a cat the space restriction is very drastic, particularly if they were strays before, and that might be a contributing factor but also, I think that it's the unnatural proximity of so many animals that could be perceived as a threat even if they pose no real threat.

I know you don't want to hear it but the bunnies probably do get depressed for similar reasons and because however good the intentions of rescue shelters, realistically, there is very little time to spend socialising with the animals, resources are just too strained. 

On the other hand, we have some bunnies at our rescue right now - they are a bonded pair with an outhouse full of hay, a catflap which they love and an outside secure enclosure into which they can come and go.They are up for adoption but they are certainly not depressed. 

Perhaps rescues aren't ideal but for every bunny that has had a loving caring owner who died leaving them to be rescued and who longs for another,there is a rabbit who came from a box in a child's garden and is just grateful to know where his next meal is coming from. It's not ideal but for many, it's a huge improvement.

When I get upset about shelter buns, I just hang on to this thought because it makes me feel less useless. I know one day, when Ican afford to add to my family, one of those rescue buns'll be mine. For every one of us who gets teary for those who're depressed, a future shelter rabbit gets a home waiting in his destiny.


----------



## TinysMom (Jan 23, 2006)

I agree - I think rabbits can get depressed. I also think that some of them can get stressed easier than others - even when being adopted.

I breed - and that means I sometimes get "new" rabbits into my rabbitry. Some of them adjust almost immediately to the change in rabbitries...others....well, it takes them a bit longer. I have one doe that I bought on 12/3 who is still skittish and I really need to take more time to cuddle her and love on her now to get her trust. Another doe I bought from the same breeder on the same day....already thinks she owns the rabbitry. The skittish one acts depressed sometimes....the other one...acts no where near depressed.

However, I think it is important to remember that not all rabbits you see on the net or whatever would be a good match for any home. So you may see a rabbit and feel bad about it and wish you could adopt it....but it may "need" a different type of owner...if that makes any sense.

Peg


----------



## dootsmom (Jan 23, 2006)

Hi, I have a Shelter and am on Petfinder. Yes, the buns do get depressed. I
have 23 rabbits that are caged. I cannot give everyone of them "time outs" every
day. They have to go in shifts. These buns would love to be "the only one", to belong to one person, or a family that is truly theirs. I can give them the best food, love, hugs, pets, out time, etc.. but, it is not the same as having a family of their own.


----------



## Bunman (Jan 26, 2006)

Certainly life is not ideal for anyone or any bunny. 

The typical life span of a wild rabbit, i've read, is about one year. Up to 95% of the wild rabbit population dies off every winter from starvation. So while many pet buns lack ideal situations, many are better off than their cousins in nature.

Also i'm not clear what some posters are identifying as boredom. Many contented rabbits will spend hours a day sitting or lying quietly; they are not necessarily bored. I think that in many cases (not all), destructive behavior can be an indication of boredom.

My Daisy will chew on the boards in her cage if she decides she's not getting out enough - outside the cage she never chews except a very little on the cardboard box & her wooden "hidey bunker"


----------



## ilovetegocalderon (Jan 26, 2006)

I've always been curious about the boredom thing as well. sometimes when Rice and Beans are out of their cage they will just find a nice hiding spot and chill there for a looooong time. How can you really tell if you're rabbit is bored?


----------



## Maureen Las (Jan 26, 2006)

I think that if they have freedom to explore a house or room and they lie down they are just really contented. I think that if they are caged and don't have option to do anything (like they have no toys or they are not bonded) and they don't have the choice of whether to run about or lie down they probably get bored. What do other think?


----------



## ilovetegocalderon (Jan 26, 2006)

I agree with you angieluv. But I was assuming that a shelter and judging from the sites i was looking at that a lot of them at shelters do have some chew toys and time out of the cage and some are even bonded. But apparently, this isnt enough. It seems like rabbits have an understanding as to what their situation is and can become depressed feeling like "orphans"- is this not the general consensus?


----------



## TinysMom (Jan 26, 2006)

*angieluv wrote:*


> I think that if they have freedom to explore a house or room and they lie down they are just really contented. I think that if they are caged and don't have option to do anything (like they have no toys or they are not bonded) and they don't have the choice of whether to run about or lie down they probably get bored. What do otherthink?


As a breeder, I have lots of rabbits in cages (and some that are housebunnies). I have found that there are some rabbits that prefer to be in their cage (with or without toys) and they are generally as happy as can be. They like the attention of pets and stuff - but when I give them playtime outside of the cage - they usually try to find their way right back into their cage.These are frequently rabbits I've received from other breeders and they're used to the cage.....its almost as though it is comforting to them.

I have other rabbits that "need" time outside their cage.They get to play on the rabbitry floor and outside in pens.If they're gentle enough - they play together (and frequently my does are gentle enough to play together - bucks don't play together). As I type this, I'm watching four does play in the rabbitry....everyone seems just fine but I am here and can be in the rabbitry in seconds if I need to. 

I guess my point is that each rabbit is different and has different needs. Some prefer a cage - especially if it is what they're used to. I have some that don't like toys in their cage...others that want a toy or two or three. I've got does that have days that they'll come running out of their cage to play one day - and then back away another day and want to sleep or whatever. So even each rabbit has its days when it wants to play and when it wants to sleep.

It continually fascinates me how each rabbit is an individual with its own likes and dislikes - just like us. 

Peg


----------



## m.e. (Jan 26, 2006)

*ilovetegocalderon wrote:*


> But I was assuming that a shelter and judging from the sites i was looking at that a lot of them at shelters do have some chew toys and time out of the cage and some are even bonded. But apparently, this isnt enough. It seems like rabbits have an understanding as to what their situation is and can become depressed feeling like "orphans" - is this not the general consensus?


The problem I noticed most at the shelter was that there was no consistency. Rabbits are nothing if not creatures of habit. Yet they are continually surrounded by different people, strange noises, the smell of other animals, and a very unstable environment (I can't tell you how many times the rabbits would be cage-swapped). 

I think all of that adds up to a very stressful situation for them, because they have no control. No one really had the time to figure out how each rabbit liked their cage setup, what toys they preferred, or any of the nuances that we as petowners might pick up. That's just true for most shelter animals - it's hard to give individualized care to 20+ rabbits. And they know that. And they're saddened by that.

So am I 

~Emily and the Fuzzbutts~



P.S. just as an addendum to what Peg said, anddon't ask me why, butboth my rabbit *love *their cage. Even when the cage door is open, 99% of the time they just prefer to hang out in there.


----------



## bunnydude (Jan 26, 2006)

I agree with Tinysmom and m.e. My bunnies have a large cage/run in my room that they really enjoy. The door is opened everytime I am in my room. As I type this, the door is wide open but they are choosing to stay inside. They only want to come out of the cage at certain times of day, further proving that bunnies are creatures of habit.


----------



## ilovetegocalderon (Jan 26, 2006)

can you change their schedule and have them get used to a new routine if you had to? if so, how long is this adjustment period?


----------



## bunnydude (Jan 26, 2006)

Actually, yes. You can change their schedule. Over the summer, the bunnies had a very different schedule. Once school started it took about two weeks for them to adjust to the new schedule.


----------



## Bassetluv (Jan 27, 2006)

I think that any animal at a shelter tends to be stressed, for several reasons. Typically, conditions are crowded, full of strange people constantly looking in at them, strange smells, and endless noise...barking of dogs and cats crying out. In a world where most of these animals once knew stability and familiarity, that is taken away from them and they are thrust into an alien environment without any understanding of why. They seem to sense what is going on, and will try their best to be noticed...it is almost as if they know that if they get the attention, someone will take heart and give them a new home. As time passes, if the dog or cat (or rabbit) is constantly passed up for another, they become withdrawn and will actually fall into a depressed state. If you've ever seen the look on an animal's face that has been in this situation, you will actually recognize that they are giving up hope. It is the most heartbreaking thing to see.

As for rabbits being depressed at home, well...I suspect that a rabbit who is truly depressed will show it by sitting in a corner, not showing much enthusiasm for food or for life in general. They will seem *off*, not themselves at all. But from what I've seen from rabbits I've had over the years, and read of most of the rabbits owned by people here, they are all fairly happy, healthy bunnies. Throughout this winter I've been keeping Raph in the house, and at first wondered about his mental welfare as he has to be confined to a dog crate during the day. But as I've watched him over the weeks, it seems to me he is a pretty happy rabbit. When I come home from work I open the crate door and he eases his way out, stretching his body and legs. Then he comes to life, running circles around me, shaking his head and getting into everything. He will do his own version of binkies, not really leaping into the air very much, but he twists his head and body as he is running along, and sometimes will dart off here and there at Raphael-warp-speed. He does this for maybe half an hour, then I feed him and the other animals and he settles in to eat his dinner. Afterwards he will hop around for a bit (and decorate the kitchen with his own flair of bunny-ball decor), but for the most part he simply finds a favorite place in the kitchen and just lazes about. During the day when he is in his crate he sleeps, and the odd time that he does get bored he expresses it by tossing his dishes about or knocking the hay rack from the side of the cage. So I suspect that boredom for rabbits generally equates to pacing, tossing things about, digging, attempting to open their cage, etc.; while true depression is shown more as lack of enthusiasm, listlessness, non-response to attention, and/or not eating. Well, that's my observations, anyway....


----------

