Coffeehouse chat.

[thekinetic]

Experiance Laki, I kept one. The cage was about 450 square inches give of or take a few (of course my memory is not that good and it could have very well been bigger). Hand made from plywood and chicken wire. He never showed any sign of being unhappy and would joyfully gnaw on the block I put in there or the cage and eat his alfalfa. I had a harness for him and everything and even took him outside now and then to play in the yard on his leesh. But mostly let him play in my room. He was for all intensive purposes a happy bunny.

But I soon found out that as a kid I didn't have the patience or time to take care of him properly so I made the very hard decision to give him back to the store. It was hard but my school work was suffering because his gnawing at night was keeping me awake.

People tend to think they're right and I may be wrong but my dad is the one who built the cage, and he has had more experiance with little animals than me and quite a few people on here. Everything from gerbils, hamsters, rats, rabbits, and mice. So I would trust what he says.

I think what happens is it starts as one person doing this and then saying that their pet is extrememly happy and lived to a ripe old age, then people take to it. And it all snow balls from there. In the end they are rodents, call them anything else you want but most call them rodents. There are some facts about rodent that do not change no matter the rumor.

Rodents are incontinent, they will use the restroom everywhere.

They will hoard food.

They will gnaw on everything they can.

And they burrow, and thus do not mind small spaces. But this is where people get confused, as rodents cannot spend all of their time in a cramped space but only when at rest. Which is where the larger cage comes in, and this has to do with people. They don't want to spend as much time with their critter as would be otherwise required of them with a smaller cage. so I guess it really is a matter of how busy a person is as to how big the cage should be.

Now I'm not saying the cage should be tiny but it doesn't have to be like OMG a wall sized cage is all.

Whew that was a lot of typing, I hope I didn't come off as arrogant.

[Laki]

No, you did not come off as arrogant.. However, rabbits are not rodents. no matter how you put it. Humans could be rodents for the same similarities; we are warm blooded, take care of our young, eat a varied diet and have complex brain activity (at least in the case of rats). In fact, since rat and humans are so alike- science research has come a long way in developing treatments and cures for things that were not available 100 years ago. I therefore am not convinced by your argument than rabbits are pretty much rodents.
http://www.rabbit.org/fun/answer5.html This is just one reliable source for rabbit identification.

And since I would rather drop the whole case and let bygones be bygones, I won't get into how "my parents are experts" and go by much more experienced methods of animal keeping. No, you're right though- everybody does keep their pets differently and there is not always a black and white way of doing things but I was merely going against your view that rabbits like small spaces. While they prefer small dugouts to feel secure, they most certainly do enjoy, and in fact require, a large territory in which to explore with different textures, area widths and lighting. In a domestic setting, this is achieved by providing a large enough cage/condo and plenty of outtime space.

And again, this does not ring true for every rabbit. My rabbit had a rough start in life and 6 years later does not always feel safe in a large open room- but I provide her with the alternative of choosing when to come out and leaving a path for her to dart home if she feels threatened. But I have never seen a "happy" rabbit in a cage you buy in a pet store.

People are allowed to disagree, it is what makes people so diverse and what enables conversation. My preferred keeping of small animals is to best mimic natural behaviours and activities - in the case of rabbits I acheive this with suggesting the largest homemade cages feasible in one's home. If the individual rabbit prefers smaller spaces, then provide levels and caves at an agreed width (as in the case with the spacing of my bunny's middle and top level)

Phew. Time for a water change on the betta tank- turns out the filter has not been running for days.

[djembekah]

i don't feel too fabulous. i blame too much coffee and emotionz.

[Laki]

Oh Bekah (*ehug*)
My assassins are not going to their new home until the 22nd now. e-e I wonder if they'll ever leave. Granted, the storm has begun so.. I think I'm going to jot down the street for chocolate before the city shuts down. Matt's gone playing games at his buddy's and I'm lonely. I have like a kajillion things to read for school but....

[djembekah]

thanks Laki :

work will perk me up probably. or at least distract me.

[Laki]

I need a new hobby. Wants to get into crafting or something. Any good links for things I can make that can make my home more artsie and nice?

[Laki]

http://stjohns.kijiji.ca/c-pets-acce...AdIdZ445287306

@silverfang.

[ThePearlFish]

Drinking some Italian Wedding Soup in my PJs. I iz feeling so comfiez! x)

I think I will pop open my textbook and see what this class is about. Nothing good is on TV. :(

[Olympia]

My grandma could be called a rabbit expert, with her meat rabbits in small cages? :O All I know is that you put them in a smaller cage to make them extra fat.

I wanna get one of those big albino New Zealand rabbits and name it Tucker.. They seem to spend the longest time at the rabbit rescue. But won't have the neccessities for that for a while likely.

Rabbits are that kind of animal, that how do you know it's happy in a small cage?
Actually, I kept a rabbit in a little cage when I was little. I don't think she was happy because all night long she'd run laps around the cage, which in that size of cage was very difficult.
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[FishyFishy89]

Wth type of cichlids are Ass. African Cichlids???
They're adorable and i wouldnt mind keeping a small school. Yes im rethinking my stocking list. This happens often.