Oblivious...that's what you are...

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
Hubby, this time.

After the "clean out the car" fiasco, he dumped all the stuff in the back yard, which already looks like an episode of Hoarders; however, we recently got hutches for the bunnies and there's a path to their cages. Either Miss KT or I usually go out several times a day with veggies or a frozen water bottle to keep them cool.

Last night, Hubby decided he wanted to go to the gym. Fine. It's hot, so swimming sounds pretty good. Of course, he can't find his lock, so he starts tearing through the stuff looking for it. I go out with some broccoli, pet the bunnies, check water and pellet levels, and, because Hubby is back there, and I'm thinking he will also play with the bunnies a bit, I leave the hutches open.

This morning, I go out with celery tops...and see the lids are still OPEN. They've been OPEN all night. I'm thinking lost bunnies, hurt bunnies, and OMG...Niamh is in Apolo's cage. We keep them separate for a reason...we can't find a vet that will spay/neuter them. I pick up Niamh, put her in her cage, distribute celery tops, and go inside to talk to Hubby. You were standing right next to the hutches...how could you NOT SEE that they were open?

I don't know.

Now I need info on pregnant and nursing bunnies. GRRRR...:bunny_ears:
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
So, it looks like you'll have more bunnies to take care of this summer?
So sorry about husband.
Sheesh.
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
Yes, that's how I pronounce her name. Miss KT wanted to name her Nivens McTwisp after the White Rabbit, but I didn't think that was a good name for a pretty little girl bunny, so we compromised.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Whew, boy! I'd be tempted to pound him.

I'm too country, I see rabbits (ahem "bunnies") as food. But that's because I grew up eating them. However I can say that I managed not to eat Nichole's Thumper. lol But threatening to add him to the menu if she didn't keep the hutch clean was pretty effective motivation. lol

I had a friend who raised them as food. She made a LOT of money, surprisingly. What surprised me more is that her kids were pretty ok with it too.
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Sorry this happened...

but I think husband is not to blame. Why would he even think to check that you left the hutches open? You "assumed" he was going to handle the rabbits - but it sounds like you didn't verify that with him.

Maybe everyone needs to establish a "whoever opens the hutches makes sure the hutches are secure before they leave" policy ?

Just saying...
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I loved my bunnies, however we had those little tiny inside ones most of the time. When we got the larger outside ones, they were at pain in the rear. No one wanted to tend to them after the newness wore off.

Like Lisa, Tony grew up with rabbit as food and I just couldnt think of them as anything other than little pet bunny rabbits. We really havent come up with a happy compromise on that one. Not like with the deer. I have gotten over my Bambi thing though I have forbidden anyone from showing that evil movie to any of the grandchildren...lol.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I never had an issue with deer, always did see them as food. I have more of an issue with how it tastes........although people keep telling me that it's "how it's prepared" and I must be tasting from people who don't know what they're doing. That must be a LOT of people then. lol Squirrel is worse though. Tough, stringy and waaaaay too gamey. eww

I guess you can be grateful they didn't escape the yard. Now that would've been a major pain.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Oh tony makes a great squirrel burger...lol.

I do have to admit, I didnt like deer for several years after I met tony...I didnt like a lot of things. In fact, I thought fish came in boxes without bones. He had to explain to me they didnt swim as fish sticks...lmao. The first time he made me a plate of home fried fish with bones in it, I didnt know how to eat it and he thought it was hilarious. He learned to filet even the smallest fish because I wouldnt eat twith bones and then we had the babies to think about.

Now he makes the darned best deer I have ever eaten. I do too now. I can make a deer stew that tastes just as good or not better than beef stew. I cook a huge batch of stew venison in a big pot in the oven low and slow for a few hours when he first cleans it and then I bag it all up in servings to have ready for meals. Then I just add veggies at the meal time and oh its good. so darned tender. fall apart in your mouth.
 

keista

New Member
Venison can be tricky, so can duck and lamb. I've found that mushrooms do wonders! Since they have an earthy taste, it complements the gamey taste, and makes it virtually unnoticeable.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Venison is just yummy. Venison sausage - Ooooh!!!

I was born in a big city, never been a "country girl" in reality - but am in my heart.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
I really don't like venison at all but we live right in the middle of deer hunting territory and occasionally people have given it to us. The "gamey" taste depends a whole lot on how the hunter handled it right after it was killed, if it was properly "bled", etc., which is just too disgusting to talk about! But some people are good at it, some aren't. I've had some that was very good, almost like beef, and some that was atrocious! The best way to prepare it is to cook it using methods you would use on the tougher cuts of beef to tenderize it. We have people here who make sausage out of venison with lots of spices and that's not bad at all!
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
PRegnant bunnies - RIP nearly all their butt hair out to make nests if they are not provided extra super duper soft soft soft nesting materials for their babies - and I MEAN SUPER SOFT.....more than likely you are going to end up wif a bald bunnie. AND she will EAT herself thin...needs LOADS of PRIVACY - DO NOT EVEN LOOK or PEEK at her babies or you will make her a WRECK......and ABSOLUTELY keep her away from MR. Rabbit...because they .....well.......um.....you know....like Rabbits. (sorry Rabbit if you are reading this no offense)

I would give her extra hay...straw, and probably batting for quilts...just leave it for HER to put in the nursery. Make sure she has a brood box. Fall babies are going to be a bit harder to find homes for. Maybe for pentence husband can build boxes for FREE bunnies and sell the cages and offer a free baby?

UGH.

AND NIX TO THOSE OF YOU TALKING ABOUT RABURGERS>>>>>>>YUK YUK YUK.
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
So he didn't see the hutches open like Miss KT didn't see the extra frozen water bottle....

Exactly...

Yes, I could have closed the lids. I realize that.

Star, they have separate hutches, next to each other. Niamh jumped from her hutch into Apolo's. A good friend of mine is very active in 4H, says there are always kids looking for projects, so hopefully that will take care of the babies. Niamh is a sweet bunny; Apolo not so much, but they both appeared in the front yard, at different times...I had never heard of a stray bunny before these two.

Anything special that we should be feeding Niamh, aside from hay, pellets, and assorted veggies?
 
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DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I said i cant eat rabbit...lol. I have tried it a few times. would rather have the chicken it tastes like. Now squirrel burgers dont taste like that. Its more of a dry type bbq or close to almost a manwhich type thing.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Rabbits do escape.

Back when I lived in TN our cat came home with a Dutch Belted Lop rabbit. I wasn't upset at all about him killing the local cottontails, but I had a vision of some child utterly distraught over the loss of his pet. husband and I, as we could asked around the community (Woodlawn, TN...home of 350 people and 25K cows), but it appeared no one was missing a pet rabbit.

We did have a rabbitry in town but they raised for meat and certainly didn't raise the dwarf rabbit breeds like this one.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Well, I've been told by the family I'm not allowed to raise rabbits for food........seems the grandkids would be traumatized. So I might have made a deal with husband........he builds the hutch to my specifications, and I use them for fertilizer instead........no, I know what you're thinking, not the rabbits, their poo. lol I'm considering it anyway as Darrin is getting old enough for 4H but easy child doesn't have the room in her yard. And I'm sure they're not gonna let me have chickens or a pig or goat in town. lol
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
4H is great! We did the chickens, rabbits and goats over the years. Lisa, Im sure you could put up a chicken or three in the backyard in a hutch for the eggs. Once they start laying you can get about a dozen a week with 3 hens. Lord when the boys were in 4H, they got 20 hens a piece and we couldnt give all the eggs away! Not to mention we had Tony's chickens so we had to keep them separate. It was a literal zoo...lol.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
BFF has over 100 hens and 4 roosters.

Between March and December, we get more eggs than we can cook... And they GIVE them to the church... Literally 10-12 dozen a week...
 
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