I wasnt going to tell you guys but cant keep it in.

[sasvermont]

Well, say what you want, she should have taken it to a shelter or rehomed it if she didn't want it. I feel as though pets deserve their best chance in life. If she was unable to take care of it or didn't want it, then the animal is better off in a new home. It will adjust.

People eat rabbits you know.

I won't go on and on with this. I think you guys are being way over the top of this bunny situation......as much as I love bunnies, they can be a bit much to handle.

I know that the majority of you think this child did something horrible. I don't think that .... and thus ... we do not agree.

No more from me.

You guys can book it out with someone else.

[My Peanuts]

Well, say what you want, she should have taken it to a shelter or rehomed it if she didn't want it. I feel as though pets deserve their best chance in life. If she was unable to take care of it or didn't want it, then the animal is better off in a new home. It will adjust.

People eat rabbits you know.
.

First of all, what does eating rabbits have to do with this conversation? People do a lot of things to rabbits that have nothing to do with this situation. If you are saying things could have been worse, then I agree, but it's really irrelevant to this discussion.

Secondly, when someone gets an animal it's for that animal’s entire life. The mind set when getting a pet should be, “this animal lives X amount of years so I should be prepared to have them that long.” It's not for a few months or years. It's a commitment. If, for a GOOD reason, the commitment cannot be fulfilled it is the owners responsibility to re-home the animal. Shelters are for people who can't be bothered to re-home and want someone else to take on their responsibility. Thank God there are shelters out there, where would poor Roxy be without them.

The fact that this girl is young makes it even worse. Thinks of all the animals she can do this to throughout the course of her life. Most of us have broken the chain of animal neglect, but she is a strong link still as far as I'm concerned. There are so many homeless animals and she bred this bunny and threw her into the mix. By bringing another animal to a shelter she is taking up more space and another rabbit or possible Roxy will need to be euthanized. I honestly don't know how she sleeps at night.

It's you're prerogative to stick up for this girl, but what we are doing is not wrong. We have to be the voice of the defenseless animals otherwise neglect and abuse will never stop.

[beeniesmom]

Roxy probably got aggressive because she was tired of you dressing her up.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=96018

[Alysser]

I KNOW your sick of hearing it but, that is the disgusting. Im *not* trying to be mean or anything but I feel I have to say something to get it off my chest. I've been staying away from this thread but now I am stating my opinion.

Sunny, my old budgie, had an abusive home from the start. I was told he was stuck in a cage all day with cats running around and he was standing in his own feses(sp?) for about 5 years. Then from there the same thing happened with about 4 different owners. I really don't know if I believe this but that is what I was told. He supposedly was from a bird hoarder and had a horrible life for most of his life. Some how, he wound up at Petco and they told me not to get him for this. I don't really know how he got there. The workers said he was brought their by his owner. Anyway, he had *very* bad problems. Biting,pooping everywhere,a nd squawking at night. He was completely horrific and I don't even know how many times my parents threatened to get rid of him. Finally, he was changed. No more problems after a very long year of training. But I didn't give him to the shelter because I knew they would put him to rest and I couldn't bare that. He was the sweetest bird when he was trained. He died a year or two after I got him. I miss him alot but as you can see I didn't and wouldn't give up on him.

What really takes the cake is the fact that you got a new bunny. Your parents wouldn't replace you if you were bad. It's basically the same thing. I really hope, for Teddys sake, your new bunny doesn't become aggressive. If he does, work with him instead of dumping him at a shelter. PLEASE! Minor issues like his are easily taken care of. But with aggression the key is paintence. I don't care if you hate me after this and you call me stupid names. It *won't* affect me in anyway.

Good luck to Roxy and you.

[K9soul]

I have to say, it seems odd that this bunny was THAT horribly aggressive, and yet not a word was ever said about a problem with her until 2 days before she went to the shelter (at least as far as I saw), and as someone else mentioned, I've seen pictures of this bunny dressed up and in outfits and such before (including in the siggy), which does not fit this present description of a "bunny terror" that is now presented.

It's really not for me to judge, at least I really try not to on these situations, but if things are the way they appear, who ever made the decision to get rid of Roxy has a lot to live with.

[catnapper]

Well, I've been watching this since the beginning and I just wanted to pop in here too.

Here's a few observations:
Her MOM is who we should be bashing here. As a parent, she should have said "If you cannot work with Roxy, then what makes you think you can work with a rescue bunny with an unknown history?" Mom should have flatly refused a new bunny. Yet mom drove her to the rescue. How is that teaching her responisbility? How is that teaching her to respect her mother? I saw the out and out disprespect she has towards her mom's authority. I saw what she wrote about not caring what mom thinks, that its HER choice... well, unless I am mistaken, she's a young teenager (maybe 15?) and needs to grow up a lot. Mom has made her into a selfish little girl. Mom needs to be a parent instead of a friend who allows her daughter to follow every whim. We really can't blame Buttercup for something the mom allowed to happen.

Now, as for Buttercup, SHE needs to take responsibility for her actions with Roxy. She needs to stop and think WHY Roxy changed from a sweet bunny into an aggressive one. Maybe all those cothing changes for photoshoots made the bunny fear her? I have the feeling Roxy gave her PLENTY of warnings before it got to the point of aggression, and she ignored the warnings just like she ignored the good advice everyone posted. Its sad that she only wants a perfect bunny but will not follow good advice on how to work with the bunny who just a few months ago WAS the perfect bunny.

All that said, I know nothing of bunnies. I see them hop across the yard and the cats meow to them. But using what I know about basic animal behavior (it almost assuredly can also be applied to bunnies) a domesticated, loving bunny won't turn aggressive over night. It needs weeks of exhibiting a fear behavior before it resorts to aggression to get its fear across to you.

I hope I am wrong.... and if not, I hope she learns from the mistakes she made with Roxy.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Hello Teddy - you seem to have been forgotten in all this

[Miss Z]

Mom needs to be a parent instead of a friend who allows her daughter to follow every whim. We really can't blame Buttercup for something the mom allowed to happen.

Possibly, but i think she should be both. I would say that my mum is a parent and a friend. The more strict a parent is, the more often we (speaking for teenagers here) don't want to follow their lead.

But using what I know about basic animal behavior (it almost assuredly can also be applied to bunnies) a domesticated, loving bunny won't turn aggressive over night. It needs weeks of exhibiting a fear behavior before it resorts to aggression to get its fear across to you.

I agree with that. Animals ALWAYS give us signs, we just don't always acknowledge them, but maybe for Buttercup Roxy's were very discreet.

I think i'll stay out of this thread now. I think everyone has said everything that needs to be said - and far more.

[buttercup132]

Because they obviously know that she had a problem and knew I was a good owner. Obviously I wasnt wrong if people who work at the shelter helped me and let me adopt another rabbit...

[CagneyDog]

Because they obviously know that she had a problem and knew I was a good owner. Obviously I wasnt wrong if people who work at the shelter helped me and let me adopt another rabbit...

That isn't true at all. Most of the shelter workers are 16 year olds working their first job. It doesn't mean that what you did isn't wrong.

[buttercup132]

Ya but none of these people were young they were all around 30 and had all gone to school for vet tech.

[moosmom]

Normally I try to stay out of heated threads like this. Especially concerning an animal I don't know much about. HOWEVER, this particular comment that Buttercup made about her NEW bunny caught my eye...

He's got some litter issues but we are working on it

If you have time to work on HIS litter issues, WHY couldn't you have worked on Roxy's issues, rather than dumping her at a shelter making her their problem? And why on earth they allowed you to adopt another bunny is beyond my comprehension.

You got alot of great advice from people, yet you decided to take the easy way out. I feel bad for Roxy and hope to God someone sees the good in her and gives her the furrrrever home she deserves.

And yes, if you are living under your mother's roof and under the age of 18, she CAN tell you what to do.

I do hope your new bunny's litter issues are treated. I'd hate to have him meet the same fate Roxy did.

[Catty1]

ok...Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Did you see that? The scene about the Killer Rabbit that went for everyone's jugular?

Now, that is really extreme, I know. But - just from where I sit - this 15-year-old and her younger sister were physically hurt by Roxy. There are mean rabbits. I have met some. Roxy was one of them.

Remember - Roxy was ALSO a shelter bunny. Perhaps she had been abused? The point is, she would attack, take the intiative. And rabbits are not retrainable as dogs are. Find me a bunny training school if I am wrong.

As I posted earlier - were these girls supposed to keep on getting attacked in cage and out just to make a few people here happy? How much blood and pain would be acceptable? Especially when Roxy was getting worse?

You can be sure a parent was at the shelter when BC took Roxy back and got to adopt another Teddy.

Roxy deserves to live, of course - but should not be living in a family with young children.

JMO

[Kfamr]

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/aggression.html

1) Rabbits aren't born mean. Ninety-nine percent of aggressive rabbits have a behavioral problem, not a genetic one. Behavior can be changed, so give your bunny a chance.

[chrissycat21]

I can't help but reply...

Just two days ago you started a thread asking for help/support with Roxy...(which I did read, just didn't reply to). If you had been very commited to helping her and being a good owner, you would have tried the suggestions given to you.

You were saying on that thread that she just had cage aggression, right? And now your saying that you couldn't walk past her while she was outside of her cage without her lunging at you? Unless I'm reading your posts wrong, your changing your story.

I really wish you had given her another chance and worked with her. I have been in similar situations (although not with rabbits, but with horses. So kind of different) I just hope Roxy finds a good, new home and has a happy life and is not PTS for an owner's mistake.