# Do any of you do this???



## zowie (Apr 3, 2011)

I joined a group on facebook about rabbit and guinea pig welfare which is for advice and tips. I think this is a lovely idea as more people probably use facebook than forums like here so its nice to know that advice is readily available for people and im not knocking the group what so ever and im really sorry if i offend anyone on here who might also be part of it,but there is a few things that have been posted on there that i dont necessarily agree with,it may just be my personal preference on things but i dont feel like i know as much as some of you do on here and dont feel like i am knowledgeable enough to put my penny worth in (sometimes my wording isnt very tactful either ) so i just read all whats going on,but today i read a conversation about about what collars are best for bunnies  apparently,if they have a bell on it stops other animals from attacking them. Now i dont know whether iv missed a big chapter in learning about rabbits in the last few years but thats not the done thing surely??? Am i odd for not doing this?? Admittedly they say to use the safety cat collars which i suppose come off easily but im not sure that id want to put a collar round my bunnies necks. Its just something that i found strange and thought id ask you lot.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

omg no no no no no!! never use a collar on a rabbit, even cat safety collars are not safe!!! they are designed to come off when a 4KG cat catches them on something and pulls, not a 2kg (medium -large breed) rabbit!, the breaking point on most of them is around 2- 2.5kg!!!
if a rabbit caught the collar on something mid binky, the rabbits neck would snap well before the collar gave way!!


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## wacky (Jan 23, 2011)

im sorry i cant beleve anyone would even think of putting a coller on a rabbit so so stupid


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

pure madness


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## zowie (Apr 3, 2011)

Thankyou!! I was trying to be careful there in case it was a normal thing to do! I just dont agree with it. I cant see any reason as to why a bunny needs a collar on. My friend and I have been discussing this all day and just couldnt find a reasonable explanation for it. So I thought id ask the experts! It just seems a shame that this is being seen as a good thing to do


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## Kammie (Apr 4, 2009)

Shoot me!

I used to use a kitten collar on George and Ember. When they first become house rabbits I used the collars on them so I knew where they were whilst I was tidying and moving stuff aorund. We'd just moved house so boxes were still being unpacked and stuff carried around that I couldn't see if a rabbit was running under my feet to trip me. They were kitten safety collars so were perfectly safe for them, designed for a small kitten rather than a large adult cat so less force to undo the safety clip. So easy to undo in fact George could undo it within seconds of putting it on him, he learnt to use his bottom jaw under the collar to pull and it came undone straight away. I no longer need to use them and George clearly told me he didn't like having it on by taking it off. At the time I'd rather have the collar on them for the bell so I could hear if they were under my feet when carrying a big box than end up standing on them or falling down the stairs.


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2011)

I could never condone putting anything around a rabbits neck, all it takes is for them to catch it mid binky and they will break their neck


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## Hel_79 (Jun 14, 2011)

I can't say it would occur to me to put a collar on my rabbit; I can't see why I would need to! Safety concerns aside, he's an outdoor bunny safe in his secure hutch & run so I can't imagine how a collar could be at all beneficial or necessary.

Which leads me to ask: was this conversation in the context of collars on house rabbits (e.g. Kammie's example), or bunnies in general...?


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## jo-pop (May 27, 2011)

Just why?


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

even a kitten collar would snap a rabbits neck before the collar gave if they caught it mid binky, a rabbits neck is so fragile, just because they can get it off with their mouth does not mean its safe, also the buckles on them can sometimes jam.

if it was that dangerous for your rabbits to be loose, the best, safest, thing you could have done in that situation would have been to confine them to one room, or in a pen, until it was safe to let them loose again


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## zowie (Apr 3, 2011)

Hel_79 said:


> I can't say it would occur to me to put a collar on my rabbit; I can't see why I would need to! Safety concerns aside, he's an outdoor bunny safe in his secure hutch & run so I can't imagine how a collar could be at all beneficial or necessary.
> 
> Which leads me to ask: was this conversation in the context of collars on house rabbits (e.g. Kammie's example), or bunnies in general...?


It was asked as it had already been mentioned that rabbits can wear collars and the lady advising it has collars and tags on all her rabbits which i think some live indoors and some outdoors but the other lady asked because she thought it might make her cat not want to attack the rabbit and the advice was that having the bell on it makes the cat think 'pet' so therefore it will never attack it.


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## Guest (Sep 15, 2011)

zowie said:


> It was asked as it had already been mentioned that rabbits can wear collars and the lady advising it has collars and tags on all her rabbits which i think some live indoors and some outdoors but the other lady asked because she thought it might make her cat not want to attack the rabbit and* the advice was that having the bell on it makes the cat think 'pet' so therefore it will never attack it*.


What a load of rubbish


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## zowie (Apr 3, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> What a load of rubbish


That's exactly what I thought!


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

zowie said:


> It was asked as it had already been mentioned that rabbits can wear collars and the lady advising it has collars and tags on all her rabbits which i think some live indoors and some outdoors but the other lady asked because she thought it might make her cat not want to attack the rabbit and the advice was that having the bell on it makes the cat think 'pet' so therefore it will never attack it.


Because cats really think that way! If anything they are more likely to attack them, cats love jangly things and most of the cat toys in the market have jangle bells on/in them.....


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## Hel_79 (Jun 14, 2011)

zowie said:


> It was asked as it had already been mentioned that rabbits can wear collars and the lady advising it has collars and tags on all her rabbits which i think some live indoors and some outdoors but the other lady asked because she thought it might make her cat not want to attack the rabbit and the advice was that having the bell on it makes the cat think 'pet' so therefore it will never attack it.


Wow, I just hope there aren't people reading this sort of advice as gospel!

Firstly, a rabbit should never be in an environment where a cat is able to attack it!

Secondly, the logic about the bell is ridiculous to me. A lot of my cat's toys have bells on them. Cats are attracted and stimulated by this sort of sound. In my view it's even more likely to interest a cat in a rabbit for the wrong reasons!

My rabbit lives outdoors. My cat goes outdoors. They both co-exist in the garden without me ever needing to worry about the cat attacking the rabbit because the rabbit has SECURE housing and a SECURE run!

Honestly, this makes me want to log onto Facebook to rant now!


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## qiaohong (Sep 17, 2011)

Lill Miss - What a list!!
ya beat us!!! 
12 rabbits, 24 guinea pigs, 3 chickens, (formerly - family of 6 wild hedgehogs set up home in shed), 3 terrapins, 1 cat (RSPCA rescue) 1 dog. Many fish...
but really - please tell me how you made that brilliant signature with the pictures.


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## zowie (Apr 3, 2011)

I could attach fog horns to my rabbits and my sisters cat would still try and get them. They have supervised runs around the garden or like everyone else on here,a secure living area of a suitable size. 

Yeah i think people are reading this and thinking its a good idea. There was one lady who said that collars dont belong on rabbits and that got totally ignored. 
Go on,go on there and have a rant!!  im sure you'l find a few things on there to comment on!!


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