Has anyone gone totally wild?

[GBov]

Good decision, GBov!

Peer pressure still works, I see! :twisted:

:lol:

 

[rittert3]

It IS illegal in EVERY STATE, to release a 'non-native' animal into the wild-and our domestic rabbits fit that description.- and that includes your back yard! Plus, if you plan to 'pick them off' when the population grows, you will be dealing with a bunch of parasite riddled animals that you could not eat.

Yes, you hit a nerve-- most of us here are VERY much aware of the problems caused by domesticated animals not being where they belong. Most of us condone SSS, as well. If you turn rabbits loose, you will also give the rest of us a bad reputation-- you would not believe how something as 'innocent' as letting a domestic rabbit loose can turn into fodder for the AR people...the very same people who want to make it illegal to own ANY animal!!!

Here in kansas it is even illegal to release captive raised native animals without proper licencing. I fail to see why the non-native rule isn't enforced with house cats that are allowed free range I have lost more animals due to predidation by feral cats than all native predators combined.

To be honest ive only set some free in the "wild" (aka my backwoods) cause I didnt have someone to cull them from me so I didnt care if they survived or not I just needed them out of my barn and couldnt bring myself to kill em myself.

Anyone who raises rabbits needs to be able to dispatch them if necessary. Releasing them to fend for themselves is not fair to the rabbits or the habitat. It is also against the law in most places.

I try to find an appropriate buyer for any rabbit I don't need or want anymore, I've been really successful so far. The nice thing about rabbits is that they are so versatile. If you can't find a snake owner, someone wanting a pet, whatever buyer is looking for a rabbit for the purpose yours would fill try offering them for free, just make sure to note the rabbits flaws. I could dispatch a rabbit if need be but I don't see the need if I can find someone who can use it.

 

[grumpy]

Gotta agree with all posters. Keep them confined or put them in the freezer.

Nothing positive occurs when animals are released into the wild.... I'll add something else to this discussion.

For those that "trap" problem animals: coons, possums, etc. Relocating and releasing them miles from your home....guarantees them a slow death. The resident animals "of-that-area" will attack and kill any new critters dropped in their front yard. It's a proven fact that this occurs.

Grumpy.

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

Since im not allowed to disagree woth people or post my opinion..even though its still on here cause you quoted and reposted it...here its blank

 

[rittert3]

Good to know grumpy, I'm licenced by the state to do this on an as needed basis but havn't relocated anything as of yet, now I know not to.<br /><br />__________ Tue May 29, 2012 10:27 pm __________<br /><br />Lilfish we are not saying you are an irresposible breeder or that it is wrong to let the rabbit go because it will die , it is wrong to let them go for many other reasons. They could damage your local ecosystem, spike predator populations, or catch diseases which could get into your main herd.

 

[Pink]

I really dont care if it dies in the wild or it dies being my friend's dogs dinner(does it really matter? No)..its the circle of life.
Im sorry but I dont mess with pet people its a waste of my time, food, cage space to separte babies, and bullets which all equal money to hanging on to it.
i never said I do it all the time.
And dont tell me im a irresponsible breeder..i didnt post my comment to get peta up my butt.
And those who say its sooo wrong and do colonies or want to do a colony are hypocrites because you are somewhat wanting to put rabbits in the wild as much as you can without them dying.
I dont give in to peer pressure..i stand out..but I hold firm to what I believe in and want I want to do.

LilFish, don't put words into our mouths. No one has called you an irresponsible breeder anywhere on this thread. In fact, no one has mentioned you directly. GBov asked for our opinions, and we gave it. You shared your thoughts too. Now the decision is in GBov hands to determine what is best for his rabbits, the environment, and whether or not he wants to take the law into consideration. No one is putting a bullet at his head, saying "Don't set your rabbits free, or I'll shot". No one is putting a bullet to your head, saying "I'll shot if you set your rabbits free again". I am truly glad to hear that you don't give into peer pressure -- it's truly a great quality to have. But when Mama.S.D commented that GBov had given into peer pressure, it's to my understanding that it was said jokingly. GBov could be saying that he won't do it, but in reality, he could be setting his entire herd free as we speak. We have no control on what happens at his, your, and the other members' rabbitries.

My does are in a colony setup and are far from being wild. They're in a predator-proof enclosure, with no way to escape and become lunch for our lovely family of Harris Hawks that live in the forest behind our home, or the lone coyote. They're protected from natural (rain, snow, predators) and materialistic threats. They're fed by me, cared by me -- they're entirely dependent upon me. Saying "rabbits in an enclosed colony, are wild", is like saying animals at the zoo live free [in their natural habitat] because they aren't exactly in cramped little cages. Zoo animals may not be domestic, but they're captive. The moment they were taken out of their natural habitat (in Africa, or wherever they're from) they become highly dependent on the zoo keepers, for survival.

Opinions conflict frequently.

Atten: GBov, I'm sorry if I continue to call you "he"... And happen to be a she.

 

[MaggieJ]

I really dont care if it dies in the wild or it dies being my friend's dogs dinner(does it really matter? No)..its the circle of life.
Im sorry but I dont mess with pet people its a waste of my time, food, cage space to separte babies, and bullets which all equal money to hanging on to it.
i never said I do it all the time.
And dont tell me im a irresponsible breeder..i didnt post my comment to get peta up my butt.
And those who say its sooo wrong and do colonies or want to do a colony are hypocrites because you are somewhat wanting to put rabbits in the wild as much as you can without them dying.
I dont give in to peer pressure..i stand out..but I hold firm to what I believe in and want I want to do.

LilFish, there is so much wrong about your post that I hardly know where to start. No one called you irresponsible; that must have come out of your own head. We do not label people or call names here. Please remove your comment about colony raisers being hypocrites. It is not in accordance with RabbitTalk policy and furthermore is completely inaccurate.

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

Someone did say a responsible breeder will find a pet home for them or whatever...pretty much in other words calling me irresponsible.
I didnt say so and so your a hypicrite(i didnt say a name just my opinion on colony people that disagree with settin them in the wild..not even people on here)..you say no one posted directly to me and I didnt post directly to anyone either ..i posted my opinion too on the subject..you just dont like my opinion. I know the peer pessure thing was a joke..i again was just stating my opinion. Lets agree to disagree so this doesnt blow up. So this is my last post on this thread.

 

[MaggieJ]

"Just stating my opinion" is no excuse for name-calling. I repeat: Please remove your comment about colony raisers being hypocrites. It is not in accordance with RabbitTalk policy and furthermore is completely inaccurate.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

To be honest ive only set some free in the "wild" (aka my backwoods) cause I didnt have someone to cull them from me so I didnt care if they survived or not I just needed them out of my barn and couldnt bring myself to kill em myself.

LilFish, I have a question for you...you cannot "bring yourself to kill them" quickly and humanely, but you will consign them to starvation, illness and being torn apart by a predator? I am not judging, just offering another viewpoint.

I don't colony raise for many reasons...1) our ground is too wet and full of pests 2) we have too many coons, possums and loose dogs in our area 3) I want to be able to tell who kindled each rabbit.

I don't sell pets and if I don't have a use for a rabbit, it gets culled and goes in the freezer or pot. A whack to the head doesn't cost anything...nor does a "broomsticking". There are many more viable options than releasing a domestic animal into a living situation for which it is woefully unprepared.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Alright, alright! I wont do it then lol.

Good decision, GBov!

Peer pressure still works, I see! :twisted:

:lol:

peer pressure n. influence from one's peer group

Yes, that was said tongue in cheek, and GBov got the joke.

Peer pressure is usually seen as having negative connotations, because it is usually applied to situations where one engages in risky behaviors against one's better judgement to be socially accepted by one's "friends". However, the reverse also applies- it can be used to influence good behavior too.

Having a totally wild colony can have many negative impacts as discussed above, and as responsible stewards of the animals in our care, those factors need to be taken into consideration. The members of RT are open to many different ways of raising rabbits, and go out of their way to be accepting of the different styles of husbandry that are practiced by our members. However, if we as a whole wish to continue to be able to raise rabbits at all, it is our responsibility to dissuade others from practices that can have a negative impact on the rabbits, the environment, and the perception of rabbit raisers themselves.

Up until your post, JWQ, the discussion was polite and inoffensive. There was no name calling or bashing of GBov, simply a statement of facts.

I really dont care if it dies in the wild or it dies being my friend's dogs dinner(does it really matter? No)..its the circle of life.
Im sorry but I dont mess with pet people its a waste of my time, food, cage space to separte babies, and bullets which all equal money to hanging on to it.
i never said I do it all the time.
And dont tell me im a irresponsible breeder..i didnt post my comment to get peta up my butt.

I am surprised at your attitude. "I really don't care..." :shock: I do think you are being an irresponsible breeder. You brought those animals into the world, and it is your duty to keep them, rehome them, or humanely dispatch them for food for yourself or another living being. If you want to feed the animals in the woods, fine- but make sure the rabbit is dead before you take it out there. There are many ways to dispatch a rabbit without having to spend a dime on a bullet, as you well know.

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

To be honest ive only set some free in the "wild" (aka my backwoods) cause I didnt have someone to cull them from me so I didnt care if they survived or not I just needed them out of my barn and couldnt bring myself to kill em myself.

LilFish, I have a question for you...you cannot "bring yourself to kill them" quickly and humanely, but you will consign them to starvation, illness and being torn apart by a predator? I am not judging, just offering another viewpoint.

I don't colony raise for many reasons...1) our ground is too wet and full of pests 2) we have too many coons, possums and loose dogs in our area 3) I want to be able to tell who kindled each rabbit.

Many people I know do it..and im not talking jus anyone..people who are respected breeders. its because you dont see them suffer..either way they do suffer..whether I have my friend feed em to a hunting dog or feed a coyote in my woods. I just dont mess with rehoming it because of the stupid people you get for trying to get it to a pet home..i mean look at how many post are on this forum about things going wrong with pet people.

Alright, alright! I wont do it then lol.

Good decision, GBov!

Peer pressure still works, I see! :twisted:

:lol:

peer pressure n. influence from one's peer group

Yes, that was said tongue in cheek, and GBov got the joke.

Peer pressure is usually seen as having negative connotations, because it is usually applied to situations where one engages in risky behaviors against one's better judgement to be socially accepted by one's "friends". However, the reverse also applies- it can be used to influence good behavior too.

Having a totally wild colony can have many negative impacts as discussed above, and as responsible stewards of the animals in our care, those factors need to be taken into consideration. The members of RT are open to many different ways of raising rabbits, and go out of their way to be accepting of the different styles of husbandry that are practiced by our members. However, if we as a whole wish to continue to be able to raise rabbits at all, it is our responsibility to dissuade others from practices that can have a negative impact on the rabbits, the environment, and the perception of rabbit raisers themselves.

Up until your post, JWQ, the discussion was polite and inoffensive. There was no name calling or bashing of GBov, simply a statement of facts.

I really dont care if it dies in the wild or it dies being my friend's dogs dinner(does it really matter? No)..its the circle of life.
Im sorry but I dont mess with pet people its a waste of my time, food, cage space to separte babies, and bullets which all equal money to hanging on to it.
i never said I do it all the time.
And dont tell me im a irresponsible breeder..i didnt post my comment to get peta up my butt.

I am surprised at your attitude. "I really don't care..." :shock: I do think you are being an irresponsible breeder. You brought those animals into the world, and it is your duty to keep them, rehome them, or humanely dispatch them for food for yourself or another living being. If you want to feed the animals in the woods, fine- but make sure the rabbit is dead before you take it out there. There are many ways to dispatch a rabbit without having to spend a dime on a bullet, as you well know.

Oh ok so its ok for you to call names?
Thats your opinion MSD.
I was responible making room for the rabbits that need to be separated. sorry I cull hard and dont mess with rabbits who are useless to me.
Do you go out and protect every wild rabbit that gets attacked by a coyote? or every stray cat?

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Many people I know do it..and im not talking jus anyone..people who are respected breeders. its because you dont see them suffer..either way they do suffer..whether I have my friend feed em to a hunting dog or feed a coyote in my woods. I just dont mess with rehoming it because of the stupid people you get for trying to get it to a pet home..i mean look at how many post are on this forum about things going wrong with pet people.

I disagree. A humanely put down rabbit suffers very little, if at all, as opposed to a released animal that dies slowly of starvation, illness or attack. And just because "many people" do it, does not make it right. Any breeder that does this regularly as a way of culling would lose my respect immediately. It is selfish and irresponsible behavior.

Oh ok so its ok for you to call names? Thats your opinion MSD.
I was responible making room for the rabbits that need to be separated. sorry I cull hard and dont mess with rabbits who are useless to me.

Honestly, I am saddened by your responses in this topic. You seem like a smart girl, but the things you are saying are beyond uncaring and irresponsible toward your animals....

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

Love how everyone assumes I do this every day..i said there was a few times I did it because I didnt have another way to get rid of them.
And love how everyone can call me names for my opinion maggiej..

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Love how everyone assumes I do this every day..i said there was a few times I did it because I didnt have another way to get rid of them.
And love how everyone can call me names maggiej..

I am not calling you names, LilFish...I was describing the way your POSTS are coming across....and no one said you did it everyday.

 

[Gone]

To be honest ive only set some free in the "wild" (aka my backwoods) cause I didnt have someone to cull them from me so I didnt care if they survived or not I just needed them out of my barn and couldnt bring myself to kill em myself.

I really dont care if it dies in the wild or it dies being my friend's dogs dinner(does it really matter? No)

sorry I cull hard and dont mess with rabbits who are useless to me.

But you don't cull. You've already admitted you're not strong enough to humanely dispatch a rabbit. Abandoning them is far worse, and shows a distinct lack of character in my opinion. I don't think you should be keeping animals, with this attitude. If you can't make the hard choices, and follow through with the best practices, you shouldn't raise livestock. Period.

What you said about colony breeding is ridiculous. A colony environment for breeding rabbits amounts to a very large, open air cage. It is isolated from the surrounding environment. How you even drew that comparison is beyond me.

You're frequently disruptive on this board, and it's wearing thin. Perhaps you would have a better time somewhere else.

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

Well I was doing the exact same thing when I said what I did about hypocrites.
No one did say I did it everyday but calling me unresponsible and crap is attacking me like I do it everyday..just saying how you came across.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Well I was doing the exact same thing when I said what I did about hypocrites.
No one did say I did it everyday but calling me unresponsible and crap is attacking me like I do it everyday..just saying how you came across.

I did not call you irresponsible...I said "any breeder that does this REGULARLY" is irresponsible...

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

Honestly, I am saddened by your responses in this topic. You seem like a smart girl, but the things you are saying are beyond uncaring and irresponsible toward your animals....

Well I was doing the exact same thing when I said what I did about hypocrites.
No one did say I did it everyday but calling me unresponsible and crap is attacking me like I do it everyday..just saying how you came across.

I did not call you irresponsible...I said "any breeder that does this REGULARLY" is irresponsible...

????

 

[Miss M]

LilFish, we have been here before. Newer members won't remember, but older ones do.

You had a couple of very polite replies to your original post in this thread, which politely disagreed with you. When someone disagrees with you, you have a choice:

1. Fire back a bristling, provocative reply.
2. Reply courteously and agree to disagree.
3. Let it roll off your back and don't reply at all.

You chose option #1, which is not the option to choose on a forum.

If you would look back, you would see that no one had even intimated that you were an irresponsible breeder when you said they did. Rittert3 said what they do, and never said anything about responsibility. You put words into her mouth, and into the mouths of others.

If anyone else has gone against RT policy, they will be held accountable. You are accountable for what you have said. You do not solve problems by challenging the administrator, who does her best to have a "hands-off" approach as much as possible. You have not even given her the time to deal with the replies that were just posted. She does have a life.