Does this Forum have a Section on Small Animals (Specifically Rabbits)?

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SilverArowanaBoi

Redtail Catfish
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Sep 21, 2023
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^ What the title says, lol. I want to make a thread about rabbits for MFKers and other people who double up on the pets (like me, I have a rabbit that I've kept for 10 years, well before serious fish-keeping). I know a few people here have rabbits and other small animals along with their fish-keeping.

If not, and there is no interest here for that kind of thing, is there a different group(s) for small animals and rabbits (no, I will not leave MFK or anything).
 
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I was about to make a post about rabbits in the "What are you cooking today?" thread...but maybe now I shouldn't...
 
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Matth05 said:
Well now you’ve got me curious John. I’ve always heard rabbit is delicious, but never tried it. Coming from someone that also had a pet rabbit many years ago.

I often get flack from people for liking lamb as much as I do. But it’s damn good so most of those comments go ignored lol.
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Rabbit and duck are my two all-time favourite small game animals as table fare, with squirrel in a somewhat more distant third place. Both rabbit and duck are nice when raised domestically, and IMHO even better when we are talking about wild meat.

Specifically, I mean Cottontail Rabbits (and probably all their close relatives). Other lagomorphs include Jackrabbits and other hares...and, again IMHO, they are pretty lousy as food. I'd eat them if I were starving, but they don't hold a candle to actual rabbit meat.

Interestingly, rabbit meat is so low in fat that an exclusive diet of it can apparently result in malnutrition, even leading to death. I think of that everytime I read another Thiaminase horror story on MFK, i.e. health problems created by a diet with not enough variety to provide balanced nutrition. The "protein poisoning" that rabbit meat can produce if eaten exclusively isn't something I ever worry about; I only eat wild rabbit and probably only 3 or 4 times at most per year. If you tried to eat it as a steady diet...like anything else that one might do to excess...then you'll have problems.

Tastes vary. I've never had any dish of lamb that I would go out of my way to eat a second time, but it's probably like most things, i.e. someone who knows what they are doing can likely make it into an amazing dish. Someone who doesn't...won't. :)
 
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Sorry, S SilverArowanaBoi , didn't mean to derail or offend. Plenty of farm kids have pet calves, chickens, sheep, pigs, etc...but they still eat those meats. Not suggesting anybody eat their actual pets.
 
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Cottontail is a delicacy in my family. The last batch of stewed rabbit and squirrel we served at a family gathering went so fast that i didnt even get a bite lol.

A coworker of mine raises some sort of meat rabbit but i havent eaten any of those little cuties yet. If we make any more threads about rabbits i may just get hungry enough though.

The big rabbits with big ears and manes do interest me as pets though. Heard they can be litterbox trained and whatnot. Weve been looking for a companion for our housecat and a rabbit would be far from the strangest pet ive kept so maybe one day. I imagine a large rabbit would come with some irritating nibbling/chewing behavior though.
 
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Backfromthedead said:
Cottontail is a delicacy in my family. The last batch of stewed rabbit and squirrel we served at a family gathering went so fast that i didnt even get a bite lol.

A coworker of mine raises some sort of meat rabbit but i havent eaten any of those little cuties yet. If we make any more threads about rabbits i may just get hungry enough though.

The big rabbits with big ears and manes do interest me as pets though. Heard they can be litterbox trained and whatnot. Weve been looking for a companion for our housecat and a rabbit would be far from the strangest pet ive kept so maybe one day. I imagine a large rabbit would come with some irritating nibbling/chewing behavior though.
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Jeez people quit eating rabbits LOL. I'm kidding, but in regards to companions for cats, either get a large, fast breed of rabbit or raise a cat up with the rabbit so that they would be familiar with each other. We've tried putting cats with rabbits, and it didn't last long (But the bunny won, and the cat was yeeted out of the house because we are rabbit people :) ), but to be fair, there wasn't much time so it could've worked over a much long period of time. Just ensure that you do not allow baby rabbits around cats; the cats will annihilate any babies.

Larger (actually, any size and breed) rabbits can have problems with chewing, but it is usually owner error, not rabbit error. Usually, when a rabbit chews and causes destruction, it is bored and needs a companion and/or a consistent round of chew toys. I've had my rabbit Elvis for 9 years, and I trained him not to chew on things by making the not-good stuff unappealing and instead, giving an alternative "appealing" thing; he knows good and well not to chew anything that isn't a chew toy (although he very occasionally still tries to). They can be trained to not chew with careful training. Make sure to provide many INTERESTING toys (not just simple wood blocks; while it is a good staple toy, they need much more interesting toys such as treat balls and loofah chews), and they'll stay away from your furniture (unless you have that one irresistible 100-year-old coffee table that is just oh-so-delicious 🤣).
 
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I raised Champagne D Argent for a couple years for meat. A good IPA and a crock pot and you have an amazing beer brazed dinner 😋
 
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