# Show me your bunnies & birds & chinchillas!



## Zappity (Oct 15, 2011)

Title says it all  I'm thinking about getting one of the three mentioned, maybe in the summer. I know I want a bird, but maybe a Chinchilla or bunny with it wouldn't hurt..:lol:


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## JBosley (Jan 28, 2012)

I'm all pro Bunnies! I find them friendlier than Chinchillas  And they come in more colors, sizes and cuteness. Thats my opinion anyways ;-)

This is Murphy! He is my 5-ish year old Holland Lop (we think)


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## Zappity (Oct 15, 2011)

JBosley said:


> I'm all pro Bunnies! I find them friendlier than Chinchillas  And they come in more colors, sizes and cuteness. Thats my opinion anyways ;-)
> 
> This is Murphy! He is my 5-ish year old Holland Lop (we think)


D'aww!! He's so cute!!  I love the picture of him all sprawled out in the grass!
I had a Holland Lop when I was like, 3, but he died from a hairball :[ I think bunnies are cuter too, but my Mom had a chinchilla when she was younger and loved it so she wants me to get one of them.


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## JBosley (Jan 28, 2012)

Zappity said:


> D'aww!! He's so cute!!  I love the picture of him all sprawled out in the grass!
> I had a Holland Lop when I was like, 3, but he died from a hairball :[ I think bunnies are cuter too, but my Mom had a chinchilla when she was younger and loved it so she wants me to get one of them.


Get both! :-D Yeah, Murph LOVES to be outside. He lives outside in the summer and in a heated garage in the winter! Works great, he loves it.


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## Karebear13 (Jan 23, 2012)

Meet Itchy! and Rocky but Itchy is the one you care to see 









http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr...846056&Signature=55f+9eibJStvNRx5XMioZ6ogXXU=

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr...846077&Signature=i4mb3NAbPHb/Doov90r4cHbGX2M=

haha Birds are great. I love him because birds get attached to only one person. They are truly loyal


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## purplemuffin (Aug 12, 2010)

Our little princess, Bella.


Our old bunny boy--RIP


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## Zappity (Oct 15, 2011)

JBosley said:


> Get both! :-D Yeah, Murph LOVES to be outside. He lives outside in the summer and in a heated garage in the winter! Works great, he loves it.


Aww  That'd be fun to take one outside...as long as there aren't hawks swooping around  /hawk eating dog paranoia/



Karebear13 said:


> Meet Itchy! and Rocky but Itchy is the one you care to see
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Aww! He's so cute!! A cockatiel is actually the bird I've looked at the most  



purplemuffin said:


> Our little princess, Bella.
> 
> 
> Our old bunny boy--RIP


They're both SO cute!  Sorry about your bunny  

Thanks for posting, everyone!


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Here's Acacia. She's my 5 year old mixed dwarf- character she is <3<3 I'm partial to bunnies because I have owned neither birds nor chinnies. Birds seem like an amusing but unpleasant pet to have - that's my opinion be it uneducated or what. All to those who love them though!
I would get a large breed bunny next, or another mini rex. I love rexes but I think larger breeds are both calmer and overlooked in the rescues! 
One thing I suggest, look into the rescues in your area. Most rescues spay and neuter all bunnies going through their care -which is a huge bonus for the price. Chinnie I don't know about spaying but have a whole different care sheet than bunnies ^.^
I cannot wait to see your choice!!


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Bosley, Murphy must be really calm to let you have him upside down like that o-o
All these photos make me miss my bunny.  I'll get one when I move out sometime.
I +1 the rescue thing, pretty much every good rabbit rescue will spay/neuter your bunny for you. Also I think a bunny would be a more social pet than a chinchilla, from what I've heard they tend to be more pets that you have to let approach you on their own terms when they're ready. Of course, birds would be the most social of the 3 xD


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

My friend lost her bunny from holding him upside down. It's actually a defense bunnies have to predators. People call it a "trance" but it's actually bunny going into a bit of a trance to prepare for the shock of death. I could never hold my bunnies upside down, they always freaked out. When I found out m friend lost her bunny I am now devoted to spreading the word. 
Some people have to in order to clip nails and teeth but I think it's unsafe.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Reminds me of those youtube videos of rabbits "floating" peacefully in swimming pools when it's actually just a shock response to being in water.. 
A lot of rabbits just don't want to be held at all, my old one was a cuddle on the ground only rabbit. xD


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## JBosley (Jan 28, 2012)

It's okay for Rabbits to be on their backs as long as they are properly supported and don't freak out. We talked about it in class, I'm an Animal Care graduate  I wouldn't recommend doing it ALL the time, as most animals don't enjoy this. That's the ONLY time I have ever done it to Murphy, seeing if I could, as the vet needed to be able to do so due to a foot injury he had.

Bunnies for the win! <3


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

I have seen those videos.. Not very impressed. Poor bunn!
My Acacia is very much like an unsocial cat. She comes to me when she wants, which is not very often! And she hates being picked up! My goodness, such a fuss comes out of her. 
No, it certainly will not kill them to have them on their back and, as I stated, it can help with nails clipping etc. It's the flipping back over or panicking that can cause harm.


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## JBosley (Jan 28, 2012)

Murphy is too active to sit still long :lol: He's mellowing out now though, it's kinda nice


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## Zappity (Oct 15, 2011)

Laki said:


> Here's Acacia. She's my 5 year old mixed dwarf- character she is <3<3 I'm partial to bunnies because I have owned neither birds nor chinnies. Birds seem like an amusing but unpleasant pet to have - that's my opinion be it uneducated or what. All to those who love them though!
> I would get a large breed bunny next, or another mini rex. I love rexes but I think larger breeds are both calmer and overlooked in the rescues!
> One thing I suggest, look into the rescues in your area. Most rescues spay and neuter all bunnies going through their care -which is a huge bonus for the price. Chinnie I don't know about spaying but have a whole different care sheet than bunnies ^.^
> I cannot wait to see your choice!!


D'aww, I love the pic of her in the box x] so cute!
I'll definitely do that if I do decide to get a bunny! 



Olympia said:


> Bosley, Murphy must be really calm to let you have him upside down like that o-o
> All these photos make me miss my bunny.  I'll get one when I move out sometime.
> I +1 the rescue thing, pretty much every good rabbit rescue will spay/neuter your bunny for you. Also I think a bunny would be a more social pet than a chinchilla, from what I've heard they tend to be more pets that you have to let approach you on their own terms when they're ready. Of course, birds would be the most social of the 3 xD


Yeah, I'm leaning more towards a 'tiel than anything...only problem is when I go to collage in a few years, I don't know if I'd be able to take him with me... :/



Laki said:


> My friend lost her bunny from holding him upside down. It's actually a defense bunnies have to predators. People call it a "trance" but it's actually bunny going into a bit of a trance to prepare for the shock of death. I could never hold my bunnies upside down, they always freaked out. When I found out m friend lost her bunny I am now devoted to spreading the word.
> Some people have to in order to clip nails and teeth but I think it's unsafe.



Oy.  NOT holding upside down! haha


Olympia said:


> Reminds me of those youtube videos of rabbits "floating" peacefully in swimming pools when it's actually just a shock response to being in water..
> A lot of rabbits just don't want to be held at all, my old one was a cuddle on the ground only rabbit. xD


I held my bunny I had when I was 3, while sitting down. He didn't even like that xD He bit me once...but I was holding him for like, 3 hours so I think he was irritated.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

The only issues with chinchillas is, you need to get their stuff from a petstore and the nearest one around here is 30 miles south. Food and dust bath can be pricy compared to other animals, plus they need things to constantly chew


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

oh my goodness. Baby chinchillas are arguably cuter than baby bunnies!!!


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## ilovebunnies (Oct 11, 2010)

The white one is Alphonse and the brown one is Piggy. They are a bonded male and female pair. I've had them for 5 years.

I have never owned birds or chinchillas, just bunnies. If you are considering getting a pet bunny please research it first. www.rabbit.org They aren't as simple to care for as most people (and petshops) make them out to be. They have specific dietary needs and should live indoors with the family (NEVER outside in a hutch). I have cared and rescued quite a few rabbits and I know quite a bit about them, so if you have questions please ask.

And I also agree with the others about adopting a rabbit. They come spayed/neutered which is a plus cause you won't have to pay more to get it done by a vet. Also, spaying/neutering rabbits is very important so you don't run into health and behavioral problems latter on. Oh, and also rabbits typically do better when they are kept with another rabbit. Rescues have bonded pairs that can be adopted. Getting a bonded pair is much easier than doing it yourself.


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## Tracy Bird (Sep 20, 2011)

This is LUCKY....

I inherited him/her when my brother passed.

It's like a zoo around here..... wouldn't have it any other way!


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## MandiceP (Jan 7, 2012)

I'm sure you've thought of this, but just be sure you are ready for the lifespans that come with the three animals you are interested in. I've had two rabbits... one lived to be 13 the other 12. and I had 2 chinchillas. Unfortunately the first one died of a sickness and the second one I believe died of depression. But they have the ability to live 15+ years as well. And birds, well.... they can outlive us, lol. Just a warning. If you are prepared to take on the commitment of the animal's full lifespan, go for it! I definitely think you have a better chance at an affectionate pet in a rabbit. If you want a "constant toddler" level of energy and mischief and don't mind not really being able to cuddle it, then a chinchilla could be right for you. I'm not a huge fan of birds so I won't chime in on them. I'll leave that to the ones who know more about me. Again... I'm not downing your wanting to get one of these animals. Simply just making sure you've thought about the commitment they come with long term  happy deciding!


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## Zappity (Oct 15, 2011)

Tikibirds said:


> The only issues with chinchillas is, you need to get their stuff from a petstore and the nearest one around here is 30 miles south. Food and dust bath can be pricy compared to other animals, plus they need things to constantly chew


*squee* OMG, baby chinchilla is soo adorable!!  




Laki said:


> oh my goodness. Baby chinchillas are arguably cuter than baby bunnies!!!


Agreed!



ilovebunnies said:


> The white one is Alphonse and the brown one is Piggy. They are a bonded male and female pair. I've had them for 5 years.
> 
> I have never owned birds or chinchillas, just bunnies. If you are considering getting a pet bunny please research it first. www.rabbit.org They aren't as simple to care for as most people (and petshops) make them out to be. They have specific dietary needs and should live indoors with the family (NEVER outside in a hutch). I have cared and rescued quite a few rabbits and I know quite a bit about them, so if you have questions please ask.
> 
> And I also agree with the others about adopting a rabbit. They come spayed/neutered which is a plus cause you won't have to pay more to get it done by a vet. Also, spaying/neutering rabbits is very important so you don't run into health and behavioral problems latter on. Oh, and also rabbits typically do better when they are kept with another rabbit. Rescues have bonded pairs that can be adopted. Getting a bonded pair is much easier than doing it yourself.


Yes, I always research before buying an animal ;] 
If I can talk my Mom into going to a shelter whenever I decide, I will most likely get one there. 



Tracy Bird said:


> This is LUCKY....
> 
> I inherited him/her when my brother passed.
> 
> It's like a zoo around here..... wouldn't have it any other way!


Woah.. He's gorgeous! How old is he? Is he hard to keep?



MandiceP said:


> I'm sure you've thought of this, but just be sure you are ready for the lifespans that come with the three animals you are interested in. I've had two rabbits... one lived to be 13 the other 12. and I had 2 chinchillas. Unfortunately the first one died of a sickness and the second one I believe died of depression. But they have the ability to live 15+ years as well. And birds, well.... they can outlive us, lol. Just a warning. If you are prepared to take on the commitment of the animal's full lifespan, go for it! I definitely think you have a better chance at an affectionate pet in a rabbit. If you want a "constant toddler" level of energy and mischief and don't mind not really being able to cuddle it, then a chinchilla could be right for you. I'm not a huge fan of birds so I won't chime in on them. I'll leave that to the ones who know more about me. Again... I'm not downing your wanting to get one of these animals. Simply just making sure you've thought about the commitment they come with long term  happy deciding!



Heh, yeah. That's the main thing that's holding me back. :-/ Especially with the birds...


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## Tracy Bird (Sep 20, 2011)

_







_

"Woah.. He's gorgeous! How old is he? Is he hard to keep?"


*AGE:* Not exactly sure my local Parrot shop suggests he/she is at least 35-40 years old. They also identified LUCKY as a wild caught bird based on his leg ring. I've had him for 11 years and my brother had him for 15 years. When I'm gone LUCKY will go to my oldest son....

*IS HE HARD TO KEEP:* No not hard to keep, but like fish we need to understand the animal and try to replicate features of their natural environment as best we can. 

Lucky's from the Amazon rainforest... guess what it does in the rain forest EVERYDAY - It rains..... So you have to reguarly mist the parrot with water and often LUCKY will shower with me. 

In the wild Macaw's constantly chew, so you must provide wood on a daily basis.

When they aren't chewing, they forage for food... so to keep him happy and healthy we'll hide some nuts in boxes and let LUCKY find them.

No different than fish: Cichlids need caves, Cardinals need plant cover, Otos need wood etc. - provide your pets with what they need.

They are not difficult to keep, but something that one should carefully consider before purchasing.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

"So you have to reguarly mist the parrot with water and often LUCKY will shower with me."
Omg that sounds adorable! I think the thing with large parrots is commitment, as Tracy said they live a LONG time. Also you have to do a lot of research, large birds bond intensely to their owners (like dogs, certain types are generally one person birds while others tend to be more okay with a larger family) and need to spend a lot of time with you


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## revolutionrocknroll (Sep 22, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO9BzuvM-A4
My bunny, Sophie, playing with my dog xD

Having kept parakeets, chicks, and ducklings, and having volunteered at the VT Wildlife Rescue Association taking care of injured songbirds and raptors, I do have to say that birds in general can be rather messy. I don't know about other species, but maybe that's something you'd want to consider. My parakeets definitely weren't as messy as the chicks and ducklings, but they did love dumping out their food and looking for specific types of seeds (it was a mixture of seeds and one of them was rather picky).


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

Seen these guys while in Columbia. It was some kind of bird sanctuary thing at the port of cartagena


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

Parrots are a huge commitment, they're highly intelligent and wild animals. Sorry that the post is so long, but I've met so many neglected birds and bird shelters are always so over packed because people don't know what they're getting into, sorry if it sounds harsh I just want to make sure you know what your getting into if you decide on a bird over a chinchilla or rabbit.

I'm not sure why the person above said birds are not hard to keep. Here's my opinion.

Birds are very hard to keep, for me it's easy because I understand bird behavior and can read the subtle body language but for someone new theres a ton of mistakes that can be made. Also, keep in mind that some birds will hate their owners, or just prefer someone else in the house. Most birds prefer a specific gender as well, mine prefers men so I countered that by socializing her with lots of men and women, in a way it makes me feel a little special that I'm her favorite person even though I'm a girl. 

*A few important facts*
-Parrots cannot live on seeds only, they need a high quality pellet diet, fresh fruits, veggies, grains, eggs, and other healthy foods to stay healthy. When feed a seed only diet most parrots will develop organ failure, fatty tumors, or fatty liver disease and die a early death.

- often when a bird is purchased it is young and cuddly, then they start going through puberty and they go through the teenager years. With a cockatiel this is pretty easy but the larger birds can be unpredictable to a untrained eye and even a medium sized bird can send you to the emergency room to get stitches. Once the teenage years are over your bird will go through breeding seasons once a year and have varying degrees of hormonal aggression. Sometimes intense and sometimes barely noticeable, just depends on the bird. 

-Birds are not mammals and breath with a series of air sacks. The air is kept in their bodies much longer and things that are fine for you and I can kill a bird in 15 minutes or less in some cases. 

Self cleaning ovens,
Non stick pans and any Teflon products,
air fresheners,
scented candles
burning oil, over heated pans, and smoke
some printers,
and much much more. 

-Way to many people pet birds in completely inappropriate ways. Petting a bird on the back is fine if you can read it's body language and not over due. If you aren't careful you'll be telling the bird you want to be it's mate and start a relationship that is absolutely cruel to the poor bird, they should never be forced to watch the love of their life having a relationship with someone else. Several species will react violently by attaching the offending person, or punishing the person they believe to be their mate.

-lots of socialization, harness train the bird so you can take him/her out with you places if you want. Let them meet people of different races and see new things. Some people don't agree with this and that's fine, while outside your encounter different germs and wild birds who might carry diseases, it's a risk and some people will take it while others don't.

-If your bird ever bites or screams angrily at you it's always your own fault. They are doing this to tell you something is wrong and you should never be punished for it. In fact, punishing all together is not recommended. With birds positive reinforcement is the way to go.

-Some birds shouldn't have their wings clipped for health reasons. Galahs are a good example, these cockatoos are prone to obesity and when given a improper diet and no vigorous exercise only achieved with flight they will barely make it to the age of 30 if you lucky, With healthy pellets they might make it to 45. These birds can live into their 60 or more if exercised and fed a healthy diet, without these the most common thing that kills them is fatty liver disease and they often will show fatty tumors. 
*
My bird*

I have a Galah Cockatoo, she was abused and neglected by her past owners, some friends of mine rescued her when her owners was trying to give her away because her husband was going to kill her. She was in a budgie cage that needed to be cut open for her to get out, she had a broken leg and both her legs where extremely weak, part of her upper mandible was missing, her feathers where brown/yellow tinted probably caused by a bad diet. She was also a plucker and still has some large bald patches. She was so terrified and would throw herself on the bottom of the cage so hard that she would injure herself when someone walked by.

When I brought her home she was much better, but still had almost no grip in her legs. She was very flighty and new things scared her. It took about 6 months for her legs to get their strength back and to get her off the sunflower seed diet my friends gave her.

Some pics
Rosie in her Harness out on a walk



























Rosie flying. You can also see a section she plucked, it looks better but we're still working on it.


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

i was thinking about getting a bird any tips? i will most likely want it PM(ed) thanks. i seen rabbits, and chinchilla's i suggest rabbits, i never held a chinchilla before. am more of a "reptile, and fish" person


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

*My Spike*

This is my Spike. I've had her for almost 12 years now and I love her. My sister was a breeder and this one got kicked out of the nest just after hatching so my sister hand raised her and gave her to me. She has one clubbed foot and the other never developed correctly but I love her regardless  birds are hard work but once you get into a pattern you almost don't notice it.


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

is she a cockatiel? i was thinking about those  also from (catching myself) researching on them, wouldn't a normal gray (if she is a normal gray cockatiel) female would have a fully gray body and head?? only males have the yellow head, pic (not mine, i don't even own a bird [yet lol, jk]) :


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

not to double post i didn't knew how big it was o-0 sorry


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

betta lover1507 said:


> is she a cockatiel? i was thinking about those  also from (catching myself) researching on them, wouldn't a normal gray (if she is a normal gray cockatiel) female would have a fully gray body and head?? only males have the yellow head, pic (not mine, i don't even own a bird [yet lol, jk]) :


Those are the normal wild gray cockatiels, that female is most likely a pied


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

She's not a grey. her mom was pure white and her dad was more yellow than grey. The only reason we think its a girl is because she's got a few "scallops" on her tail and wing feathers (only found on girls). To be honest we dont know. It's been a debate for almost 12 years now


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

lvandert said:


> She's not a grey. her mom was pure white and her dad was more yellow than grey. The only reason we think its a girl is because she's got a few "scallops" on her tail and wing feathers (only found on girls). To be honest we dont know. It's been a debate for almost 12 years now


She a pied, and if she's 12 she's definitely a girl. Pied males can take up to 8 years to completely loose their banding on their feathers and she's well past that.


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

oh okay, as i say am no pro. it is pretty hard to resist birds D: there is no way my mom and dad will let me have one, it will be literally like a zoo here!


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

lvandert said:


> She's not a grey. her mom was pure white and her dad was more yellow than grey. The only reason we think its a girl is because she's got a few "scallops" on her tail and wing feathers (only found on girls). To be honest we dont know. It's been a debate for almost 12 years now


from research it sounds like her mom was a albino and the dad was a lutino (is that how you spell it?)


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

betta lover1507 said:


> from research it sounds like her mom was a albino and the dad was a lutino (is that how you spell it?)


Lutino is like half albino, in cockatiels all the gray turns white. It's a very interesting color mutation.

Lutino pic spam time lol










Here's a Lutino Galah, all the gray has become white









In lutino Amazons the green turns yellow









There's even lutino blue and gold macaws, as well as many other birds


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

She's probably a mutt of something but the vet said she's all healthy so I dont care what she is. Although her parents are just mean so I'm happy she got booted young.


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

i know there half albino i just suggest it, i like the Lutino Galah but am gonna stick with cockatiels :lol: they seem really friendly and all, fits me than some other birds.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Is it a bad mutation to be "lutino"?? I really like the lutino B&G macaw!! But I would be really annoyed of people bred them like this because they look cool :/


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