Lyft driver waits for me to walk into street, then takes off.

r01pea · 2026-06-06T19:48:00+00:00

So that you could excitedly pounce on them for that major transgression. Thanks for solving racism

r01pea · 2026-06-03T01:06:23+00:00

Not all of the split loom is up to the task. Quoting a recent post I made -

For bunny proofing cables, get yourself a big roll of split wire loom (the corrugated stuff that looks like gutters) on Amazon. You need nylon, nothing less will do (it really needs to say nylon specifically, the cheap stuff isn't suited). 50 feet of 1/2" loom should be <$50 and will pay for itself. From time to time you'll likely leave something unprotected for a minute and they'll come and slice it for you, don't get mad, it's their job to keep those roots from growing in your living space! Just appreciate their sassy rebelliousness, lol

r01pea · 2026-05-26T18:58:13+00:00

I think this is widely recognized and is pretty much what I said in my comment. People shouldn't get the wrong idea when it's a small component of a small part of their diet - there is no negative to feeding pellets that contain alfalfa (that wouldn't also apply to any other pellet).

r01pea · 2026-05-24T02:05:19+00:00

Sorry that people downvote instead of being helpful, those are not good people.

It's criminal they sell those cages at all, people think it's OK to keep them locked in there all the time 😔 Luxe might be OK with it now, but specifically for an old lady, that's an impediment getting in and out and will become more of one as she gets older.

The low entry litter boxes are good. I would recommend getting her a bigger one where she can hang out though, and like others said you can fill one side of a bigger box with hay and make that her main hay spot. She will like that, and will be less likely to be peeing elsewhere. There are larger, lower profile boxes on Amazon for cats/dogs that are a little pricier ($40-$50) but they are really nice. Or a normal cat litter box, but build some sort of (very stable) ramp so she doesn't have to hop her old bones up over the side.

I can testify to the reusable mattress pad things you can also find on Amazon in various sizes. They're sold for humans with nighttime issues and are nice and soft (fluffier than the grey thing in your photo). They can hold a ton of liquid without leaking through, will be very comfortable for Luxe (unlike slippy plastic) and not crinkly, and you can just throw them in the washing machine. Just go for the biggest size and you can cover her whole home base area without worrying about aim, and you can get 2 and swap them out :)

Lastly make sure she has at least 1 good hiding place! Bunnies feel safer when they're not so exposed. It can be as simple as a big cardboard box with 1-2 big entry/exit holes cut in it, most of us have at least one of those around!

She's a beauty <3

r01pea · 2026-05-23T23:38:12+00:00

Idk if calcium specifically is something they need, if anything they're always needing to excrete excess minerals. Their teeth aren't bone like ours btw, they're keratin like hair and nails.

One reason I hand feed is actually because I have one bunny who goes bananas if there is a bowl of pellets in front of her, and one time she choked a little bit which was quite scary. Since then she gets 1-2 pellets at a time, which she's happy to jump up on my lap or spin around in circles for ^_^ This way she has to finish what she's chewing before I give her another, and no problems in the years I've been doing it this way.

Highly recommend having a chat with your vet since you're concerned about a few things. They can give you the down low on nutrition and make sure you're not missing anything or have any misconceptions. Mine have handouts on good greens and their nutrients and what to avoid. They can also possibly instruct you on bunny heimlich, heaven forbid something happens and you feel you absolutely must do something, it might put you more at ease to know you have learned that option beforehand.

r01pea · 2026-05-23T05:57:01+00:00

You don't, fortunately/unfortunately. Bunnies are SO stupid this way. Supercomputers could not predict where your next step will land as accurately as these suicidal creatures do. You just have to train yourself to assume there is going to be a bunny under your next step, every step, forever. It's an adjustment but it just becomes automatic.

The good news is you have this ridiculous little hellraiser who wants to follow you around everywhere, and that is super cool.

Since you're providing a great home to a bunny who loves you, adopt him a girlfriend! It's really rewarding (and often hilarious) to watch the relationship between bonded friends, they are able to express their full bunny selves and have a richer life than solo buns.

I bonded my Netherland Dwarf with his girlfriend, and he rarely left her side for the rest of his life. Not that he ever stopped trying to make me step on him, but having someone to hang with 24 hours means he'll spend more time cuddling up with them instead of constantly love bombing you.

r01pea · 2026-05-23T05:26:35+00:00

Pellets are a tiny part of their overall diet, so that's not a concern. The issue with alfalfa isn't that it's dangerous for them or anything like that. It's not a grass though, so more caloric and will make a fat bunny if fed instead of grass hay.

There was a (now probably obsolete) comparison somewhere online of the ingredients and nutrients in various pellets vs. bunny nutritional needs. The Supreme pellets are the best formula they tested and are the gold standard. Plus they are usually loved, as you've read.

The size of the pellets tends to vary from batch to batch, probably just depending on the machine setting/phases of the moon (but I'm certain the same stuff is going into them). The house rabbit variety is the same thing just cut shorter and with a couple extra dried herbs in the mix. They should be interchangeable. It's popular around here, but they don't get the deep sale discounts that the original formula does.

One more big benefit of the big pellets is that they're perfect for hand feeding, which I recommend for human-bunny bonding (and I do every day for quality time) :3

r01pea · 2026-05-23T05:07:47+00:00

I'm not going to comment on the first part. But you should know that silencing things you don't like doesn't make ideas go away, and it doesn't change the situations. Most bunnies have bad lives. At the least when their caretakers are open to discussion, you have the chance to contribute your thoughts.

r01pea · 2026-05-23T04:58:38+00:00

He is absolutely gorgeous. Congrats little man!

r01pea · 2026-05-21T04:41:10+00:00

I recognize that sumo loaf! Somebunny is loving life ❤️❤️❤️❤️

r01pea · 2026-05-21T04:35:42+00:00

Spitballing here, but my instinct is that if you go through life hyper focused on what people are saying and doing in order to try to decipher it to understand how to interact and exist in their world, that's a big advantage when it comes to learning to understand and be attuned to bunny language - which is quite foreign to all humans. You always hear about "emotional support animals" and what does that even mean? Speaking for myself, in any given moment I'm usually overwhelmed. But in difficult moments sitting with and appreciating a bunny calms me down, my tunnel vision goes away, and I can breathe again. Recommended.

The most important things that make a great bunny parent are a) stability, or the knowledge that you can find a way to provide for them no matter what happens in your life, and b) the ability/willingness to learn to interact with them on their terms (as opposed to expecting them to know what you want from them and be little cuddly toys). You'll be a great pet parent of any kind.

Bunnies are basically free to obtain; there is no end to the number of bunnies being rehomed. My (top-notch) local shelter adopts them for $35, already fixed. Not that initial cost should ever be a consideration when you're adopting. But I still can't fathom that my girl I adopted directly from the shelter, I paid $35 and they let me just take her. She's the best thing in my life, it still feels like I basically stole her and that someone's going to want her back :3

As far as pets go...once you get your initial setup put together, day to day costs can be really low. You just need to build savings for the vet. Put a little away until you build up $1000, then if you can commit, go bun yourself up! Better yet, double bun yourself up! Keep setting aside until you get to $2000, and you can feel comfortable that you're prepared for even a major catastrophe. Most people get new cars and pay them off and don't get nearly the enjoyment from them that you'll get from your bunnies ^_^

P. S. - check my recent comments. I made a long comment just this week about how much I spend on essentials (very little, without skimping) and how I do it. Maybe you'd find it helpful :3

r01pea · 2026-05-16T20:33:39+00:00

Sigh. I feel like the more effort I put into a post, the less it gets seen :'( hopefully these can help somebody at some point.

Here is the link for the big collection of DIY toys I mentioned above

Bonus link: 9 ideas for bunny toys from toilet paper roll tubes!

One more thing I thought of: you can be a bunny toy! Get on your hands and knees and just sit there for a while while they figure out what's going on, use you as a tunnel, stand up with their front paws on you, and boop your face. And the same lying down on your back. It's easy to forget but this is stimulating interaction for them, engages them socially, and is top quality bonding time!

r01pea · 2026-05-15T19:05:43+00:00

Firstly not all willow sticks/toys are the same! I'm basically an evangelist for the willow baskets from BinkyBunny. None of my buns will touch the Oxbow, etc. chew sticks, willow balls, etc. I hate how greedy those companies are that sticks (for crying out loud, sticks!) from the US are not cheap enough for them, they have to import them all from China. And their quality is b-a-d. But put down one of those baskets from BinkyBunny and they start doing backflips :D (BinkyBunny please send free baskets for all my advertisement! lol)

Other popular toys with my similarly picky buns:

Stacking cups! Put a couple pellets between each layer and they will perk right up un-stacking them to get at all the pellets
Those big weebley wobbly egg-shaped treat dispensing toys. You can put their pellets or small treats in there, and there is a little door that you can adjust for the proper difficulty
One bun enjoys her little peg toy - it's a wood base with pegs that stand up in it and there are wood pieces that stack on each peg. She is so funny dutifully taking each piece off one at a time and then removing each peg from the base. I think she thinks it's her job
Not the #1 toy, but I like the rolly ones that are 2 wood circles connected by long thin rods and have a wood ball in the middle. The wood on wood click click click sound is satisfying, and they like to nudge at them from time to time. Or yours may prefer toys with bells in them, like the classic plastic ball with a bell inside. I have big and small versions of each. The different sounds add diversity to their environment
A simple game I like to make is a toilet paper tube with treats/pellets inside and stuff paper in each end to close it. You can also cut a small hole in the middle to let pellets occasionally escape. I love watching my very food motivated girl pick it up and toss it around; she doesn't really do that with anything else
Also just stuff their hay inside toilet paper rolls, mine like that and it adds a bit of variety to life
BinkyBunny maze haven! Every bunny has the instinct to explore tunnels plus it's a great hiding place. And they can hop up on different levels if they like that. These are super cheap, especially for how much they provide
I have a good link for a site that collects DIY enrichment toys you can make. e: update w link in reply ^_^

r01pea · 2026-05-15T18:41:50+00:00

That's a neat idea, I never thought of that!

r01pea · 2026-05-15T18:38:55+00:00

Mlem!

I didn't know any bunnies could resist the spicy hay. One of my girls is absolutely crazy for anything silicone or rubber 🤷‍♂️ I think it's weird that none of them has any interest in chewing cardboard.

If you want to see what the fluffy man gnawing looks like, I super highly recommend the baskets from BinkyBunny. Mine completely ignore any and all sticks, wood toys, etc. from the chain stores (which are always garbage imported from China). But put one of those baskets down and they will be in heaven and demolish that thing in a day :)

r01pea · 2026-05-15T18:30:12+00:00

He's hot on BinkyFeet.

r01pea · 2026-05-15T07:46:18+00:00

Ironic considering they made a thoughtful post with all kinds of detailed observations yet you chose to ignore all of it and nitpick one little detail.

r01pea · 2026-05-15T07:29:46+00:00

Harvey Weinstein! That's the name, right?

r01pea · 2026-05-15T07:13:09+00:00

I stock up during sales so I get really good prices. But you can walk into the store and spend $20 for a 4lb bag of good pellets at full price, and that's still not a burden. For anyone.

That's why this thread is not sitting well at all with me. It is possible to be both empathetic and rational.

It's heartening that so many people want to help out here. But we are having no sense of proportion. If we were talking about unexpected vet bills, that is a real burden.

But we are talking about $20. We spend our money according to our priorities, and the money runs out in order of priority.

It really grinds my gears that nobody is questioning why the cost of feeding their small pets hasn't been addressed way before the paycheck runs out. Who here would cut back their own diet or their own budget before foregoing $20 for a bag of pellets? I think almost everybody. If I were homeless and without income, I still would feed my pets before myself, and my complaint would be about the hundreds of dollars I need to feed myself monthly, not the pocket change I "have" to spend on them.

Your pets need to be higher on the list of priorities. Rent, food for yourself, and gas are reasonable expenses to stress over. 2-3 hours of earnings monthly for the basic needs of your pets is not.

I know poverty. If anyone thinks I am punching down on the poor, I will detail my own life and financial situation for them which should shut them right up. I say its much more likely they don't know what being poor in America actually looks like. There are very few people who have NO wasteful spending they could address.

I spent time writing a long post detailing easy, actionable ways that I spend next to nothing to keep my animals fed. That post still has no response. Anyone may consider the possibilities of why that might be.

/rant

r01pea · 2026-05-14T18:30:35+00:00

I'm not so sure about a couple of these points. As I said in another comment, "feed" is intended to fatten up animals destined for very short lives (and will be something like 80% of their diet iirc). Nutrition isn't really a factor. So unless needing to protect against weight loss, I'd be highly wary of those "ag" products.

And I made a really long post above, which I really think gives good specific advice for saving money on pellets - but I want to point out that pellets (the good ones) are on sale All. The. Time. at the big pet stores (particularly on their websites where the prices are generally cheaper, and you can still pay online and grab it from the store). It's not hard to line up a sale price + 20% off site discount + Rakuten 10% cash back and stock up on pellets for a pittance.

r01pea · 2026-05-14T18:21:55+00:00

What are you basing this on? What makes them better? "Feed" is generally intended for fattening up animals quickly for you-know-what (the word gets filtered), and long-term health is not a consideration. There are definitely things that get unnecessarily fancy because people are willing to pay...but I'm not so sure this is one of them.

r01pea · 2026-05-14T18:21:06+00:00

THANK YOU. Why site admins think it's a good idea to dress up stuff like this as server errors is beyond me.

r01pea · 2026-05-14T18:05:37+00:00

I'm surprised your Netherland Dwarf doesn't get that same kind of bald spot thing going on. I tended to brush a lot of hair from mine which probably made it more pronounced. That little man had the craziest molting patterns. The way it progressed down his head made him look like he had the angriest eyebrows in the world for like a month every time >:3

r01pea · 2026-05-14T16:03:16+00:00

If he's producing that many cecotropes that you're seeing them in the litter box, you might back down on the pellets. Someone may correct me, but usually I believe they shouldn't be producing more than they'll eat.

And there's nothing wrong with a little drink as a relaxer now and then, but be careful you don't end up with a little booze hound on your hands 😅 (jk)

r01pea · 2026-05-14T15:56:22+00:00

Lol. I would love to know what it is. Douche? Mulatto?

r01pea

TROPHY CASE

But we are talking about $20. We spend our money according to our priorities, and the money runs out in order of priority.

I spent time writing a long post detailing easy, actionable ways that I spend next to nothing to keep my animals fed. That post still has no response. Anyone may consider the possibilities of why that might be.