This topic fades away and is brought back time and again. I will add my thoughts here for anybody who happens by this thread in the future. The MOST important thing when getting into rabbits is to get the right type of cage, IMO. In the past, people used to recommend stacking cages with droppings pans underneath to catch the droppings. Let me tell you, this type of arrangement is a nightmare to deal with, especially once you get a doe with a litter that is hopping around with her. If you don't empty it daily, it will quickly start to overflow onto the rabbits beneath it. It is MUCH easier to just get a long row of cages with wire bottoms and let the droppings fall directly on the ground. You can corral it with cinder blocks or something and add some worms, and they'll turn it into worm castings for you, or you can shovel it once every month or two into a compost pile. The urine will soak into the ground and this method is about 10 times less smelly than the droppings pan method! I wish somebody had told me this back when I was beginning! For breeds, just research. I liked the rare breeds such as American Blues and Silver Foxes, but New Zealand Whites are fine, too. Just make sure you get your initial stock from somebody who is raising the rabbits with production goals in mind rather than "show" quality. There's nothing wrong with showing, but a show rabbit may average 4 or 5 kits per litter, while a rabbit that is raised from a mother who regularly throws 10 or 12 kits is more likely to be a good investment. Rabbits cannot take the heat. If you live in a place like Texas or Louisiana, you will probably lose rabbits during the summer unless you install a swamp cooler or misting system to keep them cool. Pigeons do much better in the heat--it doesn't seem to bother them at all. I would seriously consider the cost of a cooling system and the electricity to run it before I invested heavily in rabbits if I lived in a very hot location (I do--I live in Austin, TX, and my rabbits had a $500 swamp cooler blowing on them all summer long).

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:00 a.m. 2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds! 3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I don't remember - it was one over the winter but I guess it wasn't memorable 4. What is your favorite TV show now? Law & Order SVU, CSI,lots of stuff on Food Network, House Hunters on HGTV, King of Queens, Ghost Whisperer 5. What did you have for breakfast? Cereal and coffee 6. What is your middle name? Lee 7. What is your favorite food? Chocolate! 8. What foods do you dislike? Chinese (I know, I know, weird) 9. What is your favorite chip flavor? Kansas City BBQ What is your favorite CD at the moment? I'm still into that Jimi Hendrix thing for some reason. What kind of car do you drive? Jeep Liberty Favorite sandwich? Still PBJ What characteristic do you despise? Dishonesty, shallowness and cruelty What are your favorite clothes? Jeans, tee shirt and sneaks OR shorts, tee shirt and sneaks If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? England, Scotland and Ireland Favorite brand of clothing? Coldwater Creek Where would you retire? Some place where it is warm most of the year Favorite time of the day? Very early morning or sunset/dusk What was your most memorable birthday? 40th Where were you born? NJ Favorite sport to watch? Football What fabric detergent do you use? Arm & Hammer or Tide Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi (diet please without caffeine) Morning person or night owl? Neither - but definitely more morning that night What is your shoe size? 6 or 6 1/2 depending on the shoe Do you have any pets? 2 very, very spoiled dogs What did you want to be when you were little? Nurse Longest friendship you still have. 38 years Biggest accomplishment? Buying my own home Favorite school sport? To participate in track, to watch football Event you look forward to. My days off each week, does that count as an event??? I love all holidays. What is one thing/product you absolutely detest and would hate to see in a gift package? Anchovies and/or Chinese food How do you pamper yourself? Listen to music, read, get a manicure If I had a day all to myself, I would turn off the phone, watch Lifetime, snack on chocolate and KC BBQ chips and read a wonderful book. If you were a box of cereal, what kind would you be and why? Alphabets - they say lots without being noisy What in your life now reminds you of when you were growing up? Grass that was just mowed, iced tea in the summer, the beach and all of the wonderful smells that go with the ocean.

Such sad stories my heart goes out to all that have suffered through the pain of losing a precious pet. Last July we lost our beloved Joey while he was getting his teeth cleaned at the vets. No chance to say goodbye until after he was gone. We had still had 3 dogs, a 16 yr old maltipoo and her 2 11yr old "pups" to help us through the loss of Joey. You can imagine our devastation when our little girl Jessie only 11yr was diagnosed with a highly invasive aggressive spleen cancer in Nov. She died in my arms only weeks later. Three weeks later her mother 16yrs had to be euthanized after some strokes. We expected to lose her soon due to her age but it was very hard after the other two losses. I told DH I didn't want any more dogs...we still had one left and that was it for me. Never again I was done. Radar, the one dog left, was very special to me. DH missed having the others so much I relented and we bought a havanese pup. This pup was a little hellion and after 3 wks of tormenting my Radar we went back to the breeders and bought the little devils' sister. So now we had the devil and the angel a calm, sweet little girl and they played so well with each other that Radar wasn't being harassed and ambushed at every turn. This was working well for all. One week after getting the second pup I found a lump in Radar's side. We rushed him to the vet.....he had a very large, inoperable tumour on his liver. All we could do was give him meds to hopefully slow down the tumour. He seemed the same happy boy he always was for about 5 wks but things changed and he went downhill almost overnite. We had him euthanized last week. I'm glad we got the second pup when we did cause I know wouldn't have been able to bring another pet into my home after 4 losses in less than 8 months. These were pets that were at the vets for yearly check ups and shots ate premium dog food and we still lost them too soon. Sorry this is so long.

I know this thread is old but I really need to discuss this at the moment (forgive me of the following is long). I moved cross-country a year and a half ago leaving behind my two dogs. 1 is a senior dog who loves with my mother and I and the adjustment would be too much. The second is a 110 pound lab/Shepard that is really my brother's and it wouldn't have for in my new apartment anyway. I have always had a pet. Even in college I had a mouse. I have genetic depression and while I am perfectly normal thanks to my medication, I have found that having something to take care of helps me function above-average as well as keeps me emotionally positive. After settling down in my new home I decided it was a good time to adopt a new dog. I'm 25, financially independent, and able and wiling to care for a dog (I am also certified to groom dogs, know numerous training techniques and own two training books, I volunteer at two local shelters and am this able to recieve discounted training and vaccinations for any pets; I have clipped my own dog's nails for years; know the best toys for a stimulated mind; and have even been asked to show my dogs before at local competitions (I declined); I live a mile from work and I work with only two other people who are fine with me bringing in a pet). And yet, I have been unable to adopt a dog the last year and a half and yesterday was the 6th time I was "burned" by the shelter system. Time number 1: not so much a shelter system as a coworker's dog had a litter of puppies. One was promised to me, pictures were sent, promises and dates for exchanges were made. And then her sister took all the puppies to Portland and sold them for $300 each, including the one that was promised to me because one woman up there wanted a boy and a girl dog. I cried, this was a disapointment. But it was the easiest compared to the following year... Time number 2: a dog I regularly walked at the shelter and I hit it off. I stated formally that I would like to begin the paperwork. The woman who normally runs adoptions was out on vacation so a note was made and I was given the paperwork. Meanwhile, one of the admin workers at the shelter decided that her friend would like the dog. She contacted her friend that day (after my note was made) and discarded my note and set up an adoption on her own citing it as an "emergency exception". Time number 3: I found a dog on petfinder at a shelter in Northern California about four hours away. They have a policy (and this is the humane society) that potential adopters need to fill out an i Irish wave of paperwork, deliver it in person with app family members present. The family must undergo a personally evaluation and spend four separate hours with the dog under the supervision of a pet psychologist. Then a second set of paperwork is filed and the dog is sent home on a temporary basis while the shelter checks in 1-3 times before the dog is officially allowed to be registered and adopted. Obviously, living four hours away this was a bit much. But I contacted the head of the shelter to set up an expedited version. I would undergo my evaluations over video chat, and meet with the dog once for 2 hours before driving it home. I sent in the first paperwork (a lengthy list that asked my marital status, income, smoking and drinking habits, references, two essays, a quiz on my beliefs on various pet-related things, etc). I was told that no one else was in competition for the dog. Until two days later when I was notified that someone local wanted the dog and my paperwork was void. Time number 4: I was fostering a dog I fell in love with and she adored me. However, due to a genetic condition, she needed surgery on her legs and was unable to be adopted until after the 1st of the year. I told all the official channels that I wanted to adopt her. I was told this was great and not an issue. Her surgery was on December 20th. On December 21st the vet that performed her surgery took her home and adopted her. Time number 5: a friend of a friend had a dog he was giving up to the shelter. It was a puppy/Christmas present for his kids that went un-taken care of, unloved after December 25th and left outside 24/7. It was a long-hair chihuaha/Pomeranian. My friend contacted him and while we were fine for him to just give me the dog, his wife wanted is to go through the local shelter system as a way of keeping an official record. Big mistake. Someone got wind that the chi-Pom was coming in and offered to make a $500 donation to the shelter in exchange for the dog. When I went in to pick up the dog an hour after it was dropped off, I was told he was adopted. (I only learned the true story from a friend who volunteers at admin as well as through the shelter e-mails). Time number 6: last week I met with a shelter dog at it's foster home. I fell in love but wanted to make sure he and my roommate got along. I arranged that I would be able to have an overnight stay with the dog (I was also fostering a cat that the shelter wanted to see how it handled other pets). I contacted the shelter Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday to day that I Could pick the dog up on Friday (this just so happened to be the single busy work week I have). On Friday I contacted the foster parent of the dog who informed me that she decided to show the dog to a couple during the week. And that then it was between me and them and the shelter prefers people who don't work to adopt pets (yes, that is literally what they said) so I was not allowed to adopt the dog. (The dog also came from an a used situation like the dog I had at home and thusly I knew how to handle it but apparently that is a moot point when it comes to the fact that I work a 9-5 job). These were just the situations where I thought I had the dog before it was adopted from under me. There is also the shelter in Portland that had a requirement of a 4 hour driving radius. Southern Oregon is 5 hours away, this eliminating people in the shelter's own state. They was the shelter in north Cali that is 45 minutes away with a two hour driving radius who, upon finding out I live in Oregon told me they only adopt to residents of California. There is the shelter near Portland that has a minimum $900 adoption fees for male dogs and $1200 for females. There is the shelter that needs you to have a previous pet or a signed letter from a veterinarian (I believe this shelter is on the Oregon coast). There is the local shelter who turned me down for fostering because I work (again, I live 1 mile from work. I come home at lunch and I can bring the dog to work). And a few other shelter stories from friends that posted on my wall when they heard I was once again denied a dog: The friend who was 24 and had to get motorized permission from her parents to adopt a cat because they only adopt to people over 25. The professor who was denied because he was not married. The friend who brought in a start dog and was denied adopting said dog because she was the one who brought it in and was thus listed as the person who have the dog up. And finally, the family friend that was deemed too old to adopt. Do I think shelters are too strict? Yes. Do I think they drive potential adopters to go to a breeder instead? Absolutely. After being burned six times I realized my only option is to save my money and go to either an out-of-state breeder or an out-of-state pet store. Was this this my first, second or third choice? No. It's my seventh choice, but it is the only choice available to a woman that works.