Rabbit production

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Rabbit production

Postby Kevin Cann » May 17th, '10, 11:11



Anyone have experience with rabbit productions ?

I want to change a rabbit puppet into a real rabbit

What is the best production item to use: criteria are that the rabbit may have to spend up to 4 hours inside and remain happy, it mustn't be able to jump out when produced, must be very visible. Welfare of the animal is uppermost in my mind.

Also, what are the best breeds and age of rabbit to use (ie. which are the most docile and happy to sit there and be handled rather than jump around ?)

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Postby Johnny Wizz » May 17th, '10, 11:42

I think that ypou will find that 4 hours cooped up in some sort of production item is hugely excessive, likely to seriously stress the animal and open you up to allegations of cruelty.

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Postby Kevin Cann » May 17th, '10, 11:48

Do you do a rabbit production or keep rabbits or are you just a worried animal lover ?

Just accounting for travel both ways and a 2 hour party with the production at the end.

Rabbits are quite happy to remain in tight enclosed spaces for extended periods of time. After all, burrows and hutches aren't exactly big !

I'm sure there must be custom made production boxes made for this purpose but google doesn't seem to find many thus the question to those experienced in these matters

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Postby daleshrimpton » May 17th, '10, 11:49

4 hours is way too long for the bunny. Any method will do him or her damage.

The safer option would be the traditional bag load into a container, since bunny will have air. But its not ideal.

i used to use a flip over box to produce silks, then pick up bunny with the silks, as i prepared to " vanish" the silks.

You could produce silks, then the puppet bunny from an object.
then pick up live bunny, with the silks depositing the whole lot on top of teh puppet bunny, which will be forgotten about when reall bunny appears.
But... half an hour max in the bag, because they can over heat.

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Postby daleshrimpton » May 17th, '10, 11:50

Rabbits are quite happy to remain in tight enclosed spaces for extended periods of time. After all, burrows and hutches aren't exactly big !


bunnys in the wild are not the same as domesticated bunys.
and a burrow is cool, and well ventilated.( as they are open at both ends)
with a large chamber.

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Postby Kevin Cann » May 17th, '10, 11:57

Just thinking of the bunnies we have at the moment.

We use a portable carrier to take them from their hutch to an outside run and place the carrier in the run and yet they often choose to stay in the small carrier sitting still for long periods of time rather than use the run all the time.

The 2 of them just sit there next to each other in a tight cramped space , but as I said their welfare is uppermost - don't think it would go down very well if I produced a dead rabbit at a kids party :lol:

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Postby Ted » May 17th, '10, 12:00

Kevin Cann wrote:Just accounting for travel both ways and a 2 hour party with the production at the end.


The rabbit could be in a better container during travel, surely? And presumably you're not performing for a straight two hours? Could you not house the animal somewhere discrete until your final act and load it then?

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Postby daleshrimpton » May 17th, '10, 12:02

Kevin Cann wrote:Just thinking of the bunnies we have at the moment.

We use a portable carrier to take them from their hutch to an outside run and place the carrier in the run and yet they often choose to stay in the small carrier sitting still for long periods of time rather than use the run all the time.

The 2 of them just sit there next to each other in a tight cramped space , but as I said their welfare is uppermost - don't think it would go down very well if I produced a dead rabbit at a kids party :lol:


trust me.. that possibility ran through my head every time i reached down to pick up my Brian.
He fell asleep in his hammock loads of times. :)

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Postby daleshrimpton » May 17th, '10, 12:09

incidently i never bought a bag.

instead, what i did was buy some good, heavy duty man made head squares, ( not silk) that kind of matched the colours of the silks.

and i tied several good tight knots into each corner of the square.

i then imapled the corners, just bellow the knots, onto a big cup hook, under the table. None of this headless nail rubbish you read about in books.

the reason for this is simple. If bunny decides to fidgit, ( and they do) as you position the table, the bag can not fall off.
also, because its just a fabric square, its washable.
and if bunny wants to dig his claws in whan you pick it up, he can.

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Postby bmat » May 17th, '10, 18:02

there is a difference between not being able to move around and choosing not to move around. There is no magic apparatus on the market made to hold any live production for hours or even an hour really. Have a proper carrier for the animal in question and use that for transport and load the animal into the prop at the last possible minute.

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Postby Kevin Cann » May 17th, '10, 18:41

still looking for recommendations of appropriate production items pleaase

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Postby Ted » May 17th, '10, 19:23

Kevin Cann wrote:still looking for recommendations of appropriate production items pleaase


Do you want to buy something as opposed to making one, as Dale is suggesting?

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Postby daleshrimpton » May 17th, '10, 19:24

brainwave!......the only thing i would suggest is that you have a production cage built to suit Bunny. build it along the lines of the girl to lion cage. this way bunny is just sitting in a cage the whole time. with just a bit of cloth covering him.
the thing is so easy to construct. And as a bonus, you can transport bunny in it.
I had one made, which my brother now uses to house the nieces bunny in.

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Postby Kevin Cann » May 17th, '10, 19:38

daleshrimpton wrote:build it along the lines of the girl to lion cage. .


I am not familiar with this Dale ?

If there are any ready made items on the market it would also be good to know (there must be some about !)

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Postby daleshrimpton » May 17th, '10, 19:54

very few, and only suitable for the smallest bunny, for the shortest time.

the cage is just a cage which you cover with a cloth, a flap inside the cage is made to look like the back of the cage. bunny hides behind this.
fully cover the cage, drop the flap, then remove the cloth. there's bunny.

very easy and cost effective to make.

the bars are dowels, the top and bottom are two bits of ply,drilled to take the dowels. the flap, is another bit of ply, covered in cloth that matches the cover, with Half dowels stuck on to simulate the rear of the cage.

buy the bunny book from magic books by post.

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