PetBunny Discussion List Charter

Written by Simeon ben Nevel

WARNING! this copy of the Charter is not the most recent copy. The most recent copy can be obtained from the email accessable archives.

What is PetBunny:

• PetBunny is an unmoderated internet mailing-list based at the University of Kentucky. It is an open forum for people interested in rabbits as *pets*, established by Bob Crovo in May of 1994. Since that time, PetBunny has grown to almost 400 subscribers in many countries (representing well over 800 bunnies) and distributes an average of 70 -> 80 messages a day. We sometimes experience spikes in volume to over twice that number.
• Anyone with a love of rabbits and access to Internet e-mail is encouraged to join. You don't have to be owned by a rabbit to be welcome.

Who is PetBunny:

• We are people with rabbit companions, breeders, rescuers, fosterers and people who run rabbit sanctuaries. We are adolescents and adults, men and women. We have scientists, veterinarians, students, computer types, secretaries, teachers, librarians and homemakers sharing the PetBunny list.
• There are single-bun families and people with thundering herds of lagomorphs on the loose. There are bunnies that range freely all the time and others that are only out while under supervision.
• In short, we are a bunch of people with a rabbit habit.
• As with any diverse group, PetBunny members disagree on many issues. But as a group we would probably agree with the following:
  1. We agree that the subject of rabbits as meat or the killing of rabbits for fur and other products is *not* an appropriate topic for discussion on PetBunny.
     Discussion on either side of this issue offends many PetBunny members and *always* leads to unproductive flaming.
  2. We believe that rabbits are sentient, intelligent, inquisitive, and sensitive beings that have rich emotional, social and mental lives.
  3. We believe that *all* companion rabbits should be in loving homes with as much freedom as the rabbit's behavior and the owner's tolerance for disorder and destruction will allow.
  4. We believe we should improve the quality of our lives; the lives of our fellow bunny "slaves"; and most importantly the lot of rabbitkind by spending time each day learning and sharing accurate information about the medical, dietary and social needs of our chosen companions.
     Some of us have chosen to work (as time, ability and inclination allows) towards educating those who have not yet learned the joys of rabbit companionship; trying to keep unwanted/unloved rabbits from being brought into the world; and helping those bunnies without a loving home to find one.
  5. Rabbits are WAY cool to have as friends!

How PetBunny works:

• You send a message to petbunny@lsv.uky.edu. The listserver forwards that message to all subscribers. But that's just the mechanics of it.
• There are no moderators on PetBunny. No PetBunny clique, cabal or central committee. No one on the list (except the list's owners) can make or enforce rules. If you send it to the petbunny address, we *all* get it.
• PetBunny is a community. We have shared our trials and our triumphs. We have survived flame wars and trollers looking to stir up trouble. We have waited anxiously together as somebunny was getting "fixed." The first "binky" or bunny kiss are joyously reported to the world at large.
• While most of us will never meet in the flesh, *many* of us feel that PetBunny members are part of our extended families. From repeated postings, many PetBunniers and their rabbits have become vivid personalities to us.
• On the whole, PetBunny works because we make it work. Most people just lurk, but some people post prodigiously, sharing their experiences with anyone who needs them.
• Over time, we have evolved an implicit understanding of what PetBunny is and how we can all contribute to its further growth while preventing the flame-throwing that can make other on-line forums such a dismal place to be.
• Please realize that the guide-lines that follow in the next two sections are *not* intended to stifle vigorous discussion. There is still much to learn about keeping rabbits in the home and there are many topics that are subjects of legitimate disagreement. We need to examine *all* sides of any issue so that we can each determine what is best for our bunnies and ourselves.
• Note: Please obtain a copy of the Mailing List Etiquette Guide-lines by sending a message with the subject "send list_etiquette" (w/o the quotes) to Simeon. The suggestions contained therein will help make PetBunny a more pleasant, useful list for all of us.

What we talk about:

• Mainly, we talk about bunnies. Also known as 'bits, fur-babies, bunsters, and life support systems for teeth that shred.
• *Everybody* is encouraged to contribute to the ongoing conversation. There are *no* stupid questions. Keeping rabbits as household companions is a relatively recent phenomenon and we *all* started in a state of profound ignorance. We're here to spread the word and share our hard-won knowledge.
• We ask and answer questions about rabbit behavior, nutrition, and disease. Magical PetBunny Healing Rays (tm) and vicarious nose-rubs are beamed to bunnies in need. We arrange interstate transport for bunnies needing a new home and local meetings of PetBunny members.
• There have been song spoofs; limerick and poetry collections; and the (In)Famous Operation Carrot whereby the rabbits very nearly took over the world (*some* people think they succeeded). The rabbits sometimes take over the keyboards and send mail to each other.
• We also obsess about rabbit poops. Really! You wouldn't *believe* how many messages are devoted to the size, quantity and quality of bunny feces!
• We don't always talk about rabbits. This is not a "crime" (just let us know by putting "Off-Topic" or OT in the subject line) and many interesting conversations have resulted. We've celebrated birthdays, engagements, marriages and births. We've mourned illness and death in our human and non-human families. We gripe about the weather and occasionally cheer for our home teams. There was one long, tasteless thread discussing the finer points of "Highway Haggis" (believe me, you REALLY don't want to know!!)

What we *don't* talk about:

• We DO NOT discuss rabbits as a "product." We do not EVER talk about rabbit meat or rabbit pelts. While we know that rabbits are used in these ways around the world, many of us find discussion on *either* side of this issue offensive and it *always* leads to an ugly and hurtful flamewar.
• We will object to any discussion that reduces rabbits to "objects" rather than the warm and sensitive creatures they truly are.
• We generally don't discuss such issues as moral and ethical dimensions of vegetarianism or animal rights/animal welfare. These are matters of deeply held personal belief, and there are other places on the 'Net that deal with these topics in depth. PetBunny is not the right forum.
• We *do*, however, sometimes exchange vegetarian recipes or cookbook recommendations and have acted as a group to protest mistreatment of rabbits (and other animals) or worked to find refuge for rabbits rescued from abusive situations.
• Another subject that provokes heavy debate is breeding. We have responsible breeders who are welcome members of PetBunny. They have taught us much about rabbit genetics, adoption guidelines, rabbits in general and have helped many people who unknowingly adopted/rescued pregnant rabbits.
• Breeders who do not regard their rabbits as wonderful individuals, who do not provide good and loving care for ALL their rabbits and do not try to find good homes for ALL the rabbits that they do not keep, will find themselves unwelcome on PetBunny.
• In general, PetBunny is not receptive to discussions about breeding programs. If one of your buns wins an award, we'd love to hear about it (there are several "Best of Show" bunnies among us) and a little about the bunny's personality as well. However, if you're developing a new variety of rabbit or practice culling for whatever reason, again, this group is not the place to discuss it.
• Above all, remember that this group is about PET bunnies, whether indoors or out, and that for most subscribers, their bunny is a member of their family!

We hope these guidelines help you with your experiences on PetBunny. Welcome to the group and we look forward to hearing from you (*and* your bunnies).

PetBunny Resources:

WebPages:

• Beth Mammini maintains a Web Page with pointers to the home pages of PetBunny members at: http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~meanie/petbunny.html
• The House Rabbit Society Home Page can be found at: http://www.rabbit.org
• Carrotcafe.com -- my diet related site: http://carrotcafe.comE-Mail Auto-Responder Archive:

  Email accessible archives of companion rabbit information from notes posted to any number of rabbit lists are available from Simeon Nevel.

  To obtain the index for Simeon's (snevel@wco.com) archive, send the command "send index" (w/o the quotes) in the *subject* of a message to the address listed. The body of the message is ignored.

  Web Accessible Archives

  A searchable PB arcive is availiable from Yahoogroups