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Bunnies in Shelters

XMissySJx

XMissySJx

Wise Old Thumper
Hi everyone, its probably a really silly question, but i keep seeing things about pets being destroyed in shelters, because people are buying them from pet stores.

Do any shelters actually do this?!?! or are they talking about them passing away in shelters etc...sorry if i sound dumb
 
When a rescue gets so many in that they cant look after them they dont have much choice :cry: I know someone who used to volunteer at the local rescue and he went home in tears one day after they rescued about 20 rabbits in one day after someone brought two rabbits from the pet shop and just let them breed :? Because they were already full with rabbits they were pts :cry: I actually only met this guy a few weeks ago and he said thats the reason he stopped helping out up there, and thats the one thing thats putting me off now. I am going to go and offer when I get back from holiday though, hopefully they will let me help cleaning and stuff at the weekend
 
Sadly unfortunately yes this is true:(
Some shelters put rabbits to sleep if they have long term health problems or behavourial issues:cry: :cry:

su.x
 
None of the rescues I'm aware of will put a healthy rabbit to sleep if s(he) isn't rehomed for whatever reason, but I'm sure there must be 1000's of rabbits out there that do die in rescue, having never found their permanent home. That isn't to say that they are unloved though, as every person I know who runs a rescue loves all of their rabbits, but it's still a very sad situation :cry:

The situation may be different elsewhere.. :cry:
 
i just keep seeing thsi written everywhere. but i dont know of any rescues that PTS unless they are ill/conditions etc. It just made me feel so sad.
 
thats what i was thinking. Its sad when you think about a bun waiting in a shelter but its even sadder if a healthy bunny doesnt get a chance :(
 
XMissySJx said:
thats what i was thinking. Its sad when you think about a bun waiting in a shelter but its even sadder if a healthy bunny doesnt get a chance :(
Click to expand...

Unfortunately some shelters do not have a choice but to put animals to sleep. If they are dumped on them and they don't have the room and have tried other possibilities like nearby rescues, what else are they supposed to do?
 
A pet shop wouldnt take one anyway. They only want young rabbits to sell,. theyw ouldnt b interested in a four year old for example. its just so sad, it makes me want to run a rescue, but i in no way have enough money :(
maybe one day
 
Hi Missy,

It was always my belief that some rescues put older or unwell animals to sleep if younger ones cam in and there was not enough room. I highly doubt that this is true of all of them, especially those that specialize in a particular animal. I hope it doesn't happen much :cry: That's one reason why fosterers are so important. I'd like to take the opportunity to say what a great job all the fosterer on here do, I would love to do that one day, it must be extremely time consuming and stressful but I imagine very rewarding, so well done all of you! :wave: :D
 
id love to be b fosterer. I do run a bunny boarding in essex, so if ther was any desperate i could take them, cus i already have hutches :)
 
A lot of UK rescues are 'no kill' which means they won't put a healthy animal to sleep. That does mean they can have upwards of a hundred rabbits on their waiting list needing to come in.

For example I did a survey in 2004 and at the time the rescues filled in the survey their were 2351 rabbits in rescues looking for homes but there were a further 1326 on waiting lists needing to come in. So for every two in rescue there was another needing help and not getting it.

The euthanasia issue is much worse in the US. It's common for staff to have to go around and pick which of the rabbits will be euthanised to make room for new ones. They euthanise anything hard to home because they can't have it waiting x months for a home when they could rehome three in that time that would otherwise have to be euthanised.

It does happen in the UK but I think it's more a case of any health problems that could be solved but would be intensive to do so, the rabbit would be pts because they just don't have the space, staff and cash.
 
My local P@H works with a rescue so it really is unfair to say that all pet shops will turn their noses up at a rabbit in need.

To answer the origional question though, yes some rescues will put a healthy rabbit down after so long if it has not been rehomed and they need the space. But only if there aren't really old/ill rabbits. They go first. But as Tasmin said, most rescues opperate a no kill policy these days.
 
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