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City Farm - Advice needed

Suzanne

Mama Doe
About 2 months ago I visited a local city farm (used to go there as a small child). It's quite a nice place, they have goats, sheep, couple of cows, donkey, chickens etc... All very well kept and happy. They had a big group of buns outside on the grass and they looked well. Then i went inside the barn - the buns in there we not so well kept. They had a few lioheads and other long haired buns that were a bit matted but they had food and water. I held a bun who looked like my little Dandelion - he was so cute but very small. From their behaviour it seems like none are neutured.

Anyway i went back today and all the buns were inside but there were a lot less. The one that looked like my little Dandelion seemed very quiet so I asked to hold him and he was so thin. He tried to bite my jacket (old one) - he was pulling hard but never broke though the material so this suggests to me that he has teeth problems. I checked is bum and it was a bit yucky - not alot. I tried to look at the others but couldn't see anything as they had such long coats. He was so thin and it reminded me of when I first held Willow, my dental neglect bun. His plums:oops: were so shrivelled and Willow was like that due to malnurition. I asked a boy who 'worked' there why there were less rabbits than when i came before and he told me some had died.

This city farm is quite particular as it's used to educate children/young adults with learn disabilities so maybe the rabbits don't get the care they need. The larger animals and chickens looked really well and I have not doubt that they are well cared for.

I asked itf I could volunteer there and left my details. Not too sure what to do now. I don't think reporting them to the RSPCA or council will help in this case.

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Why won't reporting them help? Someone has to be able to check the rabbits health and advise and the rspca would be able to do that.
 
Why won't reporting them help? Someone has to be able to check the rabbits health and advise and the rspca would be able to do that.

The RSPCA will just pts any rabbit not considered rehomable and when I got Dandelion from the Nottingham RSCPA he had serious dental problems and they never noticed and when i went back in to complain they weren't even interested. So my faith in them is lacking. I also tried to report the petshop that Willow was at and they weren't intersted.
 
I know a lot of people dont have much faith in the RSPCA, but they are the only 'organisation' who are able to go in and investigate situations like this.

Sometimes the sight of an RSPCA inspector, is enough to make people take stock of how they are treating/caring for their animals.
 
They have plenty of food - the pelleted kind. They have straw though not hay. Most of the buns had good sized poos. The main issue was little guy and the fact that the long haired buns seemed quite scruffy. I don't think any are neutured so one white bun had pee on his fur.
 
I think you've done the right thing volunteering - if you have time to do it that's the best way to educate them if the RSPCA aren't particularly bothered about bunnies in that area. Maybe follow up with a phone call and ask to speak to the manager about when you can go? :)
 
The rspca won't go straight in and take the rabbits. They'll give the farm a warning and list of things they have to do to improve. The farm then has the choice to make the changes. They might not and the rspca might then go in and remove animals and they may put some to sleep but personally I think a bun getting pts is better than it slowly starving with a painful ulcerated mouth.

It's more likely the farm will make the changes because they don't want the bad press or an rspca removal/prosecution.

Tam
 
I'd report them, at least that way you tried. In the meantime I'd take some hay over. Is there any way you could ask to adopt the little one(I know this isn't always an option)?
 
grrr if its the one i think it is then this unfortunatly doesn't surprise me.

THey have plenty of hay there as I know people who buy theirs from them.
I think if you're brave enough (I'm not) I'd call the manager and tell them you don't beleive the rabbits re kept well. If I can be of any help let me know.
 
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