I do wonder sometimes about the mentality of some poeple.
I know I am going to get my head well & truely bitten off by some people after this but here goes.
There is so much good advice & so much bad advice on these forums that you never know who or what to believe.
There are breeders, rescue people, petshop staff, etc... which is really good as it gives a wide range of help & advice.
My problem is that there is so much of it, how are you supposed to tell the good from the bad..
Take me..
I've had really bad experiences with smaller petshops than the larger warehouse types....
I have had some not so good advice from them but worse from the little stores.
How come?
From different people I have spoken to over the years I have noticed that the smaller stores tend to not keep upto date with animal needs & welfare apart from what companies may send them in order to sell a product "this is good because...." these stores often cannot afford to send staff on proper training courses, so they are not neccesarily the best.
Breeders.... yes they do tend to be the most knowlegable about their particular breed of animals (Rabbits for instance) but there to can lie problems, they will often sell animals that have a disablility, or not show standard or the runt of the litter etc (I am not for one moment suggesting anyone here does any of these things) one thing they also do is put down any stock they can't show, sell or even give away. (I know this has happened with one particular Rabbit breeder & it happens not just with Rabbits but with all types of animals Cats Dogs Hamsters Rats etc etc etc) & not just that, often breeders are searching for the "perfect specimin" that the welfare of the animal becomes compromised, look at what has happened to some breeds of dog that are now "Kennel Club Standard" & are an unhealthy breed (Bulldog springs to mind)
Larger companies are able to send staff on animal welfare courses, I have come across some staff who don't have the full care & welfare of the animals in store who may do other duties such as shelf filling etc...but I have always found at least 4/5 members of staff who are fully trained & do have the care & welfare in mind.
The amount of products that are on sale these days is unbelievable!
One of the areas I have notice that can cause concern is feeding pets.. No-one can say whether one food should be used above another as sometimes the food they reccomend doesn't suit someone else pet..
I haven't had a rabbit in years... things have changed a fair bit since then...
I see by the forums here that there are far too many different opinions (including my own) & that only causes confusion & in some cases conflict..
So where do we go from here when it comes to buying your ideal pet Rabbit?
It's something I will think about if I decided to buy from a petshop or breeder or rescue another....
I know I am going to get my head well & truely bitten off by some people after this but here goes.
There is so much good advice & so much bad advice on these forums that you never know who or what to believe.
There are breeders, rescue people, petshop staff, etc... which is really good as it gives a wide range of help & advice.
My problem is that there is so much of it, how are you supposed to tell the good from the bad..
Take me..
I've had really bad experiences with smaller petshops than the larger warehouse types....
I have had some not so good advice from them but worse from the little stores.
How come?
From different people I have spoken to over the years I have noticed that the smaller stores tend to not keep upto date with animal needs & welfare apart from what companies may send them in order to sell a product "this is good because...." these stores often cannot afford to send staff on proper training courses, so they are not neccesarily the best.
Breeders.... yes they do tend to be the most knowlegable about their particular breed of animals (Rabbits for instance) but there to can lie problems, they will often sell animals that have a disablility, or not show standard or the runt of the litter etc (I am not for one moment suggesting anyone here does any of these things) one thing they also do is put down any stock they can't show, sell or even give away. (I know this has happened with one particular Rabbit breeder & it happens not just with Rabbits but with all types of animals Cats Dogs Hamsters Rats etc etc etc) & not just that, often breeders are searching for the "perfect specimin" that the welfare of the animal becomes compromised, look at what has happened to some breeds of dog that are now "Kennel Club Standard" & are an unhealthy breed (Bulldog springs to mind)
Larger companies are able to send staff on animal welfare courses, I have come across some staff who don't have the full care & welfare of the animals in store who may do other duties such as shelf filling etc...but I have always found at least 4/5 members of staff who are fully trained & do have the care & welfare in mind.
The amount of products that are on sale these days is unbelievable!
One of the areas I have notice that can cause concern is feeding pets.. No-one can say whether one food should be used above another as sometimes the food they reccomend doesn't suit someone else pet..
I haven't had a rabbit in years... things have changed a fair bit since then...
I see by the forums here that there are far too many different opinions (including my own) & that only causes confusion & in some cases conflict..
So where do we go from here when it comes to buying your ideal pet Rabbit?
It's something I will think about if I decided to buy from a petshop or breeder or rescue another....