I brought a conti boy aged 15 weeks from a breeder on sunday,on monday we noticed that he was shaking his head alot and stratching his ear alot,i thought it could be mites so we took him to the vets today and the vet confirmed it was mites and alot of them at that.Now considering i only got him 3 days ago,where do i stand,obviously im not happy about it.I did check him over when we got there and couldnt see right down his ears as he hasnt been handled well and was wriggling around.I have contaced her but she just said thanks for letting me know and that she was sorry.obviously these mites where there when i brought him.
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question about breeders rabbits health and selling
- Thread starter kelly1
- Start date
abbymarysmokey
Wise Old Thumper
An unsocialized baby rabbit should ring alarm bells. A decent breeder will only breed a small number of babies, who they will spend lots of time with so that they make good pets.
I suspect that this problem (and probably many others) are rife amongst this breeders stock, but they are either too inexperienced to notice it or are unwilling to spend money on fixing it.
Legally speaking, I'm afraid I don't don't where you stand seeing as this breeder probably isn't a retailer licensed by the council
I suspect that this problem (and probably many others) are rife amongst this breeders stock, but they are either too inexperienced to notice it or are unwilling to spend money on fixing it.
Legally speaking, I'm afraid I don't don't where you stand seeing as this breeder probably isn't a retailer licensed by the council
Did you sign a contract/agreement that gave any sort of warranties about health?
Rabbits are generally treated as goods so you'd have the same rights you'd get buying a TV. So you could probably return him for a refund - which I'm guessing you wouldn't want to do.
You could try forwarding her a copy of the invoice and ask for payment. If she refuses you'd need to go through small claims to get the money.
Rabbits are generally treated as goods so you'd have the same rights you'd get buying a TV. So you could probably return him for a refund - which I'm guessing you wouldn't want to do.
You could try forwarding her a copy of the invoice and ask for payment. If she refuses you'd need to go through small claims to get the money.
Becky86
Wise Old Thumper
You probably dont have a leg to stand on :? Thats the risk you run i guess when you buy a rabbit. I'd of been concerned when i went round about him not being handled well :?
Thats the thing about a rescue bun, you always have the rescues back up. Im sure ear mites wont be too expensive to treat anyway, and at least she knows now so she may think about treating the others
Thats the thing about a rescue bun, you always have the rescues back up. Im sure ear mites wont be too expensive to treat anyway, and at least she knows now so she may think about treating the others
ok who did you get the rabbit from ?
were they brc members ?
contis are a ****** for getting ear mites i treat mine every 6 mths with ivomec as vet treatment never works and ivomec is cheaper and both prevents and treats and gets rid of worms too
if it was me you got it from i would treat the rabbit although mine leave with the prevention there and offer to treat every 6 mths like i do with every rabbit that leaves here
if it was a brc member i would report it to the brc and see what happens
i advise do not get hay from a farm they only come back !!!!
good luck
ann x
BB Mommy
Warren Veteran
I think you need to be quite assertive here with the breeder, tell her how much you've had to pay at the vets, and that if she was a competent breeder then the rabbit would never have left her in that condition.
A basic health check before the rabbit left her would have identified the problem.
As usual the £'s mean more than the animals to some people, and I agree that with a rescue you tend to get a back up.
We would certainly never send an ill animal home.
How did you pay her? If it's by cheque you could cancel the cheque?
I personally would take her to the small claims court just because of the principle here - it's cheap and easy to do, and as I see it you have a good case. If she refuses a refund on the telephone then you need to send her a letter by recorded delivery stating that you intend to take her to small claims, you then have to gove her 21 days (I think) to respond, then you can issue a summons.
Amazing how quickly people pay up once you get wheels in motion.
A basic health check before the rabbit left her would have identified the problem.
As usual the £'s mean more than the animals to some people, and I agree that with a rescue you tend to get a back up.
We would certainly never send an ill animal home.
How did you pay her? If it's by cheque you could cancel the cheque?
I personally would take her to the small claims court just because of the principle here - it's cheap and easy to do, and as I see it you have a good case. If she refuses a refund on the telephone then you need to send her a letter by recorded delivery stating that you intend to take her to small claims, you then have to gove her 21 days (I think) to respond, then you can issue a summons.
Amazing how quickly people pay up once you get wheels in motion.
antigone
Wise Old Thumper
Please don't give him back to the breeder who didn't bother treating him. As the others said, report the breeder to the BRC and take her to the small claims court. Make her pay for the bunny's treatment. The bunny is better off with you. At least you were responsible enough to take him to the vets. I hope he gets well soon xx
As the others said, report the breeder to the BRC and take her to the small claims court. Make her pay for the bunny's treatment. The bunny is better off with you. At least you were responsible enough to take him to the vets. I hope he gets well soon xxPlease don't give him back to the breeder who didn't bother treating him.
im sorry thats a unfair thing to say breeders do treat their rabbits when they are ill thats why our vet bills are so high !!!!!
small claims is a total waste of time it will cost you a fortune and you have no proof as for treatment it will cost less than £10 to treat ear ,mites unless you have a money grabbing vets i can treat over 30 for less than £10 for a year !!
yes report them to the brc especially if ther recommened them i would love to know who you bought the rabbit and its one of those things yes there are good breeders out there that will help you but you do learm from mistakes id love to know who you got it from as i will probably know them i my self have been in same situation hope it wasnt same breeder but i spent £100 on a rabbit once and it was dead in 48 hours its one of those things i contacted the breeder with proof it was his fault and i didnt have a leg to stand on these things happen im afraid we live and learn and thats why we have recommemded breeders if i knew you were looking for one i would have sent you in the right direction
ann x
giantbunnymummy
Warren Veteran
:shock:
I'm shocked that you speak of the rabbit purely in terms of how much he cost you - while criticising another post as you thought it implied breeders were more concerned about money than welfare.
To anyone else reading this, I think the right direction when looking for a new rabbit is a rescue and not a breeder.
yes thats whati mean from you learn from mistakes it was only after i bought from this certain breeder i learnt his reputation i now know who to go to for any breed of rabbit i require
yes the rabbit was dead in 48 hours and yes it happens but most breeders i know will replace or treat if ill but this person wouldnt
ye its ok you saying go to rescue but not all the breeds you require are in rescues especially giants and rare breeds
i have spet big money on rabbits in the past but it doesnt make them any more special than any other rabbit its just that they are from certain breeders and good show lines but i still have my cross breeds too sorry if i made the wrong impression by saying waht i said i was just pointing out these things happen and its not always worth fighting through court you just learn from it and warm other people about the breeder
ann x
giantbunnymummy
Warren Veteran
I think people should be happy to take on a rescue rabbit whatever breed and I don't really understand why people 'require' certain breeds. Have preferences yes, that's only natural, and needs based on temperament / size to go with existing bunnies, but not requirements that exclude all available rescue buns.
I have a conti bonded very happily to a small/medium cross breed rescue bun
(and yes, my conti is from a breeder, before I knew any better, but any future rabbits will certainly be from a rescue).I think people should be happy to take on a rescue rabbit whatever breed and I don't really understand why people 'require' certain breeds. Have preferences yes, that's only natural, and needs based on temperament / size to go with existing bunnies, but not requirements that exclude all available rescue buns.
I have a conti bonded very happily to a small/medium cross breed rescue bun
that is all very well but like me some people like to know the history of the rabbit they such as genetic problems contis can have heart problems lops teeth problems nethies several problem going lol with a good breeder you get to know the history and breeding lines that and a good breeder will not breed from animals with genetic problems especially lops with teeth problems i read on here all the time of people who have got rescues and pet shops that are costing a fortune because they have teeth problems you wouldnt get that when you get a rabbit from a good reconmemded breeder
get personally i would never bond a conti with anything but a conti as they are so big and one kick can kill a smaller bunny regardless how well they get on it could happen even when playing
at the end of the day it depends what you want from your rabbits if they are just pets and you have the resourses to deal with any genetic problem that may come along yes go for a rescue thats a great idea but if you are wanting a pet / show bunny or want to know the breeding history of your rabbit to make sure the chance of problems to the minimum go to a good breeder its a personal choice at the end of the day, and if you are wanting a rare breed you may not find one in a rescue :?
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