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When taking a rescue bunny...

Smithyrock

Warren Scout
Is it better to get one from a rescue centre than a pet shop? I was buying some litter today from P@H who interestingly only had adoptions as they were running a promotion to give a bunny in need a home. I was sorely tempted by a male lop (1 year 8 months) who was homed with others but the owner bought 'too many':censored:Not sure what that even meant! The guy said he was happy living with other bunnies/ children. I had some reservations mainly linked to questions below:

Is it better to re-home from a rescue centre than a pet shop?

Is it better to put a neutered/ spayed male female mix together rather than two males?

Cheers for opinions,:wave:

Rach
 
Is it better to get one from a rescue centre than a pet shop? I was buying some litter today from P@H who interestingly only had adoptions as they were running a promotion to give a bunny in need a home. I was sorely tempted by a male lop (1 year 8 months) who was homed with others but the owner bought 'too many':censored:Not sure what that even meant! The guy said he was happy living with other bunnies/ children. I had some reservations mainly linked to questions below:

Is it better to re-home from a rescue centre than a pet shop?

Is it better to put a neutered/ spayed male female mix together rather than two males?

Cheers for opinions,:wave:

Rach

Proper rescues (In other words not P@H) usually spay, neuter, vaccinate and bond their rabbits before rehoming them, and are knowledgeable about rabbits, so it is so much better to get them from a rescue than a pet shop.
 
totally depends on where your heart takes you :D:D:D

i personally go to a rescue (and one very special to me) because they bond and find the perfect match, save me loads of greif.

good luck with the bonding when you get your bunny, where ever he/she comes from :love::love:
 
I personally find a rescue center will be better as they'll be neutered, vaccinated and vet checked. Rescues also tend to have bonded pairs.
Male and female is easiest to do :) Male/Male and Female/Female can work but it's normally not as easy :wave:
 
buns from pet shop adoption section wont have had a health check ..wont be neutered etc ...and the pet shop doesnt homecheck/give good advice etc

GOOD rescues will neuter ...always be there for support and advice ...many also vaccinate and most homecheck where the animal is going

;)
 
I personally find a rescue center will be better as they'll be neutered, vaccinated and vet checked. Rescues also tend to have bonded pairs.
Male and female is easiest to do :) Male/Male and Female/Female can work but it's normally not as easy :wave:

I agree with steph but would add that all buns need to be neutered before bonding whatever sex they are :wave:
 
The best mix has to be male/ female neutered pair. You can quite often find young rabbits that need rehoming from rescues if you're interested in adopting babies rather than adults but rescue centres always neuter and vaccinate their rabbits, as well as bonding them so are great value for money and in turn you know you are helping rescued rabbits!

Be warned also about casual breeders/ pet shops such as p@h - quite often they do not give the right sex of animals and their genetic history can be shady, let alone their credibility to home to the right person (after all they are in it for the money rather than the bunny). If they sell a hutch, in my opinion they probably aren't going to worry what becomes of the rabbit. :cry:
 
Glad I waited. He was gorgeous:love: and my heart went out to him but I did worry that he wasn't neutered as I'm already stressed at the thought of having Benjy done in a couple of months and that would be twice the worry! Think I'll be patient and get in touch with paws 4 thought and let them know what I'm after so they can keep me in mind with any that come in. It's hard to walk away when they look so nervous in that brightly lit glass tank that they're in. At least they were making an effort to promote adoption, they said the £15 you needed to pay went to a local animal shelter which is also positive. It makes adoptions cheaper than the others so possibly a more attractive option. So sad, can't imagine how you could accidently get 'too many' rabbits, surely you would really consider space/ time etc? How annoying.
 
Also, I didn't realise they both needed to be neutered if they were male, which is interesting as I did tell the sales assistant that Benjy wouldn't be for a couple of months and he didn't mention it would be a problem:( It's hard as I do like to go there for toys etc but I resent giving my money to them as the more you find out the more questionable they ( and many others) are. I think I'll try to find somewhere else to get toys/ litter etc from. Any ideas? I live in Newcastle but drive.:D Just as an aside, I've loved reading posts on here, it's been invaluable, amusing, enlightening... Thanks guys!:wave:
 
I know, its terrible isn't it? Unfortunately not everyone does their research before getting small animals because they look so cute in their cages! Impulse buy is the number one reason I think so many rabbits end up at the rescue.

Just out of curiosity - should the pet store have more of a responsibility to educate their customers before they buy any animal? Perhaps they do?
 
Do you mean from a legal point of view? Morally I feel they certainly do. The pet shop had 'rabbit workshops' advertised to find out about them but (as I didn't attend) it's hard to say if this is a sales pitch or an informative session. It is also worrying what advice they would give if they didn't point out to me that two un-neutered males shouldn't be put together. I also worry that only one person in the shop seemed to know info on that rabbit, what if he was on his lunch or it was his day off? My partner keeps marine fish and has been gutted when he initially lost a couple due to really poor advice from pet shops and now spends hours (literally!) on the internet doing research on them. Have to say, I prefer bunnies and dogs myself!;)
 
Yes they should be better informed in order to give better advice but I guess their aim is to take money.

You can keep 2 baby males together, say from the same litter, but once they reach sexual maturity they will fight and fight with the possibility of dire consequences, likewise if only one is neutered.

Your best bet if you have a male already really is to have him neutered and get him bonded with a neutered female from a rescue once he has recovered and no longer fertile (6 weeks after op). If you wanted to take on the pet shop boy you would need separate accomodation, the funds to neuter him and then you could find him a friend too:D
 
Sound advice dusty bun, that's what I'll do. Sadly it's not funds but space that would be a problem for 4 bunnies so I'll just have to be patient and fingers crossed the other bun goes to a loving home with lots of TLC. I think I'll have to avoid going back there as it would break my heart if he's still there a while away from now.

On a different note, I had another look at my 'boy' last night and at about 13 weeks there are no signs of any male bits, could that be right or is it more likely the pet shop is wrong?:roll:
 
I think the time the erm boy bits appear can vary from breed to breed and rabbit to rabbit, also mis-sexing is common and they are not necessarily easy to find! I was checking my bun daily and missed them! The vet had to put him upside down on her lap and rummage around quite a bit - I wasn't that thorough thinking they would be easily seen - felt a bit silly as I am a mum of 3! I would take him along to the vet for a look.
 
Will do, I'll wait a few weeks as he would be too young to get them done at the mo anyway. With that thought in mind... how old would I need to get a girl done? Might end up looking for a rescue boy not girl!:lol:
 
My little boy was done at 16 weeks and my little girl at about 6 months. I think most vets like the girls to be 5 or 6 months.
 
Cheers, I'll wait a couple of weeks then take him in to have sex checked. That'll give me time to find vet I'm happy with.:D Thanks again for advice.
 
Just to confirm what everyone else has said, a proper rescue is most definately the best way forward.

I speak from experience as I have just taken on a very confused, frightened and angry little girl from someone who adopted but, due to the stores total lack of care and responsibility it went disasterously wrong. Poor little girl :(

I wasn't planning on getting another rabbit, but we couldn't bare the thought of her going back there. I'm just hoping with time, patience, a spey and eventually a little friend, I can make her learn to trust and happy.
 
Yeh, glad I waited. I've contacted a rescue centre locally and let them know that I'll be after a female (or possibly male) in a few months. Bunniemum- your writing in purple could be applied to people too!:D
 
I think I'll try to find somewhere else to get toys/ litter etc from. Any ideas? I live in Newcastle but drive.:D Just as an aside, I've loved reading posts on here, it's been invaluable, amusing, enlightening... Thanks guys!:wave:

Have you tried Robinsons in the Grainger Market? Nick Robinson is fab and very knowledgeable and is normally willing to order stuff if he can. Jolleys is ok for toys too, Its just off the A1 at Westerhope (I think) they have a naff website with a location map. Riders North is good in Shiremoor for food and Megazorb, Michael who owns it is always fab for ordering stuff in and he's really getting into expanding his rabbit section now I've annoyed him with queries!!
 
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