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Do you correct/give unsolicited advice to other rabbit owners?

Nicola1

Wise Old Thumper
I was in Wilkinson's today, and the guy behind me on the checkout was buying two bags of Wilko's own brand rabbit mix. I opened my mouth to say something about pellets then realised he'd probably think I was really rude and we'd end up holding up the queue. Do you say something when you see somebody doing something you know is 'bad'?
 
In that situation I think would if I thought it would benefit them in some way. I don't think rabbit mix in itself is a problem, some experienced bun-owners on here use it.
 
In that situation I think would if I thought it would benefit them in some way. I don't think rabbit mix in itself is a problem, some experienced bun-owners on here use it.

It was more the fact it was Wilko's own brand. I know what you mean though it's not a massive problem.
 
top tip wilko dose not have an own brand they pay food manufacturers to put the name on it that food could be from wagg or anyother

as for advice go with your gut look at the person if they look approachable then you could say what kind of rabbit do you have

but TBO most people dont care as long as its cheap
 
There was a guy in a garden centre near here with this tiny piece of vetbed and a couple of other things, not expensive things and his total was £40. :shock: If he hadn't been at the tills I would've said to him 'hey, you know you can get that a lot cheaper on Ebay'.

I'd love to give my friend some rabbit advice but she has had rabbits longer than me and is one of those people who can be set in her ways so it's a bit tough.
 
Oh I had this problem. A lady in front of me in Tesco bought the own brand rabbit pellets which I'd literally just checked out the nutritional content of a few mintues earlier. It's a hideous mix. Less fibre in it than protein. It's the worst one I'd ever seen. I saw the woman and her three kids and decided against saying anything, she definitely looked stressed out and probably would have hit me.

But this has stuck with me for weeks now. I just keep telling myself that the bun probably only gets a tiny amount of pellets anyways and is rolling in hay and veggies all day....

Hmph.
 
Really depends on if I am in a brave mood, I have days when I wouldn't say boo to a goose and others where I feel very confident. Having said that if I felt that an animal was going to suffer if I kept:) my mouth shut, I would get the courage from somewhere and speak up.
 
I give advice.... sometimes. It depends on the situation!!

For example, when working as a steward at a cricket even, I gave the medics ALL the advice I could think of, as they had just aquired two dutchie babies (as indoor buns :love:) and were receptive to advice, as they hadnt kept buns for years.

Ive also shown no shame when in Tescos and picking up a packed of the 'rabbit and guinea pig mix' to totally slate it and say loudly to my boyfriend how pelleted food is much better.

Sooooooo many times I have been asked questions if I have gone into P@H (I like ti go in to look at toys etc but then buy on ebay cheaper.....) because people think I work there...... :shock: I dont mind answering their questions. I was once asked if the buns were returnable...... :shock: Often I will stand and look at the babies and make sure everything is ok for them, especially if parents/kids or other people are standing looking at them.... if they start saying.. "I wonder......" then I will happily talk to them. Once I was standing at the bun enclosure as someone was choosing a bun (with the P@H employee inside) and they were asking the P@H person questions, as soon as the P@H said "I am unsure" I cut in, probably quite rude but hey, I dont care!!

So, it depends, I am happy to answer questions but am always nervous to approach people.... I dont want to appear as a busy body ;)
 
it's a tricky situation but I know I would appreciate the advice but like ya say not everyone is approachable
 
Yes, I do :oops:

When I used to shop in pets at home, I could regulary be caught accosting people at the tills/near the rabbit enclosure/generally talking loudly about rabbit welfare and rescue rabbits :oops:
 
I do lots of the talking loudly: 'RSPCA only approve hutches that are.... so they wouldn't approve this one', 'pellets are so much better and you only need to feed a few so these'll last ages...' :lol:
 
I did it only last week in P@H :)
And a few days ago when a woman in our local grocers was buying out of date lettuce for her bun :roll: xxx
 
I get tempted, but I'm not a perfect bunny mummy :oops::oops: so either keep my mouth shut or choose my words very carefully. :?
 
colleague told me on friday that her neice has a rabbit and guinea pig living together. i told her the risks but said she should just inform the family about rabbit and piggie forums so they could find out for themselves.
 
I tend to talk loudly about hutch and cage sizes etc, but I would never approach someone and say 'you're buying something bad'. I think that's really crossing a line.
 
Yes I do,I care passionately about bunnies and when Im in the vets with one of mine and people say they wish theirs were as friendly,I then get onto the subject of how they are kept and what sociable animals they are and try to put people on the right track
 
It depends on the situation.

To be honest a lot of aspects of animal care are, to one degree or another, a matter of opinion, and without knowing all the details of someone's situation and why they act as they do I certainly wouldn't presume to tell them my way is better.

I feed my rabbits Excel pellets because they do well on it so I see no reason to change. If some randomite came up to me in a shop and told me I should be feeding Science Selective cos it has more fibre I'd be incredibly peed off! Ditto if someone told me my enclosure wasn't big enough - it's 8x3 but someone who gives their rabbits more space would think mine was totally inadequate.

I have a few acquaintances who keep their rabbits in a way I deem not 100% acceptable, I chat to them about their rabbits and offer suggestions and lend them copies of Rabbitting On so they can become more informed without feeling I'm accusing them of cruelty. I was a novice owner once and did lots of things wrong but I would have been hurt if strangers had started bossing me about in shops.
 
Yes, and you could have a situation where your bunny gets on well with a mix and can't tolerate pellets. If someone were to approach me in a shop to tell me that I was buying the wrong thing for my rabbit (and therefore implying I wasn't a good rabbit owner) I'd be so insulted.
 
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