• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Neighbours' rabbits

Oh where do I start? I've had to create a new login as not used my regular one just in case.. although I doubt it now :roll:

Well earlier in the week we noticed our neighbours' cars were not on the drive and we know they have bunnies because we gave them our larger spare hutch. We went round there on Wednesday morning and we were absolutely disgusted. I don't know when the last time they were cleaned out - weeks/months ago by the looks of it. Their water bottle was GREEN and frozen and they had no food or hay. I was SO disappointed in them - I just didn't think they would neglect their bunnies like this. They are such lovely rabbits - multicoloured dwarf lops, two boys.

Anyway, my boyfriend and me cleaned, fed and watered them - one was still drinking when we left. Poor mite was probably gagging for a drink!

Yesterday my boyfriend also went round and let them out and have a hop around their garden for an hour in the snow which they loved. I am not surprised, being in that hutch for days couldn't have been much fun.

Anyway, one of the neighbours is back and I need to go and have it out with him about the state of the rabbits but to be fair, we were trespassing on their land/property and I don't know how to go about it! We've always got on pretty well with our neighbours but the last couple of months or so they've not spoken much.. anyway, how exactly do I go around about telling them their rabbits shouldn't be kept like that? Or should I just pop a note through their door - chicken's way out! :)

I would love him to turn around and say we can have his rabbits. My boyfriend is mad and has been worried about them all week, as have I and says he would much sooner have them round here - at least they can have the run of the garden all day as it's totally bunny proof.

Oh sorry for waffling :oops::D
 
Well, depending on how confrontational you want to be - and whether very confrontational would be in the best interests of the buns anyway - you could start off by saying you'd popped round to see the rabbits were okay... in case the neighbours had been snowed in anywhere ;) and that in future, even if they're only away for even a day you and bf would be delighted to go round and feed and water them and give them a cuddle. This awful weather 'n all...

Then you can gently start on the better welfare conversations. Or even the "why don't we have them..." discussions.

Or you could get in touch with the RSPCA or whoever. But I don't know how responsive they will / can be.

In the short term, and in this abysmal weather, you just need to be sure the rabbits have warm bedding and are adequately fed and watered and a gentle approach might be the better way, no matter how furious you are. And I would be.
 
I would make up a white lie and say you had to check them as a fox was trying to get in or children were messing around in their garden and you couldn't get any answer from them when knocking. You can go from there then. Good luck whatever you decide to do/say.
 
I would agree, gentle approach would be best to begin with and if they dont respond in the way you hope then it would be wise to take matters further. I think its always best to give people the benefit of the doubt to begin with. They may have a family illness or something else going on in their lives which has taken priority, even though they still should never have let their bunnies suffer like this, something serious could have happened? Either that or they are blatantly neglecting them and in which case Id bet theyd be happy to hand them over to you. xx
 
i understand your situation i have just been through a similar one myself :( i called the rspca for advice and they said they would send an officer out but as im the only one to be able to see them over fence they'd know it was me who called rspca so they advised me if i didnt want to report it to go round and have a friendly word. i did and they were actually very receptive and improved the buns (they were only looking after them though not their buns) if i were you i would be tempted to call rspca *IF* others can see the bunnies and then your neighbours are less likely to fall out with you if it could of been anyone. or failing that i would go with Milo+fizz and say you saw a fox or something and went to scare it off and then noticed water etc then advise them and see what they say :)
 
I would also ask them if you could have them if they not bothered about keeping them anymore poor things , I filled my bunnys water up before I went to bed last night cos it had iced up at 11:30pm and it was solid again at 5:30 this morning 
 
I would make up a white lie and say you had to check them as a fox was trying to get in or children were messing around in their garden and you couldn't get any answer from them when knocking. You can go from there then. Good luck whatever you decide to do/say.

This sounds a good idea.

Best of luck. You have the bunnies best interests at heart. Well done.:thumb:

And I'm sure the bunnies absolutely loved having someone to really care for them.
 
Thanks for all your replies - I appreciate it :D - I just hate confronting people like this if you know what I mean but I just kept thinking about the bunnies and that's what made me get my hat and coat on and get over there! :D

He invited me in and was pleasant. He said apparently there were a few people supposedly keeping an eye on their rabbits and I told him "well they're not doing a very good job" and told him about the state of their water and no food. I also told him they hadn't been cleaned out for a long time by the looks of things and that my boyfriend let them out for an hour yesterday morning. He was grateful we had done all that and I said the next time they're away we are more than happy to keep an eye on them for him - even take their hutch into our garden and they can have the run of the garden. I think he got the message that I was a concerned neighbour anyway! hmm - just hope they clean them out a bit for regularly! :roll:

Thanks again for all your replies.
 
Thanks for all your replies - I appreciate it :D - I just hate confronting people like this if you know what I mean but I just kept thinking about the bunnies and that's what made me get my hat and coat on and get over there! :D

He invited me in and was pleasant. He said apparently there were a few people supposedly keeping an eye on their rabbits and I told him "well they're not doing a very good job" and told him about the state of their water and no food. I also told him they hadn't been cleaned out for a long time by the looks of things and that my boyfriend let them out for an hour yesterday morning. He was grateful we had done all that and I said the next time they're away we are more than happy to keep an eye on them for him - even take their hutch into our garden and they can have the run of the garden. I think he got the message that I was a concerned neighbour anyway! hmm - just hope they clean them out a bit for regularly! :roll:

Thanks again for all your replies.

Excellent news!!!!

Everybody is a happy bunny............including the bunnies.:thumb::thumb:
 
Back
Top