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Poor bunnies - don't know what to do anymore. Where do I stand? UPDATE

catherine09

Mama Doe
Basically, to cut a long story short, my mum has two rabbits. She bought their hutch and run without me knowing at a trade fair about 2 years ago. It's a load of ****. I was so angry when she bought it as she hadn't listened to anything I said. It's a hutch over run type, hutch is 4ft long by 18 inches deep by 12 inches tall and the run is 4ft wide by 3 ft deep by 18 inches tall. No room for periscoping. The 'bedroom' part of the hutch is less than 1ft square.


The first winter they were in it, she didn't do any sort of weatherproofing at all apart from put a rain cover on the run (over the top, not down the sides). The mesh of the entire run was all open to the elements, and the mesh part of the hutch too. Bunnies would try to huddle together in the bedroom part but couldn't both fit. When I came home from uni in late December I went out there and sobbed. The bunnies were huddled together in the run, in a fierce cold wind. There was 6 inches of snow on the top of the hutch AND on the top of the cover, indicating she hadn't opened them for days. No hay, no food, but water. Toilet tray not cleaned out for at least a week. I sorted them all out, stuffed the bedroom with hay and fashioned a makeshift cover out of an old carpet and tarpaulin, gave them food and plenty of hay to eat. I worried about them all holiday but at least I knew they were protected from the wind and had me caring for them (I would come over every day especially as I don't always live with her). Last easter I bought an 8ft by 2ft run (it was all I could fit in the awful space they are in) and layed all the paving slabs etc with no help from anyone. I also bought perspex sheets and wood and enclosed in the bottom level, and the top too so at least this winter they were protected from the elements.

Pics after I've done all the adjustments to it (but you can imagine what it would be like with no wood/perspex:
photo-3.jpg


Run:
photo-4.jpg


Ever since then, I have been urging her to re-home them. It almost always turns into an argument as she just says they are fine and won't listen to me when I say they always need hay etc. There have been countless times where I have gone out to them and there has been no hay, no food, no water, disgusting litter tray. I managed to get her to agree to re-home them last summer, but only to a particular woman, who then because mum was dragging her feet so much the lady eventually got some buns from the RSPCA. Mum then said to me she doesn't want to re-home them to a stranger, but 'your dad can have them if he wants them'. Right.

So since last October I have been selling everything I can and saving money in order to buy a large hutch for them so that they can live with dad temporarily until I get my own place and can give them a permanent home, it got delivered last week and I have been painting it and laying vinyl flooring etc getting it all ready for them to move in. When I broached the subject with her last week she actually said that they would be better off here as they have a run?!?!? :censored: How can the home they are in now, be better than an 8ft x 3ft double hutch with a free ranging half an hour or so a day?! They can't persicope of binky in the run they have, and can't even really run in it either :( And the whole fact that she doesn't care for them.

The other day I went out and they had no hay, no food and the litter trays were disgusting. I got one of them out to check her over and she is matted and dirty underneath, alarm bells! I didn't get the other out as they were getting so stressed out by human contact, thumping really hard everytime I tried to pick them up that I left the other one and assumed he was the same. I sent her a long message telling her this, and urging her to consider rehoming them as it's in their best interests and that I had a wonderful home lined up for them with dad in this new hutch and they would get more used to humans (they are terrified at the moment) and get vaccinated (again at my own cost) and love. I'm just so fed up as I've basically spent so much money getting a home ready for them and it's made me so poor and I can't afford to even buy myself a new pair of leggins as the ones I have got holes in them yet she is saying the home I am offering is worse :(

Anyway, after this text she was in a real grump with me, so I thought I won't even mention the rabbits (this was last night) as it would just escalate and I didn't want it to. This morning (bearing in mind it's really hot) I went out after she had gone to work and the rabbits had no hay, no WATER and no food. I really feel like I am at the end of my tether and I will just take them and deal with the consequences of the aftermath. The only thing is, she did say that if I just took them she would call the police and tell them I stole her rabbits (which I really doubt she would do...) but she will threaten to, could I also threaten her with the RSPCA (especially with the fact they had no water today). They're not neglected really badly, not like some bunnies are (though I feel that if I hadn't improved their acommodation they really could be in a worse off position) but she gives them the absolute minimal care.

Sorry for such the long post, just don't know what to do and didn't even want it to get to the stage where I actually just go and take them without her permission, but I'm feeling it could get to that stage now.......I won't put up with the :censored: care she gives them and especially now at least one of them is at an increased risk of flystrike.......
 
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Why don't you take some photos of where they are now (make sure it has a date/time stamp on it) and take some photos of their condition again with date/time stamp so you can prove when they are taken, and then just get them out of there. As you say if she threatens you with the police you can threaten back with the RSPCA and show her you have evidence. I doubt she will do anything for fear of prosecution after that ... Not sure if the police will be interested anyway given you are family! Good luck, I hope you manage to help these guys x
 
Sounds like a case of animal cruelty, to leave them without food and water. I think you may have to call the RSPCA to come and take them (it must be hard as it's your mum, but the lives of the rabbits come before her 'feelings')
At least the RSPCA can visit to assess there living conditions. If anything it may encourage your mum to take better care of them or risk them being taken away.
 
I don't have any advice, but so sorry you're in such an awful position.
I know how it feels.
Well done for persevering for so long with them though.
 
Being left without water and food is missing part of their 5 freedoms the RSPCA goes by. So yes take photos with date stamp. Take the rabbits. If she threatens, point out you have all the paperwork and photos ready to present to the police and RSPCA if she does so.

Effectively saying "you want to call the police? go on then!". If she actually followed through with it, invite said coppers round to your dads for a cup of tea to meet the now fed, watered, cleaned up and more contented rabbits than they were with your mother.
 
Do you think she would really call the police?

If not, take the rabbits. If you do think she would, I'd call the RSPCA and let them deal with it.


It's so horrible, and I'm so glad you are doing something about it. My mum told me recently that while we were growing up the neighbours rabbits eventually starved to death because the mother and daughter kept arguing about whose turn it was to feed them. :( They had a thin bedsheet over their hutch and were left like it for days at a time. I think she must regret not calling someone sooner, but didn't realise they had stopped feeding them.
 
That's awful, get them out of there asap :( she's your mum, I'm sure she won't call the police on you, and she obviously doesn't care about the buns so why would she be bothered? :? You will feel so much better if you rescue them! :D
 
If you notified the RSPCA that they are suffering and let them know you are willing to take them, would they be able to take them away legally with a view to you adopting them? That would get the buns out of this situation without you having the worry of the police. Must be awful for family relations. Don't envy you at all:(
 
If you take them without her permission then that's stealing. Is there any evidence they are hers?

I think calling the RSPCA might be a good option.

If you do take them without her permission get them microchipped ASAP so you can 'prove' they are yours.
 
I know advising this is wrong and I know you should be being advised to do the "RIGHT" thing but if you choose to just take them and deal with the consequences you will not be judge and are not in my opinion a bad person.... I would honestly just take them.... As I am having to wash my yukis bottom everyday due to her health issues causing her to have a mucky bottom and the combination of that and the weather is deadly... so with them being left in that state I would be fearing for them....

like sky-o said it will be stealing if you do it so you have to bare that in mind and be ready for the consequences if you do.

what may be an idea is to take a photo of the state their are in and their bottoms, give their bottoms a wash with some proper anti bac vets shampoo and then spray them. do a clean up take another photo then when it gets a mess again take another then show that in a report to the rspca
 
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Hi all, thanks for your replies!

I think I'm going to try as best I can to do this amicably, I really don't want it to get to the stage where I fall out permanently with my mum as that would be quite sad. I think I'll have a chat to her, the ony problem is she either closes down and tries we best to change the subject, or starts shouting saying I'm criticising her, so not easy to talk to her about it at all.

I'll update this once I've had the courage to broach the subject with her....:roll:
 
I didn't read in depth the whole way through as I'm quite tired, but I think your mom said they'd be better off with her as you had no run. Since you bought that extra run, could you take that and add it to your big hutch? Then it'd please her and buns could still have free range time but also the run? Just seems like shje's finding reasons to put up a fight, and if you can easily remove that reason you can just say 'well I'll take the run then they ahve everything they need' she can't really put up much of a moral fight against that can she? Sorry if it;s already been suggested :wave:
 
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My first thoughts are 'Get 'em off her, and fast'. This is long term ongoing animal neglect and cruelty and it HAS to stop. If your mum threatens to phone the Police, say ''You do what you feel is the correct thing to do, because I am going to do what I genuinely know is the correct thing to do''. It might be worth pointing out that when, not if the whole sorry affair hits the local press that you will be the hero who was willing to face prosecution to rescue two very maltreated, helpless little animals, and she will be the one named as the neglecter of said animals. I think the chances of her getting the Police involved would be around 1000 to 1. Im afraid I also feel that the ''you are always criticising me'', the subject changes, the silences, are simply avoidance techniques. Your mum knows she is in the wrong and dosent want to admit it. Avoidance. (Or maybe a bit of emotional blackmail? two can play that roll ;) see option number 3 ;) )

Another avenue is what others have suggested. RSPCA. Get your evidence. Then, as already said, offer your mum the chance again to let you have them, quietly and without the need to involve the authorities, or face the consequences of having them legally removed.

Finally, try the 'appealing to her better nature' approach. Tell her how much you love them, how much you miss them, plead ''Please Mum, let me have the rabbits, I just miss them so much it's breaking my heart'' CRY. Im only adding this idea because I know, its your Mum, and a horrible situation. But to me, the situation those helpless defenceless rabbits are currently in outweighs that by immeasurable concern. You and your mum are both big enough and daft enough (a saying of my dad's, sorry :) ) to sort yourselves out after. All the bunnies can do is helplessly await their fate.
 
Have you called the RSPCA to ask for their advice? Maybe if you have access to go in and care for the rabbits when you're mum is at work you can arrange for an inspector to call and they could then see the conditions and produce some kind of report or offer help to your mum to make improvements..?
 
I'm glad to report that as of yesterday, the bunnies are with me :D (photos over in photo section!)

I broached the subject with her, we had a MASSIVE argument (lots of shouting - mainly by me this time) but a few days later after we had sort of made up she bought me 4 lindor bunnies and told me that I now had one chocolate bunny for every real bunny I owned, and said that she had talked with her OH and decided that I could have them as she doesn't really have the time for them.

So so glad it could be sorted out peacefully, I really thank all of you for your comments about where I stood re RSPCA/Police but I am SO SO relieved it didn't have to come to that as I would have hated my mum and I to fall out - it would have really upset me....:cry:
 
I've managed to go from 1 bunny to 4 in a matter of two weeks :shock: :lol:

I'm also very pleased to report that neither pair of buns seem at all bothered about the other pair, they will be free ranging in separate parts of the garden at different times as a precaution but they all seem fine :D
 
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