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Just been to have a look at the new P@H in my town....

Ailstar

Mama Doe
....I'd been in there 2 minutes before I heard two staff having a discussion about whether they could 'sell the rabbit on that basis'...turns out a woman and her 3-4 year old child wanted to buy a rabbit and I'm guessing they had asked about hutch/cage accommodation for said rabbit and were unsure about whether they could home the rabbit to her on the basis of what she said...sounds promising....(not!) well they decided they had no basis to refuse her so they were allowed to pick one out...that was carried off in a cardboard carry case...and in the woman's basket was a VERY small number of items including a small bag of shavings...didn't notice any hay. It totally seemed to me that this was the definition of an impulse purchase...poor bunny...it's going to be poked and prodded for a week and then forgotten about :(

I have to say that on the signs for the chinchilla and the degu's it does state they are not suitable children's pets...I just don't know why it isn't made clearer to people that rabbits are not either. To be frank I do not think any animal should be sold as a children's pet, unless the parents are very clear that it is their responsibility to look after the animal not the child.
 
It's good your local one says chinchillas aren't children's pets, they're "suitable for older children" in mine. :? They're truly awful. I was in there to use my Burgess vouchers and the way they handled the baby rabbits was bad, they were so rough. :(
 
I just feel so awful for those animals.... :( but you can't help them all...I'm going to give Levi and Daisy an extra lot of fuss tonight!

I'd also never seen degu's before! What wee cuties!!!! :) if i wasn't so sensible I'd start convincing myself that I could totally fit some degu's in my life! :)
 
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Have you contacted PAH head office and told them? Pretty sure they are allowed to refuse the sale of pets if they don't think they are going to go to a suitable home etc so I'm sure it's something they would look into.
 
Have you contacted PAH head office and told them? Pretty sure they are allowed to refuse the sale of pets if they don't think they are going to go to a suitable home etc so I'm sure it's something they would look into.

To be fair I didn't hear the full conversation. I'm simply surmising what I assume is the situation. I think they are allowed to refuse to sell, that's probably why the two staff were having the conversation in the first place, just that whatever the customer had said, it wasn't grounds for them to refuse because even if it wasn't what knowledgeable rabbit owners would suggest was acceptable housing, it probably did just reach P@H requirements.
 
I went into our local one today just to have a nose and I noticed the largest rabbit hutch they sell (double tiered) was on offer, £120 instead of £179... For not much more you could get a decent sized shed :(

Every time I mention my rabbits at work I always feel patronised, like everyone thinks they're children's pets. My colleague even said "oh yeah my sister is going to get 2 rabbits for her 2 boys soon" (who are 4 and 1!)

I shared a rwaf poster on FB the other day "are your kids still playing with the presents they got last Christmas? No? Don't give pets as presents".

Sorry for the rant!
 
I went into our local one today just to have a nose and I noticed the largest rabbit hutch they sell (double tiered) was on offer, £120 instead of £179... For not much more you could get a decent sized shed :(

Every time I mention my rabbits at work I always feel patronised, like everyone thinks they're children's pets. My colleague even said "oh yeah my sister is going to get 2 rabbits for her 2 boys soon" (who are 4 and 1!)

I shared a rwaf poster on FB the other day "are your kids still playing with the presents they got last Christmas? No? Don't give pets as presents".

Sorry for the rant!

Yeah I don't think people understand my rabbits either. I feel a lot of the time like I have to justify them and explain that 'no, a rabbit is not just a rabbit, and yes, rabbits are interesting rewarding pets'. Having said that a colleague told me the other day that his wife had been saying they should get some rabbits for their children who are 7 and 2, but he'd told her no, because he didn't think they were able to look after them properly, that it would be too expensive....my constant rabbit chattering on and deliveries of large bales of hay to work, must have seeped into his brain!! :)
 
Anyone who tells me rabbits are boring just has to meet parsley and their mind is changed.
i do try to put people off or at least make it know to them how expensive buns can be. And how stressful it can be trying to medicate etc.
was great showing off my bite wound on my hand from a botched bonding attempt.
put a lot of folk off buying for kids haha. And the folk truly interested in giving a good home ask loads of questions.

you are correct p@h are allowed to refuse the sale to someone. Any employee working in a shop has the legal right to refuse service to anyone, they just cant be discriminating.
 
Yeah I don't think people understand my rabbits either. I feel a lot of the time like I have to justify them and explain that 'no, a rabbit is not just a rabbit, and yes, rabbits are interesting rewarding pets'. Having said that a colleague told me the other day that his wife had been saying they should get some rabbits for their children who are 7 and 2, but he'd told her no, because he didn't think they were able to look after them properly, that it would be too expensive....my constant rabbit chattering on and deliveries of large bales of hay to work, must have seeped into his brain!! :)

I think people just have this image in their head of a rabbit stuck in a 3ft hutch and that's why it seems like a boring pet to them. As for the whole kids' thing, I think people could get used to the idea of a rabbit living 10 years but then they need to put that into context with their kids' ages. If you buy two rabbits for your ten year old, are they going to provide it with the care and attention it needs up until age 20?

I refused a couple of sales in my time at PAH. It was most entertaining.
 
Went in P@H Friday to get a load of things for Amy and Kurt; woman passing by (might have known my mum, whom was also there with my gran; small town, only pet shop, half the town knows my mum, other half knows my dad) said to her young son (I think there were other kids too) 'Do you want to get a rabbit?' as they passed the enclosure, I'm not sure if she was serious or just saying it to keep the children quiet, but I (in a slightly joking sort of voice admittedly) called out (I was just down the aisle next to it picking out toys) 'Don't do it! It will pee on you. And poo on you and scratch and bite!', she laughed a little and I moved on. No idea what happened next. They were gone by the time I had finished up.

I was musing on this the other day; dogs (or at least some breeds) can be seen as proud and noble beasts, cats can be seen as elegant and refined creatures, and rabbits... Well, at best as cute and not at all serious animals (they're small and fuzzy with comically long ears and big feet), at worst aggressive and grumpy or just children's pets (which I view as a contradiction in terms). They don't really are viewed as having much of a history, a reputation, in a way- dogs help hunt and retrieve, cats kill vermin, and rabbits, well, rabbits are eaten, or used for fur, or both; what does it matter to you if something you use has a personality, is a unique living being with its own character and behaviours. Easy to dismiss when you only have misconceptions about a misunderstood animal you can't easily categorise without harming it in some way.

Of course, we rabbit lovers know just how false this attitude is. That a rabbit can be as refined and proud and elegant and noble (side note, my dog is one of the silliest, clownish dogs there ever is, a lab/collie cross), as well as funny and sweet and serious. They are never, ever boring.
 
I think people just have this image in their head of a rabbit stuck in a 3ft hutch and that's why it seems like a boring pet to them. As for the whole kids' thing, I think people could get used to the idea of a rabbit living 10 years but then they need to put that into context with their kids' ages. If you buy two rabbits for your ten year old, are they going to provide it with the care and attention it needs up until age 20?

I refused a couple of sales in my time at PAH. It was most entertaining.

In what circumstances did you refuse sales? I'd just be interested to know what P&H consider unsuitable. :)
 
They're not too bad at refusing in my local one, but I still see people leaving with those ridiculous rabbit starter cages and a tiny bag of hay and just think "my two would get through that in a day". I did however help a bunny the other month when I overheard a lady telling a staff member that he wouldn't eat hay and it turned out she was feeding him chapatis because "he likes them'... :roll:
 
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