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Would you 'buy' a Gumtree bunny?

Would you 'buy' a Gumtree bun?

  • Yes, if I really felt the situation was right

    Votes: 26 86.7%
  • No, if they were responsible they'd rehome it to me for free

    Votes: 4 13.3%

  • Total voters
    30

Hoppit!

Wise Old Thumper
We all know that you shouldn't buy a rabbit from a pet shop as the money is just going straight back into breeding, but would you pay the 'to secure a good home' fee that a private Gumtree seller might ask? Assuming you've checked it out and the seller has a genuine (but utterly pathetic) excuse such as 'My wife is pregnant'.

Anonymous poll coming up...
 
We all know that you shouldn't buy a rabbit from a pet shop as the money is just going straight back into breeding, but would you pay the 'to secure a good home' fee that a private Gumtree seller might ask? Assuming you've checked it out and the seller has a genuine (but utterly pathetic) excuse such as 'My wife is pregnant'.

Anonymous poll coming up...

It's tricky, seen a lot on there recently with the excuse that their kids aren't interested anymore etc. Most cost about £20-£50 including hutch and accessories, which isn't much really. If no-one bought the rabbit they probably sign them over to rescues which I would be more than willing to pay to adopt a bunny. I'd go to a rescue first before gumtree etc.
 
I have and I would again pay for a rabbit I was rehoming via Preloved/Gumtree/Pets4Homes etc.

I'm always very careful to make sure it is a genuine case of rehoming a pet and not a backyard breeder but I actually think they are being responsible asking for a fee for the rabbit rather than giving them away. A 'free' rabbit is more likely to end up as snake food. Gracie was a 'free to good home' and her previous owner asked me nothing at all about the home she would be going to:cry:

Edit to add: I paid for Elijah, the person advertising him said he had been dumped in a box at her sister's house and they had paid £20 for a vet consultation, so were asking for £20 to cover this cost, fair enough. ... but if it's the truth then the vet mis-sexed him :roll:
 
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Harvey was being advertised on scumtree in a hamster cage for £20. It was brought to the attention of Anybunniez on fb where I saw it. It was very local to me. Two of us went to the house and ended up paying £40 and removing Harvey and 3 other rabbits. There was no way we could have left them in the conditions they were in. We tried and failed to get the last rabbit a beautiful harlequin and were told a few weeks later he had died with his head trapped in the broken door of his "hutch" :(
Harvey stayed with me and the other 3 are now happily in their forever home
 
I don't know. I think I can't say a definite no, but I would always try and go to a rescue first, because then you are helping two bunnies, the bunny you take and the bunny you make a space for and some on the waiting list may be otherwise sold on gumtree.
 
Millie was a free to a good home bun on gumtree and came with her hutch, which was promptly destroyed! I would tend to go for a free one first given they are most likely to end up in the wrong hands. Looking at the original question I don't think they would be responsible rehoming for free. I could be looking for snake food or dog bait. :cry:
 
I was about to say no... And then remembered that I had! :lol: it was a gumtree ad that I think Jane had found up in London of some buns living in a mixed sex group in a tiny hutch and therefore interbreeding :( they wanted all bunnies gone. There were only 2 left when we got in touch and a member on here offered both a home but couldn't get to them. I dragged my oh up to London, gave the guy a tenner and left with 2 miserable girlies. I fostered them for a week before they went to their new home :love: a few weeks later one of the girlies gave birth to a litter of stillborn kits :cry: I am so glad she was in a lovely forever home and not just passed on to anyone, it must have been horrific for her but she is now spayed so no more accidents :thumb:

But for a new rabbit for me? No, I don't think so, I would rather rescue.
 
Yes as often they would end up in a rescue anyway. Just means you gotta neuter vaccinate yourself. I try to establish it isn't a breeder getting rid of old stock. Plus I try to get for free :lol:
 
I would prefer to go to rescue as you get a rabbit all neutered and health checked, etc but I may do so if I saw a gorgous one very near me ... (heart and head). All theoretical as I have reached my limit with eight in three separate set ups.
 
I have done it once, where there was a woman selling a potentially pregnant doe (who had given birth to 2 dead babies just a couple of days before the ad went up) with the buck in a rubbish 3 tier plastic cage. I had found them a rescue spot at Blue Cross Burford so they went there after 2 days with me and have now been rehomed. I did pay in that case, I didn't have the heart to demand free when I saw the absolutely atrocious estate and tiny flat these people were living in. Sucker for charity!

I would do it again if there was a rabbit with health issues or similar.
 
I haven't - and to be honest - I don't look either as I would be buying every bun going. However - if there was an advert that came to my attention and the bun needed moving quickly and I could help - then I would of course.
 
I think it depends on the situation but I would not give anybody money who thought it was ok to advertise a bun on Gumtree. I also wouldn't give money because it makes the people think it's ok to buy a rabbit on a whime, get bored of it and sell it on like an object.
 
Not Gumtree as I've never used it, but I have bought rabbits from preloved & pets4 homes before & I still would. I would obviously prefer to rescue, but if there was a bunny in need on the free-ads, of course I'd "rescue" it. The way I see it all bunnies deserve a loving home & it's not the bunnies fault it ended up on the free ads & not a rescue centre. Both Dexter & Blackavar came from preloved & I'd do it again in a heartbeat, I dread to think what might have happened to them if I hadn't done so as they both are special needs bunnies.


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I don't know: when I was looking for Lopsy's wendy house I also looked for 'rabbit hutch' and 'rabbit run' and came across loads of job lots of rabbit + housing (if you could call some of it housing...) but I never stayed long and looked at the adverts too closely. I was appalled enough that Lopsy's owner had never taken him to the vets and therefore got him sexed (he was an easy sexer!) or had him vacced, I don't think I could stop myself kicking off at people who were asking for money to take their pets away. I treat Lopsy like a member of my family: he might be outside, kinda lonely until we get him a friend, but I wouldn't sell him on just as I wouldn't sell a child.

Equally, I agree with the snake-food sentiments and better a forever-home than none etc. :S On a tangent, I love snakes too and told the other half that we should keep snakes inside and rabbits out and that's why I can never have housebunnies even though I have no intention of getting a snake: I had no intention of getting a rabbit either!

But yes, back to the topic, I was appalled that I had to pay to give my rabbit a better (decent?) quality of life that I felt someone else should have done: having to pay for that AND the rabbit itself would just destroy me. I don't feel I'm a well-off person and I don't like to pay out money I don't have to AND I'm quite opinionated/loud/controversial, so it'd probably all end in tears/a restraining order ;)
 
What always gets me is people saying that giving pets away for free is meaning they end up as snake food. I've had snakes since I was 12 & I've always bought my food from my friends shop. Those mice/rats/etc are specifically bred for that purpose & humanely euthanised. I don't understand how anyone could just browse the free-ads for a free pet to feed to a snake :? That's someone's pet! Not a dinner for my pet! IMO there is a huge difference between buying frozen mice from the reptile shop & "rehoming" someone's unwanted hamster or whatever to feed to a snake. I couldn't do it & live with myself. Also, feeding live prey over here is nigh on impossible to do without breaking the law. It's not technically illegal - the law says you're not allowed to cause suffering to any animal - but you try & feed a live mouse to a snake without frightening the mouse & therefore causing suffering. And no, I haven't, I couldn't do that either.

Sorry for detracting from the subject, but as a bunny lover & a snake lover, I just had to butt in & say we're not all heartless evil people on the prowl for free food for our snakes. Some of us do have morals & a conscience :thumb:


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I doubt the 'snake food' scenario happens very often at all tbh. I know loads of snake keepers and have snakes myself and live feeding is really frowned upon and the sort of snake species that are likely to eat rabbits (not many, really just Burms, Retics and Anacondas maybe) aren't likely to be fussy enough eaters to need live food. Feeding life prey to a snake risks injuring the snake or killing it, so it's really not something people do, although obviously some idiots also keep snakes and may do it, but that's about them being idiots, not owning snakes.
 
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