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What more can I do? U/D 26th March

Vanessa.B

Mama Doe
I have been fretting about a rabbit in a smallish hutch in the garden of one of the houses that backs onto my tennis club. I have not noticed it before but the owners have had all the trees trimmed a month or so ago so it is possible to see into the garden more.

The hutch looks to be a 3ft double storey affair, the bunny is fairly big, certainly can't stand up and cannot take more than a couple of hops. It is is under the kitchen window so cannot be viewed from the house at all.

I printed off some info from RWAF and pulled out some RWAF leaflets that I have and with a politely (I hope) worded note I put them through their door a couple of weeks ago. The following weekend the rabbit was out in it's run, it is not attached to the hutch and again is very small. Since then I have only ever seen the rabbit in the hutch, it was ignored by the mother when she went to get the washing in when I was there last Saturday and I have not seen the teenage daughter go anywhere near it.

The father is a member of the tennis club though as he works away I have never ever met him. I hoped this connection may make them more amenable to reading the info I provided but I am fearing nothing will change.

What else can I do? I am getting increasingly distressed when I go down to play tennis. I am thinking I could ask the club secretary who is a great animal lover and friend of mine to speak to them, he has had contact with the father.

I am guessing the RSPCA will not intervene as the rabbit is being fed and watered. It has no quality of life whatsoever though, and it is breaking my heart :( I will try and start to find this rabbit a place on a rescue waiting list and hope that the owners will be prepared to give it up if they are not going to improve it's life.
 
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I have been fretting about a rabbit in a smallish hutch in the garden of one of the houses that backs onto my tennis club. I have not noticed it before but the owners have had all the trees trimmed a month or so ago so it is possible to see into the garden more.

The hutch looks to be a 3ft double storey affair, the bunny is fairly big, certainly can't stand up and cannot take more than a couple of hops. It is is under the kitchen window so cannot be viewed from the house at all.

I printed off some info from RWAF and pulled out some RWAF leaflets that I have and with a politely (I hope) worded note I put them through their door a couple of weeks ago. The following weekend the rabbit was out in it's run, it is not attached to the hutch and again is very small. Since then I have only ever seen the rabbit in the hutch, it was ignored by the mother when she went to get the washing in when I was there last Saturday and I have not seen the teenage daughter go anywhere near it.

The father is a member of the tennis club though as he works away I have never ever met him. I hoped this connection may make them more amenable to reading the info I provided but I am fearing nothing will change.

What else can I do? I am getting increasingly distressed when I go down to play tennis. I am thinking I could ask the club secretary who is a great animal lover and friend of mine to speak to them, he has had contact with the father.

I am guessing the RSPCA will not intervene as the rabbit is being fed and watered. It has no quality of life whatsoever though, and it is breaking my heart :( I will try and start to find this rabbit a place on a rescue waiting list and hope that the owners will be prepared to give it up if they are not going to improve it's life.

Poor Bunny :cry: I think you are correct in assuming the RSPCA would not act if the Rabbit is being fed/watered. Even though one of the 'Five Freedoms' is clearly being ignored

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Sat...PCABlob&blobwhere=1210683196122&ssbinary=true

They might call in and offer some advice if more than one person makes a Report. Although frankly I wouldn't hold my breath on that. Perhaps getting the Club Secretary involved may be a better option. Perhaps he could have a friendly word with the Father. Keeping it all as amicable as possible is probably the best way to go, not easy though when you can see the poor Rabbit suffering in a tiny hutch :cry:
 
I have been fretting about a rabbit in a smallish hutch in the garden of one of the houses that backs onto my tennis club. I have not noticed it before but the owners have had all the trees trimmed a month or so ago so it is possible to see into the garden more.

The hutch looks to be a 3ft double storey affair, the bunny is fairly big, certainly can't stand up and cannot take more than a couple of hops. It is is under the kitchen window so cannot be viewed from the house at all.

I printed off some info from RWAF and pulled out some RWAF leaflets that I have and with a politely (I hope) worded note I put them through their door a couple of weeks ago. The following weekend the rabbit was out in it's run, it is not attached to the hutch and again is very small. Since then I have only ever seen the rabbit in the hutch, it was ignored by the mother when she went to get the washing in when I was there last Saturday and I have not seen the teenage daughter go anywhere near it.

The father is a member of the tennis club though as he works away I have never ever met him. I hoped this connection may make them more amenable to reading the info I provided but I am fearing nothing will change.

What else can I do? I am getting increasingly distressed when I go down to play tennis. I am thinking I could ask the club secretary who is a great animal lover and friend of mine to speak to them, he has had contact with the father.

I am guessing the RSPCA will not intervene as the rabbit is being fed and watered. It has no quality of life whatsoever though, and it is breaking my heart :( I will try and start to find this rabbit a place on a rescue waiting list and hope that the owners will be prepared to give it up if they are not going to improve it's life.

This is so hard for you to see and not be able to do very much. You've done what you can, and the R.S.P.C.A. will not intervene if the rabbit is clean and being fed and watered.

I think your idea of hoping they will give it up will be the best way, though they may not be prepared to make the time and trouble to find a rescue. You mention a teenage daughter - maybe it was her rabbit and she would be prepared to let it go?

It's difficult if YOU get this rabbit a place on a rescue waiting list and it's not your rabbit ... not sure if that will work. Getting the Club Secretary to ask them if they wish to give up the rabbit would be one option. I can only think that it would work if you actually offered to take the rabbit to give it a better home yourself (even if in the end that meant passing it on to a Rescue) ... Hope I made sense there ...

Be positive and hope they will give the bunny away, as it could be an inconvenience to them now ...Bless you for caring xx
 
So, today I called at the house. I hoped that I might be able to find out more about the rabbit with a view to asking if the owner would be prepared to allow me to try to find a new home.

I can't say that the mother was pleased to see me but after I asked whether they had had a chance to look at the leaflets she told me that they had had a new hutch delivered and I could go and have a look :D:D:D:D

:(:(:(:(:(:(:( But despite my leaflets they have bought a 4ft by 18" double storey hutch with a 4 ft by 3ft attached run. Now this may be better than the 3ft prison they were in before it is much smaller than what the RWAF leaflets suggested and showed pictures of.

And yes, there is not one rabbit but two. They are medium sized lops, one had a damaged ear and both had wee stains. Their coats were just awful. No hay visible, no toys, a greenish water bottle and just a bit of sawdust and straw in the hutch.

The mother had shut the door on me but I went back and said that I was pleased that the bunnies had access to a run and suggested that they could even consider joining the new and old runs together to make it even bigger. She looked taken aback at this and said the rabbits have time in the house in an evening. Trying to keep on her good side I made a joke about that was brave as all my bunnies destroy houses with their chewing and that I can't do with the hay getting everywhere. This led on to me asking where do you get your hay from and I suggested having a look at the Hay Experts Website.

There was no way I could then grill her on vaccinating/neutering so left.

I don't know how I feel now - the bunnies have a tiny bit more space and have each other but still far far from good.

I don't think I can do any more - they have the leaflets and my number. I did say they were welcome to come and meet mine. I feel that I have tried and failed :cry:
 
You haven't failed. You've gotten them at least a little more room and you've planted a seed. For some folks that is all we can do because they have blinders on and just see rabbits as things, not living beings. :(
I'm proud of you, honestly I would've had to have a few stiff drinks to pluck up that much courage to visit an obviously hostile situation like that. Hopefully the mother will come around and realize these are not the pets for her household and allow you to help them. (((((((Huge hugs)))))) xxxx
 
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