When you think you've heard it all....

I was actually home when my window cleaner came as I'm usually at work on these days so i thought I'd make him some tea and just have a chat as he's such a lovely guy. We got on the subject of my bunnies and I was telling him all about them including all the vet visits I've had over the past years. He had the most 'surprised' expression on his face and said ' so, you can take rabbits to the vet then'? I thought he was joking then realized he was serious!! He actually had no idea that when rabbits are unwell they have to see the vet. Ohh goodness did I set him straight that day!!! It took 2 hours and lots more tea but he left with all the knowledge of bunny ownership, but what was really lovely is he said he sees lots of rabbits in small hutches on his rounds and he was going to re-educate the owners as he agreed (after my very long lecture on rabbit care and housing and endless amounts of hay to be served daily etc) the level of care needed is much more than some people realize. I'm hoping he's now going to spread the word on his rounds!!

:lol: oh my gosh, how could he not know that!! :lol: I'm so glad you took the time to educate him on rabbit care, not enough of us do. I really hope he keeps his word and educates others too. Hopefully the world will be full of more happy healthy bunnies that way

Funny isn't it? I often get funny looks at work if I talk about taking mine to the vets when ill, for nail clips or for vaccinations.

Then again I also got looked at like I had two heads when Milo was on gut meds and I paid over £100 for his stuff.

Its as if people feel its ok to let a rabbit suffer but not cats and dogs?....

I had this of my previous employers when Petra fractured her jaw last summer. They didn't understand why i paid £2k to get her fixed and I'd get comments of "get a new one it's cheaper"

Good on you for training him and great news that he's going to spread the word.

bunnybannanas said:

I had this of my previous employers when Petra fractured her jaw last summer. They didn't understand why i paid £2k to get her fixed and I'd get comments of "get a new one it's cheaper"

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I'm getting more and more annoyed with people over comments like this. One of my buns recently got head tilt, his eyes were rolling around in his head and he kept falling over and he's only 1 year old. I was devastated and me and my partner decided to cancel a night away because we (obviously) couldn't leave him incase he hurt himself.
When I went into work the next day I was visibly upset so people were asking me what was wrong and when I told them I actually had people that laughed in my face and made the usual inappropriate comments about putting him in a stew and wacking him over the head. They couldn't believe that I'd spent money at the vets on them all and I also got comments like 'get a new one, it's cheaper' and 'is it really worth it for a Rabbit?'
Well yes actually it is worth it! They are MY Rabbits and I would never dream of talking that way about someone else's pets. I don't like Snakes or Spiders but I understand that some people do and I would never be so insensitive.
It makes my blood boil.

The attitudes of some people make me so angry, every animal - no matter how big or small, loud or quiet, long lifespan or short - deserves treatment!

People were shocked I spent nearly £300 on my hamster at the vets in 2014!!

Whilst I was still in school I actually got bullied over my love of animals - I had to have a hamster PTS I'd had for 3&half years and still had to go to school after
By my eyes you could see I'd been crying but I was fine - a boy asked what was wrong so I explained and he laughed, said he'd cry if it was a dog but nothing else

Then proceeded to bully me for the next two years, including trying to kick me down the stairs and shouting "rat" at me whenever he saw me - pleasant people huh! :lol:


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I get incredulous looks from people when I tell them I have a bunny and especially when I say she lives in my office which is really her room. I don't mind that. I do mind the "rabbit stew for dinner" jokes. Not funny.

It's the idiots at the vets that wind me up. With hay sticking out of the carrier and an adopt don't buy bunny sticker on it it's obvious they are bunnies inside. The ones with dogs who start going on about, ohh you like your rabbit flavour dog food don't you, *insert dog name* and ohh there's tea in there to their dog need slapping!

Next person in the vets that cracks a dog food joke to me in front of Petra I'm going to glare at and say with a straight face "I'm Asian. We eat dog. Can I have your dog" just to make a point and get a reaction.

NB no dogs were harmed in the making of this post. Or eaten. No dogs were eaten either.

Ashleigh said:

:lol: oh my gosh, how could he not know that!! :lol: I'm so glad you took the time to educate him on rabbit care, not enough of us do. I really hope he keeps his word and educates others too. Hopefully the world will be full of more happy healthy bunnies that way

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I applied for an internal job vacancy and had to do a presentation on any subject I liked. I did it on rabbit welfare and the importance of proper feeding, housing, exercise, stimulation and company etc. There were 20 people in the room and all were totally shocked, distressed but very interested. All said they would spread the word. One girl came to me afterwards in tears, because she had had a rabbit on it's own in a small hutch when she was a young child. She said she was going to rescue two rabbits to make up for it! Another guy was going to go round to his sister who was thinking of getting a rabbit "for the kids to play with", and he wanted to dissuade her by telling her the complexity of rabbit needs. So really it comes down to us all to tell as many people as we can. If we volunteer to give talks at local groups or schools we can spread the word. It's a subject all of us are passionate about and so nerves soon get left behind as we get into flow!
I have also had those 'doggy dinner' kinds of comments at the vets. One bloke allowed his dog to come and sniff the carrier and said, "It's a bit like we would feel when we have a tin of beans and no tin opener!" Wherever possible now my husband and I go to the vets together and I wait in the car until we are called. They then have to wait while hubby comes to get me and the rabbits.

I grew up with all these comments as a kid (from my Dad). He never meant it in a mean way as he loved all my pets just as much as I did/do.
But I do feel growing up with it has sort of desensitised me. I mainly get it from the older generation when they see the rabbits, hamsters, gerbils etc.

I had once someone trying to buy a hamster for her kid... when asked if she would be able to afford vet fee's she replied I always have £20 spare to put it to sleep... that one shocked me a little. We shocked her even more when I pointed out you can actually treat many of the problems hamsters get and it can easily reach £200 odd.

I think its lovely you gave the gentleman all that information & I'm so glad he's going to spread the word.

Spreading the word is so important isn't it and the amazement on peoples faces when they find out how much care is involved is priceless!! When I started at my job it was the same as most thought I was stupid arriving in late to work because my bunny needed vet care (which some said 'couldn't it wait until the weekend'!) but after several chats with my work colleagues and my boss they are all now very understanding and are always asking me how my bunnies are doing which is kinda sweet. Every now and again I receive an email picture with bunnies on and a caption ' saw this and thought of you'!!

Do keep spreading the 'word' everyone it might not seem like much but all together we really will make a massive difference :wave:

:lol: get him some a hutch is not enough stickers for his ladders

I've done similar to cazba99 - I was on a swimming teaching course recently and we each had to prepare a 15 minute presentation on 'a subject we are interested in'.
Everyone else did something loosely related to sport - 'women in sport', 'sugar intake', 'different kinds of running training' etc. I did mine on rabbits because we had such little time to prepare and it was really all at my fingertips. I was worried about whether it would be interesting to the others, but it actually went down really well and everyone was surprised at what they learned

Glingle said:

It's the idiots at the vets that wind me up. With hay sticking out of the carrier and an adopt don't buy bunny sticker on it it's obvious they are bunnies inside. The ones with dogs who start going on about, ohh you like your rabbit flavour dog food don't you, *insert dog name* and ohh there's tea in there to their dog need slapping!

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Oh yes that annoys me as well! Especially when they let their dogs go right up to the carrier and say things like "Oh my dog loves chasing rabbits" I usually explain, firmly but politely, that they're terrified of dogs and they're already unwell and stressed just being at the vets. They usually then rein them in.