• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Why do people seem to have rabbit welfare filters?

AlisonA

Warren Veteran
I find it so frustrating when I've spoken to people who want rabbits, given them the low down, told them what to expect/not expect, and pointed them to the rabbit rehome website/list of rabbit rescue centres, and the next thing you know, they've reserved some baby bunnies from a breeder over the opposite side of the country to them!

Why is it that people who are usually normal, sane and rational seem to have this filter which translates "a rabbit would not be a good present for a 6 year old, it probably won't like being picked up and cuddled, it needs a companion, lots of space, neutering, vaccinating, and there are plenty in rescues for you to choose from - adults would be great as you already know their personality" into "oh yes, rabbits would just love to be cuddled by a 6 year old, why not go to a breeder miles away and get a baby one, they cost hardly anything to keep and hardly need any looking after".

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHh.

Rant over, sorry.
 
Well people are dumb. Plain and simple. And no matter how many times you tell them they will still be moronic enough to buy baby bunnies for their kids and them get rid of them in a month. That's why I have so many. Hehe. But it is so sad to see them all in in shelters and everytime I go I have to bring another home. My latest one is one that someone had returned to the petstore cause their kid didn't want it and they were about to send it to the shelter. So I bought him. :D But I know what you mean and I can't own every mistreated bunny, even though I wish I could. :cry:
 
I was looking at the baby rabbits in pets at home yesterday and wondering where they were going to end up. The ones that go to rescues are luckier than the ones left in a dirty hutch till they get ill and die :cry:
 
Hearing things like this reall yupset me :( I know what you mean, i have spoken to people numerous times, but they don't always listen, it's so very frustrating.. I get sad when i look at the poor buns in petshops too :cry:
 
I know, I have the whole family trained now,as I'm sure you do too. My o/h pointed someone in the direction of a rescue rather than petshop the other week, and they actually rehomed some buns. My mum succesfully put her neighbour of getting a pet bunny for her baby girl, so some people do listen. It seems few and far between though.
 
That's how come I have my two rabbits.
They were bought from goodness knows where by a family, found to not be cute, fluffy peter-rabbits, but scared and fiesty and very energetic rabbits and taken to the sanctuary. Then they were adpoted out by someone who thought that it would be a doddle to tame them, it wasn't. They weren't tamed at all, and they took them back to the sanctuary and left them there.
They were taken to live in my student house, to replace the landlord's daughter's rabbits, who had always lived there and died of old age. We were just going to foster them to get them used to humans, she wanted to keep them. We did, when she discovered they were not at all easy to do anything with, not friendly in the slightest, scared of humans, would escape from anything and at one point it seemed EVERYTHING we tried to keep them in for weeks at a time they wound up running round the garden and disappearing - she didn't want anyhting to do with them.
Simply because they weren't cute, fluffy baby animals and no-one really had the patience to sit with them, feed them try to make them less scared of humans and generally less afraid of just about everything.
I didn't want them to go back to the sanctuary, they kept getting looked over coz people wanted the pretty fluffy baby bunnies with lop ears for six year olds and parents who thought baby bunny = cuddly toy that just needs food.
So now I have them.
&they have become a lot less afraid, and will eat out of my hand. They're totally different rabbits altogether, thought they're still nervous and do not like being picked up.
But I do wish people would *think* or at least listen to the advice people give.
 
Having worked in petshops, I can say not all the customers who buy bunnies are complete idiots - luckily where I've worked we could and would refuse anyone we thought would be a total nightmare owner - we've even made up a few creative excuses when we've reserved animals to customers then had doubts later :lol:
Fortunately there are customers who do listen to you and take your advice. I served a lovely lady (actually, gave her the link to RR when she was considering getting another bun so maybe she's a member here!), her children fell in love with a bun but unfortunately she was reserved. She was going to wait until we had new buns but then I remembered we still had the sister of the reserved one in our quarantine room, who was nearly identical. Anyway, she was all recovered and just waiting to come down so I went and fetched her and I think it was love at first sight! I saw her several times since and the bun sounds very spoilt, and is going to have a bunnyfriend (probably a rescue bun, too) once she's been spayed. Just one of several happy endings for the buns I've sold.
 
Yeah some people do listen, thankfully! The thing that has frustrated me in this case is that they approached me and asked for advice. I kind of feel like I've wasted my breath - why ask if you're going to ignore everything I have said!
 
mmm, my friend, who recently lost a bun to myxi, has resisted all my attempts to find her a new rescue bun because her daughter wants a particluar size/colour/breed ........she may be my friend but she's driven me potty over it. In the end I have suggested the pet shop that I got Flossie from cos I at least know that they are looked after there :?
 
I wonder whether people look on rescue rabbits as second hand and regect them for that reason.Ive had a few people say they want to start with a baby to bring it up there way. :roll: val
 
Like other animals some people seem to see buns as some sort of fashion accessory. I overheard a conversation in PAH : this woman wanted FOUR rabbits-one for each of her kids. The buns on sale were all Dutches and stupid woman said 'oh, I dont want ones that are different colours I want them all to match'. She was then shown a group of PEW lops...OH NO she said, they will show up the dirt too much and I dont like their red eyes. Well lady, I didnt much like ANY PART of you...........JCO
 
i donts why people dont got to rescue centers, they are more likly to find a rabbit that would sute them. if you get one from a pet shop you dont know anything about it. (i know i havent got any buns from rescue centers, but usaly end up with peoples unwanted bunnies anyway)
 
Couldn't agree more. I must confess that when we got our first couple of bunnies we did go to a pet shop. This was because we new nothing about rescue centres, rabbitrehome.org.uk or anything. Once we'd got Floppy and Sweep when I started to research on the net things the'd like and dislike I found all these sites and actually felt quite bad about having gone to a petshop when there were so many other little bunnies out their needing homes. Don't get me wrong though Floppy and Sweep are lovely and I would n't change them for the world mind.

Since then we found an excellent rescue under 20 minutes drive from us and last night picked up a girlfriend for Sweep. As you say the range for selection is huge. Even though we only wanted a girl, it still took us a good 40 minutes to chose from the wide selection available.

Blame ignorance. I do.
 
*sigh* someone has asked my acquaintances why they are intending to traipse half way across the country to get baby bunnies...their response...because they will sell me lovely litter trained bunnies.

So I have responded that so will a large number of rescues within a 30 mile radius of where they live now - with the added benefit that they will already be neutered and hence won't lose their litter training once they become teenagers! I hope I haven't sounded too grouchy with them though :?
 
Back
Top