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advice please about neglected bunnies

R

rianne23

Mama Doe
right ok,let me start by explaining
i have been with my fiance for nearly 4 yrs, he is 13yrs older than me and he has a 14yr old and a 12yr old from a past relationship as well as a 3yr old and a 8mths old baby with me.
Together we have 10 bunnies and each bunny has a lovely big run with a hutch attached to it (either on top with a ramp, to the side and up with a ramp, on about 1/2 a foot of the floor with no ramp) all our bunnies are skipped out (pooh picked and wet taken out) everyday and have a total cleanout (ok my horsey instinct wanted me to put 'muck out' in then!!! :lol: ) every 4days. i find that this suits us all down to the ground and the bunnies are all clean and happy to ensure there hygiene standards are kept high as i know bunnies are suscepitble to infections/disease/illnesses very easily is they are not kept clean and also with the wamer months approaching it is even more important to prevent fly strike. So basically our bunnies are well looked after, with fresh hay, fresh bedding too (if needed), they have dried feed everyday and veg every other day, they have special dried grass as we have no grass in our garden at all, and they have fresh water everyday. my bunnies are not the reason i have posted this thread though....&looks back at what she has written* :shock: wow that's a lot of writing there! sorry!!! :oops:
the problem is my partners childrens lack of care for their bunnies and me not knowing what to do about it. :roll:
they have 2 bunnies.....Smokey and Pepper
i had a conversation with colin* yesterday and asked how oftten his rabbits are turned out to grass/run (oh god please excuse the horsey terms that keep slipping out :roll: :lol: ) he told me that he doesnt let them out :shock: ever since they had their dog (which, by the way, is a resuce dog under another persons name but is kept there and has a massive cyst growing under her chin that they cant afford to treat...yet their mum gets to go and and get drunk every weekend and works full time etc etc :evil: ) and that dog has been there for a year. so for a year the only excersise colin gives the rabbits is once a month or possilby twice a month in his bedroom.
i then asked how often he cleans them out......once a MONTH :shock: :evil: (ooooooooooooo my blood was boiling by this time) now this is coming from a teenager that 'loves' animals (obviously not as much as pc games! :roll: ) yet he can leave them in small hutches all year and let them sit in their own filth for a month.
now i am in a very awkward situatuation and need some advice as to what to say to these children. they are building the rabbits a run (a 14yr old and a 12yr old :roll: ) so i have not got much faith that they will finish it and it be safe.
we cant afford to buy a run for someone elses rabbits...we only just manage to ensure our own ones are well looked after money wise.
now i hear the "why do parents buy a child a pet and then expect the child to be fully responisble for it" sentance rolling around in my head :roll:
i don't know what to do. this is my releationship in tatters if i speak my mind to the mother or RSPCA but i am about 3steps away frm doing so.
i want to educate the boys but when they are here they help clean out (sometime by the way!!) and help me feed the buns etc etc so why has the novelty worn off at home?
their mother is not an animal person she is a 'me me me' person (ok i only think that because the boys used to have a 3rd bunny, but colin* confided in me about the bunny losing hair, scratching and bleeding and also very bad dandruff. i advised him it sounded like under skin mites which would need injections to treat, he told his mum and she said she would'nt take it to the vets as it cost too much.....so i kept harrassing them to take it.......so in the end the bunny died and i can only imagine it was probably aneamic and had suffered a very mental breakdown from the constant irritation and pain he was in)
needless to say when the other bunny got them it was treated and she compliained it cost too much....hello?? you bought the rabbits!!!!! :evil:

ok sorry its nothing personal towards her ( :roll: :oops: )i jusr cant stand animals being neglected :x
 
looks like you've had wine already! ;)

Reading the above it sounds like the RSPCA is the only course of action. It doesnt sound like they should eb allowed to keep any animals at all. Just my opinion of course
 
lmao :lol: i havent...honestly :oops:

yes but if they have hay and water will i just get palmed off as "well they have food and water" by the rspca?? :shock: :roll: it is such a kick in the teeth i feel powerless as i havent seen the bunnies myself, but i know the hutch size and that the rabbits are medium size and from what colin* has told me i believe thet are neglected.
me and their dad have given them the 'talk' so many times before about how their bunnies need proper care
 
You said they like computer games. Do they have the internet, can you direct them to some good rabbit sties where they can learn about how to look after them properly? Or am I having too much faith here? :shock:
 
Lynette said:
You said they like computer games. Do they have the internet, can you direct them to some good rabbit sties where they can learn about how to look after them properly? Or am I having too much faith here? :shock:
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lol :lol: no not at all that is a good idea, i will take some website addresses tonight if anyone can pm me with some good ones....ones which state illnesses etc etc that can happen if bunnies are not looked after correctly and also stating when something is classed a cruelty case/neglect case...i know myslelf it is just for them to see it for themselves....you know what i am getting at?!! :roll:
 
I know how you feel.

My neighbour's have a rabbit that they 'rescued' and he doesn't get half enough attention. I keep trying to steer them towards proper bunny care but it doesn't work, they think feeding, watering and cleaning out is enough. He only has a run attached because I moaned at them constantly until they built one on his hutch.

I think all you can do is keep on at them. I think the website idea is a good one though.
 
rianne23 said:
....and has a massive cyst growing under her chin that they cant afford to treat...yet their mum gets to go and and get drunk every weekend and works full time etc etc .....
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i thought that according the RSPCA neglecting to seek vetinary attention for an animal that was obviously ill was classed as cruelty and therefore action could be taken against the owners? :?

*edit*.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/bill/pdf/dutytocare.pdf

..'to protect from pain, suffering, injury, disease...'

new law enforced from april 6..
 
that link didnt work :roll:
yes that does sound like an interesting new law i guess i should really inform rspca.
well apparantly, colin* says, that they took the dog to the vets and the vet said it would be ok as it wasnt cutting off the air ways yet.... :shock: don't believe that though :roll:
 
"we cant afford to buy a run for someone elses rabbits...we only just manage to ensure our own ones are well looked after money wise"

I can see your dilemna, particularly if you love bunnies. However, could I take perhaps a different stance to everyone else without you thinking I am getting at you in any way. Whilst I understand that ex wives are an irritation etc, these are your partners children's bunnies and, if he was still at home, he would be responsible for them as the adult. I think informing the RSPCA about the bunnies is possibly a futile route (the dog is another matter and does need vet attention) , and will certainly cause quite considerable damage to the dynamics in your step-parenting if they find out it came from you. Why can your partner not help his children build a run or move the bunnies to your house so the children can see them when they are with you? The kids are trying to build a run themselves, which is hard for 12 and 14.
 
What does your partner think of his children's neglect? Won't he deal with it as their father? It might be better coming from him. What an awful dilemma. Those poor buns and poor you for having to stand by and feel helpless. :( I hope it gets resolved soon.
 
You could also try getting them a present of RWA membership, which means they will get a magazine every few months enthusing about rabbits. This might focus their minds more on their rabbits and give them more motivation to care for them.
 
raine said:
"we cant afford to buy a run for someone elses rabbits...we only just manage to ensure our own ones are well looked after money wise"

I can see your dilemna, particularly if you love bunnies. However, could I take perhaps a different stance to everyone else without you thinking I am getting at you in any way. Whilst I understand that ex wives are an irritation etc, these are your partners children's bunnies and, if he was still at home, he would be responsible for them as the adult. I think informing the RSPCA about the bunnies is possibly a futile route (the dog is another matter and does need vet attention) , and will certainly cause quite considerable damage to the dynamics in your step-parenting if they find out it came from you. Why can your partner not help his children build a run or move the bunnies to your house so the children can see them when they are with you? The kids are trying to build a run themselves, which is hard for 12 and 14.
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yes but my partner didnt buy the rabbits for the children, she did, which therefore, would mean she is responsible. :roll:
we have offered to build the boys the run, but they said NO they want to do it themselves :shock: ! my OH has said to the boys, if she gets the mesh and wood he will build it, not a prob. We don't have any mesh and wood and the decent stuff that you need to build it with costs money we don't have....but we are going to present this question to the boys and see what they say. My OH would build a lovely run. :roll:

What should i do about the animals then, as you are right....they would know it was me that rung the RSPCA because everyone else that knows her and they boys must walk around with their head in the clouds, to not notice :evil: i don't think it wouyld make a difference if i left the info for RSPCA, anonumously as i have been the only person to keep going on about it to the boys :oops:

my OH told me, last night, to STOP going on about it :shock: :roll: he said there is nothing we can do, and yes it is very bad but all we can do is tell the boys (AGAIN :evil: ) i even said to him, why doesnt his ex, pretend the dog belongs to her friend (who is unemployed) so that they get help with the vet treatment?? ok its a lie, but it isnt us lying, and even still....at least the dog will be treated :roll:

i was told by Colin* on saturday, that his mum is keeping tabs on how much her bf, of 6 weeks, has spent on her so far......£310.....ok all that sprung to mind was "well if he wants to buy her £100 pair of jeans then perhaps he could lend her the money for a run and dogs vet treatment"
but there you go, seems not everyone is quite as into animals as us guys :roll:
 
I think your OH should deal with this and asap- they are his children and just because their mother brought the rabbits doesnt make a difference in my opinion- he should teach them to care for them properly. I hope he will do something soon.
 
I know it must be frustrating to be associated with an ex and see her not addressing this problem and I do empathise with you. As the children want to build a run, I would make this a father and kids project, and I am sure they would enjoy their father spending the time with them to do it.

Because there are bunnies involved, I personally would not butt heads over this one, or even even put myself in a place where I am thinking she has had £100 jeans and, if she bought the wood, the bunnies would be happier. Life is too short Rianne and you allow yourself to be in angst if you do not rise above the behaviour of an ex wife. You cannot alter her, however much she is being unreasonable, but you can alter the effect she has on you. If you wait for her to purchase the wood and mesh, or feel there is a principle here and she should do it, the bunnies will suffer. You can fix this problem with a run

I doubt the RSPCA will go in and see two bunnies in a hutch and make her purchase a run. They would have to prove that she isn't letting the bunnies out in the garden for a supervised run about and that would be impossible. Again, the dog is another matter.
 
raine said:
I know it must be frustrating to be associated with an ex and see her not addressing this problem and I do empathise with you. As the children want to build a run, I would make this a father and kids project, and I am sure they would enjoy their father spending the time with them to do it.

Because there are bunnies involved, I personally would not butt heads over this one, or even even put myself in a place where I am thinking she has had £100 jeans and, if she bought the wood, the bunnies would be happier. Life is too short Rianne and you allow yourself to be in angst if you do not rise above the behaviour of an ex wife. You cannot alter her, however much she is being unreasonable, but you can alter the effect she has on you. If you wait for her to purchase the wood and mesh, or feel there is a principle here and she should do it, the bunnies will suffer. You can fix this problem with a run

I doubt the RSPCA will go in and see two bunnies in a hutch and make her purchase a run. They would have to prove that she isn't letting the bunnies out in the garden for a supervised run about and that would be impossible. Again, the dog is another matter.
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thankyou for them kind words raine, i will tell my OH to ring his children when he gets in from the drs, and ask him to tell them that he will make their bunnies a run this weekend if they help him.

and i am sorry, but i have to agree to disagree with mandy(see i agree but don't agree!!! :roll: awkward!) basically his ex should not buy pets she can't look after herself/pay for becasue relying on her ex to do it, when she is full time work....and her ex is unemplyed through losing his job, and just about putting food on the table for us all (toddler and baby) (whilst i am at college later in yr and he tried to get a part time job) making it his/our responsibility is hardly fair.
you may as wel say the dog is our responsibilty too??? we should have got a chance to say NO to the pets then if it is up to my OH too!!! :roll:
i really want to call the rspca out about the dog, but at the same time i have not seen it myself, but my OH has and he says it is very bad. :evil: why didnt he call them?....because he is the sort of person to shy away from probs as he is slightly worried she may find out and his children will hate him. :? it is a very hard one.
is there a phone number for the RSPCA which is not the main line? or should i (i don't think i will be allowed.... :shock: ) jusr ring the main line?

***by the way don't think i am snapping back at anybody as i do appreciate your replies but i just sometimes think, the problems with forums, is that people sometimes don't quite explain themselves properl (i.e me) and others have not been in a situation similar so it can be hard to relate***
 
Hi Rianne
I'm sorry I didnt explain myself very well- I didnt mean your OH should cover the costs etc, more the childrens attitude to the care of the rabbits- ie) both parents are responsible for their children's behaviour and they should teach them that the animals deserve better in terms of cleaning them out, excercise etc.

Sorry I didnt mean to upset you, I appreciate that its a difficult situation. I'm not sure about the RSPCA :? It could cause major problems between relationships but its not right for him to not have treatment :?

I think whatever happens the ex is probably going to have a problem with you saying anything, so perhaps your OH could talk to her about the situation?
mandyx
 
awww thats ok mandy, i understand!! it can be frustrating for everybody to be honest, even for you as you are powerless, as i am :roll: ok i will speak to him tonight, i hope it doesnt cause an argument but there is nothing else i can do. what should isay to him?
"you need to ring up *** tonight or the boys and explain that the animals need to be treated properly or you will have no choice but to get a animal welfare officer involved"??
 
I wonder if you could invite the kids round to yours to see how your bunns are kept and treated? Then maybe give them a little list of how often to clean out/feed etc?

Doesn't help the dog though :cry: Did you say it is not their dog?
 
well they come here over other weekend so they know how ours are kept, but it doesn't seem to make a difference to them. :roll:

well apparantly the dog is from a rescue centre but it is under their mum/s friends name although it has lived with the boys n their mum ever since it was picked fron rescue centre and apparantly their mum's friend can't afford the treatment either....also the dog will be staying with them forever and not actually ever live with their mum's friend. i thinl, basically, it is there dog. i just wish i knew where they got it from as i don't think it is fair that the rescue centre think the dog is living with someone else and also that the dog is suffering, regardless of what they say. i have told the boys that rescue centres have a duty of care for the dog, still and can do random checks whenever they choose. :roll:
someone else could own that dog, someone that will look after her and pay her vet bills....i am just so infuriated about it :evil:
see, she has told the boys the vet said it is ok as it is not blocking her airways yet....i thought a vet would say it is best treated to prevent it blocking the airways, personally :evil:
but she is also a woman that refued to take their rabbit to the vets when he had very bad mites, and so he died. :cry:
 
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