Sorry to hear this, DP. I do sympathise with the customer side of things, having worked in animal related retail jobs. I remember countless times when we'd have a batch of fish delivered that weren't right and had to be taken off sale, being constantly informed we had sick fish and should do something about it (it's a wonder any of us were aware, what with a sign on the tank saying off sale and undergoing treatment plus lights on the individual tank off!) to the point as staff, we really felt these would be better off view, while our highers said they didn't want to appear to be 'hiding anything'. One of my friends worked in the small animal department, and she was very very good. But she got the same - countless crappy comments about the animals having 'no food' - 'because hay was bedding NOT food' :roll:
It sounds as if in this case, they are choosing the 'easy option' - at a cost to the buns. If they are selling rabbits, as a 'reputable' seller, they should be committed to welfare & the correct husbandry, and changing attitudes of the public which leads to (and encourages) this EXACT kind of thing. It's their duty to change attitudes! Our shop had pond fish (including the humble common goldfish) outdoors in the pond section and none in tanks indoors, in an effort to discourage people from viewing them as childrens pets for horrendously small tanks. We'd still get countless requests for a goldfish from the outdoor section, and when they had kids in tow, immediately knew what it was for. When asked the size of their pond, they'd say it was a bowl, or small tank. Of course we'd refuse. We did have a problem with a fellow member of staff selling them for indoor small tanks despite being told not to. We caught him in the act a couple of times and reported it.
One day, a couple with their kids came in wanting to replace the goldfish that had died. When asked how big the tank was - it was 30 litres, and they'd been sold two - from my colleague!!
I had to refuse the sale and explain why. I of course offered a refund but they gave me a load of abuse because of my colleague. I told them I would report it to manager and get him to contact them if they liked, and I was taking it seriously as it was indeed a problem for staff and customer alike. But the damage was done.
I guess my point is - if someones buys a rabbit from them and it becomes sick etc because of the wrong diet, this place will be held responsible by the customer.They need to think of this too. I can't tell you how much abuse I've suffered at the hands of customers in trying to do the right thing, so I do understand. I'm talking daily - name calling, swore at etc because I wouldn't sell fish that were too big for their tanks. I remained strong until I finished, but I was not well by the end of it.
