Do you correct/give unsolicited advice to other rabbit owners?

[Crunchie]

I've not really been in a situation where I've had to.

I do talks for children on animals and the environment though and sometimes I talk to them about pet care. I did one in a public library in the summer and on taking Roly round for the kids to give him a wee clap this one blasted woman shouted out some kind of smart contradiction to damn near everything I said about rabbit welfare.

Like I asked the kids if rabbits were easy to keep or were they a lot of work. The kids all shouted "lots of work" she shouted "easy" like really loudly. I also asked the kids if rabbits liked to live on their own or with a friend. Given they had all seen I had two they all managed to put 2 and 2 together. However wonder woman shouted out that it's best just to have one. I said that rabbits live with other rabbits in the wild and do prefer to live with a rabbity friend. She then shouted out that sometimes they can't have a friend. At this point I gave up.

She obviously had a single rabbit herself and was feeling a bit defensive about the fact she wasn't caring for the poor thing as well as I was advising everyone.

I then took great delight in telling the kids that a shed was a better home for a rabbit than a hutch, that a rabbit needs injections 3 times a year and they can cost a lot of money at the vet if they get ill. I then asked the kids to guess how much of a bill Honey ran up when she had a sore tummy. I could see the woman getting a bit scared as I was going "nope it was more than £100... nope higher than £200... yeah it was £400 and she had to stay in the vet for 4 days".:lol:

 

[Nicola1]

When I got the girls the woman who had been ringing around rescues about them turned up on my doorstep (no idea where she got my address :shock and gave me a load of patronising advice, e.g. to use Excel pellets and 'oh I've just found out rabbits can't eat too many carrots apparently'. After I talked to her for a couple of minutes she just went 'oh you're a rabbit person!' and stopped patronising me quite so much :lol: She asked if she could come around and see them sometimes but she never has. But I guess that's why I don't give people advice without being asked, I don't want to seem patronising.

 

[bensonlola]

I was in Wilkinson's today, and the guy behind me on the checkout was buying two bags of Wilko's own brand rabbit mix. I opened my mouth to say something about pellets then realised he'd probably think I was really rude and we'd end up holding up the queue. Do you say something when you see somebody doing something you know is 'bad'?

Yes!! Yes I do!! Very nicely of course, but I do none the less - can't keep my mouth shut!! :lol:

 

[karen354]

I have given advice only when I saw a mum buying 2 buns(male & female) and buying a 3ft hutch :shock:

Not usually on food unless I know the person.. I use Allen and Page for my buns but a month or so ago I went and bought a museli mix for my poorly bun, he went mad for it and it got him eating.

 

[chelle]

I will def. hover about if someone is planning on buying a rabbit or looking at bits to buy....then somehow join in the conversation! or they end up asking me for advice after hearing me ask the shop assisstant something they usally dont know....it works sometimes to give others an opening to talk to you....if Im not sure I always say ask a vet and refer to Royal vet college of surgeoons...or ask where they live & try rec. a rescue or tell them about RU.
Its amazing what people have asked...but Im just glad with my new found knowledge that i can share it...there is so much more ot learn but its nice to feel that you have helped.
I dont know loads...but the basics which are not shown in shops of bunny care is something we can all pass on...

 

[BattleKat]

generally I don't give advice because I think people who genuinely care about the animals will find out in their own time and people who don't really care won't pay a blind bit of attention/may get very rude.

It depends on the situation though.
I suggested to a lady who was debating what hutch to get that she get a 6ft one because that's RSPCA minimum and pointed out a specific one that looked easy to connect to a run. That kind of thing I think is ok because you seem helpful rather than patronising or offensive.

One time I told someone how expensive rabbits can be after they said to someone else about the huge initial cost of rabbits/good job it's a cheap pet type of thing and they basically told me I was being ridiculous, rabbits don't need jabs and if it gets ill you just tell the kids it ran away and get a new one. It made me feel worse than if I'd never said anything.
So that really taught me to judge the situation before you say anything rather than just jumping in.


on a side note; I feed my rabbits muesli and I don't see a problem with it (fibre comes from hay, given the right quantities rabbits don't selective feed) so if someone just came up to me and told me I shouldn't I'd probably give them an ear full tbh. It annoys me enough on here, let alone in real life :lol:

 

[trufflebun]

I do but nicely, most people seem to listen.. Usually start off by saying " O i use to feed that but iv found something that is much better for them" I havnt but it tends to get them on your side

 

[SarahP]

The more I have thought about this the more wrong I think it is to be the rabbit police - particularly over food . Who decided that pellet food was healthy for rabbits anyway? In my view there is far too much debate to decide I am right and others are wrong. The person who tackles the muesli feeding person might feed a big bowl of pellets a day, whereas the muesli person might feed a tiny amount and have a perfectly healthy rabbit.

 

[happysaz133]

In that situation I think would if I thought it would benefit them in some way. I don't think rabbit mix in itself is a problem, some experienced bun-owners on here use it.

That's my opinion too. Food, not so much a problem, as some do well on mix.

If I saw someone buying a 3ft PAH hutch for 2 rabbits, I would say something, because clearly that's not right.

 

[Isis]

I wouldn't give advice to strangers, because I haven't got the confidence to. But I do give advice to people that I know. A new person recently started at work and she recently lost one of her buns , she then started talking about how she can never keep rabbits as they always keep dying on her (I nearly said, why keep them then?) The one she lost was only a year old. I asked her what she said, she fed them on... She said pellets, greens... I asked her how much hay, she said I give them hay, but not all the time!!! She did not realise rabbits need to eat hay every day!!! Why keep an animal, if you don't learn how to care for them!!

 

[Heather&Bart-MyLittleBuns]

I don't mainly because I'm 14, and come on what are the chances of any adult listening to some random kid who's trying to tell them whats best for their rabbit :lol:

But I don't think anyone can ever judge a person just like that! You never know they could be buying a 3ft hutch as a little shelter to go in their massive shed

 

[sdf76]

I wouldn't give advice about food, as some rabbits are given mix as a treat or because they are poorly and it tempts them to eat-(I have done this with mine in the past).
I probably would give advice if I thought someone was going to buy a small hutch in a shop though, but would do it in friendly chat about rabbits, way.

For online, I simply say -hey- there's a really good rabbit forum called Rabbits United., then its up to them.
sue:wave:

 

[Jazzy B Bunny]

I have to say, that I do yes

 

[rabswood]

Yep I do it all the time in a chatty friendly way though wether they are buying something bad or not. I just engage them in rabbit chat and pass on advice.

 

[katie2000]

I was in the pet shop on friday and I overhead a customer telling the lady that her male rabbit had become so aggressive and territorial and she couldn't handle it or pick it up from the hutch.....the lady told her the only option was to put a towel over its head :shock: and grab it this way - poor thing

I was so annoyed and wanted to tell the customer that her bun most likely needed to be neutered but I didn't dare because would've probably come out really aggressive. I just had to leave the shop but I wish i had been brave enough to say something

 

[RampantRabbits]

Yes I do,I care passionately about bunnies and when Im in the vets with one of mine and people say they wish theirs were as friendly,I then get onto the subject of how they are kept and what sociable animals they are and try to put people on the right track

My friend asked me that once! she had brought her guinea pigs round because she "got bored with them, and their hair was too long" and we brought the rabbits in.
She told me that she cant handle her rabbit without it drawing blood somehow :shock::shock:
Also...before she brought the guinea pigs round, shed already been to pets at home and bought 2 rabbits to fill their hutch!! :shock: :evil:

I might say something, it depends on the situation. I once found myself explaining to a family that they should buy 2 guinea pigs because they are sociable and like company and that the run they chose was too small!
They got another guinea pig but they still took the run. I also found myself preaching to my mums friend that her bunnys should have a run and not be in the hutch 24/7. Mum shouted at me for that one saying that "you cant keep dogs and bark yourself". OK, so i didnt have a run for my buns at the time, but i was working on it! they had free range of the garden untill they kept escaping, and when mum wasnt around, they were always in the hosue :lol:

ETA: They have a big 6x4 run now, and still come and play in my room

 

[DemiS]

I don't say things directly to people, I prefer to loudly talk about the subject to the person I'm with

 

[WeeBarraxO]

me & OH are forever giving advice to people , have changed a good few bunnies life through it to