22 Rabbits!

piningforarabbit said:

where in the country are you ?

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leeds x

I’d wonder if it’d be possible to take on this litter, then seek assistance from rescues yourself? It sounds like the first port of call is to get as many rabbits out of there, so they don’t continue to multiply. If the owner is reluctant to give them up to rescues, I’d be tempted to accept the litter, then seek to pass them onto rescue as fast as possible. Tell the owner you rehires them, if need be.

7 rabbits is an awful lot to get vaccinated and neutered in due course, if finance is tight. At least a rescue would have the means to do this, and either way the rabbits will still be rehomed.

Bellatrix15 said:

leeds x

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I am in hampshire

I have lots of empty hutches and other bits that I am willing to donate if you need help

Depending on timing, I could probably deliver them in a week or twos time

I think the hutches are bluebell hideaways...will need some light washing + assembling, but all the previous tenants are still hopping around and recently checked for EC...they got upgraded accomodation

capable said:

I’d wonder if it’d be possible to take on this litter, then seek assistance from rescues yourself? It sounds like the first port of call is to get as many rabbits out of there, so they don’t continue to multiply. If the owner is reluctant to give them up to rescues, I’d be tempted to accept the litter, then seek to pass them onto rescue as fast as possible. Tell the owner you rehires them, if need be.

7 rabbits is an awful lot to get vaccinated and neutered in due course, if finance is tight. At least a rescue would have the means to do this, and either way the rabbits will still be rehomed.

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Yes this is exactly what I'm trying to do... all the rescues seem so full though it's going to be difficult. My aim is to get as many as I can and separate them and get them rehomed/rescued as soon as I can. It's just the vaccinating and neutering is going to be impossible for me money wise. But she wouldn't be doing that either ��

piningforarabbit said:

I am in hampshire

I have lots of empty hutches and other bits that I am willing to donate if you need help

Depending on timing, I could probably deliver them in a week or twos time

I think the hutches are bluebell hideaways...will need some light washing + assembling, but all the previous tenants are still hopping around and recently checked for EC...they got upgraded accomodation

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Thank you so much, that is so kind. That would honestly be so amazing and help so much, especially if you could deliver them.

Does anybody know of anywhere around Leeds where I could them sexed accurately for free? Vets are refusing to do it for free

Hi
im one of the rescues you have contacted by e mail .

after reading more info on this thread i urge you that perhaps the best course of action would be to report her to the rspca . you can request not to be named .

if you take these babies and mum you are still leaving enough that the situation could explode into a hundred rabbits in a few months .

you are setting yourself up for a huge amount of expense and heartache .
rehoming is very slow at this time of year anyhow and if you cant neuter and vaccinate then rehoming to strangers is not a good idea .

lastly if she has so many rabbits in such a small place and bad conditions some could have health problems . you say a couple have died ? i would would be extremely worried about the risk to your rabbits especialy with regards to vhd2

Bellatrix15 said:

Does anybody know of anywhere around Leeds where I could them sexed accurately for free? Vets are refusing to do it for free

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As has already been advised, as it’s seemingly an error by PAH that has caused all this, I would be going back to them for financial assistance/veterinary costs etc. Otherwise the situation could get much, much worse if your friend isn’t being proactive.

bunnymadhouse said:

Hi
im one of the rescues you have contacted by e mail .

after reading more info on this thread i urge you that perhaps the best course of action would be to report her to the rspca . you can request not to be named .

if you take these babies and mum you are still leaving enough that the situation could explode into a hundred rabbits in a few months .

you are setting yourself up for a huge amount of expense and heartache .
rehoming is very slow at this time of year anyhow and if you cant neuter and vaccinate then rehoming to strangers is not a good idea .

lastly if she has so many rabbits in such a small place and bad conditions some could have health problems . you say a couple have died ? i would would be extremely worried about the risk to your rabbits especialy with regards to vhd2

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I cross posted but I agree with this :thumb:

bunnymadhouse said:

Hi
im one of the rescues you have contacted by e mail .

after reading more info on this thread i urge you that perhaps the best course of action would be to report her to the rspca . you can request not to be named .

if you take these babies and mum you are still leaving enough that the situation could explode into a hundred rabbits in a few months .

you are setting yourself up for a huge amount of expense and heartache .
rehoming is very slow at this time of year anyhow and if you cant neuter and vaccinate then rehoming to strangers is not a good idea .

lastly if she has so many rabbits in such a small place and bad conditions some could have health problems . you say a couple have died ? i would would be extremely worried about the risk to your rabbits especialy with regards to vhd2

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I would really really love to report her to RSPCA but she would 100% know it was me and I am so worried about her being 9 months pregnant and she has already got health problems and extremely stressed with no support...

I am sure the only deaths have been very young babies and I think that is due to her not looking after them properly in terms of heat and chill and also the mums being so young. All the adults seem healthy.

I realise that I will have to ensure that if I rehome to anyone directly I would have to have full trust that they would vaccinate and neuter.

Zoobec said:

As has already been advised, as it’s seemingly an error by PAH that has caused all this, I would be going back to them for financial assistance/veterinary costs etc. Otherwise the situation could get much, much worse if your friend isn’t being proactive.

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She has already been to pets at home with the first round of babies and they sexed the (wrongly) and she really pushed for financial help etc but they completely refused and they only offered to take them to be rehomed but they had babies again before that could happen and now she's stuck again. I will definitely push this again though.

I also really feel bad about them going for the rehoming in pets at home as the cages are so small and I feel like they just let anyone with no idea take them. But I think it's probably better than nothing at this point

How do we prepare for this ? Do you have space ? Do we need to get a rescue involved too ...especially to get help sexing ?

I also have loads of puppy pen panels

Wondering also about the remaining bunnies with your friend...perhaps we can get her to give those up too ?

How much are the vets asking to sex the rabbits? I would have assumed it's only a consultation fee &, if so, then I'm really concerned that you will be getting out of your depth very quickly by taking so many on with such limited funds and, as you've said you have mh issues, you also need to think of yourself and how the strain could affect you.

If you can find rescue back up that's great but it would be best to do that before you take them on. Don't forget too that rescues are often run by individuals..... some are lucky enough to have charity status & have fundraising income but often all the expenses come out of the rescue person's own pocket. So it's not necessarily the case that rescues can easily afford to neuter & vaccinate, but they do it as a necessity.

I agree with bunnymadhouse that the best course of action would probably be to report to the RSPCA; I'm sure you're not the only person who knows how many rabbits she has & how she's struggling.

It's worth speaking to pets at home to see if anything can be done but I honestly think that the situation has gone on for too long for them to be held responsible for the situation as it is now.

I know you feel as though doing something is better than leaving them where they are but I have to be honest (sorry) and say that it doesn't sound like the situation will be much better if you take them. With rabbits still living with this woman, there is also still the potential for them to multiply & you have no way of knowing when/if you will be in a position to take on the remainder. It is very tough but sometimes we need to know our own limits and stick to them - rescues have to do the same thing on a daily basis & I'm sure are constantly turning people away. If it was a bunny or two, I wouldn't be so concerned but this is a huge number.

Any rescues in Leeds able to help... At least with sexing?

There are a number of Facebook groups that help with taking rabbits to rescues that have space.
I really don’t think you should take these on. I Foster rabbits for a rescue but only take them when I know there is rescue back up. My first 2 fosters I had, one got ill and it cost £400 and he still died. I was lucky that the rescue group helped me with the bill.
I really think you should talk to the rspca, you may find it’s actually a relief for your friend as it’s probably really stressful for her too. If you want help with posting onto one of the rescue groups, let me know x

CometLucy195 said:

There are a number of Facebook groups that help with taking rabbits to rescues that have space.
I really don’t think you should take these on. I Foster rabbits for a rescue but only take them when I know there is rescue back up. My first 2 fosters I had, one got ill and it cost £400 and he still died. I was lucky that the rescue group helped me with the bill.
I really think you should talk to the rspca, you may find it’s actually a relief for your friend as it’s probably really stressful for her too. If you want help with posting onto one of the rescue groups, let me know x

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Hi there :wave:

I was thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were doing?

I agree, if even one of the rabbits became ill when with you, the vet bills can quickly run up.

I really think that you need to consider some of the good advice that has been given already. You could end up so far over your head with this.

Have to agree with Karen that although Pets at Home mis-sexed them originally, the situation has gone way beyond unfortunately.

Definitely be wary of taking on too much yourself, although I do understand you wanting to help.

Would a rescue be willing to sex them? I have know idea if they'd do this for a fee / donation (perhaps less than the vets!?) x

Here's a massive update. I will answer any questions asked here instead of replying separately.

So I went last night. She has I think 3 pairs of rabbits (some have 1 neutered, I think one is a boy boy) and she seemed very confident that these have been together for a long time and no babies have happened. I couldn't argue with her on this (she was very defensive and also was incredibly difficult to get any information out of at all.. incredibly frustrating). There were 2 adult boys separate. I left her with all these.

I felt I had absolutely no choice but to take the two litters and mums. There was no way she had the space to separate or money or care to neuter or spay. This had to stop and this was the only way.

The 5 youngest ones and mum are very quiet but I have seen all babies and mum drink water and nibble at food so I'm not too worried. The older ones couldn't possibly be happier. They are all binkying and going crazy but not skittish. Just incredibly happy to have so much space! The mum is very hormonal and has been have spurts of time of humping and chasing the babies. Over night when I can't keep an eye on them I put the mum in a XL dog crate which was perfect as babies can crawl under and easily get in to her when they want and also get away when they want when she is being too much. I think this is also helping them become more independent for when I will be separating them soon. The older babies are showing no current hormonal behaviour.

One vet has offered to sex the older litter of 6 rabbits for £26. I have very kindly been offered a donation of £40 from someone on another group. This will go a good way to getting all 11 sexed and separated.

Regarding P@H, I feel like it's too far gone for them to help in any way.

I have a few people who are already interested in rehoming. They seem rabbit savvy and the fact that they specifically want to rescue rather than buy gives me hope! Please could you advice me on the right questions to ask and things to say to make sure they are suitable? I can think of lots of things but don't want to miss anything and would love tips on how to do this properly.

I have more than enough space and donated cages at the moment for them but will likely continue to need more cages/hutches/runs as I begin to separate. I've tried to attach a picture of their current set up but I will make it even better today for them and move the bed out the corner so they have more space.

Any other advice or tips would be helpful. I know you all just want the best for me and the rabbits and I appreciate all your concerns. I am so so determined to make this work.