Rabbits from Craig’s List? Yes or No?

[BunnyRabbitMania]

 

As I’ve been searching for my 2 future rabbits, I have been looking at rescues, petfinder, and shelters… with no luck! There are no bunnies I like near me! So, I went on craig’s list. Its really sad to see all of the breeders trying to sell there rabbits with pictures on there rabbits in small 2 by 2 cages with 4 or 5 3 month old mixed gender babies in them…. So, I kept clicking through, trying to find some that maybe someone couldn’t take care of and were kept in good conditions. I came across a Lionhead Female and a Siamese Holland Lop Male that were bonded and fixed. These rabbits were kept inside, (THANK GOD) and lived in a 2 by 4 (no shelves) hutch that appeared overdue and needed to be cleaned. I contacted the lady selling them, and asked how much the rabbits would be and for some more pictures and info. She replied saying they would be 20$ for the pair, and said she wasn’t sure if they had up-to-date shots but still wondered if I wanted them. As I fell in love with there pictures, I said yes, but still wanted more pictures and wanted to know more about their personalities. I just wanted to know what your opinion was on this

 

Thanks! Also, does anyone have name ideas for a Siamese Male Holland Lop? I can’t think of anything! (I know, thinking to far ahead)

*I did post this on another forum here but I didnt belong, don’t know how to delete it..*

 

[Zombie-Sue]

No like 90% of the time. Actually go meet the rabbits at the shelter, you might be surprised.

[tanlover14]

Where do you live?

Curious as here in the US, rabbits are not vaccinated or given shots. I know this is different in other countries though.

The decision is ultimately up to you, but I think there’s some things you should certainly think about before purchasing rabbits off CL. First off, you WILL need to get them into a vet to be looked at ASAP. To ensure they are in good health and such. Since you probably have no idea about their background and there’s no way to know if the lady is telling you correct information.

Have you ever had a rabbit before? If not, I would caution against getting yourself in over your head. Rabbits need to go to specific exotic rabbit-savvy vets (which are usually a bit more expensive than a normal dog/cat vet). They also have a series of illnesses that can be difficult to treat (and expensive). I don’t always mention this but in a CL case, you want to know you’re going to be fully prepared (mentally as well as physically) in case there IS something wrong with the bunny health-wise.

Has she given you any indication of what their behaviors are like? I’m assuming they’re both spayed and neutered since they live together but I would definitely make sure before purchasing as you don’t want to be the one to end up with an Oops litter unless you have the money to get the female spayed (and the pregnancy eliminated) right away.

[brianamonster]

If a person cannot give you specific information on the general health and history of the rabbit, I personally would feel hesitant. I will say though…the House Rabbit Society I frequent takes in many bunnies. Unfortunately, a lot of these bunnies come from bad situations where they were abused/neglected and may not look like the cute fluffy bunny everyone wants. However; after they get some much needed TLC, they are some of the sweetest bunnies a person could ask for. Of course, a rabbit’s history can affect its personality, but try not to let it’s current or past situations (and certainly looks) sway you! Meet the bunnies before you make a commitment so you can see for yourself how they mesh with you! You may find yourself loving a bunny you may not have otherwise, and giving it a life it may not have had! Good luck!

[calipa_st]

I got my rabbit from a rescue, so he was in foster care…the foster mom was also the main bunny lady (big rescue organization) so she knew about all the rabbits and just happened to have mine in her home. I had a couple in mind to meet, and got in contact with her to discuss the rabbits. I have two young kids, so I would not bring a skiddish or shy, or a rabbit that could not handle noise into my home. I wouldn’t want to do that to the rabbit. I needed a spunky personality rabbit, and got lucky.
I really think personality is important when it comes to rabbits, and I’ve read your past posts… I know that they will be in an outdoor “playhouse” thing? or will they be in the home with the family? I am confused since just a few days ago your father said you had to earn the money for the rabbit but you say you have the money for vet bills etc (heck, I have a credit card in case of emergency but hoping not to need it for Lucky!)

I would be wary of craigslist only because of what tanlover said, you do not know the history (unless the owner happens to have vet records or maybe their original adoption records?) and you don’t know the health of the rabbit. They may be trying to get rid of a sick rabbit.

[Sarita]

I deleted your other post in the Lounge – again, please only post your questions once – DO NOT POST the same questions in different sections. Be patient if you don’t get a response immediately – it may be that no one has an answer for you right away. Thank you :~)

[Tessie]

I agree that the issue is not knowing whether what you’re being told about the buns is true or not.
Would you be able to ask the person to provide proof of their neuter/spay from the vet? Maybe their other medical records too?
That’s the only thing I can think of.

Have you been to meet the rabbits?

[Deleted User]

Ummmm – now I’m totally confused? Sorry BRM, it could just be just me (I haven’t had my glass of wine yet – maybe I should, lol!), but didn’t I just reply to a couple of your forums recently? Not so much the very first one, but one of the latest, your dad said no to bunnies unless you sold stuff? Then you said you had money (?) and your dad said he will pay for the vet bills (?). You were after a name for a boy cause the girl had a name? This latest post, are you now after 2 different bunnies? Sorry have I confused you with someone else? – If so, I am sooooo sorry, cause I think your wonderful, wanting to be a bunny mum so bad. But if I’m right, how did you get your dad on board? (your a lucky girl!). And if you don’t mind me asking (I’m nosey, ha hah – just ask other BBer’s) you said you now have enough money, are you confident it’s enough? I only ask this cause I got caught out with my Henry, (embarrassingly more than once – my UNhappy hubby can verify that – doh!). Because you deleted a forum/posts, maybe you could repost and give us an update on where your actually at, so we can understand better (or ME – ha ha hah!). Thanks BRM.

[Deleted User]

Sorry BRM – my mistake, ‘you’ didn’t delete, but I’m sure I posted to your previous forum? Anyhow….. Hey I get that everyone is anti C/L and I so agree – to stop encouraging people trying to backyard breed for $! and offloading pets (that they shouldn’t have had in the first place) and get that everyone encourages adopting from shelter, but I can’t help but wonder – is getting a bun off C/L, especially one in desperate need of a better home still saving a bunny? I have no right to be asking/making suggestions (I don’t think we have C/L here, though I’m sure we have something simular which I don’t participate in) but I can’t help but think if someone wonderful doesn’t come along, what happens to these bunnies?
Anyhow BRM – what I really wanted to say…. If you do decide to buy off C/L – ‘please’ take your ‘DAD’ with you! Don’t go alone or even with a friend. C/L adds for cute bunnies – promise me you’ll take a BIG person with you. Cheers BRM, Henry’s mum.

[BunnyRabbitMania]

Yes, I did post on the other forum that I was getting them, and yes I got my dad on board, with my moms help. My dad has read most of these forums to understand how important things like this are. Now, he understands. I did find those bunnies above on Craig’s list and was asking for name ideas, which I was probably thinking to far ahead. Like looking at a house and deciding which room is yours before you buy it. I’ve been emailing the lady getting more info and the bunnies sound very healthy and they are fixed and have had shots but not sure if they are up to date. Adopting from shelters isn’t a option as I am trying to adopt 2 fixed bonded rabbits. Which these are. Anyways, I think this is ok. I feel like I am saving a life this way and I’ll see the bunnies before I take them home and I can always decide not to adopt them.

[Bam]

In my country we don’t have shelters for any other pets than cats, so if you want to actively search for a rabbit to rescue, you’d have to find it on our equiv. of CL. There’s a discussion on whether this is ok or not, mostly when it regards dogs. There’s the perspective of the individual and of “the big picture” to consider. If you rescue a discarded pet by buing it of CL, you kind of encourage people to take on pets they never should’ve got in the first place, but then again, you may save a pet from having an awful or just excruciatingly dull life.

I’d take on a CL bunny if I had to have a bunny, there are many bunnies that were bought for small children and then the children stopped being interested in their rabbits – but I don’t have the choice of shelter-rabbits, plus I’m grown up so I more or less know what I can afford in the foreseeable future by way of vet costs, insurance, vaccinations, quality food + I’ve a mother who willingly babysits my bunnies when I go away.

There may be a need for lots of patience with rabbits, I’ve learnt that from the two rabbits I have. They may not want to cuddle with you for a whole year, that’s how long it may take before they learn to trust you.

[Tessie]

Yes, I’m sure no-one’s trying to make you feel like you’re doing the wrong thing, we’re just trying to help

Actually, most shelters will only give bunnies when they are neutered and in a bonded pair.
But I’m assuming you’ve looked already – is there nothing suitable near you?

and haha, I know what you mean about naming the bunnies, it’s just too exciting, cant wait!

[Sarita]

Rabbits in the US do not need shots so I am not sure that you are being given good information on these rabbits.

[Beka27]

A bunny in need of a home needs a home, regardless of where they come from. For people in some areas, CL may be one of the only viable options. You do need to be careful meeting strangers from the Internet, but I assume your parents would be involved with the actual meeting. I also agree with the advice to have them examined at a rabbit vet soon after getting them home.

How did she come across these buns? Did she buy or adopt them? Did they come to her already neutered and bonded or did she do that herself? Why is she rehoming them?

[LBJ10]

Hold on a second, I replied to the other thread. From what it sounded, the OP had already gotten the rabbits. I guess this isn’t the case. =\

Okay, so you are looking at these rabbits on Craigslist but you haven’t officially agreed to adopt them yet. Just as long as we know what is going on because all of these threads have become quite confusing.

Well anyway, there is nothing “wrong” with adopting bunnies from Craigslist. You have to be careful though. You don’t know this person from a hole in the wall. So when you go with your parents to see the bunnies in person, you need to be armed with questions so you can feel comfortable that this person is at least being partially truthful. Why is she rehoming these bunnies? Did she really care for them? Are they really spayed/neutered? Ask her if she has vet records. You need to really ask her questions because she could be lying to you. If you do decide to take them, they would need to go to a vet ASAP just to make sure nothing is wrong with them. What makes me suspicious is the price. $20 for two bonded, spayed/neutered rabbits? That is worrying. Who is to say she won’t let someone looking for snake food buy them?

[Sindri]

I got both my rabbits off Craigslist. I am happy with my choice. I did look at local shelters near me but there wasn’t any bunnies. The only rabbit rescue in my state was far away. I got one of my rabbits from a farm and they were very informative and asked me lots of questions first and answered mine. My other rabbit came from a regular home where she was born and kept inside. This seller was also informative and had questions for me as well. I am glad that they seemed to care where the rabbits were going not just meet me here and they cost x amount of dollars. So I guess it can be a hit and miss type of experience. If you do decide to get these rabbits do ask all the questions like LBJ10 has mentioned and maybe more. Best of luck.

[BunnyRabbitMania]

Why is the lady rehoming them?::

The lady is rehoming the rabbits because she got a puppy and can’t spend enough time with them.

Are they really spayed::

The lady got them from another woman and the woman told her they had up to date shots and they were fixed. Most people on Craig’s list wanted unfixed rabbits so there’s no reason to lie about this.

I am pretty sure bunnies were I live have to get shots because even the rabbits at our shelters have up to date shots.

I am looking on Craig’s list because there is nothing at my shelters and the closetest rescue is 3hrs away.

[Sarita]

If you are in the US rabbits do not get shots for anything…in Australia and Great Britian, yes – but the US – nope.

I’m not sure that most people on Craigslist want unfixed rabbits…I’m not sure what they want but that seems like something you can know for sure…

[BunnyRabbitMania]

Well I think if I look “down there” I can tell if a male is fixed..

[Sarita]

Have you ever sexed a rabbit before?

[BunnyRabbitMania]

No, I haven’t but I googled it and I think I’ll be able to.

[MoveDiagonally]

Sarita makes a great point. Even people that sex rabbits a lot can and do often get it wrong. Determining gender is not straightforward.

[Sindri]

The best thing to do if you really want the rabbits is get them and take them into a vet that sees rabbits and have them give them a check up and sex them just to be certain. Its a good idea to have a vet check them out anyway.

[Sarita]

I really do not think that you are going to be able to sex just based on googling photos.

[calipa_st]

I am wondering what “shots” they have, since rabbits don’t get them in the US that I know of. I learned this from the rescue, and also took my guy to the vet (for nail clipping) and they told me the yearly check up if I want it, is just to make sure he’s healthy etc, no vaccinations.

Also, I have a neutered male rabbit and have never seen anything near his butt…so I have no clue if he’s a girl or a boy lol. I just took the informed rabbit rescue at face value (he was six months when they got him, and neutered him) so if they are spayed..I mean, I don’t even know what to look for and I do consider myself an informed rabbit owner..but I do not know how to determine the sex of a rabbit.

[tanlover14]

I’m going to just go out on a limb now that I have heard (and read) the other posts you have posted. I think you should go to a shelter closest to you and LOOK at some of the rescue bunnies. If you end up not making a connection with them, then maybe search around some more. I say this because:

1. This lady is not giving you adequate information if she says they have had their “shots”. Rabbits in the US do not get shots. I’m not saying she’s flat out lying (maybe she got the rabbit from someone else who lied to her?) BUT that’s a very large red flag. Considering it seems your parents have a lot to say about the rabbit you bring home…. I think you should REALLY think through this decision. AndHenry made a great point about rescuing bunnies from CL and whatnot (wouldn’t we all love to save them all? <3) BUT real rescuing can only be done by people who are adequately equipped to deal with these situations. I rescued a bunny from a pet store once (they told me she was healthy - and we let them lie to our faces because our concern was getting her out of there) BUT she ended up costing us a few hundred dollars dealing with some health issues she ended up having. (And a few hundred is what we paid while getting it ALL discounted through out local rabbit rescue). If you don't have a good $500 to spend on some unknown illness or infection, I really urge you to go to the rescue and see if you can find one that calls out to you instead. <br /> <br /> 2. I noticed you said you were specifically looking for a bonded pair. There is ALWAYS a chance that rabbits can become un-bonded. If this happens will you be able to house and care for two separate rabbits while at the same time doing bonding sessions with them each day? You really have NO idea how long they have been bonded, what their current relationship is REALLY like besides what she told you, etc. And without knowing this information it's really hard to determine whether they have a real bond or if their current situation has forced them together from stress and fear. To piggy back on what someone said in one of the earlier posts (can't remember who off the top of my head!) a lot of rescues have bonded pairs. Our rescue actually has a ton of bonded pairs but for some reason they are all listed separately. If you go down to check them out though, you will see they are bonded and can only be adopted together. <br /> <br /> I strongly, strongly urge you to check out a rescue! My sweetest rabbits have come from shelters and rescue situations. <br /> <br /> Also - Sarita is absolutely correct. You will not be able to sex or tell if the rabbits have been spayed/neutered by just "checking out down there". I know from experience (I attempted to do so once! <img src='/DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/BB_Theme//emoticons/wink.gif' align="absmiddle" border="0" />) <br /> <br />

[Zombie-Sue]

Lol, it can be difficult for the VET to tell if a rabbit is fixed.

[BunnyRabbitMania]

1. The lady bought the rabbits from another lady a year ago who said they had up to date shots. And Alot of the shelter rabbits in my area have up-to-date shots. also, I’ve already been to 3 shelters they have very few bunnies and they aren’t very friendly.

 

And I don’t like the fact that everyone is judging me! I CAN take care of a rabbit! JUST because I am a first time owner DOESN’T mean I don’t know how to take care of a rabbit. Everyone has to start somewhere right? You can’t be experienced until your first time!  So please! Stop saying that I can’t take care of a rescue rabbit or your trying to make sure I KNOW how to take care of a rabbit before I just delete my BinkyBunny account and go on another forum!

 

I do have the money to spend on vet bills as I HAVE been saving since a child. I have asked for bunnies since I was 5. Now (MOD EDIT), I think I can handle it!

 

As I hate to keep explaining, there are no rescues within 3 hours away!! Which my parents won’t take me to. Go ahead, say “Oh if you won’t drive 3 hrs your not a good person and you can’t own rabbits because you can’t drive 3 hours!”

 

Just stop! I Asked for help! Not TO

 

BE Criticized.

[LBJ10]

No one is criticizing you. We are simply concerned, that’s all. I can’t speak for the others, but I know I was a little lost after reading all your posts. I’m not saying it was your fault or anything. I was simply confused because first you were getting a rabbit, then you weren’t, and then you were and there was really no explanation in between so I didn’t know how you got there. So I apologize for being confused. I certainly didn’t mean to offend and it is my belief that no one else meant to offend you either.

As I said before, there is absolutely nothing “wrong” with adopting from Craiglist. If you adopt a rabbit or pair of rabbits from there, no one will think you are an awful person. Our only concern, and this would be for ANYONE, is that you make sure you ask this person plenty of questions. People on Craigslist are not always truthful, that is just how it is. It doesn’t mean you cannot adopt a rabbit from there. Just keep in mind that there are a lot of unknowns and you may not get all the answers from this person.

[MoveDiagonally]

I’m going to lock this post.

BunnyRabbitMania – I think you need to re-read what has been said to you so far because I think you are misunderstanding what people are saying. No one told you that you couldn’t take care of a rabbit they offered you advice and cautioned you against certain things because you asked the community questions.

I also edited your age out your response because as a minor you are not allowed to mention your age here.

[Author]

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