A girl at school killed her rabbit and wants another one. What do I do?

[Maxie]

This girl in my class told me last month about her rabbit after finding out I have one. She neglected it for the year she had him and for the last few months did not feed him. Judging from what she told me I have no doubt that every aspect of care was horrifying. She told me how her rabbit was falling over when he stood and was just really really sick but she refused to give him away bc she would “miss him”. Long story short he gave up and died.

she then told me that she bought a single ferret “because it was cute” and gave it away 2 months later. (Also improper care but at least it survived.)

yesterday she was talking to her friends about wanting a new bunny and describing what colors/patterns she wants.

I got very upset and told her she shouldn’t get a new one if she abused her last one to death (I didn’t yell but I said it sternly and my face definitely showed my anger)

she got mad at me and I ended up moving seats because I was shaking so bad.

I don’t think she will listen to me but I really don’t want her to get another pet what can I do? (we are both teenagers but she is older than me) [edited by Moderator to remove exact ages]

[Tofu&pecan]

Unfortunately, as horrifying some people can be with how they care for their animals, there is nothing you can do.

If she wants a rabbit enough there are many sites (GumTree, Facebook etc…) where they don’t even check the living space of where the rabbit will be sleeping let alone if the person is adequate enough to give the living animal the care it needs.

I would suggest you put the person off by reminding them of how much work goes into having a rabbit and if all fails you can inform an animal welfare agency once the girl has got the rabbit.

[BZOO]

Yes, if she gets another, contact your local animal control and tell them you suspect abuse.  Depending on where you live, it might help, it might not, but it’s really all you can do.

 

[DanaNM]

This is very stressful, I’m sorry you are having to deal with this.

Sadly I agree that you probably cannot prevent her from getting one, but you may be able to help her take better care of it if she does. She also may just be saying she will get one and not actually go through with it… so hopefully that’s the case.

Sometimes it helps to start small… like encouraging her to give unlimited grass hay, or sharing some educational social media accounts (although that might encourage her more). It can be really hard not to get overly upset when you hear about neglect happening, so if that’s the case it can be best to just remove yourself from the situation (as you did already when you moved seats). We all care deeply about rabbit welfare, and one way to help improve the lives of rabbits is to help educate people on what proper rabbit care looks like. It can be overwhelming to try to address everything all at once, but the two things I think are best to start with are diet (unlimited hay, limited pellets are the most important to start with), and having some exercise time in a bunny-proofed room or run.

You are of course not obligated to do any of that, but if you find out she is in fact getting another rabbit, you might decide to. You could initiate the conversation by saying you were sorry for getting mad, and that you just care a lot about rabbits and want to help her take better care of the next one. If she blows you off then there really isn’t much you can do (aside from reporting to animal control as others have mentioned if you suspect very obvious neglect).

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

It really depends on where you live. Some states do not have very strict laws when it comes to pets, particularly small animals like rabbits. A lot of times, as long as the animals has food and water, there isn’t much animal control can do when suspected neglect is reported.

Sadly, I don’t think there is much you can do to prevent her from getting another rabbit. I do agree with the others though. You may be able to take baby steps with this girl and try to get her to make small improvements here and there. You will likely have better success with this approach since you are not “demanding” that she does a laundry list of things. You have to remember that not everyone views pets the same as we do. They don’t see rabbits as something that should be spoiled.

[BrownietheBunny]

I totally understand you, It’s very frustrating when you try to tell someone but they refuse to listen. Personally I think I would try to educate her on proper rabbit care. However, if she still refuses to listen, I would try to contact the parents and inform them about proper rabbit care, maybe the parents may be a bit more understanding and wise? It still disgusts me that there are people like that, a life is a life. It’s even more disgusting that the parents may even allow the child to get another rabbit, despite knowing she abused it.

[HT]

This is very frustrating. I agree with everyone who has replied so far. Definitely remind her how much work a rabbit is. I would also suggest reminding her that rabbits also have feelings and that neglecting a rabbit can make them depressed. I would hope that this girl would feel some sympathy and guilt knowing that neglecting her previous rabbit only caused consequences. Hopefully this knowledge will have her put more thought and research before getting pets.

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