HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[3crazybuns]

 Ok… So I’m a COMPLETE SUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I was at a pet store today, because I was told they sell Oxbow… and they do… anyway I stopped to look at the bunnies, they had some cute dutch, and then over in the corner by him/her self was a cute little lop! I was talking to it, and petting it, and all the sudden one of the guys that worked there came over and said, “excuse me” and grabbed it up. I said “ohhh is someone buying it?” he said “No, we need to feed the snake!” 

Well….while I understand that snakes need to eat…I COULDN’T let them feed him/her to the snake!!!!!!!! So I said “NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW MUCH?!?!?!?!” At that point I was so startled and so upset I probably would have drained my account to get him!!!! My husband on the other side of the store has NO idea what I’m doing… by the way!!!! When he see’s me a the register holding a bunny he then comes over and goes “WHAT are you DOING?!  (I explained on the way home, and he was ok then)

So now for my questions:

Can anyone give me a educated estimate as to how old he/she is? Would it be ok, when Kizzy comes home to put them together for a short while? and also he tends to hold 1 ear up and 1 ear down… is that just him or is it common. (its SOOOOO cute!!!)

Forgive me forgive me!!!! I can’t believe I did this. I can’t believe I’m going to have 3 rabbits!!!! HAHAHAHA  errrrrr

 

OH…and if anyone has any idea of breed that would be good to know… and help with a name too!!! 

[Sarita]

Well, unfortunately they are going to find another rabbit to feed the snake…not sure how old she is but she’s not too old.

I do have to wonder if they were really going to feed her to the snake…it would have to be a pretty large snake and I’m not a snake expert but I think that they have special frozen mice, etc…that they actually feed to snakes. Know we do have some snake people on the forum so maybe they can enlighten us.

[3crazybuns]

I know they would find something else, I understand that they have to eat too, but i couldn’t let them do that! Even if they weren’t going to feed him for real, thats what he said, in all honesty I don’t think they need to be doing that while there are customers in the store, what if I were I kid? Would he have said the same thing? I don’t know, either way, he will never be snake food, he will be with us forever, loved, and well cared for!!! We have also decided on the name “Oliver” So now we will have Oreo, Oliver and Kizzy! =)

[Deleted User]

I really like Oliver’s coat color. I bet your husband will take care of buying the Oxbow next time? It can be hard for me too to go to a pet store where they sell live animalls, especially when the little creatures look like they are not well. However, make sure you set yourself a limit as to how many you can care for and stick to that.

That ear thing sounds pretty cute!

[jerseygirl]

Something about it stinks! I know you can’t name a particular store but was it one of the Petco or Petsmart chain? (Reason I ask is they’re supposed to be in an adoption program with shelters.) Anyway, the fact he came and got the particular one you were petting… Seems a sure way to make a sale. I would be looking into reporting the employee or the store itself. Something seems really off in the practice of supposedly feeding one or their sale stock to another…

Now that’s off my chest I can say I’m happy you have the newbie! At first glance he is alot like Rumball (he’s a agouti mini lop). Oliver appears shorter in the face though so perhaps a holland lop? How old and how much does he weigh?
Welcome Oliver!

[Adalaide]

Oh my gosh, how adorable! I’ll agree that it sounds like a guy found a sure way to make a sale. I can’t imagive for a second that someone would actually feed a bunny to a snake. If anyone has ever heard of such a moster, please don’t enlighten me. Freya is a mini lop and since she’s still really little her ears are rather amusing still. Usually one is mostly up and the other is sticking almost straight sideways, sometimes they’ll both be sticking straight out, think flying nun. I guess maybe that’s normal for babies. The moron who sold her says she’s about 7 weeks old right now, and she’s a bit larger than a standard roll of toilet paper when she’s curled up in a little bunny ball. I’m guessing the vet is gonna tell me she’s closer to 2 1/2 to 3 months which is fine by me. The sooner we get spayed, the happier I’ll be. He/she sure is beuatiful, and the ears look much like Freya’s, how cute. I understand why you were so horrified, lucky you to have such an understanding husband. My husband would probably have driven me home bawling, of course I am really really not up to a second bunny but I wouldn’t have cared. Good luck!!!

[3crazybuns]

you know the more I thought about it, and my husband too, the more I thought the same thing… “just working on a sale” Well… it worked, this isn’t a chain pet store, it was a locally owned one, they had all kinds of exotic critters in there, to include one extremely large snake, so at that time, when he said it, I immediately thought of that snake!!! My husband is VERY understand, one of the reasons I love him so much?

I wish I knew how old he is, and how much he weighs. I found a diagram of female and male bunny parts and so I “THINK” he is a he! Can anyone tell me if it would be ok to put him and Kizzy in the same cage? Kizzy will be home next week or the week after. THANKS!

[RabbitPam]

I definitely think the salesman said that to get the effect he achieved. I am with jersey, in that I would politely call the pet store, ask to speak to the owner, and tell them what happened. It is very uncalled for, and could actually damage the shop’s reputation if an employee is using that as a tactic. You might mention that, while you adore this little bunny, you really can’t bring yourself, or have your friends, continue to shop there knowing they feed their little pets for sale to the snake. You don’t need to take it back, but see how the owner reacts.

That said, it looks like you have an adorable bunny and a great husband.
I would not house them together at first. Take a look at the Bonding section on the site and start off slowly. There are some tried and true methods for getting new bunnies to live together that will be helpful in the long run for your fuzzy gang.

[Adalaide]

I know nothing about having them hang out together. One is more than enough for me for now, she’s a real little terror sometimes. Is he named yet? His ears look just like Freya’s, like I said, maybe lops all lop at the same rate or age? Maybe I’m also incredibly naive in thinking the world is that easy. Anyway, if ears lop at about the same rate or age on all breeds, I’ll let you know for sure if I’m right on Freya’s age since I’m not quite sure. We’ll know Thursday afternoon. By the way, Freya plays with her ears, maybe he will too, it’s the cutest thing ever.

[RabbitPam]

Oliver reminds me of MimzMum’s bunny, Mimzy.

How does Freya play with her ears? Sometimes they’re actually giving themselves a bath, which is why you never have to bathe them. They are self-cleaning bunnies!

[MooBunnay]

I probably would have done the exact same thing! I think that hearing that a bunny is going to be fed to a snake just puts us bunny people into rescue mode.

As far as putting your bunnies together, I wouldn’t do anything related to that until you are able to get Oliver to the vet for a check-up and to figure out for she what gender he is. Then, I would recommend introducing them in the same way that is recommending for bonding, that way, you can get them off to the best start possible to hopefully bond them together. I have found in my experience that the younger bunnies are easier to bond, so hopefully that will be true in this situation as well.

[Elrohwen]

Lop’s ears all lop at different rates, depending on genetics. My holland lop had fully lopped ears by the time he was 4 weeks or so (at least that’s what it looks like in pictures), but I know some lops can take 6 months or more to fully lop. Oliver may be a holland lop, or he may be a mix; his ears might even stay that way permanently, which would be super cute.

I agree with others that the whole thing sounds fishy and I would definitely report the employee, but I’m glad you were able to give the little guy a loving home. I’d love to see more pics. Oh, and I would definitely avoid housing him with your new baby girl. Even though she’ll probably be too young to get preganant, you don’t want to risk having baby bunnies running around.

[Adalaide]

To answer your question about her ears. I’ve seen her washing her ears, but it’s different when she plays with them. She’ll tip her head like she’s going to clean her ears, but then she’ll just bat at it and let it flop around. It’s really cute.

[3crazybuns]

 I’m calling our vet for Oreo tomorrow morning, and hopefully taking Oliver in to be checked out, and double check the sex. I’m almost positive he is a boy… I’m actually hoping he’s a boy. Not because I want to breed, but just because he looks like an Oliver and I would be crushed to have to change his name. LOL Anyway, here are some more pictures of him! He’s adjusting well, he was lounging this afternoon in the breeze from the window, he’s pretty scared though when I open the cage, so he retreats to his little box I made him, I was hoping it would help him feel secure, apparently it does!

 

[Beka27]

What a precious bunny! Like the others said, I would definitely be talking to the owner regarding this employee. First of all, I don’t think they would be feeding the “for sale” bunnies to the snakes. That definitely sounds fishy. Secondly, there was no reason for him to blatantly say that… even if it were true. If you could have thought more clearly in that moment, your response could’ve been, “COOL! Can I watch?!” and maybe then he’d realize his mistake.

I would not house the two babies together until you have sex confirmation ON BOTH. They can reproduce so quickly and at such a young age, that it’s too risky. I think Oliver looks older than 8 weeks, at least from the pic. The vet might be able to give you a better estimate.

[MimzMum]

lolz…Whether the clerk was telling the truth or not, that would’ve made the sale for me too. Not that anyone would’ve had to twist my arm even that much for such an adorable bunny! ^_^
What cheek though! *hmph* I think the guy should be taken out in public and flogged with a wet carrot. >.<

I just have to say, congratulations on your new friend! How adorable! More pix! More pix! ^_^

[3crazybuns]

Thank you all for the help! My husband is going to call the pet store on Monday… I was going to do it, but we will let the Army man do it! LOL =) Honestly, I really don’t know what I was thinking, I acted in the Moment, which is SOOO unlike me, I’m a super planner, I don’t like being caught of guard, and I have to have everything lined up and in order WEEKS in advance… I guess thats what happens when your an Army Wife. Either way.. Oliver is safe, and in a good and loving home where he will be treated like a king! =)

[jerseygirl]

 

*hmph* I think the guy should be taken out in public and flogged with a wet carrot. >.< 

 MM, you’re cracking me up lately!

Sarah, Oliver certainly appears an agouti colouring. he’s what I’d imagine a young Rumball would have looked like before he grew his rolls! 

Well I hope your husband doesn’t come across as “disgruntled husband who’s wife acquired another bunny”. It’s really about a what the guy said. I think any customer would find it distressing to hear of a live feed happening while the store is open. I also understand the snake needs to be fed but there are humane ways. Even if the Employer assures they don’t do live feeds the fact is the guy still said it to a customer!

Hope your husband it successful in putting a stop to this!  Do report back what happens!! 

[MD]

Wow, if that employee was actually going to feed a rabbit to a snake, it makes me wonder how heartless that employee or employer are, if that was the employer’s orders. Perhaps this man was trying to get himself fired, if not? I read your account and was horrified. If I knew of a pet store chain that did this, I would certainly stop my patronage, and would also consider going to a local newspaper to report on this pet store’s procedures. I’ve been to both Petco and Petsmart, and in all my visits, I have never encountered savvy employees looking to make a sale. On the contrary, I usually have to twist an arm to get an employee to help me–finding one is just as hard. Because of that, I seriously doubt that man was trying to make a sale by telling you that the bunny was to be snake food. I was also under the impression that pet store snakes were fed rats–and dead ones at that–not live rabbits that are on display for adoption.

I’m curious to know if you’ve found out who manages the store or who is the manager’s boss? There’s got to be someone who thinks this whole situation was wrong and this employee’s behavior was uncalled for. I’d like to personally slap that guy. The idea of killing domestic rabbits or feeding them to pet store snakes, that really makes me mad. Even if he was joking about it, giving a customer the impression that a pet store is cruel towards domestic rabbits should get him fired–and if that was the employer’s idea, I think the business should be reported.

[3crazybuns]

My husband tried to call this morning, but they don’t open until 10am, so he’s going to call when he comes home for lunch. This was a local pet store, not a chain. I was trying to find my receipt, to see if it had the name of the sales person on it. But I think I threw it away already. Either way I know what day I was in there, and I also know what he looks like. I’m very upset, I told Michael I’m just going to continue to order from BB.com. I never want to set foot in that store again! My first impression was good, they are a very clean store, and well organized. Unfortunately their sales tactics leave a lot to be desired. I wish I would have been thinking clearly at that time. I guess my fear instincts took over, and all I could think about was getting that poor bunny out of there!!!!

I have a question for you ladies… Since I’m really unsure of his age at this point, I’m guessing 8-10 weeks, Should I even been attempting at this point to feed him any type of veggies? Or just stick to pellet and hay? His poops like really healthy, and regular. He’s also VERY active!!! LOL HOW CUTE!!!

[TARM]

That snake would have had to have been HUGE. Pet stores do feed live. Usually the snakes are only big enough to eat pinkies or small mice. Very seldom is there a snake big enough to eat even a small rat. In every pet store that sells reptiles I’ve ever been in they put the snake and the “food” in a brown paper bag at feeding time, partly so the customers don’t freak out and partly because the snakes are so young they need to learn how to catch the prey.

I’m 99.5% sure Oliver was not going to be eaten, unless a customer called and requested a rabbit to feed their pet snake. In that case…Oliver is safe but one of the other bunnies probably wasn’t.

Congrats on the cutest addition to your family though!

[3crazybuns]

I don’t know exactly how big it was, I’m no snake expert, but he was pretty darn big! I really don’t think they where going to feed him either, now that I have my head on straight! LOL I will let you know what the outcome of Michael’s phone call is. Thanks!

[RabbitPam]

I’m glad to hear your husband is calling, and want to hear what was said to him.

As for the little guy, I think it’s time to impulse buy a camcorder so I can see those ears being played with! He sounds just adorable. Thanks for the new pix. Keep them coming.

I would feel free to start on small amounts of gentle greens, like green leaf lettuce. Never feed iceberg, but dark greens are OK for bunnies. A little sprig of mint can be used as a treat. You will find your bunny has a taste more for some things than others. Just introduce greens slowly, like only two kinds for the first 2 weeks or more. Than a little taste here and there of treats. Mostly keep the pellets and Hay, hay, hay the mainstay. You’ll find the time flies by anyway, and he’ll be wanting a filled salad bowl in no time.

[KytKattin]

So cute! I’m sure that he will live a very happy life with you! You know, they tend to charge more for ‘pet’ rabbits, so one option is to just say “Hey, my snake needs something to eat” and the rabbit is suddenly $10 instead of $40. I know, it’s deceptive, but so was the pet store.

WARNING: Talk of snakes below!

And yes, there are some snakes that do need to eat something as large as a rabbit (people can keep anacondas as pets, among other large snakes). An option for those who keep them is of course chickens (or roosters since there are so many ), or humanely killed frozen. Yes, some snakes don’t eat frozen but I do not that that would be the majority if people took the time to train them.

Anyways, on a lighter subject; you will have a trio of bonded rabbits? You will have a lot of fun with that!

[3crazybuns]

 Well, Michael (hubs) called the pet store today, he actually talked to the Owner. He gave him the description of the person who told me he was feeding the rabbit to the snake, and told him what he did. The Owner sincerely apologized to Michael, and reassured him that, that is NOT how he conducts business in his store. He does feed his snake live food, but NOT bunnies, and NOT his sales stock! He offered to take the bunny back and give a full refund, but Michael told him that we love Oliver, and have no intentions of returning him.  Instead the owner ( I believe he said his name was Bill???) is giving us 2/15 LBS bags of Oxbow bunny food, and 4 large bags of oxbow hay!!!  He told Michael again how sorry he was, and he is willing to PERSONALLY drive them down here to us!!! (we live 32 miles from the store!) He was very upset at this associate and told Michael that he will “take care” of him, and he hopes that we will continue to shop with them in the future. –Personally I haven’t decided on that yet. I obviously now know he wouldn’t have been, or at least shouldn’t have been fed to the snake, and that he is probably going to be fired. None the less it was a horrible experience for me, and I have a hard time finding myself going back in there. We will see, unfortunately they are the ONLY store within 50 miles that sells Oxbow, but with my 2 bags of food, and 4 bags of hay, I don’t think I will be needing any, anytime soon so maybe I will be ok going back in a few months!

 

So to end this horrible weekend, we came out okay! Oliver is the sweetest little guy, and we are glad we have him, re-guard less of how we got him, or why! 

[Beka27]

Wow! That is how you provide good customer service! B/c he is trying to make things “right” with you, I would not stop shopping there altogether, at least not until you found another Oxbow location, preferably ones where they did not sell animals at all. I know sometimes you have to make compromises in terms of where you get your supplies…

[3crazybuns]

 HAHAHAHA!!!! Beka your very right…it’s obvious I don’t need to go into a store with animals… Although I will say I can usually go in and NOT have that problem, simply because I know we have a houseful, and we have to watch ourselves because at any given moment we could be called upon for foster. I was really shocked…and ALSO very impressed! Michael was so excited about the food. He knows how much I LOVE Oxbow, and also how much it costs! I figured he would give us a gift card for like $10, or shoot, even just apologize at best, but he wants his customers happy apparently, it is refreshing I will say to see customer service done the right way!

[MD]

Thank goodness you got were able to speak to the owner and find out about the real policies of this pet shop. Regarding snake food: depending on the size, snakes can technically eat anything they want to eat, so why not feed it some raw chicken, beef, or pork from the supermarket? I know that wild rabbits are prey animals, but domestic rabbits technically share the same status as pet dogs or cats, plus, the snake wouldn’t know the difference–food is food to the snake. So in this case, you could make the argument that this employee could just as well have grabbed a puppy or kitten to feed to the snake–which would horrify just about anyone.  I’m worried that rabbits are being treated inhumanely because some people don’t think they are as important as dogs or cats.

In any case, I’m glad this situation got resolved. I’d say that employee needs a serious lecturing on proper store procedures, to say the least. I’m sorry you had to go through the whole ordeal with that employee, but I’m glad you like the new bunny. I’m sure you’ve given him a great home.

[BunnyLiz]

O im jealous! You got a new bunny and a whole bunch a free oxbow, cant get much better then that lol! Just kidding, im sure it was nerve wrecking. But im with Beka, I would continue to shop there because he is trying to make it right and values his customers.

[jerseygirl]

Good outcome, and peace of mind that the store doesn’t engage in suspect practices. Many of us would have done the same, just taken the bunny on the spot. Even if the tatic didn’t work it would have been worth reporting. It’s an emotionally upsetting to the customer.
Call me paranoid but will you be picking up the oxbow products from the store? Me, I would do it that way rather than give an address and have them delivered. Only because I wouldn’t want a disgruntled employee (possibly one given their notice) having access to my address…but that’s just me – paranoid!

[3crazybuns]

Well he’s delivering them tomorrow, but we live in a gated community, so the guard calls up when people come asking to come to our home, so no worries there. Thanks though! =)

[RabbitPam]

Oh, I’m so glad to hear the owner’s offer. I didn’t want to suggest it this morning, but it did cross my mind that he might offer to take back Oliver and give you a refund. I was pretty sure that as a small business he wasn’t interested in losing a customer or his reputation. I bet it’s not the first infraction with this particular employee. I am impressed with the free food instead. It’s the awful employee you need to watch out for, especially if he gets fired.

I would agree with Beka that it would be nice to return in a few months for more supplies. But just in case, I’d send your husband.

[3crazybuns]

Got our food& hay yesterday! I think we will be good for quite sometime. He was very nice, and chatted with us awhile, he told us that this is the 3rd complaint he has gotten from this particular employee doing things like this to customers, one was even a kid about 8 years old. I told him he was lucky it wasn’t one of my kids, and it was me, because not only would we still have Oliver, but I would have probably hit him!!! I told him that I take things like that seriously, especially with animals, ALL of my crew are rescues in some way or another. All the way down to my hermit crabs and turtle. We assured him we would continue to shop with him, and how much I appreciate him making things right.

–Side note: The employee is un-employed! =)

[Beka27]

I’m glad the outcome was positive for you. If you need any help with the baby(ies) let us know. They can be more “difficult” than adult buns….

[MimzMum]

Jeez, I’m surprised the employee wasn’t booted at the first complaint, depending on what it was. What cheek! >.<

SO glad everything worked out for the best though….now you know what I’m going to say….

More pictures….PLEEEEZ! ^_^

[Author]

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