Infant bunnies in a local pet shop..

[Nova]

 I went into my local Pet supplies Plus yesterday to look for a heavier ceramic water bowl for my Noms. But when I walked past the buns I saw an infant rabbit, standing in his footd dish trying to eat those huge pellets. My heart sunk. I asked a million questions to three different employees and their superiors, no one knew anything about the baby bun – age, gender, breed (they tried to say it was labeled as a “mini lop” and was 6 weeks old, but it looked like a dwarf hotot and about 4 weeks old or younger and who knows how long he’s been there), no idea where it came from or anything.. 

So today I contacted a local rabbit rescue and sent them a photo of the baby bun. He had crusts in his eyes, they were somewhat bloodshot.. and he was very thin and frail. He had some mushy poos in his cage and from what I could see he had dried mucous encrusted with food pellet crumbs on his nose.

I KNOW  that buns weaned too young cannot develop a proper immune system from lack of their mothers milk, so I was sure this bun was sick andneeded antibiotics.

The rabbit rescue woman told me to get him and take care of him until tomorrow where she will pick him up. I offered to foster the bun and she was all for it but I’m afraid of getting attached.

 

I did, even though that’s perpetuating the pet mills, I couldnt sit idly by and let this baby bunny die in there.

I have him all set up in a nice sized cage from one of my former buns. He is soooo tiny. He fell asleep in my arms and i thought he died! He’s so frail!

But..anyway.. As I walked out I heard the one irresponsible employee say “Ok let’s go get the rest of the rabbits from the back and put them out”

 

I went back in – they did. I think they have an entire infant litter – well, two very tiny ones and another that does seem older and properly weaned – being displayed and handled and ready to be sold to some irresponsible person. I didnt see any signs of infection in them (yet) but they were having a hard time eating… because of their size…probably this bunny’s siblings.

I told the rabbit rescue and they said they probably didnt have enough money for them (they are $35 each)…..

 

dunno what to do. beside myself. Wish I didn’t find myself in sticky situations all the time!

 

[LBJ10]

Could it be that one of the rabbits at the store had babies and the store just decided to sell them? I know sometimes pet shops get some really young bunnies in, but that sounds REALLY young. Anyway, I have seen this a lot more in smaller pet stores where they “accidentally” have baby hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, etc. They usually don’t try to sell any of them until they are old enough, but the store you were at could just be extremely irresponsible (rather than just the normal irresponsible).

[lashkay]

Thank you for rescuing this little frail bunny, I know he or she will be in good hands with you and/or the shelter lady. My heart goes out to those other little ones at the pet shop, probably too little to leave their mother – who may or may not be there as well – and temporarily less fortunate than the little one you rescued. Don’t be hard on yourself for not being able to rescue the others. One can only do so much. You did a LOT in making a difference for this little frail bunny, now probably with a full tummy thanks to you, and you can give yourself a big hug for that. $35 is a lot. I paid $30 for my bunny I got from a responsible pet shop and that was back in 1992. My little Lash was well over 8 weeks though when her breeder brought her in and was used to eating good pellets. Making a difference in one bunny’s life and future is A LOT, maybe the shelter you are working with for this little one, will find a way to rescue the other 2, maybe not. Just focus on the welfare of this little one, like you are doing. We’ll say a prayer that the others will be all right, which they may. HUGS to you.

[bunnyfriend]

This is awful ): That little bunny is so lucky to be rescued by you. Did you tell the people at the pet store that they were too young? Maybe you could talk to the manager and convince him/her that it would be best for them to be with their mom or special care and attention. I just don’t understand how somebody could just not care for the sake of getting money ):

[Sam and Lady's Human]

That’s so sad, I would have had a few words. I wish there was someone you could call, isn’t it illegal to sell younger than 6 weeks?

[Nova]

Thank you for the support.

I hope it is illegal to sell younger than 6 wks because I met with the Rabbit Rescue owner tonight. I decided to keep the bunny because he perked up today and has been eating pellets and hay, drinking out of a water bowl, and is now pooping and peeing normally. His discharge from his nose also stopped, but I am still taking him to the vet tomorrow for a thorough checkup.

She said he looked about 4 weeks old (and he is a boy).

She said it was good that I keep him, so that first thing in the morning she is going to get some of the other baby buns… but doesn’tknow if she can afford all of them, so I am going to help her with the money.

She said she has gotten into shouting matches with that store because they often let animals die right there, they abuse them, and THEY had the audacity to file a lawsuit against *her* for harassment! So I am going to help her the best I can…

Right now I’m worried because the baby keeps trying to suckle on my hands and fingers. Should I try goat’s milk? He has teeth for sure and he has been eating pellets and hay (alfala pellets, gotta get him some alfalfa hay tomorrow – alfalfa is better for baby rabbits, the rabbit rescue owner says)
But I’m worried about him trying to suckle….

[Sam and Lady's Human]

He’s trying to suckle because he’s so young, poor thing. I’ve heard of people giving kitten milk replacer that’s sold at pet stores with a syringe once or twice a day. Let us know what the vet says! And I would love to see pics!

[Beka27]

Poor little guy. Thank you for getting him out of there.

Unfortunately, you’ve seen the cycle first-hand. As soon as one is bought, it is quickly replaced by more. I wonder what their reasoning is for keeping the others in the back… maybe so the OBVIOUSLY sick bunny would pull on someone’s heart-strings and get bought first, so the healthy ones could be brought out? They know what they’re doing. They know that an animal lover will see that bunny and not be able to leave without it. Did you try to talk them down in “price” at least?

[Sarita]

What I don’t understand is why the rescue doesn’t try to get someone with authority involved. Rescues should not pay for animals from pet stores ever…they can certainly negotiate with the owners to see if they will release them and make some kind of stipulation that they will not longer sell the animals (perhaps the rescue groups will concede to do adoption events) but buying an animal is wrong when you know the cycle continues.

It’s been awhile since I’ve contacted APHIS which is the “animal welfare” arm of the USDA but the time that I did (and this was about 10 years ago) they only regulated breeders for cats and dogs that had permits under the USDA to breed. Here’s the problem with many of these pet stores – they use local breeders who aren’t covered under USDA. The vet who replied said they were working on new laws concerning all animals but at that time, they did not have any.

[bullrider76543]

Have you called the aminal cruelty people? Aspca I think and report the abuse? I am sick of going into pet shops and the employees know nothing about the animals they sell, and dont even care.

[lashkay]

I would wait to hear what your vet says before giving him goat’s milk or kitten replaceer. There might be something better that the vet will know about. You might want to ask the vet about grinding up the pellets and mixing the powder with warm water and feeding him out of a nipple bottle made for infant pets. That way, he would be getting pellets but while able to suckle. I don’t know though, so please check with your vet.

[Nova]

Hi gang…

I don’t know why this rescue group bought the bun. I offered to buy one of the two baby buns but instead she just went up to that store and bought one of the two, told me the other looked healthy enough, though too young. Out of the two left there after I bought the first one, she bought the brown and white one which seemed very frail. The one left there is bothering me. I don’t know if she found out if they had others/more in the back, either. The one left there is in a cage with an older rabbit (which is better than it being alone like the one I have was…I guess) and is obviously my bunny’s sibling (they look identical).  I feel bad for both, but obviously this sibling of my bun is toooooo young.

Every time I ask the rescue owner if I could get the remaining bun from there, she kind of doesn’t give me an answer.

Should I contact somewhere else? APHIs? USDA? ASPCA? both? – I’m going to look into this now – your help would be awesome

The rabbit rescue said they are often flooding the store with complaints of abuse of all their animals and neglect.
I took photos on my phone of the two remaining babies (like I said the one was taken by the rabbit rescue…) I will post them tonight if I can figure out how – new phone. I really wish this rabbit rescue would get the remaining one… Even if I could help..and get the price down…or authorities involved.. but the rescue said they think he looks not as frail as the others. I just dont know because he is obviously my baby bun’s sibling.

I did try to talk to the store about the health of the bun in terms of price negotiation and they were little children running the store. Like 15 years old at most. They referred me to the store manage who seems to be on the defense a lot. He said if it’s sick they won’t sell it to me at all! They would just put antibiotics in the water bottle… that ALL the bunnies drink out of!

Little Baby is doing good.. He sees our new family vet on Weds. I haven’t decided on a permanent name yet. the vet “OK’d” crushing up the pellets but not milk yet. I had to go get alfalfa hay too (I usually use timothy). This vet, I researched real good – is an exotic pet vet that “specializes in and prefers” rabbits. It’s called Town and Country Veterinary Hospital in Howland, Ohio (about 40 min from me – I live in sharpsville PA).

Let me know what you guys think….about the remaining little baby bun.

[Sarita]

You should look for laws concerning animal welfare in the city, county, and state that the pet store is in to see if they’ve broken any laws. You should be able to look most of that up on line.

APHIS which is federal deals mainly with those licensed breeders for USDA.

[Tipsy Bunny]

If I can remember, I believe that it is actually illegal to sell young rabbits… I forgot the exact age. But in downtown Los Angeles you see this EVERYWHERE! Selling turtles smaller than 6 inches and selling extremely young rabbits.

Here is an article on the illegal selling of the unweaned baby rabbits and turtles on the LA streets.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/04/illegal-animal-sales-continue-in-las-fashion-district.html

[Tipsy Bunny]

http://www.petstoreabuse.com/laws.html

I am not sure what state you are in, but if you scroll down to Selling of Unweaned Animals, there are some states that prohibit the sale of rabbits under the age of 2 months!

[Sarita]

Good info Tipsy!  I found this link from the links you provided:

http://www.bornfreeusa.org/b4a1_petshoplaws_state.php

[Nova]

Thank you! 

Those links should be VERY helpful. I’ll read them in a min. 

I contacted the local humane society and while they do tend to extreme rabbit cases, they generally dismiss complaints about the pet store (they get so many, this is beyond me).  So I will likely contact a higher-up tomorrow. The rabbit rescue leader told me that she is unhappy with our local humane society at this time, and that she’s in the process of finding legal representation for all of her cases, not just pet shop stuff.

My job right now is to follow up on how this pet shop handles this case. I was able to obtain the last infant rabbit there and got him safely to the rescue but now the rescue is full, and I had words with the pet shop regarding why we bought up all of these baby bunnies.

They didn’t want to hear from me until I told them I am a former volnteer board director of an animal welfare group, which is true, but I haven’t volunteered for any animal welfare groups in about 5 years, but they did not need to know that! So they heard me out…. I gave them a little bit of a lecture on how rabbits who were weaned too early end up just like these ones, and I pointed out the infections in their eyes and nose. 

They were quite red-faced about it and told me that they recently got bought out by some other corporation, and their “distributor” changed…. they have no control over what they receive even when they order specific aged rabbits, but they will make a note on the invoice next time to make sure the rabbits are of a near-adult age. 

I told them that I will follow up with them in a week’s time to ensure that they do not display anymore infant rabbit litters, and they took me seriously, but we will see how it pans out. I also told them that if I see this again, I’ll have to take further action, nothing personal against them but it’s not okay and they SEEMED to understand.

 

In the case of these three infant rabbits, there will likely be a happy ending. The rabbit rescue team and I managed to save the last one there. So two are at the rescue shelter which is now full, and one is staying with me, 3 rabbits….wow.  We ensured none were left in the back.  There is an adolescent bun still at the pet shop, but he seemed healthy and ready to live with a family

 

I met a lot of special needs buns and abuse cases. *sigh* really, devastating.

 

Here are some photos!!!! I think you guys will do binkies over these *squee*

 

This one is my baby boy that I rescued! My fiance, Ryan, is holding him.

 

This is how his nose looked *after* I cleaned it up

 

This is the smallest one, the rabbit rescue managed to tangle with the pet shop to get him… He is also a baby boy, and this is the only pic I have of him, cause she rescued him early this morning – she just uploaded it to her Facebook with her phone. He was very congested and is now on antibiotics. He fits inthe palm of her hand.

 

This is the third and final infant bun from the pet shop, who looks very much like my little boy. You can see why I feel they are siblings. I didn’t get a chance to stay long enough at the shelter to find out what gender it was, but if I had to guess, probably a girl, considering these two were boys, but I of course could be wrong. Her eyes were especially ful of crud. Green crud. She is all cleaned up now. She is very timid. Again my fiance holding her.

These are her eye cruds… I tried to rub them off with a warm, wet Q-tip, but I didn’t get it all. The rabbit rescue was able to though.

 

 

 

[lashkay]

They are adorable! Thank you, thank you for rescuing them – you’re fantastic!! They look like they will be all right, now that they are in your good hands. I said a prayer that all the infants would be okay. ‘Some’body must have heard it! Thanks for the pics, I feel much better now and I’m sure you do.

[RabbitPam]

I think it’s wonderful that you rescued him and have taken on a cause dear to your heart.
What does concern me is the approach the Rescue person you met with has taken. If she is being called out for Harassment, then she is not handling it in a proper way legally, and I don’t want to see you get in the middle of that. Also, she shouldn’t have to buy their animals – that fosters the baby mill as you just saw.

I believe each town has, or has a nearby city, with Animal Control. It’s a department of your local town government where an officer has the job of helping animals, picking up those who have been hurt or killed, and investigating abuse or harmful conditions. You want to contact THEM to get them to investigate and watch this particular pet store. They’re the police with the right to take legal action, the Rescue is the depository where they can send the animals they help. In other words, the Rescue is the end of the process, but Animal Control is the beginning. I would go on your local city website and search for Animal Control, call them, and let them know what has been done so far. The last thiing you want is to have a pet store owner go after YOU for any trumped up charges that will cause you grief while they protect their business. The judgement of the Rescue head is questionable – don’t follow her lead down a battle road that will not help. Go the legal route and follow rules so you can really make a difference.

[Sarita]

I totally agree with Pam. Definitely read up on the laws that Tipsy posted and contact the correct agency for help.

[Tipsy Bunny]

Considering I havent found anything on the USDA website about a federal law regarding sale of unweaned rabbits, it must be a state thing. So go to your state’s agriculture department and check to see their legal age for animal sales. Because if your state does have a law regarding age for rabbits, you or the rescue, can definitely write them up and they can be fined big time or even shut down.

[avarismom1]

While I’m glad that these buns were saved all paying for them did was promote and condone the sale of infant rabbits. The rescue said loud and clear we want and will pay for smaller younger bunnies. I would expect to see more and more in that store from now on. While these 3 were saved it opened the floodgates for so many more to die.

Animal control should have been contacted at once. Then you should have loudly told the manager that they were sick and too young for legal sale. Telling and (and really doing) that you would be posting all over the internet and writing letters to EVERY newspaper around about their immoral and unethical if not illegal animal sale practices. Also the BBB should have been notified No one wants there business to look bad. THey may very well have taken the monetary loss to keep themselves free of bad publicity

[Sarita]

That’s very true aviarsmom and remember that it’s not just the baby rabbits who suffer, it’s the breeder rabbit who suffers as well. They are kept in small cages and just bred for convenience, it’s not a great life for a rabbit.

[avarismom1]

Sigh, poor mama’s I can’t even think about what they go through

[Nova]

Oh trust me…. I’m working on this.

Like I said, *my job* now is to make sure this doesn’t happen again. So, that means contacting animal welfare, and yes, going to the media. I already began contacting animal welfare

However I can’t do anything until I have it confirmed by a veterinarian that these babies were in fact sold too young. Once I have that documentation ON PAPER things will move nicely, and I’m even going to shoot for getting my money back. When we paid for these bunnies we did it with intentions of getting that money back…..

The vet appointments are tomorrow in the evening. I’l let you know how it goes from there but most f all I need this on paper that the buns were too young.

[Nova]

Vet appointment went well! The vet is a crazy rabbit lady like me xD she “prefers” to see rabbits while the other vets have their own specialty. I LOVE this place! They have a dog specialist, cat, horse vet, rodent/aviaries vet and of course the rabbit vet!

She said that baby bun’s (I think I might name him “Boon”) approximate age as of right *now* is between 5 and 6 weeks, which would put him around 4 weeks when I got him, and 3 weeks or less when the pet store received him and his sibs from Florida.

I’m taking the copy of her documentation to the animal control tomorrow and they can take it from there with the pet store, plus I’m going to try to get my money back. She (the vet) said she can’t comment on whether it’s right or wrong on paper (but absolutely agrees with my standpoint on the matter…) only that she can document the age as of *right now*.

Phenom is a confirmed gIRL!!! So daddy is happy that she is stil his little girl :p and I am too.

When I told her about my incident with Beau she seemed really at odds but she said they do intubate rabbits and only use the gas….both things Beau’s vet did not do RIP my Beau…

she said she wants to see the baby again in 6 weeks before we ever consider neutering him because he has a heart murmur… she said it’s very mild and will likely go away as he gets older tho

She also told me to not clean Phenom’s anal glands because it can cause further irritation? O.o

*binkies* I’m so glad I got validated…

[Tipsy Bunny]

Wow… 3 weeks? That is so young, poor little babies, no wonder they had the sniffles and the eye goopies! Theys all bedder now! So happy for them. and very happy you found a vet that you really like

[MimzMum]

I just saw the pix of your wee one and his sibs. Gosh what cuties! I just don’t see how anyone can look at those little eyes and only see dollar signs.
I agree that you want to protect yourself from libel suits, but at the same time, I applaud you for getting those little lives out of those horrid conditions. Bless you, it was a brave thing to do.

[Nova]

*sigh* So today was a watse of time. I could not get ahold of the cruelty officer for the local humane society, and the rabbit rescue swears up and down that this officer won’t do anything anyway (funny – in 2007 I was going to train for that same exact position in the humane society but instead fell ill with epilepsy)

My professors at my university do not know me on a very personal level – this is myfirst semester at this university. They will not comment.

I think my best bet is to call a lawyer, straight up, and ask him or one of his paralegals to research the laws regarding “unweaned” animals. Granted, the rabbit was technically “weaned” because he was (barely) chewing his food – but – the definition of unweaned, legally speaking is two very different things varying from state to State.

Here is what I will present to the lawyer that I confide in (they will only lend you so much of their time before they start charging you money for their advice) it is what Tipsy and others have recommended and I keep coming back 

to it in my research…

From
http://www.petstoreabuse.com/laws.html
(my state is PA)
“THE SALE OF UNWEANED ANIMALS
There are twenty-four states (AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, IL, IN, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, VA, WI) and D.C. which prohibit the sale of certain unweaned animals. Most apply to dogs and/or cats and require the animal to be at least 8 weeks old. (In Pennsylvania, dogs only have to be 7 weeks old to be imported into the state.)

Some states (CA, CO, IN, NH, NJ) and the District of Columbia also have laws regarding chickens, ducks, rabbits, goslings, and fowl – sometimes with an exception if they are sold in a group of twelve or more.

New Jersey prohibits anyone from selling rabbits, turtles, chicks, ducklings, other fowl, or chameleons under 2 months old if they fail to provide “proper” care for the animals. New Jersey has also prohibited the sale of ferrets under 8 weeks old and, in Colorado, it is illegal to sell guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits under four weeks old.

California is the first and only state to prohibit the sale of unweaned parrots. Weaning or ‘hand raising’ parrots is a very complicated and demanding process that should be left to experienced breeders. For more information, click here.

Many cities and counties also have regulations concerning the sale of unweaned animals. In Myrtle Beach, SC, “sales of unweaned, sick or diseased animals are prohibited”. In Anchorage and Juneau, Alaska, it is “unlawful to sell an unweaned horse, dog, cat, ferret or bird”.”

What do you guys think?

p.s. – The State the bunny was sold to me in is Pennsylvania (PA)

 

p.p.s – the brown and white bunny has a very congested upper respiratory infection but is on meds now (update from the rabbit rescue)

 

This will be in attempt to get my money back and they lose profit .. so will stay away from ordering or accepting baby bunnies in the future… :\

[Sarita]

Contact the Pennsylvania Dept of Agriculture.

[avarismom1]

contact animal control that is in the town that you purchased the rabbits from. The elected ACO needs to be notified.

[Nova]

Left two messages on the cruelty officer’s voicemail and one on the voicemail of the humane society that employs the cruelty officer – haven’t heard back yet.

Left 1 message with the local county’s appointed Veterinarian…. said she will be back in 1 hour.

ughhhh

[avarismom1]

Contact the Animal Control Agency that Covers
your Municipality:

Pittsburgh Animal Control: 412-255-2036
For the city of Pittsburgh

Monroeville Animal Control: 412-856-3355
Monroeville

West Deer Township Animal Control: 724-224-5291
West Deer Township

Upper St. Clair Animal Control: call 911
Castle Shannon, Dormont, Greentree, Mt. Lebanon, Scott
Twp, Upper St. Clair, Whitehall

Ferree Kennels: 412-672-6699
Baldwin, Braddock, Clairton City, Dravosburg, Duquesne,
East McKeesport, Elizabeth Boro, Elizabeth Twp, Forward
Twp, Glassport, Homestead Boro, Jefferson Boro, Liberty
Boro, Lincoln Boro, North Huntingdon, North Versailles
Twp, Pleasant Hills Boro, Portvue Boro, South Versailles,
Versailles Boro, West Elizabeth Boro, West Homestead Boro,
West Mifflin, Whitaker, White Oak

Triangle Pet Control: 412-771-7387
Aleppo Twp, Moon Twp, Aspinwall, Mount Oliver, Munhall,
Baldwin, Neville, Bell Acres, North Braddock, Bethel Park,
North Fayette Twp, Blawnox, O’Hara Twp, Braddock Hills,
Oakdale, Brentwood, Ohio Twp, Bridgeville, Carnegie,
Pennsbury Village, Chalfont, Pine Twp, Churchill, Pitcairn,
Collier Twp, Rankin Boro, Coraopolis, Reserver Twp,
Crafton, Richland Twp, Rosslyn Farms, Robinson Twp,
Edgeworth, Sewickley Heights, Emsworth, Shaler Twp,
Etna, Sharpsburg, Finley Twp, South Fayette Twp, Franklin
Park, South Park, Hampton Twp, Stowe Twp, Hanover
Twp, Swissvale, Hopewell Twp, Thornburg, Ingram, Turtle
Creek, Kennedy Twp, Leetsdale, West View, McCandless
Twp, Wilkinsburg, McKees Rocks, Millvale

Hoffman Kennels: 724-468-5505
Cheswick Boro, Oakmont Boro, Penn Hills, Plum Boro, Forest Hills Boro, Frazer Twp, Springdale Boro, Harmar Twp,
Tarentum, Harrison Twp, Fawn Twp, Indiana Twp, Verona
Boro, Wilkins Twp, Wilmerding Boro

[Nova]

avarismom,

There is no animal control or “Animal Control Agency” for the city of Hermitage, PA. I think I have mentioned this. There is the local pound and the humane society.
When I called the city of Hermitage’s municipal building they verified there was none, but I left a message with the Building and Inspection / Code Enforcement and Health dept for the city of Hermitage as well.

It’s frustrating right now, but I’m sure as time goes on someone will get back to me.

For right now, I can simply ask for my money back but I doubt I’ll get anywehre without some sort of official backup. It’s just frustrating that it is taking so much time. -_-

[Sarita]

If you look under the link that was posted you will see that the pet shops are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, so once again, I want to recommend that you contact them.

[Nova]

I did. They told me that they only deal with commercial livestock – more frustration, but – they did refer me to Attorney General’s appointed county veterinarian who I left messages for. So… I was def on the right track!
The assistant got back with me, took notes, and is going to contact the rabbit rescue to get their side of the story as well. She told me straight up, though, that they aren’t even going to begin to look into the case until Monday.

Code Enforcement for the city – dead end

Spoke with store manager again to follow up on what their supplier said – they said the supplier said it was the store’s fault for accepting the shipment.
Finger pointing.. lol
I told them I will likely stop by over the weekend and drop off the laws that they should consider if this happens again..he actually seemed thankful. the manager also gave me a phone number for the store’s corporate customer service line regarding any refunds. As expected, that particular store will only refund me if I return the animal. So I gotta find a way around that.

[Beka27]

Chain petstores have “higher-ups” to answer to, so I’m not surprised that they cannot refund your money on their end. They have to be able to account for all the money and “product”, including live animals. I would definitely contact corporate and start moving up the chain of command, expressing your concerns about the age and health status of the animals. I would also offer to fax health reports and your vet receipts.

[RabbitPam]

It’s a drop in the bucket, but if you’re dealing with a chain pet store, definitely lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and let them know that you have done so. They do keep records and rate businesses, even if the co. is not a member, and people use them to research companies, so it will be a record that may hit their pocketbook.

[Nova]

Hey guys – I’ve been super busy lately :\

But I have some great news!

The veterinarian’s office appointed by the PA Dept. of Agriculture investigated the pet store, stated the laws and ensured they would no longer sell baby rabbits. I’m assuming they talked to the same staff I did. They left a followup voicemail on my cell phone which I uploaded to YouTube. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to link to it, but if you do a youtube search on “pet store abuse – unweaned rabbits” you should be able to see the video.

I’m still on my own fightng for a refund with the corporate offices, but since I’m in contact with the officials and I have the health reports of the buns, I think I’ll have more than enough documentation for refunds. The rabbit rescue is extremely busy (they rescued 4 new stray buns) so I dunno if they will get refunded. I’m going to try and get them a refund, though – that $35 could be used towards vet care.

BTW – all the buns had coccidia and the smallest brown and white one had congestion in her lungs and an URI. poor babies. They are all being treated with meds. My bun didn’t even really show too many signs of it but occasional “clumpy” bowel movements. Which are not good.

I’m so glad I got somewhere…even if I don’t get my refund. But I’m not going to give up. *does a binky*

 

*edit: The humane society never even returned my call, as I suspected

[Sarita]

I thought you said the Pennsylvania Dept of Agriculture told you that they didn’t deal with this….

Nevertheless, it’s good it’s resolved.

[Nova]

To prove to you that I am not lying, I’m inviting you to call the PA Dept of Ag and ask them what they can do about unweaned rabbits in pet stores in PA. They will say that they only deal with commercial livestock, and then refer you to a veterinarian for the county in which the pet store is located. That veterinarian has to get the info and then report to the PA Dept of Ag, who then got back to me. I really wish you didn’t imply I was lying about that… it hurts my feelings..

[Sarita]

No, I did not imply you were lying. It was not clear to me in your posts about the process and the referral to the vet who is appointed by them – it was confusion on my part. The good thing is that now you know how the process works and you can pass the information on to the rabbit rescue so that if this problem arises again it can be dealt with by the proper authorities.

[Tipsy Bunny]

OMG! I just have to say, I saw the Bunny vs Printer video you uploaded of the little baby bunny you rescued… ADORABLE!!! Oh my gosh that thing is sooo happy and just freakin cute!

[RabbitPam]

You know, I think if they comply with their statement that they will not be selling any more baby bunnies (and both you and the vet are able to drop by anytime to see if it’s true) than you have accomplished a lot. These babies will be cared for now, but the breeder will have lost a major customer, and they will think twice before breaking any laws, so it has saved some poor babies’ lives by not being sold too soon or too sick, or stopped the harm to a young mother who was breeding too often. Good work. (I hope they give you back some $)

[Deleted User]

Thank you for stepping up and making a diference.  You did the right thing.  Is there a way for people who care to give money to help rescue bunnies?  I new to the forum.

[RabbitPam]

Bodie B,
In answer to your question: Yes! You need to search the web in your home town for Animal Rescue Shelters. You can try the House Rabbit Society’s website, http://www.rabbit.org, to find local vets listed who may know where a shelter is.
Or, you can do a search on Petfinder.com with your zip code and that will bring up lists of bunnies nearest to you. Via that list, you will see shelters and rescues that have bunnies available for adoption. They ALL need donations of money, supplies and sometimes volunteers. It is an underfunded area compared to dogs and cats, so your donation would be most welcome.

[Pandorachik]

Oh. My. Goodness! Poor things! So cute– You are amazing for rescuing them <3, ThankYou! ((Hugs!))

[Author]

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