Lone Bunny

[OhBellaBunBun]

I went to the petstore yesterday to get Bun’s pellets. A rabbit has been there for months! I feel so terrible for him, and he’s getting big, and I worry no one will adopt him.

Please talk me out of it.

[Beka27]

You only have one bunny now right? And she’s spayed already?

If so, you could purchase him from the store with the eventual goal of bonding to your rabbit, but you’d need two separate habitats/supplies/exercise times until after he is neutered and healed for a month. Then, you would be ready to go thru the bonding process, which could take weeks, months, or… in extreme cases, they may never bond and would have to live separately forever. As long as you are committing to him forever regardless of whether they bond, it is up to you to make the decision to buy him.

All costs are doubled with a second bun, double the food, litter, hay, and vet costs (including his neuter). If this is something you can manage, it sounds like he does need a home.

[OhBellaBunBun]

What do these stores do with rabbits that aren’t getting adopted? I’m afraid to ask.

I’m terrified of the idea of my female rabbit (spayed) not getting along well with him. It would cause stress to her that I don’t want to impose. I know that adopting from a rescue would be best so that she could meet other buns and kind of pick out who she likes best.

Idk, my heart is crushed for him, worried for him, but also for her and the entire experience. Idk what will happen to him if I don’t adopt him. What if no one else does either?

[Beka27]

I don’t know what will happen. Is this a chain petstore or a privately owned store? All you can do is ask. They may return him to the bunny breeder he came from and then they do… whatever with him… they may keep him there but “mark him down” quite a bit. They’re spending money feeding and providing litter for him, and they are not getting anything back, so they don’t want him to stick around long.

Adopting from a rescue is best in my opinion. Even if you don’t do bunny dates, you save a rabbit and open the space for another bunny to be saved. It’s tempting to want to “rescue” this rabbit from an uncertain fate tho. I wouldn’t fault you if you decided to take him home. And rescuing a rabbit after bunny dates does not guarantee an easy bond either.

A side note: fortunately with the internet, I never have to step foot into a petstore for hay or pellets ever again. The best way to avoid this type of temptation and possible heartbreak is to not enter into the situation at all. I’d recommend you examine your options.

[Sarita]

The problem with pet stores is that it’s a cycle – the next rabbit they replace him with and they will replace him will have the same fate and you’ll go back and the same thing will happen.

Like Beka, I totally stay away from pet stores for this reason. I don’t like feeling guilty due to some store’s policy of selling animals. I agree that you should adopt from a rescue – there are plenty of rabbits out there dumped at shelters that need a second chance too.

If you can find a store that doesn’t sell rabbits to shop at, sounds like it would be best for you :~) or a local rescue.

[Stickerbunny]

I always feel bad for animals when I go to pet stores – but I know if I buy one, it’ll just be replaced by 1-2 more since the demand was there they’ll up supply and it’s a never ending cycle.

[longhairmike]

one time years ago when we were picking up litter at petland, the employee that knew us asked if we wanted 2 male bunnies for free,, they were already several months old and no one wanted them anymore. couldnt do it though

[OhBellaBunBun]

This is a local petstore. Sometimes they don’t even have rabbits. It’s not like the other stores where they have new rounds every week or so. Honestly, I didn’t plan on getting a rabbit from a pet store ever. It’s actually how I got my first rabbit though, and from the same place. I know it’s terrible. I will never go into a pet store again because I can’t handle how upset it makes me. I used to go to visit the bunnies, give them love and all until they were adopted. That was fine, they would always get adopted after a while at least, and their rabbits are never tiny.

I know that this pet store gets rabbits from one breeder that they’ve used for nine years. I talked to the manager about this a while ago when we found out the rabbit I adopted from them was already spayed. I’m not sure, but I’m beginning to wonder if their rabbits may come from someone who breeds show rabbits. It’s possible that these rabbits are those that would not do well in show and are surrendered to them. I’m not sure…

This isn’t a yucky pet store either, they will take in abandoned pets, some of them being adopted by the owners themselves. They actually do have a cat who lives at the shop during the day and goes home with one of the girls at night. The owner also brings his dog in. So anyway, friendly place. And aside from the rabbit I’m talking to you guys about, they currently have no other rabbits.

I still don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s weighing heavily on my heart. And like I said, I will never return to a pet store after this. My boyfriend will either have to pick up the items or I’ll order online.

He’s already on my mind, in my heart, and I just don’t know that I can turn away. It’s killing me. And I worry over what may happen to him.

[OhBellaBunBun]

Beka, what does “mark him down” mean?

[OhBellaBunBun]

Also, he is a rex rabbit, and my bun is a dutch. I’m seriously trying not to adopt him. It’s just very hard.

[Monkeybun]

“mark him down’ as in, lower his price drastically to get people to buy him.

[OhBellaBunBun]

Oh, I see. He’s been the same price the entire time.

I know absolutely every reason why I shouldn’t adopt him. It is aiding in the cycle. It’s my heart that I’m trying to convince… Out of sight out of mind currently does not apply.

[RabbitPam]

You might ask your boyfriend to go in and ask the owner what happens to their animals if they don’t get adopted. How long do they stay? Where do they go? I think you cannot ask yourself unless you’re prepared to take him home that minute because the owner will lay it on thick knowing you want him. You want the truth if he can find out.

Also, you might ask your local shelter if they are familiar with this particular pet store, and if you were to take this bunny but the bonding didn’t go well, would they take him? A local shelter would know if they get many bunnies that become abandoned by people who bought pets from there, or if they are not at all familiar, never heard complaints, etc. which is better.

I say this not to convince you to get him, but many of us have succumbed to a particular bunny that we “shouldn’t” have, and sometimes it works out. And sometimes it doesn’t. So if you can either rest easy knowing that he will be fine if you don’t “rescue” him from his long stay at the pet shop, you’ll know that you are just deeply concerned, not in love with him as a pet of your own. If you still want him even if he will be safe, then I would assess your situation regarding the cost, logistics, and work of bonding. And what to do if it didn’t work out. He really, really needs a forever home, so it would be best for him to have someone make a commitment. Knowing the facts may help you sort out how you feel and whether you really are in a position to take him on. I know I’m not exactly talking you out of getting him here, and I should be, but I feel your connection to him and am not convinced it would be all that bad. Just get information and think it through. (And sometimes when you don’t expect it, you go in to find he’s just left for a new home with someone else.)

[Beka27]

I would also ask how they acquired him. Maybe he was a bun that someone dumped off? Since the petstore doesn’t have an endless cycle of rabbits, that makes me think it’s more likely he was left there. OR… if they had buns at Easter time, maybe he was leftover from that.

[LittlePuffyTail]

That is very hard to deal with. I’ve been in that situation many times. All bunnies are so adorable and it’s so hard to see a sad looking bunny in the pet store.

That’s how Olivia came to live with me. She was in a tiny glass box with an eye infection. She was an older bunny so I offered them $10.00 and brought her home. At the time I was contemplating getting a rescue rabbit so I think it was fate.

I never go into stores that sell animals now. Even if you only buy supplies you are still supporting the store.

[OhBellaBunBun]

Hey everyone. Good news, someone ELSE adopted him <3 I was so excited when I went in to get him to find that someone else must have felt the same way as me. I hoping so anyway… So happy ending, and I'll adopt a rescue rabbit one day instead. I will also never go into another store that sells animals. It's hard because I do like to visit them, to give them love from time to time. My boyfriend was disappointed that we didn't get him lol

[LittlePuffyTail]

Well I’m glad he found a home.

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