Pet shop Bunnies

[CookiesandCream]

So I was at my local pet shop picking up supplies and they had 4 adorable baby bunnies so of course I went over to them gave them a pat and cuddle and they were super friendly but I noticed they were rather bony and I’m not sure if it’s because they were just young but I could feel all their bones quite defined when I pat them, is this normal for a baby?

 I also noticed there were a lot of cecal looking poo and I didn’t see any normal bunny poop, they had a big dish of food, the not good stuff with lots of nuts etc do babies normally produce poop like that or is it more likely the stress from moving or a bad diet?

I feel like I should drop in and check on them in a few days but even if I thought they were unwell I would feel pretty stupid saying something to the store owners

Any advice or I am I worrying over nothing

[Usagi1618]

I adopted my baby cadbury from petco who partners up with MRCS (Minnesota Rabbit Companion Society) so I knew my baby was taken care of well and there was a volunteer from the society that would make sure care was up to code. My baby was 8 weeks and just weaned from him momma but he still felt pretty scrawny and had a lot of cecals. People alway recommend unlimited amounts of pellets to babies, which is why they have a lot of cecals, they either don’t know how to eat them all the way or they get really distracted. It can be too rich sometimes and stops with reduced pellets. I did not reduce my pellets for Cadbury until he had a little tummy on him and tolerated his cecals for a bit. When I reduced for him a little later on, the problem ceased. Baby bunnies are not born chubby, so they will feel small. I’m not sure which pet store you went to, but if you are truly concerned, you should ask them how they are taking care of the babies. And if they do not take your advice, then just call animal control or something for cruelty to baby bunnies.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

There are many things you can do-I would encourage doing all!

1) Never shop there again-vote with your dollars and only shop at stores that don’t sell live animals (many partner with rescues to adopt out animals)
2) Phone and ask to speak to the manager, and tell them you won’t shop there because they carry animals
3) Email the head office -you can find that on the website -and tell them why you won’t be shopping there, until they stop selling live animals
4) Write on the company Facebook page that you will not be shopping there until they stop selling live animals
5) If you think they were sick (it sounds like they are undernourished and getting the wrong food) you can report it to you local Humane Society or SPCA.

[CookiesandCream]

Thanks, they were in very clean pens with lots of room, toys and hidy places so I dont think they are being mistreated or neglected, I think just like a lot of people they just don’t the best food to give bunnies and they had only just got them so it’s not them that made them skinny or anything, I guess I was just worried about the food and extra cecals more than anything and it making them sick.

Kokaneeandkahula I don’t know of one place here that doesn’t sell live pets and I only go to this place because they donate 10% of profits to the local animal protection society. They don’t have a huge selection of animals, occasional rabbits/guinea pigs and fish and while I don’t like that they do sell them, I don’t have the choice to go somewhere else, they do screen there buyers too which is a lot more than most places. I might just give them an anonymous phone call tomorrow about the food and ask if they were aware it’s not that healthy for them and maybe they should switch

[Eepster]

Posted By CookiesandCream on 6/11/2014 10:25 PM

So I was at my local pet shop picking up supplies and they had 4 adorable baby bunnies so of course I went over to them gave them a pat and cuddle and they were super friendly but I noticed they were rather bony and I’m not sure if it’s because they were just young but I could feel all their bones quite defined when I pat them, is this normal for a baby?

 I also noticed there were a lot of cecal looking poo and I didn’t see any normal bunny poop, they had a big dish of food, the not good stuff with lots of nuts etc do babies normally produce poop like that or is it more likely the stress from moving or a bad diet?

I feel like I should drop in and check on them in a few days but even if I thought they were unwell I would feel pretty stupid saying something to the store owners

Any advice or I am I worrying over nothing

By the bolded, do you mean that the food they had was not good b/c it had nuts and stuff in it, or do you mean that they hadn’t gotten good food b/c good food should have nuts and other stuff in it?  

Pellets should just be plain pellets, so if that was what they were getting, it’s fine.

[LongEaredLions]

Do you they have hay? You could ask if they could atleast provide hay. They may be willing to do this and hay is the most important.

[CookiesandCream]

Yes they had plenty of hay and I was saying that they were giving them food with nuts etc which I know are unhealthy and wondered if this could have been contributing to the oversupply of cecals and no normal poop

[Beka27]

In guessing they just feed whatever food they sell. Junky good isn’t ideal of course, but if that’s what they get for now, while they’re at the pet store short term, it’s not going to cause major long-term issues into adulthood. As long as these types of food are available, people and stores will continue to feed it. You can speak with the store and ask if they can give a plain pellet, but they might not change. Or the food they provide might be dictated by the corporate offices if it is a chain store.

Regarding the buns being thin, this is normal at their age. They will fill out as they approach maturity. And even on adult rabbits, ribs should be able to be felt when petting. If you can’t feel any bones, the rabbit is overweight.

[Beka27]

Also, if these bunnies are uppy eared buns, and you only have your lop and that’s the only bunny you have had, uppy eared buns are generally leaner in stature than lops. Lops tend to look like round bowling balls… Lol!

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