rabbits with no ears.. :-(

[charlie82]

Today I had a call from one of my friends who went into a local well known pet store here in the UK for some rabbit supplies. When she got to the till to pay she was asked by a member of staff (on seeing she had rabbits stuff) if she wanted three young rabbits….but they have no ears because their mum mutilated them.  This store does sell pets, but they also have an adoption scheme where upon they will take in rabbits from the public and try and adopt them out by asking for a donation as opposed to a set price. A lot of the time these rabbits have behavioural issues and sometimes health problems. Sometimes they are just rabbits that people are bored of etc etc.  I don’t know too much about the set up so I can only speculate…plus a member on here works for them so I don’t want to insult anybody because I don’t know all of the facts.

Anyhow, I did call the store and asked for some more information.  I asked if they would be willing to let me take them and give them to the rescue I have helped with so that they will be well looked after and go to homes who will take good care of them, and the lady told me to call back tomorrow as they hadn’t been taken into the shop yet. It was a member of public who is surrendering them, no doubt the result of irresponsilbe breeding and I have a few choice words for them to be taking them to a pet store of all places. They did try and talk to me about the adoption scheme i.e I would have to pay a donation for them which I will not do because they should not be profiting for them, *edit  apparently they don’t make a profit because the donated money is given to rescues as grants…* so I tried to explain that I wouldn’t be willing to pay for them because a) that is sending the wrong message that it is ok to buy from pet stores and b) the rescue will have to pay for the rabbits to be neutered and vaccinated… (something the store don’t do before adopting out)

So….. I have to call back tomorrow to see what is happening and to see if the manager clears it for me to take them.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

OMG awesome; Another person breeding animals and not knowing what they are doing *growl*

Keep us posted Charlie, I think you are good to stand up and say your not going to pay for them! They probably need vet checks asap, not to be sold to anyone who comes in to buy rabbit food! Ok, keep us posted!

[charlie82]

I think they have kept them knowing they won’t be able to rehome them easily having no ears and all, and now the time is coming where they are going to need neutering so they are offloading….people really make me angry. What got me was that 1 – they were asking people to take them when they haven’t even got them and 2 – that they expected a donation for them when they have not paid to get them in the first place.

I will let you know what happens. Hopefully I can have them and take them down to the sanctuary.

[Sarita]

Oh geez – how sad. We had a rabbit with no ears at our sanctuary that one of our good members adopted. Apparently this particular rabbit had her ears cut off from an irresponsible vet due to bad ear mites.

[rabbitsmba]

That’s so sad, but not unheard of! Rabbit Rescue had a bunny, Nibblet, whose ear was chewed off by a littermate. She is fine now, been adopted by a vet tech but she did need to have her ear canal rebuilt so as not to end up repeatedly infected. These rabbits need medical attention.

Unfortunately we have also had bunnies who have had their ears cut off – but they are all doing very well!

[JK]

Oh that’s just so sad and horrible.  Why would the mom mutilate her babies ears?

[RabbitPam]

That is very sad, but you sound like you’re doing a great job in negotiating to get them the right care (at the right price, zero.)

I’m just wondering, are the “no ears” just cosmetic? It’s a terrible thing to happen to bunnies and leads to complications, but it doesn’t sound like they are necessarily deaf. If not, they are much more able to respond to care in a good shelter and home.

[charlie82]

Sarita…that is so sad 🙁

 

Yes it is quite common to happen, and usually a rabbit doesn’t have any relating problems, if anything it just makes people less inclined to rehome them.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I hope you get the bunnies. I’ve never seen a bun with no ears but I’m sure they are cute all the same!!!

[Deleted User]

Sarita. The vet cut off the ears due to ear mites?!!!! Never in a million years have I heard something like that. Charlie, stick to your guns.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Charlie, sending my best wishes to you and for those poor little babes. I hope you are able to take them to the shelter.

[Gravehearted]

ooo my, how sad for those poor babies! i am so glad your friend told you about the situation and you called.
I sincerely hope that they will release the bunnies to the shelter since they’ve already been traumatized enough.

please keep us updated.

[Beka27]

this makes me so mad.

1st… irresponsible people…

2nd… pet store… UGH. “donation to a shelter”. yeah, right. i’m sorry but i don’t believe that. tell them you will be making a donation to the rescue to help with the vet costs.

3rd… vets cutting off ears… that’s just sad. i’ve never heard of that.

[Deleted User]

A vet cutting off ears because of mites … Oh holly moley … and he calls himself a vet!  Geezzz!!

Good luck to you Girl … 🙂

 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

*bump bump*

Any News yet???

[kimberleyanddarren]

is this pets at home?

keep us posted

[charlie82]

Hi all,

yes this would be Pets at Home… right now I’m really pee’d off with them. I called again yesterday and spoke to a girl who was less than helpful and quite frankly downright rude to me. She made me feel like I was interfering, would not disclose any information on the buns and said she would call me back….which of course she hasn’t done. They are stating that this adoption scheme they have is not as simple as just handing rabbits out…sorry If I am a little confused about it all but I don’t see how a store who sells animals to anybody who walks through the door can then be pedantic about where the animals that are surrendered to them go. It would be good if they had as much compassion and concern for ALL their store animals…. I’m sure we’d all be a whole lot better off. Quite frankly they claim to sell an animal only to someone they deem suitable. but how hard is it to walk into a shop and lie about your set up just to tell them what they want to hear? they have no definitive way to tell if an animal is going to a good home because they don’t have any follow up contact with a buyer.

Anyway, I have sent an email to head office and am awaiting a reply. I do not see why they are objecting to placing three rabbits in a rescue centre where they will have a better chance at finding a home as opposed to keeping them in a glass tank on display…. with no where to exercise I might add.

Soooo….. I will give it a few days and pay the store a visit if they choose not to come back to me. I have to be careful as to what I say because I don’t know who might be reading this 🙁

[Sarita]

Sounds like the pet store is being very defensive about the whole situation which is not unusual but it would be much easier if they would just cooperate with people who want to help!

[Deleted User]

Charlie, any word on those poor bunnies?

[charlie82]

No, they do not want my help! To be honest I have a feeling that a store member who is aware of the situation and is a member on Rabbits united…and maybe here read my posts has intervened. I could be wrong but I don’t understand why else a pet store with ‘difficult to rehome’ bunnies would want to keep them when someone has offered to take them. I will call into the store though and see if they are there after my trip to Scotland.

If you check out Rabbits united you will see the recent topics about rabbits from this particular chain of stores… just today another member has gone and taken a rabbit out of the same supposed adoption scheme who has horrendous teeth and snuffles as well as being blind and having a deformed jaw. She was told he would need his incisors removed but they were waiting or his new owner to do that. She was lucky to get him because she revealed a bit too much information I think about herself and location….and she was sent a private message from a store employee asking which store it was.. luckily she didn’t tell them because I think they would have tipped the store off since she had reported this rabbit and store to the RSPCA. He is off to the vets now.

The PAH employees are very defensive of their workplace which I can understand because it maybe that under their management their store is doing things ‘correctly’ ( I still don’t agree with pets being sold in stores) however they are deluded that all stores care so much and being a nationwide chain they are not aware of what one store is or isn’t doing.

 

Oh!! just to add….head office didn’t have the decency to come back to me…. what a surprise.

[Deleted User]

Ye Gods…such gyrations to go through to “help” hard to rehome rabbits. I agree, if it was not some sort of scheme, they would work with rabbit rescues instead of being so defensive.

And sad to say, not surprised at no response from the home office. Stupid of them since their income is generated by pet supplies more than the sale of live animals. You would think they would also want to work with rescues, just as potential customers.

[kimberleyanddarren]

i must say in all fairness the petsathome by me got done for being so cruel and they have really got their act together however they are very unhelpful and none of the staff care for their job or the animals in their care. i personally dont shop there because i couldnt live with myself for supporting them, u should phone the rspca and ask where u stand on the issue.

[Author]

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