I Have Suspicions That The Renter Hurt My Rabbit

I will not just to any direct assumptions, but i feared leaving the renter home alone today. I had given him a peace of my mind after 7 years of putting up with his ****, theres a lot of things i don't like him for, most of them revolving around my mother. But that aside, after i gave him a peace of my mind, two days later, today, my mom had to run a sports game and made me go to help. Trust me when i say something was telling me not to leave this guy alone in this house, somthing didn't feel right today. We left and when i got back, my rabbit, Chibi, was acting vary... lets say, sluggish. Which didn't alarm me at first until i realized she had had an accident. She hasn't had an accident in the middle of the floor EVER. Next to her box, yes, but this was in the middle of the floor. I got a bit worried and realized her eyes were watering, the fur around them wet. So i whipped them dry and picked her up, usually she kind of leans forward to look over my shoulder, but she just sat there. Submissive. This struck me as vary odd for her. But now what really worries me is she will NOT let me touch her left side, she snorts and try to nip at me, which she has never done.

I have my suspicions that the renter came into my room and hurt her, not only because of the way she was acting but also because my grandmothers dog (the renter also doesn't like my grandmother) was locked in her room (she wasn't when we left) and she was cowering and flinched when we tried to pet her, and she was shaking so much guys it was so awful. I am pissed and i swear...god forbid anything happen to my rabbit or her dog. Ill keep you all updated but I'm currently putting padlocks on both our doors. Just in case.

You might want to take the rabbit to the vet. Snorting and protecting her side might mean that something is broken and you might need an x-ray to make sure. Is she eating and pooping normally? Even if she's just bruised, pain can very easily prevent the rabbit from eating and causing serious problems after a few days, so if she is hurt it would be better to get her to a vet who will at least give you Metacam if no other treatment is needed. Still... god, why would someone just go and hurt other people animals for no reason like that? That's insane.

I would go to the vet just be to sure, I hope your rabbit isn't hurt tho that guy sounds like an ass.

When is his lease up?

Aki said:

You might want to take the rabbit to the vet. Snorting and protecting her side might mean that something is broken and you might need an x-ray to make sure. Is she eating and pooping normally? Even if she's just bruised, pain can very easily prevent the rabbit from eating and causing serious problems after a few days, so if she is hurt it would be better to get her to a vet who will at least give you Metacam if no other treatment is needed. Still... god, why would someone just go and hurt other people animals for no reason like that? That's insane.

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I completely agree with you, it is insane, some people are just horrible and want revenge. But yes she is eating and is much better now, i have no proof that he hurt her but the signs are/were extremely prominent. I will take her to the vet if she wavers even a little bit again but she seems to be ok now. She's letting me touch her side now as well so I'm vary glad for that.

stevesmum said:

When is his lease up?

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My parent did not get official paperwork so he has no lease, which vary much sucks.

which means he's month to month right? So pursue the legalities of removing a monthly tenant.

ladysown said:

which means he's month to month right? So pursue the legalities of removing a monthly tenant.

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From what ive heard, we have to give him exactly 30 days to move out, but my guardian will NOT put their foot down. I couldn't tell you why that is. If it were up to me he would've been out long ago.

If you are a minor living with your parents and there is a suspected animal abuser living on your premises then your folks should certainly pursue eviction. Like yesterday.

stevesmum said:

If you are a minor living with your parents and there is a suspected animal abuser living on your premises then your folks should certainly pursue eviction. Like yesterday.

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I completely agree, she told m i had no proof what so ever and to just keep an eye on my rabbit, i was furious she didn't even confront him about it. I say confront but i should say inquire perhaps, because it is true i have no real proof, but all the same, this is my pet, and he was the only one home. She was acting strange and though she is acting normal now, it was the point. I was alarmed.

I made an appointment for her tomorrow just to get a once over. I'll let you know what they say and if everything checks out. She is acting normal now and is allowing me to rub her tummy again, I'm still going to keep a close watch on her for the next couple of days. This post/thread was to see what i should do as well as to vent it out a bit, because i was worried and felt like no one was listening.
I want you all to know I'm taking all precautions i can in taking care of her, i inquired to the renter to see if he was in my room and told me he was working in the yard all day. I can't tell you if thats the truth or not, I'm just glad my rabbit is not hurt anymore, perhaps she was scared? i don't know, honestly, but i worry. And i love her and would do anything to protect her.

With animals, it's hard to tell when they are hurt - rabbits will hide it until they are near death, while my dog will cry and howl like a baby after bumping his paw ^^'. I completely understand how uneasy you feel not knowing for sure what happened. I regularly have to get someone to petsit for me, since I have business trips maybe 30 days a year and I never know what happens when I'm not there, obviously. Last month, Jeeves was kept by someone I just met once, who seemed nice and had a friendly dog, but when I came back I noticed a patch of fur missing from him (the over coat, which normally stays even when he moults). Maybe it fell before I left? Maybe he scratched himself too hard or rubbed against something? The woman told me everything went just fine but I also recently noticed my dog being wary of strangers (women mostly) in the street even though he has always been really friendly. He also has been 'petsitted' by three other women since March (it's hard to find someone long term where I live). I have no proof anything happened but I found someone else afterwards. The thing is you just don't know what's going on when you are not there and the animals can't tell you either. At that point, when I leave for less then 3 days, I prefer to leave my rabbits alone with lots of food and water in their room rather than having someone come because I just don't trust people to close the room's door correctly / give the right food / not hurt them (intentionally or not). Unfortubately, I can't do the same for the dog.
Still, it's good that your bunny calmed down and is eating normally! It should be fine...

I'd get a "nanny cam" so any future problems can be verified prior to involving the proper authorities.

If you suspect the renter of abusing your animals you need to report this to the police right away. You may not be able to prove anything, or the renter may confess if guilty of doing this when questioned by the authorities. Either way you need to get a report on file.

some of the larger municipalities have an animal abuse department, usually SPCA Law Enforcement, even without hard evidence, call them over and they'll usually put some fear into the suspected perp. file the report, if the vet can provide xray and a written report that your rabbit sustained injury, you have some circumstantial evidence. maybe enough to get him evicted w/o your guardian's approval.

Nancy McClelland said:

I'd get a "nanny cam" so any future problems can be verified prior to involving the proper authorities.

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its funny you say that because guess what i JUST got today lol, btw UPDATE: she's all good! Ive been extra careful and have spend every moment with her, and when i do leave, i pad lock my door. No more scares for this bunny family, no sir

Skavatar said:

some of the larger municipalities have an animal abuse department, usually SPCA Law Enforcement, even without hard evidence, call them over and they'll usually put some fear into the suspected perp. file the report, if the vet can provide xray and a written report that your rabbit sustained injury, you have some circumstantial evidence. maybe enough to get him evicted w/o your guardian's approval.

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oh dang, well thank you so much for telling me this! i really appreciate it!

If there is an ounce of doubt in your mind do something. I would go on record with the humane society. Even doing that will not stop this person from hurting your bunny in the future. Locking the door is good. Frankly I would get rid of this renter as soon as possible. Whether or not he did hurt the rabbit is enough of a concern to me to evict him.