Craigslist Craziness

We are discussing the possibility of buying a Flemish Giant as my husband's older bun passed recently.
Found a lovely boy on CL. Have emailed, then spoke on the phone with them and are going to visit the "little" fellow (10 weeks old) next weekend.

Went back to look at his photo on the CL --and came across an extremely vicious ad.
It said that people are supposed to rehome for less than 5. $ or better yet, for free.
The ad ended with , " People who sell rabbits are the worst of the worst !"

Just strange.

Seriously ??

It is my opinion that animals rehomed for free sometimes meet a sad fate.

And also, people willing to pay a reasonable price will see to it that their pet is cared for.
One cares for an investment.

We plan to pay 50. for this purebred buck and do not think it is too much.
We still have "Harvey's" old cage (5ft x 3 1/2 feet wide); and it will be good to see his food, water dish, and toys played with again.

The show breeder we bought our little mini-rex from produces sweet , healthy, intelligent animals.
We've visited her 'bunny barn' and were impressed with its' spaciousness and cleanliness.

Went to a rabbit show a few months ago and met some very nice bunny breeders !!!

Most people --rabbit show breeders or otherwise--- sell on the FaceBook page set up to sell bunnies , within their state.
I see very few people selling on CraigsList as that is not where the buyers are.
Last month there were 2 people all month ; with bunnies to sell.
Not exactly an 'explosion' of bunnies or any other animal.

We feel privileged to buy this Flemish ; and if his owners didn't breed bunnies--- where would we go to buy our new family member ?

:rollseyes

Bunny people are usually the best people I've met !!

BladeRunner said:

I see very few people selling on CraigsList as that is not where the buyers are.
Last month there were 2 people all month ; with bunnies to sell.
Not exactly an 'explosion' of bunnies or any other animal.

Bunny people are usually the best people I've met !!

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Maybe it depends on where you live. I know there are always tons of backyard breeders selling mixed breed rabbits on Craig's List where I live. Most seem to be from kids breeding any ol' rabbits and then trying to sell them. Few seem to know much about proper rabbit care.

Just for kicks, I took a quick look on CL for my area. Over the past month alone, there was 1 seemingly legitimate breeder selling some rabbits - actually first time I've seen this. Then there were 53 (yes, fifty-three) separate ads (not counting duplicates) for backyard breeder rabbits. A few were individual pet rabbits needing to be re-homed. Most were full litters.

All those backyard breeder rabbits prevent rescue rabbits that are sitting in rabbit rescues from finding homes. Nope. I don't like it.

Just like the movie "Duck Soup" where Groucho the "Politician" sang the song "Whatever your for, I'm against It!"Sometimes the poster has an ax to grind and lumps all in their "hate rant". You need to make informed decisions and not listen to someone with a slanted opinion, as they are always right and you aren't if you disagree no matter the topic.

Nancy McClelland said:

Just like the movie "Duck Soup" where Groucho the "Politician" sang the song "Whatever your for, I'm against It!"Sometimes the poster has an ax to grind and lumps all in their "hate rant". You need to make informed decisions and not listen to someone with a slanted opinion, as they are always right and you aren't if you disagree no matter the topic.

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True.

The rabbitry we are going to visit are primarily NZW and Champagne breeders.
The Flemish giants are a side hobby for them.

This bunny we're going to see cannot be shown and is rehomed as a pet due to his mother over grooming him and a bit of ear is missing.
He's actually a cull but some breeders will sell them as pets-- which is fine by us.

If the Flemish you're looking at has part of the ear missing, that's okay, though I would think it could've been used for breeding (unless it also has poor type or color). Certainly wouldn't hurt to ask that. Make sure it's otherwise healthy, and check the teeth. You shouldn't get one with misaligned teeth because you'll have problems later.

Agree completely, Blade! Any animals rehomed for free have a higher risk of a terrible fate. Also agree with Nancy: some people are just plain nuts!

Can't wait to see pictures of your new Flemmie. They are the best!!

The poster just re-uploaded their "comment".
Fun for a giggle..... although I saw fit to flag them, regardless.


"CAN YOU PEoPLE READ!?
For some time now I been deleting posts from people that clearly dint see this ..
pets ( Should only be FREE TO GOOD HOME)
People SELLIN rabbits are the worst of the worst !!!!!!!!"

majorv said:

If the Flemish you're looking at has part of the ear missing, that's okay, though I would think it could've been used for breeding (unless it also has poor type or color). Certainly wouldn't hurt to ask that. Make sure it's otherwise healthy, and check the teeth. You shouldn't get one with misaligned teeth because you'll have problems later.

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Agree about the ear part... he will be a pet only and we will not be breeding him.
I'll try to post pics after we purchase him.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about a 'rehoming fee'. On one hand yes, anyone should be willing to pay money for an animal (vet bills are going to be a part of any animal's life, so better start now) but at the same time, why would an owner giving up an animal deserve money? For what? (OF COURSE there are exceptions, e.g. rescued and paid for copious vet bills and trying to make at least some of that money back, etc.; or what I see most often being a vet student- free dog to vet student, owner relinquish, with x problem that needs y drugs for the rest of his life oh and he's also incontinent but he loves other dogs! ).

And there are WAY too many rabbits up for adoption where I am (just in shelters alone!), so I personally wouldn't be looking for a breeder (personal choice).

RavenousDragon said:

And there are WAY too many rabbits up for adoption where I am (just in shelters alone!), so I personally wouldn't be looking for a breeder (personal choice).

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Agreed. The Edmonton humane society has 11 rabbits up for adoption now, plus I know there are several other rescues with rabbits looking for a good home. I wish I could take another one in, but divorce is expensive...

The main reason a legit breeder would be selling one of their rabbits as a pet for a rehoming fee is because they think that if the person has to pay for the rabbit they'll think twice before wanting it. Still no guarantees, but it helped. Since we showed rabbits I would occasionally have one that was pet quality. I asked a fee because I didn't want it used as snake food or discarded for no reason. I also offered to take the rabbit back if things didn't work out.

Nancy McClelland said:

Just like the movie "Duck Soup" where Groucho the "Politician" sang the song "Whatever your for, I'm against It!" Sometimes the poster has an ax to grind and lumps all in their "hate rant".

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People really do this? And on the internet, of all places?

It's become so common that I just read past that kind of stuff nowdays, be it animal rights, abortion, religion, or politics. And I certainly form a not-very-rosey opinion of the person writing it who can't express their personal opinions/beliefs in a respectful, mature manner. I think part of it has to do with the "flaming" and "trolling" subculture that has permeated the internet... but then again, sometimes it can literally be a child or angry teen just behaving like one

RavenousDragon said:

I have somewhat mixed feelings about a 'rehoming fee'. On one hand yes, anyone should be willing to pay money for an animal (vet bills are going to be a part of any animal's life, so better start now) but at the same time, why would an owner giving up an animal deserve money? For what?

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Hmm...

I charge at least twice what the meat would cost, since I only sell those rabbits that are too nice to be butchered. "for free" or almost nothing means a free meal for some of people. Or a throwaway toy, not a commitment for a decade.
Why not, if it's for free, it's worth nothing. I prefer to weed out buyers like that.

I would never call it a rehoming fee, I don't understand that concept, I just frankly sell them. Rabbit <-> money. Why create new words for that?
I don't "give them up", but when there are too many some have to go, to a new home or to the freezer.

If someone is willing to pay, why not take the money? What's bad about that? Actually, it's a service, many feel better if they can pay, imho it's something about the feeling about "it's theirs" or it's "just given to them", I once worked at a fair carny and felt somewhat bad about what we charged patrons, until I realized that that was actually a part of the experience that the people somewhat expected....

People are wierd.

In your case, as a breeder, you are selling the rabbit- it's not a rehoming fee like you said, it's commission.

But MANY people (where I live at least) are trying to give up their rabbits because they got a new puppy (for example) and are charging a fee for it. Or they are giving up their dog because they got pregnant, and are charging a fee. That is mostly to what I was referring. It seems odd that if you care what happens to your pet you wouldn't be getting rid of it because you got another or decided to have a baby- if you cared about it being eaten, why give it away in the first place? Why shouldn't it be a meal in this case? (I know that sounds cruel, but this happens ALL the time here- last year my friend and I found someone trying to 'rehome' his pet monkey and we were trying to rescue the poor thing, his rehoming fee was $3,500). <---- none of this bit applies to breeders, but owners; just to be clear