A cautionary tale--about petstore bunnies

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tonyshuman

tonyshuman

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Joined
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Location
Durham, NC, USA
I was volunteering today and one of our new bunnies has a story I feel compelled to share.

"She" was bought at a "big box" pet store, of a somewhat local/not national chain. I've been upset about how they care for their bunnies before. They keep them on pine shavings (unless they're lionheads--the shavings get stuck in their fur), in small cages (sometimes aquariums), and as far as I know they get no exercise. They don't get hay, and the store doesn't sell real hay--mostly cubes and such. The bunnies all also have full bowls of pellets at all times. They don't have igloos or boxes to hide in either, and many are at "petting height" for small kids. The bunnies are sold un-fixed, for $30-40.

We got "her" after she was surrendered at an emergency clinic here. Luckily the owner knew to take this bunny in, and knew that it was best left in the hands of a shelter/rescue org that could take care of it.

Why did the bunny end up at the emergency vet only months after being purchased? "Her" eye had ruptured. Completely broken open and was oozing pus. The eye had to be removed, immediately. While under anesthesia, the vets also neutered "her" who now was correctly sexed as a "he".

The bunny apparently had a mark on the affected eye since he was purchased, meaning that he probably had a corneal ulcer and this untreated medical issue got so severe that his eye became totally unusable. He must have been in horrible pain, and the pet store also mis-sexed him. Luckily, the person only bought one.

So, if you're thinking of getting a bunny from a pet store, double check their health and gender yourself. Ask if they've been vet checked, and if not, get the bunny to a vet within a few weeks of purchase. Keep petstore bunnies separate until you can verify their gender definitively.

Better yet, adopt a bunny--they've been vet checked, properly sexed, and usually de-sexed.

Anybody in WI want a cute, sweet, one-eyed little bunny man?:tears2:
 
Poor little guy. Kisses for him.

Agree hundred percent about things to keep in mind when buying from a petstore.

I feel strongly that sometimes bunnies call to you even when you usually wouldn't get from a petstore so take precautions if you ever do get one from a petstore.
 
That is true; you certainly have a special guy who came from a petstore! Many good bunny owners start with bunnies they've bought in a store, too. I just am frustrated at how this store took advantage of a person's lack of knowledge, leading to the bunny suffering and also the owner--it would be so terrible to have this happen to your pet, especially if you didn't know what to look for--instead of educating them.
 
tonyshuman wrote:
That is true; you certainly have a special guy who came from a petstore! Many good bunny owners start with bunnies they've bought in a store, too. I just am frustrated at how this store took advantage of a person's lack of knowledge, leading to the bunny suffering and also the owner--it would be so terrible to have this happen to your pet, especially if you didn't know what to look for--instead of educating them.
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Yea that store sounds like an issue. Haha Ringo, Connor, Elvis and Wyatt came from petstores. :pAn Teresa sort of...
 
Sadly, animals in pet stores are all poorly mass bred, often under less than favorable conditions. Store husbandry is routinely poor as well. As a result, most pet store animals are a gamble. I'm glad a lot of the folks on here adopt or seek responsible breeders - and I'm very glad that your very lucky bunny found you, as a typical owner who bought him on impulse would not have provided for him as well as you have. Kudos for that.
 
Our two lionhead girls came from a big box store...they were placed out in the aisle in one of those big square glass aquariums where rabbits and guinnea pigs always seem to get stuck for display.
After awhile the two girls started to bite people who put their hands in to pet them...so to "protect" the people they were moved back to the pet section, placed in a 20 gallon aquarium and left on the bottom shelf. Since they were charging $150 foreach of the girls they obviously weren't getting sold anytime soon. The smallest girl Peppy kept knocking the water bottle over and they got tired of drying her off because she bit and kicked so they left her soaking wet.:(

By the time hubby and I found them they were almost 9 months old, Peppy was so sick they gave her to us for free if we agreed to not come back for the guarantee if she died...neither could hop, they could barely walk. Pepper had pasturella and an upper respiratory infection...it was 2 or 3 days before it looked like she was going to pull through. Both girls turned out just fine after being treated and spayed!

I am so happy to see more and more petstores changing over to adoption instead of carrying small pets!

Danielle
 
My first rabbit was a mix from a petstore. He was somewhere between a netherland/rex/english spot. I bought him for $60 and he just dropped dead 8 months later from a heart failure. Other people have had the same problem or similar problems from the same store. My second rabbit, Jethro, is still going strong. He is a purebred dutch from a reputable breeder, and only $25 compared to the $40-$120 unfixed/unhandled/unhealthy mutt or far-from-standard "purebreds" at the petstores. All of my others have been purebreds from reputable ARBA breeders/showers.

Like with dogs, I appreciate purebred animals from reputable breeders. But selling random mixes for a bunch and then often lying about their breeders and lineage doesn't seem right. On top of that, like with dogs, they give you the whole, "they're from a small breeder, not a mill!" story but you know it's not true. If I wasn't concerned about showing and such, I would not buy from a store again, I would adopt a rabbit that has been fixed and cared for correctly at a rabbit shelter. When people are about to buy rabbits at a store I suggest shelter adoption!

On that note, the biggest ferret mill is Marshalls, and they sell these "Peter Rabbit" products. Does anyone know if they mill rabbits also?
 
My second rabbit, Spot, was the only rabbit I ever got from a pet store. Within a month, she developed an abscess behind her eye. Over $1,000 in vet bills later, she passed away.
 
I bought a small little lop from a pet store as my first rabbit. They sold it to us sick (she has a poopy butt, but I didnt know anything about rabbits then). She died within three days. It was horrible.
 
Bentley was bought from a pet store and was orignally sexed as a 'he' (thats why her name is Bentley) and when she was baby she was thought to have been dropped because for 4 years she was very skittish and afraid of being picked up. Also, she and her brother got sick only 3 months after being purchased.... of course they were both taken to the vet and now they are all better. I didn't buy her from the pet store, my friend did then I received her from my friend. Its true that pet store bunnies are in horrible condition :( but you can't really do all that much about it. Atleast they have water and food and a place to stay...
 
Pebbles was a pet shop bunny that was pregnant with a stuck kitand the owner took her to the Vet to be put down so they can get a death certificate for a refund.
The Vet did not put Pebbles down, but saved her life. I happened to beat the Clinicafter the operation, andthe Vet gladly let me adopt her.

Bebe was bought from a store, and I adopted her when her owner couldn't keep her anymore.

 
Good post about pet stores and rabbits. While there can be some stores that still do sell rabbits only from good sources, I've seen far, far too many who sell from those who breed rabbits simply to try and get some extra cash. As a result the rabbits are often sick, injured, kept in cramped conditions, weaned too young, and are sold to people who walk by them on display and feel that sudden urge to get one because they're cute.

The hardest thing, I think, in dealing with stores who continue to push rabbits (and other species) as a commodity is being able to say no to wanting to rescue them. I've succumbed to it in the past, but as hard as it is, I refuse to any more. For every rabbit who is purchased with the intent of saving it from that storefront display, they will continue to fill that empty aquarium with yet another. And another. The best way (imo) to stop the practice is to not perpetuate the demand.

And it's also the most heartwrenching thing to do, too...:tears2:
 
Moro Ferret wrote:
On that note, the biggest ferret mill is Marshalls, and they sell  these "Peter Rabbit" products. Does anyone know if they mill rabbits also?
Click to expand...

Yes, they do also breed rabbits but not on as large a scale as ferrets. They call them 'boutique bunnies' and they advertise them as being hand tamed and bred with good health and temperament. :X At least they spay and neuter them...
 
pocketsizedrhino wrote:
Moro Ferret wrote:
On that note, the biggest ferret mill is Marshalls, and they sell these "Peter Rabbit" products. Does anyone know if they mill rabbits also?
Click to expand...

Yes, they do also breed rabbits but not on as large a scale as ferrets. They call them 'boutique bunnies' and they advertise them as being hand tamed and bred with good health and temperament. :X At least they spay and neuter them...
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They spay and neuter them WAY to early. The bunnies than hit teen years anywayz. Most of the bunnies I have met that came from there not so tame. :X
 
Bassetluv wrote:
The hardest thing, I think, in dealing with stores who continue to push rabbits (and other species) as a commodity is being able to say no to wanting to rescue them. I've succumbed to it in the past, but as hard as it is, I refuse to any more. For every rabbit who is purchased with the intent of saving it from that storefront display, they will continue to fill that empty aquarium with yet another. And another. The best way (imo) to stop the practice is to not perpetuate the demand.

And it's also the most heartwrenching thing to do, too...:tears2:
Click to expand...
I agree totally! Luckily, I know people through my volunteering who have the authority to check up on pet stores that don't take good care of their animals, and I know they go to these places regularly to make sure they're kept according to law. Unfortunately, that's not enough in many situations--the law doesn't say they need good food and water, or housing in not an aquarium/not on cedar chips/not where kids can poke them. It just says food, water, and housing. Apparently it isn't even against the law to sell sick animals!

On one hand, you're picking up an animal that needs help, and you are probably the best hands (short of a rescue org) that the bunny could be in, rather than some uneducated person coming in and buying a bunny on an impulse. On the other hand, it just reinforces the practice.

Luckily, organizations like the HRS have gotten some leeway in getting large chains (Petco, PetSmart) to not sell bunnies (ie the Marshall bunnies), but these small local shops aren't as easy to target because they're not national and a single local HRS chapter can't do it. I don't shop at those stores, but lots of other people do. I also like to shop locally to support independent business owners rather than the large national companies, but can't do that with pet stores.

We do have one local chain that is AWESOME for animals--they don't sell ANY animals, and they support the Humane Society greatly. We have adoption centers in many of their stores, and they pay for the food, bedding, etc (not to mention rent, electricity, and water!) for all the animals in these locations, plus promoting us in the stores for donations and giving the main shelter supplies. Also, due to the high visibility of these adoption centers, we get a lot of adoptions--rabbits usually move through there pretty quickly. It's part of why our Humane Society hasn't had to PTS for lack of space in a long time, and can often take in bunnies from overloaded shelters in neighboring counties, off their euth lists. I volunteer at one of these places and we have everything from mice to bunnies to chinchillas.
 
Wow, that is great! The cat house think looks like a lot of fun for them, too!

How did you get them to change?
 
tonyshuman wrote:
Wow, that is great! The cat house think looks like a lot of fun for them, too!

How did you get them to change?
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It is awesome! Usually 3-4 cats in it.

They have always worked with rescues and promoted adoption. I think little by little things just changed. They also if you look through there site have tried to provide information that makes you think.
 
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