tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
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:
"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: