COMMENTS INSERTED BY THE FORUM OWNER IN RED:
Little Miracles Rabbit Rescue
2308 Auburn Ave
Atco, NJ 08004
(Township of Waterford, Camden County)
Continuation sheet for inspection conducted on August 16, 2012 by Linda Frese and Renee Cirillo, New Jersey Department of Health, and James Perry, Camden County Department of Health.
Section 8:23A Deficiency
1.2 (b) A certificate of local health inspection was not prominently displayed at the facility.
- officious, doesn't affect the rabbits
1.2 (c) The back area of the small animal room is currently under construction, and is intended to be used as a new isolation room, or other separate animal holding area. Outdoor enclosures are also being installed. Plans have not yet been received by the Camden County Health Department for these renovations and new construction. Plans must be submitted to the local health authority for review and approval for both indoor and outdoor renovations and improvements before construction and operation begins. A schematic showing the layout and operation of the ventilation system used for the isolation room must also be submitted in the plans to the local health authority. The ventilation in an isolation room must exhaust directly to the outdoors and must not mix with the air of the general population. Permits and approvals must also be received from the local municipal code official as required for new construction and renovations. Please submit plans to the local health authority within 2 weeks of the date of this inspection.
- officious, doesn't affect the rabbits
1.3 (a) A new air conditioning unit has been installed inside the facility, but is leaking water onto the floor. This unit must be properly drained or repaired to prevent such leakage onto the floor.
- officious, ridiculously minor
1.3 (c) The rabbit food container is now covered, but alfalfa and hay is stored in uncovered containers unprotected from contamination.
- contamination of hay is more likely in a covered container, hay is not the same as cat and dog food.
1.3 (f) The clothes dryer exhaust is being temporarily discharged into a small water filtration device connected with plastic flexible tubing. Please consult with the local building code official regarding the proper metal exhaust tubing and elbows required for clothes dryers to prevent a fire hazard.
- noted as temporary
The facility is currently being reorganized, but at the time of this inspection, several donated items, different than the donated items noted during the last inspection were in the middle of the floor in front of the of the main office, which is the main walkway between the two animal rooms at the facility.
- officious, doesn't affect the rabbits
1.4 (d) The caging in the main rabbit room has been rearranged to permit better illumination of the primary enclosures where rabbits are housed. The lighting in the small animal room is still insufficient to view the bottom cages of the stacked cage units located against the inside wall of this room. Several light bulbs throughout the facility were not working and were in need of replacement.
- rabbits live in underground burrows and are more comfortable in dark spaces. they are not dogs or cats.
1.4 (f) The floors in the isolation room are stained and are not impervious to moisture. All interior building surfaces shall be constructed and maintained so that they are impervious to moisture and may be readily cleaned.
- a dog/cat shelter is a sterile, stainless steel facility designed to be hosed down and disinfected. this is an extremely uncomfortable environment for rabbits whose natural environments are dirt and wood burrows. this is instinctively reprehensible to their mental well-being which in turn affects their physical well-being. rabbits immune systems drop dramatically with stress.
1.5 (e) Outdoor enclosures are being erected that consist of sand as flooring material. Surfaces of outdoor enclosures shall be constructed and maintained so that they are impervious to moisture and may be readily cleaned and disinfected; run off from outdoor enclosures must be properly disposed of as required by the municipal sewerage authority. Please submit plans to the local heath authority, as well as the municipal code official if required, for approval before construction of these enclosures continues.
- rabbits love digging in sand and they're instinctively happier outdoors. there is no point to having an outdoor enclosure if the environment is not natural. again, this is an extremely uncomfortable environment for rabbits whose natural environment are dirt and wood burrows. this is instinctively reprehensible to their mental well-being.
1.6 (a) Animal enclosures are not maintained in good repair. The wooden painted cages designated as âthe condosâ have chewed and worn surfaces and are unable to be properly cleaned and disinfected. If new cages are going to be constructed that include a self contained drainage system as explained by the owner during the previous inspection, a copy of the plans should be submitted to the local health authority to ensure compliance with State and local rules, regulations, and ordinances.
- rabbits are closer to horses or chickens than cats and dogs and shelter rules for their comfort and care should reflect that.
- this is the equivalent of asking a farm to look like a hospital.
1.6 (a)4. Some rabbits are unable to remain clean and dry due to the amount of excreta in their primary enclosures. The rabbit enclosures in the main rabbit room were not cleaned often enough to prevent the rabbits from becoming contaminated with their own urine and feces, or the urine and feces of the other rabbits housed in the same enclosure.
- rabbits are continuously defecating and urinating. they forage, poop and pee. there is no such thing as a clean litterbox, especially when the recommended handfuls of hay are also provided in the litter boxes. this is something few officials understand. they are not dogs or cats.
1.6 (d) Wire boxes were being constructed to hold rabbits during the cleaning process. These holding boxes must be constructed in such a manor as to prevent injury to or escape of the rabbits placed in them.
- this precludes rabbits from having any free-run time while their pens are being cleaned? they have to be placed in boxes?
1.7 (a) Hay used as food for the rabbits that is placed inside litter receptacles is not discarded and replaced on a daily basis as required. Upon arrival, inspectors noted that rabbits had no pellet type food in their enclosures. Almost all the rabbits were jumping on their enclosure doors excitedly awaiting their food rations. During the previous inspection, inspectors were told that pellet type food is only given every other day. Rabbits must be fed at least once each day. Food from the previous day shall be discarded and fresh food supplied daily.
- HRS and other guidelines say rabbits should only be fed a handful of pellets and only as much as they can eat at one setting, or less, eg: every second day. No rabbit caregiver without a vendetta would argue this.
- with this type of proper care, the pellets become treats, of course they're going to be excited.
- most rescues will add new hay on top of old hay for at least a day or two.
1.7 (b) Food, particularly hay, is placed in the litter boxes for the rabbits to eat. This hay is contaminated with excreta and is not discarded and replaced on a daily basis as required in 1.7 (a) above. - as above, rabbits need to be encouraged to eat hay, thus its placed in their litter boxes. rabbits continuously defecate when they forage. there is no such thing as a clean litterbox when the recommended handfuls of hay are also provided. they are not dogs or cats. The sugar glider housed at the facility was being fed a type of pellet food that was stored in a Nestléâs Quick container. The owner of the facility did not know what type of food was in the container, so inspectors were unable to determine if the sugar glider was being fed an appropriate diet. Food shall be free from contamination, wholesome, palatable, and of sufficient quantity and nutritional value to meet the normal daily requirements for the condition and size of the animal.
- this just says the officials couldn't determine the brand of food.
1.7 (d) Hay used as food for the rabbits is placed inside the litter boxes and quickly becomes contaminated by excreta. Containers of food shall be accessible to animals and shall be located so as to minimize contamination by excreta. Hay racks designed for feeding purposes and properly secured inside cages to prevent injury to the animals, may be used to prevent contamination of hay.
- rabbits need to be encouraged to eat hay, thus its placed in their litter boxes. rabbits continuously defecate when they forage. there is no such thing as a clean litterbox when the recommended handfuls of hay are also provided. they are not dogs or cats.
1.7 (e) Feeding pans are not cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis as required. Rabbit food was placed in the food bowls that had been left in the enclosure since the previous feeding.
1.7 (h) Upon arrival, inspectors noted that some water bottles were completely empty. Water must be accessible to animal at all times, unless contraindicated by the supervising veterinarian. Water bottles are not cleaned on a daily basis. Some of the water bottles contained a green film. Receptacles for water must be cleaned daily.
1.8 (a) Excreta is not removed from primary enclosures often enough to prevent contamination of the animals contained therein, and to control odors. At the time of inspection, there was a strong urine odor in the main rabbit room.
- urine odors are exacerbated by the presence of wet hay. the odors are almost impossible to control when unlimited hay is being administered in bedding as recommended by the HRS and other sources.
1.8 (b) Primary enclosures are not cleaned often enough to prevent an accumulation of debris and excreta. At the time of this inspection, there was an excessive amount of excreta and debris on cage floors and resting benches in enclosures of rabbits that are not litter trained.
- the constant use full bales of hay generate dust and debris. cobwebs are a natural result and are not harmful.
1.8 (c) Cages and hard surfaced pens are not cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. During this inspection, no cages were cleaned during the hours that inspectors were on the premises. There were no disinfectants currently being used in animal enclosures. The only disinfectant on the premises was a small bottle of bleach, but inspectors were told that disinfectants will not be used in animal enclosures. Floors are not disinfected on a daily basis. All floors, animal enclosures and other pens or holding areas must be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. Urine encrusted stains in primary enclosures and litter receptacles must be thoroughly scrubbed to remove the stains before the final disinfection process.
- dogs don't defaecate in litter boxes, cat waste is particularly gnarly and both carry many communicable diseases requiring sterile conditions. rabbits do not. pasturella is only a minor concern, very few strains are virulent enough to be an issue, they're easy to spot and isolate and the sterile conditions for rabbits are more detrimental than helpful. Establishing and boosting proper immune systems in rabbits are paramount, they need environmental exposure.
- disinfectants are detrimental to rabbits' respiratory and olfactory systems, instinctively uncomfortable, environmentally unfriendly and as noted causes immunity issues.
Inspectors were told that steam cleaners will be purchased to clean and disinfect primary enclosures. There are many steam cleaners available on the market, but not all steam cleaners produce enough heat to generate steam that is sufficient to destroy microorganisms. It is strongly recommended that the steam cleaner purchased is certified by the Federal EPA for disinfection purposes.
- rabbits don't need steam cleaners, rabbits do not carry communicable diseases and the only one they do carry, pasturella, will be more communicable with the humidity!
1.9 (a) Records must be made available regarding the treatment of animals at the facility, such as daily medical logs indicating the type of treatment provided and the duration of treatment. There were several animals in the isolation room at the time of this inspection, but only one animal, a guinea pig named Bippy, had a medical chart indicating the daily medication this animal was to receive. There were several missed days of medication for this guinea pig according to the medical chart on the animalâs cage. Evidence of veterinary examinations and site visits with documented findings must also be made available to inspectors. These records are required to document compliance with the provisions of this act. A medical folder was being developed at the time of this inspection for use in the isolation room that will show the treatment each animal is receiving and the reason for the animalâs isolation.
- this is not neglecting rabbits, its neglecting the ridiculous amount of paperwork required mostly to satisfy the harassers who are mass reporting minor offenses!
- more volunteers and donations or better yet, fundraising to hire a full time staff member will alleviate these problems. please donate if not volunteer.
1.9 (g) Multiple items, including a dishwasher was stored in the isolation room at the time of this inspection. There were several animal carriers stored in the isolation room that contained hay, feces, and other materials that had not been cleaned out.
- officious (carriers were empty).
The isolation room is not to be used for any purpose other than the segregation of animals with signs of communicable disease. All items that are being stored in the isolation room must be removed, cleaned and disinfected, or disposed of if the item can not be disinfected, and appropriately stored elsewhere to prevent contamination.
Animals that were not exhibiting or being treated for signs of communicable disease were housed in the isolation room at the time of this inspection. There were no daily treatment logs or other records showing that animals housed in the isolation room were being treated for a communicable disease.
- rabbits very rarely carry communicable diseases or communicable parasites, and the ones they do carry are easily eradicated.
1.13 (a) Some animals housed at the facility did not have proper records at the time of this inspection. There were several cages that did not have cage cards or other identifying information for the animals contained in the enclosures.
All animals housed at the shelter must have proper records indicating the date the animal arrived, description of the animal, breed, age, and sex; name of the owner or person from whom the animal was acquired, and the final disposition of the animal when the animal dies or otherwise leaves the facility.
- shelters requiring this level of record keeping are traditionally funded! to request this from a volunteer-run operation is unreasonable, and even professionally run operations get busy and have lapses in paperwork.
- bottom line is that while given the level of complaints instigated by the very aggressive harassers, its understandable the city wants to put them under this microscope, but it's still not only grossly unfair, its detrimental to the rabbits!
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A FRIEND OR AN ACQUAINTANCE OF KRISTIE CORSON OR ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THIS RESCUE!! I AM A PROFESSIONAL REPORTER WHO HAS INVESTIGATED THESE COMPLAINTS FOR YEARS WITHOUT EVER FINDING SERIOUS VIOLATIONS, ONLY COUNTLESS INSTANCES OF PERSONAL GRUDGES AND FAMILY DISAGREEMENTS LEADING TO AN ASTOUNDING LEVEL OF HARASSMENT!!
THIS IS DEMORALIZING AND CONFUSING RESCUES ALL ACROSS THE CONTINENT AND IT NEEDS TO STOP!!!!!!
