OMG I have never seen a rabbit look this bad before

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Amy27

Amy27

Task Force
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
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Location
Columbus, Ohio, USA
I decided that I wanted to try to find the hourse pellets for litter for my rabbits. I looked up feed stores in my area and found this one http://www.djsfeedstore.com/smanimals.html

I looked at their website and saw that they had a mascot rabbit named Charlie. In the picture, Charlie looks really good. So I was excited to go there tonight after work to see what the feed store had and to see Charlie. Boy was I in for a surprise. I have never seen a rabbit in such horrible living situations or look so bad. The rabbits I see at the pet store look like they are living a luxury life compared to this rabbit. His nails are so over grown they were curled up on his front feet and his back feet. Something seemed to be wrong with his hip/pelvis area. It stuck up like an inch from the rest of his body. He is housed on all wire, which I wouldn't really worry about except his long nails. His hair looked horrible. It was dirty and he just looked so dirty. The feces were like 1 inch deep in the bottom of his cage. It was starting to come through the wire. I tried to get the rabbit to come see me. He seemed like he tried to get up once but couldn't get his hind legs to hold him. All his water, pellets, and hay were on the top level. I don't even think he can get to the top level. The rabbit is a lot skinner then it is in the picture above in the link. That picture had to have been taken years ago.

After a few minutes of sitting there trying to get the rabbit to come to me and freaking out as to what to do, I ran out of there. I ran to my car and just bawled. The whole way home I kept thinking you have to go back and get that rabbit, you can't leave it there like this.

I don't know what to do. With both of my rabbits sick, I am spending $400-$500 a month just on vet bills. I can't afford another rabbit. Especially one that looks sick.

I don't want to call there or say anything to them because I don't want them to clean up the rabbit and the cage. I know I am going to contact the Columbus House Rabbit Society. I would be willing to foster this rabbit until I have to move in a few months. Then I wouldn't have enough room.

I am just so heart broken. I have seen pictures of rabbits in bad conditions but I have never seen conditions like this in real life. I think I may try to go back tomorrow and get pictures.

Please pray for this little guy. He needs help.
 
Personally, if I was in your position, I'd go back and take the rabbit. And even if I couldn't afford the medical treatment for him, I'd at least take him to a respectable no kill shelter where he could get help.

However, first, I would take pictures of the condition and housing he iscurrentlyin for evidence. Then I'd most likely send the photos in as evidencefor animal cruelty. To me, there is no excuse for lack of treatment to any animal and that is considered abuse, plain and simple.

That's just me, though. In any case, I do hope this rabbit gets the proper care and treatment he deserves and I also hope that the people responsible forhis pain won't get away with it. It's not right for people who do such things to animalsgo unpunished, because they'll just go right back to causing pain to other creatures without a second thought.


I just get so angry when I see animals being mistreated by people who could care less about them. It's one thing if owners are just ignorant, but quite another when people are just either too lazy or simply don't consider their animal worth the effort. Especially in this case, where the animal is suppose to be representing a feed store that is suppose to support the well being of all creatures.
 
I would call your local SPCA and report animal cruelty. That being said, I would be really careful about weather you actually allow the SPCA to take him. Sometimes that kind of place will take a rabbit out of a bad condition with the good intention of finding it a better home, but when they cant they put them down.

Maybe take pictures, call the SPCA, then take the rabbit to your nearest no kill shelter.
 
Update-I sent an email to the Columbus House Rabbit Society. I also contact Capital Area Humane Society and actually got to talk to a cruelty investigator. She wrote up a report and stated that I could call back in 4-6 days to get an update. She said they would send an officer out this week to check out the situation.

I will make sure this rabbit gets the proper care. I will be checking back with the humane society like the stated I could. I will also be going back to the feed store to check on things myself.

Inle_Rabitry, I don't even know if they would let me take the rabbit. It isn't for sale. I was afraid to alert them to the fact I was upset. Because then they could just take the rabbit home and I wouldn't know where to find it. The store is owned by the husband and wife so it is a small store.

That poor thing. I feel so bad for it. I told the lady at the humane society I would foster it. She said usually they tell the owner they have this many days to get the animal to a vet and clean up the conditions. Then they come back and check to see if it has been done. It doesn't sound like they take animals at first unless the owner surrenders them.
 
Thanks for that info Jessica. When I call back in 4-6 days, I will tell them again I will foster the rabbit. I am hoping the Columbus House Rabbit Society will get involved. I would foster through them.

Wanted to say too, when I walked in the store. The lazy guy working there was doing nothing but standing behind the freakin counter. Hello!!! if you have nothing to do, take care of your rabbit!!
 
I understand the complication of taking the rabbit. You'd have to get permission from the owners and chances are, they wouldn't allow it.

I think you've done the best that you can do at this point. And if in the case, the rabbit ends up in the hands of the Humane Society, then perhaps they'll allow you to foster the rabbit.

As much as the rabbit's owners anger me, the Humane Society is right, in that they should get at least one chance to correct the damage they have caused to the rabbit. But at the same time, I really believe that the rabbit needs to be taken away as soon as possible and get treatment ASAP,because to me, these owners don't seem like they'll ever learn to be responsible. :(And it's not fair for the rabbit to be victim to THEIR irrisponsibilities.
 
Inle_Rabbitry wrote:
As much as the rabbit's owners anger me, the Humane Society is right, in that they should get at least one chance to correct the damage they have caused to the rabbit.
Click to expand...
Depends what a bad condition the rabbit is in.

Jen
 
I'm glad you contacted the people who have power to take legal action. There was a situation where slavetoabunny's rescue took in an owner surrender bunny that was mistreated, but because they didn't document it with the SPCA immediately, the animal cruelty officers couldn't press charges. It's great that you did call them and get some help for this guy!
 
Claire, I think I remember slavetobunny posting about that now that you mention it. She was going to try to go after the owners herself to recoup some of the costs from the medical care. I am glad you brought that up. If this situation meets the criteria where they could prosecute this person, I would be really upset if I made it so that they couldn't. Didn't slavetobunny even have pictures and they still wouldn't do anything?
 
I agree, follow the protocol laid out by the SPCA officers.
Really good to follow the process until it utterly fails.

Worst case scenario, they don't clean up their act, and the officers do nothing after you call them the next time. Then, you buy Charlie off the petstore people.

I think your instincts are right. Don't show them that you're upset in any way by this, or it compromises your next move.

Hugs to you, Amy, and to Charlie :hug:
 
They did have pictures, but since the Animal Cruelty Officers didn't take them themselves, and they didn't have all the right documentation to be sure when the pictures were taken and all that, they wouldn't have been good evidence. The owners could claim that the pictures were really old or that the bunny got hurt after they gave him to the rescue. :(
 
The only problem Autumn is he isn't for sale. He is their mascot. From the looks of it, they have had him a long time. But if push comes to shove, if I offer enough money I may be able to get them to sell him to me. But I will give the humane society a chance to handle it first before I jump in.
 
Thank you for caring about Charlie!

I hope to hear the follow up in a week and hear of big improvements bring made to Charlie's living conditions - wherever that might be.

Bless you.
 
Amy27 wrote:
Claire, I think I remember slavetobunny posting about that now that you mention it. She was going to try to go after the owners herself to recoup some of the costs from the medical care. I am glad you brought that up. If this situation meets the criteria where they could prosecute this person, I would be really upset if I made it so that they couldn't. Didn't slavetobunny even have pictures and they still wouldn't do anything?
Click to expand...
We were told that they have to personally observe the conditions to take any action. Good job on taking action for this poor little bunny!
 
Daeny, Wed is the 6th day so I am going to call the Humane Society then to get an update. I will post to let you know what they said. I am dying to know but trying to be patient.
 
I hate to have my two cents in such a post... But I've seen some of the worst conditions for pets first-hand. I rescue from Craig's List. Which can give you some of the most disturbing animal cages, living conditions, and health problems you've ever seen. I've seen ferrets living off cat food, in a rusty cage, beautiful temperament, and the owners about to throw them on the street. I've seen rats in single-floor aquariums with nothing but newspaper as litter... That hasn't been changed in months. And they weren't even feeder rats. I've seen dogs with missing fur, cherry eye, and rotten teeth, and cats with cherry eye so bad they went blind... But... I've never seen a rabbit in horrid condition. If I'd been in your place, I'd have taken video (no flash, no obvious sneakiness). And probably called the cops once I was in my car. I'm patiently awaiting your update. And keeping Charlie in my prayers.
 
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