Rabbit being transported dies...

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crimson

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2011
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Location
Southern NH, New Hampshire, USA
I bought a rabbit from a breeder. The rabbit was transported by the breeder and shown at the ARBA convention. I paid to have the rabbit transported to my state by someone transporting rabbits back from convention to this area. The rabbit died on the way back. The breeder says the rabbit was fine when he left her possession. The transporters say he was in a good size transport cage, wasn't hot, and he died within 2 hours of leaving the convention.

What would be the policy here? Should I be reimbursed for the purchase price of the rabbit? And by whom the breeder or the transporter???
 
You either get the money back or an replacement, If they dont have an replacement, Get your money back!
 
What sort of guarantee does the breeder offer? Some will only guarentee the health until it leaves their possession. Others will guarantee up to 2 weeks after no matter what. You will need to contact the breeder or check their website for this info. You should also ask the transporter for at least some of the transport money back.

Remember that convention is stressful. Some rabbits travel for several days just to get there, then spend 5 days there with thousands of other rabbits. They get judged and may be part of other things like auctions or presentations. After that they get to travel back with can be another few days. This amounts to over a week of stressful situations and even the calmest rabbits might not be that happy after it all. With all the rabbits there, you don't know what a rabbit might pick up. Someone could pet one rabbit at the other end of the building then come pet yours and could transfer something.

I would contact the breed and see what they can offer you.
 
I agree! I think that you should contact the breeder and ask how they would like to handle the situation.

They may be able to offer you a replacement or a refund....
 
Ah, the inherent risk of not inspecting a rabbit yourself before you buy it. I have run into this a lot and it's always a hassle and a risk. Since you were not there to inspect the animal yourself, you would have to take the breeder's word on its health, in which case the transporter is held liable. In most cases, once the rabbit is out of the breeder's care it is no longer their direct responsibility. Even if, say, her policy is a one week guarantee of health, there would probably be a caveat if there was a third party involved, such as the transporter.

The ideal situation, and arguably the most fair, is to get 50% of your money back from the breeder and 50% back from the transporter. That way, both share the blame equally. Getting them to agree to that, however, is another story. Worst case scenario, they both have equal arguments to NOT pony up the replacement money, and you can't do anything and will just have to cut your losses and move on.

Good luck!
 
The rabbit was bought from a very reputable breeder. He has been transported before to shows. The transporter says he was very laid back when they picked him up, but the breeder says that was his personality. The breeder also sold quite a few other rabbits that were transported to and from convention with no problem. I am not blaming either party. Both have now been very generous. The transporter is giving me back the transportation fee and 1/2 the price of the rabbit. The breeder has offered to sell me another rabbit in May at 1/2 price.
 
crimson wrote:
The rabbit was bought from a very reputable breeder. He has been transported before to shows. The transporter says he was very laid back when they picked him up, but the breeder says that was his personality. The breeder also sold quite a few other rabbits that were transported to and from convention with no problem. I am not blaming either party. Both have now been very generous. The transporter is giving me back the transportation fee and 1/2 the price of the rabbit. The breeder has offered to sell me another rabbit in May at 1/2 price.
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Glad to hear that you got at least some money back. As others have said, convention is a week or so of stress for a rabbit. It's good to hear that both the breeder and transporter were willing to work with you, that really shows signs of a reputable breeder :)
 
I also posted on the infirmary forum about the bunny screaming before he died. He wasn't caught on anything. I wonder if it could have been a heart attack from stress.
 
It could been from the stress of an heart attack, They get stressed out really easy, But at least the transporter and the breeder is very good on this.. Some others arent so lucky! But sorry for your loss! :(
 
Wow - I'm shocked that the transporter is offering to pay for half of the rabbit. That makes me very leery of wanting to transport in the future - I mean - what if it wasn't their fault.

I'm glad you're getting your money back - or part of it - but if I were the transporter I would not be happy about this at all.
 
I personally would never transport someone else's rabbits. I know that sounds harsh, but I would never want to be held responsible for something that may have been out of my control. I would always be second guessing myself, "What if, what if, what if?"
 
HappyFarmBunnies wrote:
I personally would never transport someone else's rabbits. I know that sounds harsh, but I would never want to be held responsible for something that may have been out of my control. I would always be second guessing myself, "What if, what if, what if?"
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Yeah - I've transported rabbits before for about 32 hours or so one way trip...if I'd had to replace them though - wow. I've also had rabbits transported and it never would have occurred to me to ask someone to replace one had they died....I was simply grateful that for $25 or whatever - someone would bring me my rabbit.

Anyway - I'm sorry that this rabbit died and I hope that the original poster can get one later on.
 
TinysMom wrote:
Wow - I'm shocked that the transporter is offering to pay for half of the rabbit. That makes me very leery of wanting to transport in the future - I mean - what if it wasn't their fault.

I'm glad you're getting your money back - or part of it - but if I were the transporter I would not be happy about this at all.
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I missed that the first time. I think that the transporter is being very generous in offering to pay for 1/2 the rabbit.
 
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