Selling baby rabbits at 2 weeks old?

[BlackRabbits]

This evening while browsing the animal want ads, I came across an ad selling two week old baby rabbits, right now. He was even offering to throw in a cage for anyone who bought more than one. They look like Netherlands crossed with Angora or Lionhead.

I'm pretty sure that two weeks is way too early to be taking babies away from their mother. Or am I wrong about this? I'm on the verge of reporting the ad to the moderators (they have a rule against selling baby animals too soon) as well as replying to the seller asking them to wait until the babies are old enough before selling them.

How does it affect baby rabbits to be taken from their mother too early?

 

[Watermelons]

Most states have a law that rabbits must be atleast 8 weeks before they can be sold.
Can you report it to your local spca?

 

[BlackRabbits]

Most states have a law that rabbits must be atleast 8 weeks before they can be sold.
Can you report it to your local spca?

Unfortunately our local SPCA is a joke, they're in the Canadian province of Ontario. I've reported cruelty to them a few times, including a massive kitten mill operation with locations all over the province. Their response is to tell whoever reports cruelty to investigate it themselves, then OSPCA will act on it. Sorry, I'm not paid or trained to barge into people's private property to confirm that cruelty is going on, nor do I have a car to drive to these locations.

I emailed the ad site owners telling them the ad's illegal and cruel, and also sent a reply to the seller, politely telling him or her that two weeks is far too early to separate baby bunnies from their mother, and that doing so will affect both the health and the emotional well being of these babies. If the site owners ignore me, then I'll start researching who has jurisdiction over them and file a complaint.

 

[Akzholedent]

Personally, i think my Holland Lop, Pippi, was taken too early from her mother, and she doesn't know how to communicate with other rabbits.. Except to try to beat them up. :-( i wish you the best of luck. We have horrible issues with people mistreating animals as well, and it's only been within the last few years that the authorites are cracking down on it.

 

[Preitler]

I doubt they would survive without bottle feeding goat milk formula, they just opend eyes and are starting on solid food slowly. imho it's important for them to have an adult around for getting the right bacteria to digest solid food...

No harm done to contact the seller and tell him it doesn't work that way, and may be illegal, was the best thing to do.

Reporting to authorities is another matter. 90% of such reports I heard of were because people who know nothing, have no clue whats going on but believe their screwed morals are always right and should be forced on anyone who dares to do things in a way they don't understand or approve, it's more living out a Blockwart thing than actual any good for the animals in question. Thank god our authoritys are quite levelheaded and know this.

 

[BlackRabbits]

I doubt they would survive without bottle feeding goat milk formula, they just opend eyes and are starting on solid food slowly. imho it's important for them to have an adult around for getting the right bacteria to digest solid food...

No harm done to contact the seller and tell him it doesn't work that way, and may be illegal, was the best thing to do.

Reporting to authorities is another matter. 90% of such reports I heard of were because people who know nothing, have no clue whats going on but believe their screwed morals are always right and should be forced on anyone who dares to do things in a way they don't understand or approve, it's more living out a Blockwart thing than actual any good for the animals in question. Thank god our authoritys are quite levelheaded and know this.

I did write to the seller and politely told them that two weeks is too early because they won't survive without mother's milk at that age. I asked them to please wait a couple of weeks to sell the babies or just take reservations from prospective owners until the babies are ready. He replied "I know they're too young" and that's it. The ad stayed up.

My message to the site itself (Kijiji) resulted in a patronizing canned email giving me instructions on how to file a complaint about an ad. Umm by contacting them in the first place I was filing a complaint about that ad, using their instructions. Then there was a spiel about their animal welfare policies - the ones they ignore. The ad stayed up.

So yesterday I sent them a threatening email mentioning their habit of ignoring animal welfare complaints, and the fact that I've submitted many in the past which were also ignored. I told them they are accessories to animal cruelty, criminal activity (fraudulent ads selling non-existent pets, ads from illegal puppy and kitten mills) and fraud, and that they could be reported to law enforcement. I gave them 3 business days to take that ad down and start enforcing their own policies, or I'd report them to the police and animal welfare authorities. That got their attention. Only a couple of hours later I got a reply full of apologies and promises to take the baby rabbit ad down. I told them that if they refuse to act on a pet ad that violates their welfare policies again, I'd report them to law enforcement. The ad was taken down almost immediately after that.

 

[Azerane]

Nice work BlackRabbits, 2 weeks is a horrendous age to be selling baby rabbits, well done for sticking with it and making sure the add got removed (and Kijiji a kick up the butt!).