Okay, here's the scoop on this rabbitry. You can draw your own conclusions. I also have every e-mail that was exchanged between us, so there's no way this can be labeled as slander.
I saw an ad on pennswoods.net (our local advertising site, sort of like craigslist). I contacted them about purchasing French Lop babies in October of 2011. Michelle W. (the breeder) told me that they didn't have any currently but asked if I wanted on their waiting list. I said yes, that I wanted a doe and a buck. After that, I posted on Pennswoods, looking for a buck to either buy or breed to (for stud fee or pick of the litter). Michelle W. contacted me and said, "Oh, we do that for people, too." So I arranged to bring my doe (Adeline) to her buck, and they would get their pick out of the resulting litter. Everything was going great, we exchanged friendly e-mails. They had 2 litters of Flops born, and kept me up to date on their colors and everything. I got an e-mail that stated that they'd be ready to go in 2 weeks, along with pictures of them all. Then, 3 days later, I get another e-mail stating, "Do you still want these two babies? If not, I have people that want them and will pick them up now." I sent one back, saying that I didn't think they were old enough (going by the previous email) and she assured me they were. So I replied that I was, and we set up a time/day that she would be available.
On December 10th, we drove down and picked up Max and Ruby. They had the same sire, but different mothers. She also showed us all their rabbits (they have just about 2 of every breed out there), we chatted for a very long time, and when we were ready to leave she literally plucked the babies out of the hutches with their mothers/siblings and put them in my carrier. I asked again if they were old enough, since they were still with the remaining siblings and their mothers and Michelle assured me they were. She said they were eating/drinking fine, all was well. So off we went. We got home around 9 that evening and got them settled into their brand new cages. The next day it didn't look like Ruby had touched her pellets much but seemed to be picking at the hay. Max had chowed down like a little piggy. That evening I noticed jelly stuff in Ruby's drop tray. I had NO clue what mucoid enteritis was, or what the jelly stuff meant. I went up to the house and e-mailed Michelle (which she said to do, if I had any problems or questions). I didn't hear anything back, so I started searching online. That's when I found this forum, btw. The next morning she hadn't touched anything, and there was NO poop color at all in her tray. It was nothing but jelly. Michelle finally e-mailed me back, saying not to worry and to just put some Neomycin in her water and she should be fine. Well, I had found (on here and a bunch of Google searches) about the infant gas drops, Critical Care, clear Pedialyte, etc. I added the Neomycin to the water and followed all the other suggestions. I even massaged her belly most of the day and all through the night. The next morning I called my small animal vet and they had me bring her in as soon as I could get there. After taking her to the vet (and they are NOT rabbit savvy vets, unfortunately, and I wasn't rabbit savvy at all) she said, "I'm not sure what this is." I asked if it was mucoid enteritis or something else, and she said, "Let me go check my books." She came back a bit later and confirmed that it was, in fact, mucoid enteritis. After doing some tests, her recommendation was to put her to sleep. So we did...and I cried like a baby, even though I had only had her such a short time.
Heartbroken, I e-mailed Michelle and told her (their policy was a replacement with proof of a vet visit). Her only response was, "That's too bad. We had 9 litters born today and lost all but 2." I was sort of stunned at that response. Then later she e-mailed me and said, "We'll breed your doe for free because we sold all the other babies." I figured that would work and we set it up for me to bring Adeline up at the end of January. A few days after putting Ruby down, I received their pedigrees in the mail. Ruby was FIVE weeks old when I brought her home, Max was 6. BOTH were underage, according to PA law. And no honest breeding operation would sell babies that young. I still have Ruby's pedigree, where Michelle was even kind enough to write the date in that she sold her to us (kept because I couldn't bear at the time to throw it away...and now glad I still have it).
So fast forward a bit: At the end of January I took Adeline to Michelle's to get bred. She put her buck and Adeline in a little Xpen in their yard (with dog crap in it...I wasn't thrilled with that but kept my mouth shut). While Wilbur and Adeline were doing their thing, I went inside to help Michelle get her website fixed. I spent HOURS helping her, at no charge. I had my teenage daughter and son with me. And, like all teenage girls, she snapped a bunch of pictures of Wilbur and Adeline together. Again, that part will become important later. LOL
So fast forward again, to the birth of Adeline's babies: She had 14 babies, but only 10 made it to weaning. I sent pictures to Michelle, right before a show (up until this point, we were continually e-mailing each other...she showing off her newest litters and me ooohing and awwwing over them). She replied, "They're really cute. We still get a baby, right?" My jaw hit the floor when I read that, thinking, "Is she serious???". So I typed back about Ruby, and about how she said they'd breed her for free. I also said that they could pick a baby when they refunded my money for the doe that died. I didn't hear anything that evening. The next morning was the show, and after we got our rabbits settled in I went over to talk to her. She was acting stand offish, and then her hubby came over. He right away got in my face, yelling, "And just how long are YOU going to guarantee YOUR babies?" I just looked at him and said, "First, none of MY babies will leave until they're at least 9 weeks old, not 5 weeks like the one you sold me." He started to deny she was that young when Michelle finally spoke up and said, "She's right, David." He then whipped around to her and said, "What have I told you about that before???" So I said, "Like I told your wife, I'll gladly let you pick a baby when I get a refund on the one that died." He just turned and huffed away, Michelle wouldn't even look me in the eye, so I went back to my area. I thought that was the end of it, but it wasn't.
Fast forward to May: I took a few of the babies that I wanted to sell to another show. Another breeder approached me and said, "Would you be interesting in trading babies? I don't have any litters now, but have 3 does due next month." I said, "Sure, but all I ask is that I get a nice baby buck." (I forgot to add this part in there, but when Max was a few months old it was obvious that Max wasn't a buck but a doe.) She said that was fine with her, and she took one of my broken fawn does and said she'd let me know when her litters were born. This breeder is Michelle Potter, from Quaker Hill's Rabbitry and a SUPER person! Anyway, at the next show Michelle Potter said, "I need to talk to you." I was thinking, "Uh, oh, something was wrong with the doe I traded her." So I went outside and she followed, with her pedigree book in hand. I noticed David W. eavesdropping behind us, but didn't care if he heard what we were discussing or not. Anyway, Michelle Potter said, "I was all excited about the little doe I got from you and told Michelle W. that I got another Wilbur baby. And they denied ever breeding your doe, and said you were lying." Right away I got REALLY pissed. I don't much, but I'm known for being honest and true to my word! I said, "What?" And then I proceeded to fill her in on the WHOLE story, and told her I'd send copies of the e-mails to her when I got home. I also said, "And my daughter has pictures on her phone with Wilbur and Adeline together." Then Michelle Potter proceeded to tell me that Wilbur wasn't Waltz's Wilbur, he was actually Eden's 3G8 and Waltz's Hope was actually Eden's 14P4. And she knows this because she's the one that sold the trio to Waltz's. She also said about telling them it was wrong to change pedigrees, etc., and that they just don't listen. So after I got an ear full, I went to find David and Michelle. I ran into David and just said, "I need to speak to you and your wife." He said, "Hang on a second, I need to go grab something real quick." The next thing you know, they're packing up and hightailing it out of the showroom. Before waiting for the BIS results from the first show and before even showing in the second one. VERY much not like them. Again, I figured the whole thing was over and they were done. Not the case.
A few weeks later, we head to another show. Now, I'm in the middle of the state, so we show at every show in Pennsylvania. Most breeders (at least with Flops, but not sure about other breeds) they mainly show on "their" side. So I know every French Lop breeder in the state, where most of them know only half. This show was on the western side, where neither Michelle W. or Michelle Potter show. I run into another breeder, and we're talking, and she said, "So, I hear you're telling people you bred to someone's rabbit when you really didn't." Again, I see red...and explain the whole thing. I also tell her I'll send her copies of the e-mails and she can draw her own conclusions on the truth. We laugh about it, and I think, "Well, that should be the end of it." I also forwarded copies to Michelle W., and told her if I so much as got word from anyone else that she's spreading lies about me that I was turning it over to our attorney for a good old-fashioned slander lawsuit.
A month later finds us back at the show where the second breeder told me about what Waltz's were saying about me. She came up to me and said, "So, I heard there's someone else with a buck named E.R. Morris." (That's her best buck's name). I was like, "Really? Who?" And she said, "You." I laughed at the absurdity of this, and said, "Who the hell told you that?" She said, "Michelle Waltz." Through my laughter, I said, "That's so funny. The only buck I have is a chestnut that won't breed, named Spaz." We both agreed that those guys are really off their rocker.
So this is what I was dealing with, as someone new to rabbit breeding and showing. Those who know the story said that they would have quit after the first run-in. Thankfully I was raised to stay true to your word and your goals...and my goals was (and still is) to breed and show rabbits. Plus, if I would have quit, they would have won.
The really funny part is this: When they were first starting to spread these lies, they were showing one of Max's siblings. I heard her telling someone that, "It was the best rabbit they ever produced." Max kicked butt...taking BOB and her "best rabbit" placed last in the class. She hasn't shown a French Lop since. And I talked to someone at the big show last weekend that had just bought a rabbit from them who told me that they sold the rabbit because they were no longer going to breed and show French Lops.
I learned a few things about them, as time went on:
1.) They are already known as people that sell sick animals, and do NOT guarantee anything any more..even if it dies after you pay for it.
2.) All their pedigrees are changed, to make it appear that they did the breeding/raising, not giving credit to the actual breeders.
3.) They tell you that they've been breeding/showing for years when in fact they got into it in the beginning of 2011...buying trios of every breed they could think of. They don't know much, and refuse to listen to anyone who tries to help them.
Anyway, that's my story....and whenever I hear or see someone looking for any of the breeds they raise, I warn them of who they'll be dealing with. So if you're going to be buying a rabbit in Pennsylvania, steer clear.
