5 Reasons NOT to Adopt a Rescue Rabbit
Most people are generally positive about animal rescue and adoption – adopt don’t buy and all that. It’s the feel good way to get a new pet, but when it comes to rabbits there are some really good reasons why you might want to go to a pet shop instead.
1. You have difficulty with decisions
One of the big issues with rescues is the amount of animals they have for adoption. If you go to a pet shop you’ll be presented a litter of half a dozen or so siblings to choose from, you’ll probably find mini lops, dutch or lionheads or some combination thereof. They’ll already be divided into boys and girls to help you pick. If you aren’t sure if you want a girl or a boy, that’s okay, pet shops aren’t great about telling the difference so really it’s like a fun game of lucky dip, with the possibility of a bonus prize (another half dozen for the price of one).
Go to a rescue on the other hand and be prepared to be overwhelmed. There will be big bunnies, little bunnies, black, brown, white, orange, blue and spotty bunnies. Bunnies with smudges and butterflies and droppy ears and upright ears and some half way in between. Honestly, you’ll probably have to spend a whole afternoon just cuddling them one by one to work out which one you want to take home. Many rescues try to mitigate this problem by insisting you take two, but that doesn’t make narrowing down your choice much easier.
Edit: You can now get a poster (or t-shirt) of this image in my cafepress shop.
2. You only want to see babies (and not their mummies)
The overwhelming choices you’ll be subjected to at rescues aren’t just about breed, it’s also about age. Go to a pet shop and you’ll notice the rabbits are all small and a bit fluffy looking – these are babies.
Rescues actually have these too as they often take in rabbit mums, or rather rabbit mums and dads (hint: both are necessary for rabbit babies). But, they also have older rabbits – teenagers, young professionals (chewing’s a profession, right?), middle age couch potatoes (a.k.a professional couch chewers), and dignified oldies (in my day we ate the skirting boards and liked it). The trouble is if you accidentally adopt one of these you miss out on so much fun stuff… like litter training.
3. You don’t want to miss out on the teenage stage
You’ve probably heard rabbit’s can be litter trained, and that’s true, but it’s also true that litter training goes out the window for a few months during the transition from cute baby to old enough to neuter, a stage rabbit owners fondly refer to as ranging hormonal teenage rabbit (RHTR).
If you go to a rescue you’ll probably get issued with the already neutered option, this means you’ll completely miss out on the RHTR phase and really, you can’t call yourself a rabbit owner until you’ve been sprayed in the face with a jet of urine from a love sick RHTR. When you think about it, squirting urine 3-4 times your own height is a feat of skill worthy of Country-Of-Your-Choice’s Got Talent. Personally, I also think that the ability to scatter droppings over such a wide area should be appreciated for it’s artistic expression too, or maybe just for the fact the volume suggests rabbit’s insides have a Tardis like quality that deserves greater study.
4. You like noodles (a lot)
On the subject of neutering, one of the big differences between buying from a pet shop and adopting from rescue is the features that are included as standard. If you go to a rescue you’ll find neutering, vaccination and health checks included in the fee.
Your upfront costs are much lower if you go to a pet shop, where you’ll get a base model with none of these fancy extras included. Obviously you’ll still need to purchase these extras at a later date, you aren’t an irresponsible owner after all, and it will cost you more because rescues tend to get discounts and not pass on the full cost to adopters BUT everyone knows the best things in life cost you a fortune. You wouldn’t enjoy your bunny nearly as much if you hadn’t lived on noodles for two months to pay for the neuter after your rabbit’s Got Talent career didn’t pan out, right?
5. Your vet is very good looking
If your vet is single and attractive but you haven’t quite plucked up the courage to ask them out then obviously you want to maximise your chances by hanging out in the practice as much as possible (bonus tip: remove the hay from your hair before each visit). You might think rescue = second hand = more likely to need a tune up but, the trouble with rescues is they tend to health check, any on going issues will usually have been identified and babies grow up in nice surroundings which aren’t at all conducive to developing issues compared to the rabbit equivalent of puppy mills that supply pet shops.
Whilst there is no guarantee with any bunny, a young weaned too early pet shop baby is much more likely to have you strutting your stuff at the vet practice on a regular basis. Plus don’t forget all those extra features (neuter/vaccination) which will require a minimum of two or three vet visits. Go get um tiger!
As you can see buying from a pet shop has many hidden and under appreciated benefits. If you are trying to make the decision rescue or pet shop, I really hope this has helped you think over a few of the pros and cons. If anyone has any more points prospective owners should consider please add them to the comments below!
😉
Edit (2016): Obviously I’m not as funny as I think I am. For those that didn’t get it… no I’m not seriously suggesting getting an unneutered, unhealth checked, urine spraying, possibly sick (and may cost you a fortune in vets bills) pet shop rabbit is a better option than an adorable, neutered, vaccinated health checked, and available in a wide range of breeds and ages, rescue rabbit.
Tags: rescue
Brilliant post. Very creative. Well done x
One thing to add… you should definitely not go to a rescue cos once they have your number/e mail address they just keep sending you cute photos of bunnies that need new mama’s and they hound you to take responsibility for more and more cute bundles of floof until your spare room becomes a rabbit rescue in it’s own right … and we all know how awful it is having many cute little bunnies hopping around our houses huh???
I just went in the kitchen to get a snack, and do you know what happened? I forgot to get the snack and ended up giving Scamp nose rubs instead. It’s just terrible having cute little bunnies hopping around.
Irresponsible post. It’s a fact most pet shop sell rabbits that were taken from their mothers too early that result in develop issues just for starters. The percentage of pet shop knowledge for the proper care, diet & housing for a domestic rabbit is a large problem.
I just found your site and was enjoying it until this post.
Hi Cathy,
I suggest having a re-read 🙂
For example in point five I note…
“Whilst there is no guarantee with any bunny, a young weaned too early pet shop baby is much more likely to have you strutting your stuff at the vet practice on a regular basis.”
For the record, the whole post is a sarcasm.. a backwards look at adoption v. pet shop. I don’t actually think an afternoon cuddling rabbits at the rescue, not getting sprayed with wee, saving money on the adoption fee v. paying separately for neutering or spending less time at vets with sick bunnies are bad things!
Tamsin
How about all the invaluable advice the pet shops give out? Overheard in Pets at Home “you can cut your rabbit’s teeth yourself if they get to long, it’s really easy” and “yes, it’s fine to keep a rabbit in a pet carrier all day and night and just let it out when you’re home in the evenings.”
Yes, I did step in and put the people straight!
Wow, yes, wouldn’t want to miss out on that sort of excellent advice!
Hello Tamsin,
Our human companion just read your blog to us. We thought it was very clever and we have been binkying for half an hour.
You obviously love and care about our species and know the importance of our early years.
Our human, Helen, met us when we were very young , in a pet shop. We were both very poorly as babies and one of us nearly lost their BFF. Helen, was really sad.
We are such good friends and always take turns and share. Helen says we have changed her life and she wouldn’t be without us now.
You are right about the handsome vet thing. He was so talented and we owe our lives to him working extra shifts for us. But he didn’t turn out to be a potential human friend for Helen. She has moved on from that now that we are hoppy and well.
Thank you for loving rabbits. We love you back.
Bunny licks on the nose to you,
Honey and Harmony xxx???? ????
Another consideration is the emotional ‘baggage’ that some rescue rabbits come with. Our little rescued dutch took ages to trust us, was a nightmare to take to the vets and freaked out if you did anything outside of her daily routine – can’t really blame her given how she had been (ill)treated in the past. We don’t regret choosing her or deciding to get a bunny from a rescue centre though :0)
emotional baggage is possible even with pet store bunnies, of course.
Ps Shame on Pets at Home! And well done Wendy for putting them straight
well written Tamsin!
and my pet shop of choice will always be the Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare rescue in Rugby, England, where my little honey Wesley came from 🙂
that is the only type of .pet. .shop. I ever spend any money in
LOVE this. I have owned 3 rabbits, each was such a JOY.. YES all rescues.. The first a rescue that was left in a apartment when someone moved out. He had been alone for we are not sure how long when he was found. The other 2 were rescued here in AZ. wow what a awesome pet they are. Easy to care for. As you said altered when rescued, go to their cage when they need to use the litter box. love to snuggle. I REALLY believe the best house pet you can have, that said the ONLY reason I don’t have any right now is because I had to go back to work full time for a while and have 3 cats,, yes rescues, 3 dogs,, rescues.. as well as 2 birds. I think taking care of 8 animals is enough while working full time and caring for them properly as well as my house and as soon as I can I will be getting another rabbit,, maybe 2 or 3
Thank you 🙂 Rabbit’s are awesome aren’t they! It sounds like you are hooked on rescues, it’s just terrible isn’t all those lovely adorable animals to hug. That’s got to be a downside too, once you rescue your hooked for life 😉
Agreed!
[…] Source: The Rabbit House […]
Reason 6) you like to support local businesses, like bunny mills (places where bunnies are raised in horrible conditions in attempt to profit from their sale).
Good point, without support from pet shop sales these could easily end up going out of business!
I’ve had a total of 5 rabbits up to now. All were “rescued” from a pet warehouse, where they were destined for an early death for being “unsellable” due to physical defects. My first darling unfortunately was paralyzed in her front legs, but was the sweetest dear. I spent a couple hours a day keeping her bottom cleaned off and assisting her feeding, as she was almost immobile from the problem. The next lad had the opposite problem, back legs completely paralyzed but he scooted himself around with the front with little effort. Both, unfortunately, led short (but full) lives under 3 years. Two of my current three(rex and mini-lop) had severe ringworm infections that required serious treatment early on-they are now quite healthy and energetic. My pride and joy is my little dutch with head-tilt. He’s an amazing little trooper that shows no signs of slowing down as he approaches 4 years, and has bonded well with the rex. People ask me if I’m ever going to date again/get married someday, all I care is that I have room in my life and my home for my rescued rabbits.
A lot of work, but the payoff is immeasureable. Rescue a rabbit, they just might rescue a little bit of you back =>
I cannot believe this article actually. Our best buns have been rescues and I sadly just had to rehome our darling and spoiled, toilet trained and everything boy to a rescue as we have had some tragic circumstances. Your article would possible mean he’d be pts by some! Fortunately the girl who has him also has a beautiful wee girl who is so friendly – she was just over used for breeding, but handled gently – they are going to be bonded so they will be happy together outside as he has spent 2 years inside and outside with us and if simply given to some dumb shmuck who would leave him in a hutch outside by himself – he could die a very slow death of loneliness. Good grief! Some rabbits are nasty from babies……and pet shops! I won’t bother starting about some (and I mean some, not all) of those and the “baggage” that many of those rabbits come with too. Your article is shortsighted and far too simplistic. Or, to coin an Oscar Wilde phrase…..Heartless, quite heartless. =(
Hi JFreak, I wonder if you actually read the article or just skimmed the headings? I thought the game was rather given away when I suggested picking a pet shop rabbit so as not to miss out on the joys of having urine sprayed in your face (something a neutered rescue rabbit is unlikely to do). Just in case though – the whole thing is tongue in cheek.
Hi Tamsin, Brilliant article, loved it, very clever. I don’t know how people didn’t get that this was a satirical look at the Pet Shop industry. Love the Website and your blog, Kerry x
Hi Tasmin,
I have just read your spill and found it very interesting as i have never seen this point of view before, i mean no disrespect to you but I would have to disagree with this whole argument completely.. I am a breeder and I have rescued over 100 rabbits and rehomed nearly all of them and have had very high and positive feedback.
Your first point that it would be difficult to pick one, is that not the same when you go to the pet shop and the 5 baby bunnies in the cage are from the same litter and generally are all close to being identical, also most rescues will try and source a rabbit that will suit your family and lifestyle. Another point is pet shops cost a fortune and they have hadn’t vet checks or vaccinations at all.
Secondly you definitely want to see the mother, if your buying a kitten ( baby bunny) it’s probably a good ideal see what your adorable little fluffy bunny will look like in 6 months. And if you are able to see the parents at least you will know if it is a cross breed and the eventual size.
Thirdly rabbits are a prey animal, they try to stay clean to minimize the spread of smell so toilet training is quite easy to introduce to new rabbits as they generally pick a corner, I get sprayed in the face daily and for all the new rabbit owners… Your not missing anything amazing I assure you – it’s a male territorial sign that “your invading my space mate.”
Your next point is probably the one I feel most strongly about, …. If you are not a registered breeder, why do you need to have babies? I live in Sydney NSW and I still receive over 200 emails requesting I take their rabbit or guinea pig monthly for reasons such as,i thought I bought two girls but now I have 10 or we bought it for my daughter but now it’s big and she doesn’t play with it. The most annoying reason is we moved but we can’t have animals there…. A lot of people are unable to find homes and even let their bunnies loose, or sell them to someone as food. There are also complications that can arise when having babies and the inexperienced people don’t know what to do.
Rabbits are prone to cancer in their reproductive organs so I will always advise when people buy a bunny off me that desexing is the best option. Vaccinations against myxi and calici are annual requirements and going to the vet at least once every 6-12 months is probably not a bad thing, just to check teeth, lungs and viral infections that may not have symptoms..
And finally to anyone who does actually read this reply unless it is deemed inappropriate and deleted(lol) pet shops, back yard breeders and breeding mills are places you do not want to buy from. Pet shops have no experience or extensive advice to offer and they hike their prices up when you could pick a baby or rescued bunny up somewhere soo so much cheaper, back yard breeders tend not to keep up with vaccinations and vet checks as it is quite expensive, their real reason for breeding is for the $$$ and thirdly breeding mills – cramped, inadequate conditions, they over use their does for breeding and reduce their lives drastically. They do not breed pure lines but breed inverted lines which eventually cause deformities and kittens born with defected lungs and limbs, and if a rabbit were to become sick they do not go to the vets but rather down the road to the factory that makes your dog food…
Guys I would plea with you that consider looking on websites like gumtree or breeders directory where you can find a new bunny for cheaper and even at times free, go and see where they have been living check out the other rabbits and even check out the pounds …
Baby bunnies are adorable (I know I have 3 week old red mini Rex kittens ADORABLE) but they grow up and 90% of the time those pet shop bunnies become rescues because people buy on impulse rather than planning. The rescues are doing wonders and their prices can be ridiculous but they are there to cover costs for housing, vet bills, workers, food and treatments it doesn’t go far..
Hi Stephanie, thanks for posting, you sound very knowledgeable and raised some good points – particularly about checking where the rabbit came from. Even though rescues can’t always give you a rabbits history, at least they won’t lie to make a sale and they’ll vet check and take precautions like neutering.
The article was tongue in cheek – I completely agree rescues are a great place to get a rabbit, and it’s difficult to find good reasons for not adopting.
Hi!
I would’ve liked to have adopted from a escue, but there’s none near us and the RSCPA said we were too close to a main road despite wanting to buns to be house rabbits! We went to a highly respectable breeder where a week before we were due to have two 8 week old buns they died, so last chance we went to Pets at Home where we came back with Felix and Jasper our mental and lovely mini lops! The staff there were really helpful (only this particular store, i went in to see what age they could be ‘done’ due to Jasper biting me everytime i went near him and they said to give him back to them for adoption?! ER NO!) but anyway, in the one we adopted them from they were very knowledgeable and friendly and i wouldn’t knock all of them.
I like this site though its really helpful (stumbled across it while looking for help stopping carpet digging ha ha)
Thanks 🙂
Hi Emily, I’m glad you successfully managed to find two bunnies – it can be tricky to track down a rescue, some areas of the country seem really well covered and you’ll even have rabbit specific rescues to go to, others it’s much harder to find somewhere local. Some rescues will adopt out of area if you can travel which can be worth a try.
I hope the carpet digging is improving – sometimes it’s tricky to convince them no matter how much they dig they are not going to successfully dig a warren!
Tamsin
Hi Tamsin,
No luck on carpet digging he’s determined there’s something exciting under there, however we have trained him to jump on the sofa and sit with us so there’s hope!
Thanks for the reply,
Emily
Another problem with rescue bunnies is that they often come with a mandatory microchip… so if your bunny likes to chew electrical cords and you decide you’d rather give them a death warrant by dumping them on the side of the road than cough up $10 for some flex-tubing and some kind stranger rescues them, the bunny might just find its way back to you.
Of course, if you love your bunny enough to spend a little money on bunny-proofing and you would be heartbroken if they ever escaped and got lost, then you might actually appreciate a “we found your bunny” call from the pound (who might otherwise have euthanized your beloved pet).
Excellent point, those rescue workers are sneaky – once you’ve adopted the cute little floppy-eared terrors (the rabbits not the volunteers) there is no getting rid of them!
I somehow forgot to mention when I posted my previous comment that I’d actually impulse adopted a third rabbit, Normie, from a shelter 20 days prior when I was supposed to only be there to take the foster program orientation class, lol… so I thought I’d come back and share his story :).
When talking myself into the adoption, I swore we’d only keep Norman if I was able to bond him to Nala and Gaz – otherwise he’d have to go back to the shelter because we just didn’t have the space to house them separately forever. I brought him home around 7 pm and by the time we went to bed that night, my boyfriend and I had already acknowledged that Norman was here to stay no matter what – if they didn’t bond, we’d just have to make space somehow because there was no way we could look him in his precious little face and tell him he had to go back to that mini cubicle in the shelter.
Normie, a 5.5-6 lb American Sable mix, was surrendered by his owners FOUR DAYS before Christmas for “being too big”… would love to see the looks on their faces if they saw a Flemish Giant! He made himself right at home with us in a matter of HOURS; his behavior suggested that he wanted to know what took us so long to find him because this was *clearly* where he belonged.
He has utterly impeccable litter box habits, adores (and demands) daily cuddle sessions, licks the heck out of us and follows us around – a big sweetie! I don’t know how anyone could give him up, but I’m glad they did because he made it clear that he’s much happier here (I get the feeling he spent most of his previous life locked in a cage with little attention/interaction/opportunity for exercise).
He was neutered on Dec. 22nd and adopted Dec. 28th – since a male’s hormones can linger for up to 6-8 weeks after a neuter, it came as no surprise that he initially assumed that Nala and Gaz were there for his humping pleasure. Around 5-6 weeks post-neuter, he finally started to be less hormonal and I did the first official (ie more than a couple minutes to test his humpiness) bonding session with the potential trio, which lasted about an hour.
Yesterday (two weeks, three hours-long bonding sessions and one group vet trip in the same stroller later (Gazzles had a run-in with GI stasis last week but is all better now… and because my vet is awesome, she offered me full bottles of metacam and metoclopramide for my first aid kit instead of only enough to get Gaz better)), I felt it was time for a final marathon session, which successfully segued into them staying together permanently!
I think Nala and Gaz have been needing/craving a male roommate – Normie really adds something to the mix! Trio bonding has been a very enlightening learning experience for Nala, Gaz, Jay (my b/f) and myself… the cats want to know why the new guy keeps coming up and biting them on the rear when they’re minding their own business, though! 😛
Oh, and Norman – neutered and everything – cost me a ridiculously low $30 (about a third what the puppy/kitten adoption fee is). The girls cost me $30 each *and* $465 total for two spays (there were no shelters in the city I lived in at the time, so I got them from a breeder).
i think i just got that this was tongue in cheek, but i’m worried that so many people out there are so incredibly ignorant about rabbits before they get them (as was i) that they wont realise it and will take it seriously. could you put an IRONY WARNING up or something, or a thing at the end saying always use rescues? you know what i mean. honestly i do think it will be lost of most people who arent ALREADY clued up and those are the ones you should be aiming at mainly.
hope this is helpful. thanks.
Im weighing up whether to foster/adopt a rescue bun for the first time. Your article and the comments which followed all v useful. Great article Tamsin, thanks.
Thanks, I’m glad you found it helpful. I would definitely recommend adoption – it takes out a lot of the stressful aspects of a new bunny. Just neutering, for example, adopting already neutered rabbits means no worrying the operation and recovery.
If you’ve any questions please ask 🙂
REALLY??
The TITLE here has me so mind boggled and bummed that whatever message your trying to convey has now been “cindered” in the back of my mind.
I’d suggest you read through the five reasons before judging on the title 😉
OH??
I’d suggest you consider WHAT I WROTE.
DID you ASSUME I did not READ the five reasons(obviously you did- but WHY?)….
I am going to say this AGAIN in hopes you can “get it”..
THE TITLE to this has me–and I am **sure** many, many others– so mind boggled and bummed that whatever message your trying to convey has now been “cindered” in the back of my mind.
Sorry, maybe it’s your metaphor I’m muddling up. I thought you meant after reading the title you didn’t take in the message from the actual article.
My goal for the post wasn’t to preach at the already adoption-converted, but to talk at the people who are on the fence or even anti-adoption – I hope the title grabbed their attention.
If you read the full article and think it’s promoting pet shops not rescue, you definately need to read again 🙂
Unfortunately some people are thick, and don’t understand that you’re article was sarcastic. So I do agree with some of the other readers in saying that you should probably mention at the end or somewhere in the article that rescues are far better than pet shops (for the people who just don’t get the point you’re trying to make). I stumbled upon your site and I quite enjoy it, I find it very helpful and fun 🙂 I have a beautiful rabbit name Ms. bun that looks a lot like your Scamp, (I’m not sure of her breed) I rescued her from terrible people about 6 or 7 years back, A guy living with a few other guys bought her for his girlfriend and when they broke up soon after, the girl just left Ms. bun with the house full of guys. She was living a cage not much bigger than herself, never got fresh food, water or any treats, never got let out or loved and would get terrorized by the huge dog they had, the guys (complete jerks) thought it was funny that she would freak out in her cage and hurt herself from trying to hide with nowhere to go. After seeing this bunny being treated like this the 2 or 3 times I went there (I was hoping that the girl would come back and get her), around July 4th of 2008 I went there for the last time after some fireworks and decided to rescue her, I put her in the back of my car, drove home, and never looked back. She’s been with me ever since and is a bit spoiled, she has free range of the apartment, only being put in her 4′ by 2′ by 4′ cage at night while i’m sleeping, she gets fresh vegetables, water, pellets and a few treats daily. I hope that more people find it in their hearts to rescue rabbits in need, my bun has truly enriched my life, I love her to bits.
She also gets hay but I have yet to find a hay that she really likes, the only thing she has ever really eaten hay wise was alfalfa, which i know isn’t really ok for adult rabbits so i’m still searching! Any suggestions?
My bun likes Orchard hay. I’m kind of allergic to Timothy hay, but everyone recommends Timothy over anything else. Well, that’s not exactly true. I have two rescues I deal with regularly. One to board my bun if I need to and the other to actively engage in their foster program. The people I board with serves nothing but Orchard hay and the foster people nothing but Timothy. Either way I’m sure they’d both agree that a bun that old should not be on alfalfa, but after so long I have no idea how you’d break her from that. I would mix orchard with alfalfa gradually and hopefully she won’t mind slowly switching to orchard.
Us, we have all kinds of hay. But my bun is so spoiled she doesn’t care. She only wants name brand pet store feed. You know, the kind with all the extra noms in it? And I can’t seem to do anything about it. It’s bad enough that I’m being told rabbit pellets are like the Big Mac’s of bunny food. I mean, if that’s the case then I’m essentially adding jelly beans and gummy bears to the Big Mac right?
I’ve tried to get her to eat more hay. I add a little food to it. I have her forage for it. I’ve done it all. She’s stubborn. She’s stubborn and I can see it in her little red eyes…She knows I’m a pushover. She’s so bossy!!!! Someone should help me. I need an intervention. LOL
Oh wow. I’m so slow. LOL It’s sarcastic right? I had to go back up and re-read some of the post and realized you’re being cheeky. Omg, I’m so dumb. I was feeling a little offended. I rescued my bun away from my own mother and 3 years later I’m fostering her potential husbun. So exciting! Great article! So funny.
I have a friend who adopted a rabbit from a rescue shelter and she said she was offered to take two bunnies but she refused since she only want 1 bunny. She said she only has a small rabbit hutch that is good for 1 rabbit.
She should have got a bigger cage and got two. It is cruel to have only one. Some people are ignorant!
This is the best article I’ve read in ages! I love your artistic view point. I do not think you should ever put up a warning. This grabbed my attention and I enjoyed reading every bit of it. I haven’t had quite a good laugh in such a good time, as I bought two little boys at a pet shop recently, and love them, but we are in the teenage stage and it has been an adventure. We will keep them both as we have fallen in love with them; however, after bonding at first we have had to separate them due to a vicious attack from our Dwarf Netherlands bun on our MiniRex who is twice his size. I did find a lovely piece of bedding or bark stuck in his skin (which could have been there since owning him as it was grown over with skin–and after much work and worry we were able to remove this.) I am hoping we might be lucky to reintroduce these two together some day, but only patience, work, neutering and time will tell. As they are only 4 months old we will be waiting 2 more months before neutering them. I was short on time and chose to take the advice of our LPS who said two males are better paired than a male and a female. This didn’t make much sense to me at the time, but I didn’t do my homework beforehand. Either way, I have fallen in love with these buns and I will most undoubtedly own more over time, and this will be from a rescue. -I hope you keep writing and I will continue to look for your articles. You have a true talent, and a love of buns. Sincerely, Heidi
Great post! Nothing like a good chunk of sarcasm to brighten the day! I’d agree some shops and breeders have rightly got a bad reputation for their exploitation of animals but it’s perhaps wrong to tar all shops and breeders with the same brush. Even some veterinary practices get it wrong (read our latest blog post http://www.timeforpaws.co.uk/blog/home-rescue-rabbits/ ) so nobody is perfect. I do agree with your sentiments of utilising rescue centres though, it’s the right thing to do and some rescue animals can turn out to be very special.
Thanks
Thank you. That’s a good point, there are some gems out there and they deserve recognition for not just doing what everyone else does. There are some pet shops that work with rescues or host education events and really help make a difference. I’m glad the vet students in your blog are now practising on models. I know there is a rescue here in the UK that’s taken some rabbits in to meet vet students so they can meet real bunnies and learn about handling (not injections or anything) and discuss some of the issues that pet bunnies face.
Unfortunately, everyone who reads this (obviously from some of the comments) will not realize this is SARCASM and a totally INAPPROPRIATE way to look at rabbits.
I would plead with you to change some part of the article in order to educate and inform, or at least direct people to GOOD practices, and notify them that you are being facetious, as some people have and will use this as justification for doing it this way, which is a horrific idea.
I like that you’ve grabbed people with the title, but I would love if you took it this step further to make sure some don’t believe it.
Hello,
I found this post very funny and sarcastic. Exactly what is supposed to be. Good for you for not deleting it and keeping it up. It’s unfortunate people have to be so negative.
Thank you for all this material you create so our bunnies can have more enriched enjoyable lives
Thank you Lucy 🙂