20 free rabbits from the yard of HELL!

[LadyKarli]

So the woman tells me they are mostly fryers except 2 pregnant does & 2 bucks & 2 does with kits. Well they are about 6 weeks from being fryers & only about as big as soap bottles. They are all filthy. Their surroundings were just the worst. Like something off animal cops. We got there & there was a dying kit in one of the cages. The mother doe to the kits has a urine scalded butt & every one has a problem of some kind or another. Going to get a good amount of Ivermectin & dose everyone. I feel like I rescued them! Angry at the woman who had them. Happy they don't have to be there anymore. I had to shower after I got home. Now to decide what to do with all of them.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Eww! Poor bunnies!

Can we say QUARANTINE??? :x

I'd put them all on hay and oats after you worm them- even before if you think you can wait a couple of days to get their condition improved a bit without risking your own animals. If they have huge parasite loads you may lose some due to the die off of the worms in their guts. Electrolytes in the water can't hurt either.

Did you get the cages too? I'm hoping so so she can't just fill them up again.

 

[faiththequeen]

Poor bunnies Glad you have them now!

 

[Cindi Davis]

GOOD LUCK LADY your a Godsend to those rabbits

 

[LauraNJ]

Those rabbits are very lucky they went home with you. Glad you got them out of those conditions. Keep us updated on their progress, poor buns!

 

[LadyKarli]

Decided to try to get all kits in good health then sell for 10$ EACH. She also gave me a 50lb. bag of feed for free so hopefully I can get them all healthy & sell them before they cost me anything. Potential to be slightly profitable with some TLC. I will keep the proven females for my own small family feeding meat rabbit group. & one of the bug bucks. so it could be a good thing in the end. For rabbits & humans. The cages turned out to be dog kennels so I am stuck looking for another hutch to hold 4 females & a buck!

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

poor poor poor rabbits
so glad you found them!

 

[LadyKarli]

I will take pix tomorrow while evaluating & washing the nasty off all the poor souls. Then a generous dose of Ivermectin. I think the lady's husband took good care of the rabbits. He had to leave town for work & she could not care for them & they went down hill. At least that is the story I am telling myself so I don't call the county on her for the grotesque condition of her house & yard. I am surprised the neighbors have not called about the smell.

 

[a7736100]

"so I don't call the county on her for the grotesque condition of her house & yard. I am surprised the neighbors have not called about the smell."

Good reason for people just to kill and dump instead of trying to let someone else save animals.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

"so I don't call the county on her for the grotesque condition of her house & yard. I am surprised the neighbors have not called about the smell."

Good reason for people just to kill and dump instead of trying to let someone else save animals.

:hmm: Not sure what you mean...care to elaborate?

 

[Peach]

Yikes! Glad you got em out of there! I hope they aren't looking to getting anymore rabbits I don't know....if the conditions are bad enough maybe a visit from the county would be good just to remind them to take care of their animals. I understand when things aren't taken care of for a bit, but there is a point where it just isn't right...

 

[Piper]

She also gave me a 50lb. bag of feed for free

She gave you the rabbits and 50 lbs of feed for free. She admitted she was overwellmed and gave them away before they had non-recoverable problems or died. Yet, some here are talking about reporting her? I can see why a7736100

Good reason for people just to kill and dump instead of trying to let someone else save animals.

said what she said. The woman asked for help and was willing to pay for it, in the feed, too.

 

[trinityoaks]

I think the point that a7736100 is making is that some people are too quick to "call the authorities". I'm glad that the OP appears to be showing restraint.

 

[Peach]

Well that is a plus that she gave you food and such. I'd probably just recommend to clean up. No rabbitry is perfect,but the rabbits did have poor living conditions, living in dog crates,dirty,scalding,someone dying in a cage. I'd rather a understanding rabbit person explain the situation and how to improve their set up should they want to have rabbits in the future than some extreme AR person that just blast them.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

When I was around twenty or so, and working at a grooming shop, an Airedale was brought in in appalling condition. He was emaciated and absolutely covered in fleas. His gums were white because he was so anemic. I wanted to take that dog away from his owners so badly! I approached the store owner and asked if we should call animal control and report them. She said no, that they were trying to get the proper care for him.

When the owners came in, I spoke to them at length. It was a woman and her adult son. She was in poor health, and her 40+ year old son was mentally disabled and would never be able to support himself. They bought products to treat their house and yard, and a bag of good food for the dog.

So things are not always as they seem. The fact that the rabbit owner knew she was unable to properly care for the rabbits and rehomed them shows that she has the intent to "do the right thing".

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

When I was around twenty or so, and working at a grooming shop, an Airedale was brought in in appalling condition. He was emaciated and absolutely covered in fleas. His gums were white because he was so anemic. I wanted to take that dog away from his owners so badly! I approached the store owner and asked if we should call animal control and report them. She said no, that they were trying to get the proper care for him.

When the owners came in, I spoke to them at length. It was a woman and her adult son. She was in poor health, and her 40+ year old son was mentally disabled and would never be able to support himself. They bought products to treat their house and yard, and a bag of good food for the dog.

So things are not always as they seem. The fact that the rabbit owner knew she was unable to properly care for the rabbits and rehomed them shows that she has the intent to "do the right thing".

As a groomer, I go by the "rule of threes." The first time a dog comes in horrifically skinny or matted or infested with fleas, I always assume it is a lack of understanding or knowledge and I make sure to explain what is wrong and possibly why. I usually recommend a trip to the vet as well. The next time the dog comes in, if it is in the same condition, same problems, I ask about it and if they've seen a vet, what they've done to fix it. The third time a dog comes in, in that condition, I get really distressed because it shows me THEY WILL NOT CHANGE.

The problem isn't pet owners who are overwhelmed, or who don't know any better, it's the ones who won't change what they are doing.

Doing the same thing over and over again is the definition of insanity, so after the third visit I always reported the condition of the dogs to my salon's company (not that they ever gave a crap, of course), and put notes in the system that until the dog's health issues are dealt with I am not comfortable working on that animal. Should the situation ever change, I'd reconsider.

ANYWAYS. Lol, sidetracked there. To the original post: GOOD, that you got them out of that situation!!! It'll benefit both the rabbits and their former owner. Though like others have said, quarantine like they've been exposed to the plague.

Pictures plz!

 

[ZRabbits]

Congratulations on getting those rabbits rescued. Let's not beat around the bush, you obviously rescued them. Good job.

Wishing you all the luck with them. Hopefully you get them all back in line and turn them into what you want them to be. Good fryers. Maybe even getting good breeding stock out of them for the future once you evaluate them and see how they grow out of the situation they were in.

Karen

 

[LadyKarli]

They look a lot better already with just clean surroundings & water. I am tempted to call the county not just because of the way she treated the rabbits but because of the condition of the rest of her yard & house. Like I said it was like an episode of animal cops. I had to go on her back porch to catch 1 of the rabbits & it was covered with feces & garbage piled sky high. BAGS OF GARBAGE!The smell was indescribable. & her being overwhelmed does not explain them having no food or water for 3 days. I understand she couldn't catch the ones that got out but so many were locked in hutches & starving. It is over 90 & humid as hell here in Florida. it's not hard to fill some water bottles. Some of these rabbits had young kits & 2 others were pregnant. The treatment of these rabbits was inexcusable. Overwhelmed or not until she could be rid of them it was up to her to care for them. She had the food. She just did NOT care they were staring. She has multiple dogs & chickens as well & if anything the more I think about it The more I SHOULD CALL THE COUNTY! I am a firm believer in minding you own business or I WOULD call. Eventually some one will call though. IT IS THAT BAD. I am happy to have saved the rabbits.

 

[MKirst]

I think the point that a7736100 is making is that some people are too quick to "call the authorities". I'm glad that the OP appears to be showing restraint.

I agree. The lady obviously had a reality check and did give away all her rabbits. That's a good self start IMO. She's prolly thankful someone took them all at one visit too.

Too many people are anxious to call the authorities and those are the same people that spark lobbyists to regulate tighter legislation. It only takes one phone call nowadays ...

 

[ZRabbits]

I got involved one time in trying to do the right thing, and still getting spanked to this day. Now, I just worry about me and mine. Sometimes it's just not worth it. The rabbits are now in good care and so glad that they are turning the corner to becoming healthier.

Karen