Sold Fred

[hungrypigs]

On Monday I had a couple come from Nottingham to look at the three male rabbits I got for sale (Bob, Midnight and Fred). They decided on Fred and they took him home. I text the woman yesterday to ask how he had settled in and the message I got back was surprising to say the least. Apparently he wouldn't eat anything so they took him to the vets who put him on a drip and then they checked him over. Found that he has an eye problem, that they was red around the lids, so he's still at the vets. They will be taking an x-ray of his jaws on Tuesday to see if his teeth are protruding upwards affecting his eyes.

I have to say that Fred left here in good health. He had been eating and drinking okay and he showed no signs of any illness especially his eyes. I am wondering whether the stress of being moved around had a major effect on him. When they had him, she carried him in her arms to the car where they put him in a carrier, and a couple of times he did struggle to get away. I just wished that they had brought the carrier down to the shed with them and he could have been put in there by me with the minimum of stress. Then, he had an hour and a half car journey, or maybe a bit longer than that because they stopped at the McDonalds round the corner from us.

If I had known it would have affected him like that I wouldn't have sold him at all. I just hope that they don't try and blame me for it because he was totally okay when he left me.

[Catherine]

I really hope Fred is okay and I totally understand your situation. Fred was well when you sold him. I am wondering how long he sat and where he sat when they were at MacDonalds. And what else are they not telling you.
It is every breeders nightmare. You sell a perfectly healthy pet. It really is well when it leaves your home. Somehow things go wrong and the people are upset, but there is always some reason, something they are not telling you.

One of my hamsters "got sick and died" after he left my place. Then the daughter let slip that they put the cage together wrong, it collapsed and crushed him and he died from his injuries. That is hardly the same as getting sick. (I have an even worse story that I try not to think about)

I wonder if you will ever know what happened to Fred to cause a problem. I just hope he is okay. The fact that they did not think to bring the carrier in might be a sign that they did not understand rabbits.
He was healthy when he left your place so it is not your fault, but you do feel bad that things are going wrong for Fred. I feel for you.

[hungrypigs]

(04-19-2014, 03:41 PM)Catherine Wrote: I really hope Fred is okay and I totally understand your situation. Fred was well when you sold him. I am wondering how long he sat and where he sat when they were at MacDonalds. And what else are they not telling you.
It is every breeders nightmare. You sell a perfectly healthy pet. It really is well when it leaves your home. Somehow things go wrong and the people are upset, but there is always some reason, something they are not telling you.

One of my hamsters "got sick and died" after he left my place. Then the daughter let slip that they put the cage together wrong, it collapsed and crushed him and he died from his injuries. That is hardly the same as getting sick. (I have an even worse story that I try not to think about)

I wonder if you will ever know what happened to Fred to cause a problem. I just hope he is okay. The fact that they did not think to bring the carrier in might be a sign that they did not understand rabbits.
He was healthy when he left your place so it is not your fault, but you do feel bad that things are going wrong for Fred. I feel for you.

Me and a friend of mine who is also a rabbit breeder worked it out about Fred. The not eating was down to the stress of moving which I think was made worse by the woman carrying Fred from the shed to the car where they left the carrier. He struggled against her to get out of her arms and I remember being worried that she was going to drop him. That in itself stressed the poor guy out. There was no hay or straw in the carrier, I'm guessing probably only newspaper so the travelling one and a half hours plus maybe half an hour on top of that to eat at McDonalds, that rabbit sat in his own urine for that long and that is probably what made his eyes sore.

Also, I asked the woman what bedding she used and she said just newspaper, no shavings or straw, just newspaper. So I said about the urine causing the eyes to be sore and she said that he didn't wee much and he used his litter tray. That rabbit has never been toilet trained so I doubt very much he used one straight away. I offered her some advice, I told her to get some shavings and straw for his bedding because that's what he's used to and it would be far more comfortable for him when he comes out. I also think she should cancel the x-ray at the vet, I don't know how that would help when all the vet would have to do is shine a torch down his throat to check his back teeth? My friend told me there's no need for an x-ray at all.

I can honestly see how their previous rabbit died at 10 months old if that's how they look after them. I really hope she takes my advice. I am worried about Fred and now I wish I hadn't sold him to them.

[Catherine]

This is a breeders worst fear, the owner who just doesn't seem to be able to do the right things no matter how much you try to explain them.
I agree about the cause of the red eyes. I can't see why the vet wants to do an X-ray. What could that possibly tell him about Fred's eyes.

I have never heard of anyone keeping a rabbit on newspaper. She probably does it because it is cheaper. The ink used in newspapers could also be an irritant to Fred's eyes. Newspapers are not sold as animal bedding.
She is really going to do it all wrong isn't she. Can you get Fred back? It would mean that you never have to deal with her again. Poor Fred.
My sympathies to you both. I know how upsetting it can be to deal with situations like this.

[hungrypigs]

(04-20-2014, 03:33 PM)Catherine Wrote: This is a breeders worst fear, the owner who just doesn't seem to be able to do the right things no matter how much you try to explain them.
I agree about the cause of the red eyes. I can't see why the vet wants to do an X-ray. What could that possibly tell him about Fred's eyes.

I have never heard of anyone keeping a rabbit on newspaper. She probably does it because it is cheaper. The ink used in newspapers could also be an irritant to Fred's eyes. Newspapers are not sold as animal bedding.
She is really going to do it all wrong isn't she. Can you get Fred back? It would mean that you never have to deal with her again. Poor Fred.
My sympathies to you both. I know how upsetting it can be to deal with situations like this.

I think in future when I sell any rabbits I'm going to insist that they bring the carrier with them to the shed and not allow the animal to be carried in their arms to the car. Can't allow any to get stressed like that again. I'm also going to get a Rabbit Care Sheet typed up and handed out to the unexperienced rabbit (or even guinea pig) owners.

Because they had rabbits before I wrongly assumed that they knew how to keep them. I still can't believe that they use on newspaper as bedding. She never answered my last message when I advised that they get some proper bedding for him. I can't get him back not unless they turn around and give him back. I'm just hoping that they do the right thing by him and start to look after him properly.

[Catherine]

It is frustrating isn't it. People claim they know how to keep a pet so you trust them to do it right. Then you later find that they have a whole lot of wrong ideas and misinformation.
Care sheets would be a good idea. At least you are giving them something in writing that they can look at. People have some really funny ideas about how to care for an animal. I encountered a dwarf hamster situation on Sat where they had the bedding in the cage six inches deep. When you think that a dwarfie is only 1 1/2 in tall how is the little creature supposed to move. I dropped the bedding depth to 1/2 in and the hamster started running on the wheel and running around the cage and generally showing energy.

I really hope she does the right things for Fred.
If you do get care sheets ready I would love it if you would post them on the forum. We could "sticky" the care sheet thread and people could look it up and it might help them to do the right things. I keep meaning to repost some of the hamster stuff....when I have time.

[hungrypigs]

(04-22-2014, 03:06 PM)Catherine Wrote: It is frustrating isn't it. People claim they know how to keep a pet so you trust them to do it right. Then you later find that they have a whole lot of wrong ideas and misinformation.
Care sheets would be a good idea. At least you are giving them something in writing that they can look at. People have some really funny ideas about how to care for an animal. I encountered a dwarf hamster situation on Sat where they had the bedding in the cage six inches deep. When you think that a dwarfie is only 1 1/2 in tall how is the little creature supposed to move. I dropped the bedding depth to 1/2 in and the hamster started running on the wheel and running around the cage and generally showing energy.

I really hope she does the right things for Fred.
If you do get care sheets ready I would love it if you would post them on the forum. We could "sticky" the care sheet thread and people could look it up and it might help them to do the right things. I keep meaning to repost some of the hamster stuff....when I have time.

I haven't heard anything else from them. Not sure whether I should send another message to ask how he is as I don't want to sound like I'm hounding them, you know? He's their rabbit not mine (pity).

When I get a chance which will probably be once the kids are back at school, I will work on those care sheets.

[Catherine]

I hope no news is good news about Fred. I am sure the x-ray showed nothing and he is probably doing okay now. I am sure if he was sick she would be complaining.

Care sheets would solve a lot of problems. You could refer to things on the sheet when you talk to people after they buy a pet. People do better when they see things in writing.

When do the kids go back to school? Do they have a longer holiday in the spring. Here they get a break in early March for a week and then they are off all of July and August. It would be too hot in the schools anyhow. No teacher would want to work in the hot months.

[hungrypigs]

(04-26-2014, 02:14 PM)Catherine Wrote: I hope no news is good news about Fred. I am sure the x-ray showed nothing and he is probably doing okay now. I am sure if he was sick she would be complaining.

Care sheets would solve a lot of problems. You could refer to things on the sheet when you talk to people after they buy a pet. People do better when they see things in writing.

When do the kids go back to school? Do they have a longer holiday in the spring. Here they get a break in early March for a week and then they are off all of July and August. It would be too hot in the schools anyhow. No teacher would want to work in the hot months.

I sent a message earlier today just to find out if Fred was okay, you know still alive even, and this is the message I got back;

"No idea. Out of d 16 days we owned him, we only had him @ home TWO nights(1 night each week). D rest of d time he was @ d vets being syringe-fed. He wasn't used 2 being handled or being moved. D 3rd time we had 2 take him 2 d vets, we told our vets that if he still wouldn't eat d nxt time we took him home, he'll had 2 starve 2 death, bcoz we wouldn't be taking him back 2 d vets as its ridiculous. Vets decided 2 rehome him with our permission."

Can you believe them? Threatening to starve him because it's ridiculous? Call themselves animal lovers? Why didn't they contact me and arrange to send him back home to me? I would happily give them their money back if it meant having Fred safe again. But, no they wiped their hands of him and left him at the vets. There was nothing wrong with him before he left here.

I'm really angry and upset about this. Poor Fred, he didn't deserve this and now I'm never going to know how he is anymore or where he is.

[Catherine]

That's horrible. What did they do to Fred to upset him so badly.
Can you believe what they said. They were willing to let Fred starve to death. No wonder the vet pushed to rehome him.

I am sure the vets will have found good people to take Fred. I think they were genuinely concerned about him. Is there any way to find out what vet was involved so you can contact him directly and ask about Fred.

We know Fred was well when he left your place. One night in their house and he was unwell. The vets sent him home so they must have made him well. One night with the people and he was unwell again. What did they do? They are clearly unfit to have any animal. At least you can be glad that Fred is away from them.