How to stop an impulsive pet purchaser?

[luvmyballs]

We used to show rabbits. We had at one time five four space stacked rabbit condo's with some other miscellaneous cages. About twenty rabbits in our basement. These were wire bottom cages with trays under each one filled with pine shavings. If you let up on cleaning holy crap they stunk. Also unless she is going to treat it as a throw away pet there is tons of stuff to keep up on. Nail clipping, teeth clipping in they don't get enough to chew plus baby rabbits can get mallocclusion where there bottom teeth grow in front of there top ones then they can't eat and will starve. They can get urine burn from improper care plus rabbits can just up and die for absolutely no good reason. In our ten years of raising and showing I can tell you all this stuff can happen and more. Rabbits can be hard to take care of properly plus depending of what breed they can be mean and some time vicious . believe me when I tell you I have had my hand laid open many times by a grumpy bunny. With all the bad we loved breeding and showing rabbits but they can be work to keep healthy.

[WarriorPrincess90]

At least she doesn't buy a new pet every two weeks like a certain friend of mine who I have tried desperately to get to stop her pet purchasing craziness. Her latest idea is to get a breeding pair of RTBs and if they get too big...(more like when...she's never really even had a pet snake until a few weeks ago when she decided on the spur of the moment to buy three breeding pairs of KSBs)...she wants to give them to me. While I wouldn't complain about a couple of healthy BCIs...it's still absolutely ridiculous.

I hate it when people buy up animals like some disposable commodity that they think they can get rid of or ignore when they are bored. I definitely agree that the rat idea is a much better one. At least then, if she gets bored with them, you'll be able to take care of that. I would argue that Rabbits are at least as much work as a cat, if not more. :/ Point that out to your mother and see if she's still game. Also, as has been mentioned, make sure your mother is aware that she will more than likely end up caring for it and that she is willing to make that commitment.

[youbeyouibei]

I have a rabbit, a dwarf Hotot buck. He's a hoot and a half but he's also a LOT of work, equal to if not as much as my snakes, both on a daily basis as well as weekly. And his food/bedding/toys/upkeep/care/ add up pretty fast. They're a lot of fun to have but as has been said previously, they aren't (shouldn't be, anyway!) a throw-away pet, in spite of what people think. They're considered an exotic and there aren't a lot of vets that deal with them, at least in my area. The ones that do work with them tend to charge more than a dog, cat, etc. Mine is litter trained and I'm working on training him to "play" a mini piano I bought him...that's progressing about as well as can be expected, lol!

This web-site has some great information on it and while some of it can be taken with a grain of salt, most of it is right on the money and is great to start the discussion process or maybe more importantly, the thinking process prior to your sister jumping in with both feet to the detriment of the animal.

http://www.rabbit.org/


For me, personally, I see each and every animal I purchase/adopt as being a sacred obligation; laugh or scoff if you want, but that animal, more so even than a child, is completely, 100% dependent on me for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G and as such it's my responsibility to provide for it, regardless of it's size, appeal, attitude/disposition, etc. Not trying to harp the Sarah Mclachlan commercial, as I truly despise the HSUS but just saying, something to think about if she is capable of pondering something larger than herself. Don't mean to be mean or hateful, just sincerely hope she rises to the occasion rather than continue with what sounds like her less-than-stellar status quo. I dunno, just my dime's worth of insight on the topic.

[Blubb]

I used to have 2 chinchillas. Me and my sister (she was 10 years old, I was 17) bought them together, and decided which one is mine and which one is hers. We agreed that we split up the cleaning and so on. The first couple of weeks went great, the chinchillas bond to us very well, until she stopped taking care of them as we agreed from start. Of course I took care of them. 2 months later I sold them, because I was not ready back then to have 2 chinchillas. It was very sad, but I thought I would get some backup from my sister. I loved my chinchillas so much !

Now, two years later I am ready to buy myself 1 chinchilla. The only problem is that my mom (yes, I still live with my parents) will probably not allow me to own one again. I wish she would understand why I sold them 2 years ago. it wasn't because I was tired.

What I am trying to say is that most small kids (not all of course) say they will take care of a pet, which they will do the first couple of weeks, but in most cases they will get tired of it. Hopefully your sister will take care of the bunny if she gets one, but tell her it is work to do every day of its life. Good luck !

[Bluebonnet Herp]

Unless your sister is like me when I was little, I would do everything in your power to stop the possible hell that she may spawn. (I was serious about pet keeping from day 1 when I received two hamsters. Never gave up on them no matter how bad they smelled and how hard and much they bit. Loved and nourished them their entire existence. )

Simply put, seriously review to your mom and your sister the statistics of your sister's failure. Blatantly state that you will have no part in nannying your sister's pets and when she (your mom) is left with the difficult responsibilities for care of the rabbit, or when it is found rotting and dead, drenched in it's own urine, it will be her fault for adopting such an animal and further prove your point that your sister thinks of animals as miscellaneous toys as opposed to a conscious organism that relies on its guardian to thrive.

Alternatively, badger your sister and your mom on all the responsibilities of owning the rabbit and continue to do so if/when they receive it. If they fail to do their responsibilities, further threaten to re-home it to coincide with animal abuse laws. That at least helps with my irresponsible-dog-owner sister. (It apparently isn't enough though. Sadly, she's older than me but it more messy and irresponsible. Never cleaned her hamster, drowned one, and neglects the poor "family" dog, albeit she claims to be the dog's owner. Gives me an excuse not to nanny it, but don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for it.)

[I-KandyReptiles]

Old thread is old.