Hutches of Horror
These are just a sample of some of some of the problems rabbits and guinea pigs are suffering from on a daily basis; these are not isolated incidents, and I hope these pictures will prick the conscience of anyone breeding, or thinking of breeding these very vulnerable little animals.
THIS IS THE REALITY OF BREEDING AND YOUR PETS OFFSPRING STAND A VERY HIGH CHANCE OF ENDING UP LIKE THIS!!
Tens of thousands of rabbits and guinea pigs lead miserable, painful existences just like these did; beautiful little babies bought by people who promise faithfully to love and care for them; presents for the children who want them so badly and will always look after them.
The reality is that kids get bored and nobody has the time or inclination to bother looking after these animals who are totally dependent on their owners for every aspect of their care. They are seen to be very disposable and some people wouldn't even take them to the vet if they were ill, because "they're not worth a vet bill, we can always get more if they die".
THERE ARE TOO MANY ANIMALS AND NOT ENOUGH GOOD HOMES FOR THEM - HEALTHY RABBITS AND GUINEA PIGS HAVE TO BE DESTROYED TO MAKE ROOM AT RESCUE CENTRES FOR HORRIFIC CASES LIKE THESE. PLEASE HELP STOP INDISCRIMINATE BREEDING BY NOT PURCHASING PETS FROM PET SHOPS, GARDEN CENTRES, THEME PARKS, BREEDERS ETC.
PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE AND NEUTER YOUR PETS TO AVOID ADDING TO THE PROBLEM - DO YOU REALLY NEED TO MAKE A FEW POUNDS BADLY ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY THIS?
Malnourishment, Confinement and Stress
This 18 month old cross breed rabbit arrived last year in an appalling state - severely malnourished, he was close to death; his droppings showed he had not eaten anything substantial for some time. He had been kept alone in a small hutch, hardly big enough to turn around in (but sold by a pet shop as a suitable home for one or two rabbits). Physically and emotionally confined, he groomed himself constantly, to the point where he lost all the fur from his inner back legs and front paws - this was a rabbit under extreme stress because nobody could be bothered to let him out, feed him, or give him some companionship (though thank God the owners only put one rabbit through this torture). He had other problems linked to his neglect - ear and fur mites, an eye infection and severe muscle wastage and was half the weight he should've been. With treatment and careful feeding he improved but the damage done was too great and he died after 3 months; those were probably the best 3 months he'd ever had, with good food, company and the chance to run around with the sun on his back.
Flystrike
A baby French Lop with flystrike (see "what is Flystrike?"). He had been attacked by a dog and the resulting leg wound (never noticed by the owners) became a magnet for flies. The eggs they laid hatched into maggots within hours and were quite literally eating him alive. Not surprisingly, he was in deep shock and was put to sleep immediately on arrival to end his suffering.
Horrifically Long Claws
Is there any excuse for this? How can anyone ignore something like this?!
Neglected Bunny
This may not look too bad but you can see how tightly the droppings are pulling the skin on this little bunny. A depressingly common sight - read the links on feeding and how to clean them up.
A severely dirty bottom
This little netherland dwarf shows the disastrous consequences of 'lazy feeding' - open the hutch, throw it in a bowl of dry food and a carrot, shut the hutch, walk away, forget about the bunny. This lump of rock hard poo was the size of half a tennis ball - left like this for much longer and she would have certainly have died - she was almost unable to pass anymore droppings which would have resulted in a severe blockage. She now lives permanently at home with me, she has a neutered male dwarf lop as a companion and is clean as a whistle everyday.
Bullied Guinea Pig
This male guinea pig, Bruce, had been kept with his two brothers; all three of them fighting constantly. As well as the bites, this guinea pig was suffering badly from mites, causing him to scratch himself raw. This is very common stress reaction in guinea pigs, often wrongly diagnosed as vitamin c deficiency, with scurfy thickened skin and sores. Mites are present on all guinea pigs and rabbits all the time, and in a happy healthy animal they cause no harm. When the immune system dips, because of illness or stress (through bullying, poor, dirty housing, a frightening environment, rough handling etc) these mites will multiply rapidly, and only a course of injections from your vet will kill them off. It is vital to identify the source of the stress or it will just re-occur. Bruce took an unusually long time to recover as his skin was badly infected so antibiotics were also necessary. Once healed, he was neutered and rehomed with a female guinea pig; he is now very happy.
Dental problems
Dental disease in young rabbits, almost certainly caused by incorrect feeding, see the link about Poppy and Oscar under Teeth Problems link on left.
