Hacienda de los Milagros

[undergunfire]

Hey guys! I saw an upsetting post on Craigslist about the local animal sanctuary a town over from me. They need donations badly, as they feed so many animals and costs $10,000 a month....just by donations :?.

Take a minute to read their Craigslist ad and website...it's truely heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time.
http://prescott.craigslist.org/pet/593806488.html
www.HDLMSanctuary.org


I have emailed this sanctuary and offered to bring along a few bags of rabbit food (they probably use 50lbs bags of Purina at $6 each, here)....and rabbit toys this Saturday. I offered to volunteer every weekend to groom/feed the horses and burro's....as well as take care of the bunnies (play with them, feed them, groom them, ect).


Wish the sanctuary and animals luck! Don't worry, I will be taking lots of pictures when I go. I can't wait to meet the bunnies and see what conditions they are kept under. If they have no toys....I will be there with TONS of toys for the buns .

 

[undergunfire]

I got an email back from the guy that runs the sanctuary. It's bad news, and I ask that NO ONE email him, please. I will take care of this myself .

I asked him what brand of rabbit pellets he feeds the bunnies, so I could bring some bags of it along to donate, and I get this response:

"We feed the rabbits a mix I make; many kinds of dried fruit, some nuts, and some cereals. I think it is superior to anything we can purchase."


I emailed him back telling him:

"Are the rabbits being fed pellets made specifically for rabbits? Dried fruits are high in sugar, nuts are too high in fat for bunnies, and cereals are too high in sugar and fat. Bunnies need to be on pellets (no nuts, seeds, fruits, ect), with unlimited timothy/grass hay. Fresh fruits and veggies are also suggested.

If the bunnies are not being fed pellets made for rabbits, then it is most likely the case that they are not getting the nutritional requirements, which will lead to obesity and a shortened life span."



I get this response:

"The commercial rabbit food we've found is also very high in added sugars, not natural sugars found in fruit.. Are not the natural ones better? These guys seem to be doing very well on it. Thye are gettin up i years, 9 or so, nd we have lost some over the past year, which I believe is due to age, not diet. Also they are in a large contained outdoor pen, with a lot of dirft and other organic materials to dig in, burrow in, and so forth. I suspect we hav entirely different views on most commercially prepared foods, especiall rabbit foods. We can discuss Saturday if you decide to come out.
The nuts are some raw peanuts and sunflower seeds."





Hrm, now I hope he is willing to accept my donation of pellets. I told him at least 1/8 cup added to their feed slowly will be good for the bunnies. What about their age? Does it make it worth it to try to switch them over to a pellet? I hope this guy isn't going to be stubborn. I'm worried about the bunnies. Should I be...since they are older :??

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Amy, I heard that peanuts are -really- bad for bunnies...you shoult tell him that. They aren't supposed to have peanuts. I hope he does take your donations!

Emily

 

[undergunfire]

BlueSkyAcresRabbitry wrote:

Amy, I heard that peanuts are -really- bad for bunnies...you shoult tell him that. They aren't supposed to have peanuts. I hope he does take your donations!

Emily

I've told him everything that he needs to know about his diet...without being a meany . I am going to be nice to this guy, he just needs some help. I am not sure where he got his diet information from? I am hoping he will work with me. If not...then I hope I can provide him with atleast a bunch of veggies to give the bunnies every few days....if he won't accept pellets. It's better than nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

 

[maherwoman]

How's about printing out some articles from the House Rabbit Society, and such, so he can read it himself from a good source?

 

[undergunfire]

YES :biggrin2:!


Here is his responce:

"You are welcome to bring them pellets. They used to get a lot of pellets. I've obtained a lot of information from the North Texas Rabbit Sanctuary in Texas on feeding rabbits, and some from a friend who used to be in the pet food "trade', who was disgusted with the amount of cane sugar in the rabbit food with additives, such as fruit and veggies. Of course, for the manufacturer, sugar is a cheap additive that costs less than anything else in the food.

They are special, as are all animals. We try to give them a natural setting. They rarely get handled. The rabbits here are an interesting story. We had a pair of feral rabbits show up in the horse barn, and have litters. The cats loved to eat them, so we caught all we could and put them in a large pen. We tried to get all the males neutered, and missed one or two. Finally, we got everyone, male or female fixed, and lost one in that process. They have been in their current home for quite a few years now, and only 1 rabbit from "elsewhere" has been added.

As these guys are aging, I have decided that we won't take more, as we have our hand full with all the other animals. So all these rabbits are related in some way. We never set out to have rabbits, just wanted of save them from the cats. They are really wonderful beings, and I do not regret for a moment having them, just don't intend to have more. Someone called me today to take 2, and while I have not called them back yet, unless they age 8-10 years old, I am not going to do it, because soon they would be alone. I turned one down from Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. "




Hrm, so I am guessing the bunnies aren't too socialized. I guess I can try to help out with them, anyway. I don't want to stress them out by any means, though. We shall see. I'll have to update you guys Saturday with pictures and such .

 

[seniorcats]

I'm thinking, if these rabbits have lived at least 9 years on this diet, maybe it's best for him to continue it? My first bunny I ever had lived to be 15yrs. and I fed him the type pellet I would never use now. Fortunately he was more interested in hay and salads than the pellets. There was no Internet back then and I couldn't find any good books.

I expect the sanctuary man is only familiar with the junk food type pellets. Maybe some printouts on pellet content would be helpful. I think the HRS web site has charts of the different pellets and their contents. Sunflower seeds in moderation may be okay. Don't breeders give black sunflower seed as a treat and for the fur?

I am glad you are going to visit the sanctuary. It sounds as though he can use help. I'm sure the 2 of you will have plenty to talk about.

 

[undergunfire]

seniorcats wrote:

I'm thinking, if these rabbits have lived at least 9 years on this diet, maybe it's best for him to continue it? My first bunny I ever had lived to be 15yrs. and I fed him the type pellet I would never use now. Fortunately he was more interested in hay and salads than the pellets. There was no Internet back then and I couldn't find any good books.

I had a bunny as a kid, too. "Middy" lived to be 9. We fed her pellets from Tractor Supply or Agway, though. We knew little about rabbits (stupid, didn't research, I was young)....but common sence says, "Feed your rabbit 'rabbit pellets'" , lol.

I, too, wonder if it would be harsh on the bunnies to switch thier feed to pellets. I'm assuming most won't accept the pellets, since they have been on this crap diet for who knows how long. The diet he is feeding the rabbits is something like I would be feeding my rats (with a few more things added). To me, this is like feeding your dog bird seed, only.


The best I can do is print some information out on nutrition and bring the bunnies some toys (I have lots of cardboard stuff). I'm guessing the bunnies will probably be pretty skittish, as well.

 

[seniorcats]

Amy, I think it's really great you are taking the time to help this sanctuary.I thought our monthly food bills for 18 animals were high. $10,000 amonth is like a zoo! I know you will do much good when you visit. Please give a follow up. I would really like to hear more.

 

[trailsend]

Having run an Animal Sanctuary for special needs dogs/cats and farm animals for several years myself, I know how expensive it can get to feed all those animals. But $10,000 a month is amazing. My Vet bills were a lot higher than my feed bills, however we got all of our companion animal food donated, and some of our farm feed, at least for our pigs, we were a Registered Charity - that helps A LOT. They must have a lot of mouths to feed. I'm really surprised he's been feeding the buns that diet Amy. and that Purina costs $6? for a 50 pound bag lol. A 50 pound bag here costs me over $16.00.

Regardless, haven't looked at the websites yet, but will when I get back in from my chores. I am glad he will accept your donations, and I believe if you slowly get the rabbits onto the pellets they will be alright, I think they will be better off regardless of age. I have changed a lot of my surrendered senior buns diets when they come here because of the junk food they were being fed before, and I haven't had a problem with a single one *knock on wood.* I hope you can also be of help - this is such a sad and common situation with Animal Sanctuarys especially ones that keep farm animals. There just are not enough donations out there.

I hope your meeting goes well and you can help this man, and his animals.

 

[trailsend]

O.K. just read their article - no wonder it's costing them $10,000 with all those horses and mules. Since that is their main focus I completely understand. It costs us upwards of $400 a month to keep three horses properly which is not unusual. This is really sad. Their website is really nice, and they are accredited by the ASA which is very good. I understand why they don't adopt out - but I think it's part of the problem. Unless you have loads of money yourself to support such an operation, it's impossible to care for so many animals for the rest of their lives. The best thing they could do is try and find responsible homes for the animals they can, even a few, because it will free up resources for the animals that they need to provide permanent sanctuary for. I would hate to see them close down because they have such a wonderful operation and so many special animals relying on them. I have dealt with this personally time and time again. I have seen so many Animal Sanctuarys close or break down because of this and related reasons. Breaks my heart.

 

[undergunfire]

It really breaks my heart to, trailsend. I don't know how they do it. $10,000 a month is just crazy. They are saving burro's from places here like "Skull Valley"....where people are shooting and killing wild burro's....and HSLM steps in to save as many as they can.

I hope they don't collapse because of lack of donations. They have been going on for 17 years now. I guess just a year ago they had only a couple horses, then they started saving them from feed lots and have well over 30 (or more) now. There is also another rescue (that adopts out) horses from Premarian (sp?) farms and horses from feed lots that were to be sent to Canada for slaughter....they are on the other side of town.


I'm going to do the best I can with the bunnies there. A lady at work, Karin, went there a year ago and explained the bunny enclosure to me....and it seems quite small for 16 rabbits...and she said you have to crawl to be inside it...you can't stand inside of the enclosure because the roof is too short. I hope the enclosure has been redone since then.

Rabbits aren't their main focus, and I know that, but research still needs to be done if they are to be apart of your home/sanctuary.



We'll see how it goes on Saturday. I promise to take lots of pictures.