very difficult moral dilemma, any ideas?

bunnihon · Mar 7, 2005

Oh dear I need some help.

I have been helping out at a rabbit place near where I live for aboutthree weeks and although I enjoy it I feel that I have stumbled intosomething and now dont quite know what to do. The person who runs theplace mainly breeds rabbits for shows, and the person really does lovethe buns buthas just got soooooo many that I dont believethatthe person has enough time to give all of them theattention they need. Please dont get me wrong the person is a totalrabbit fanatic...... but when I have helped clean out the buns, Iknow I certainly wouldn't let my buns hutches get as dirty as the onesI have found.

None of the buns are ill or have any sores or anything and they are allfed and watered, but I know that there are just too many for them toget the exercise they need. They often just stay in the cage or hutchformany manydays at a time. Whenever I do help(once a week) I work really hard to get all the cages clean and to giveeach of them big cuddles and to let as many as I can havearun on the floor whilst I clean the cage, but this is notenough, they should be outside in fresh air, or at least be able to runabout for at least an hour or two per day. I could not sleep for 2nights as I was so worried about the situation.

So.... after the first week,I decided to keep going for thesake of the buns and to try and help the person at least gey some orderinto the place, and then I would have done my bit. ButI havejust had a couple of weeks away for personal reasons and I am due to goback this week, but I am feeling more worried than ever about things.

The person also takes n abandoned buns and trys to rehome them etc.butthe main thing is the breeding. I think there are enoughunwanted buns in the world already and that breeding should not reallybe done to make money, although the person says the cashraised is just enough to keep things ticking over. It is not my placeto start telling this person they should and shouldn't bedoing. The person REALLY is very nice andalways has treatsfor the buns and toys etc. it's just I think there are too many buns(plus lots of guineas and other things) for them to cope with.

What can I do ? I feelvery unhappy aboput this whole thing,but I know those rabbits need my cuddles even if it is just once aweek.Any ideas on how to solve this very difficultsituation?

pamnock · Mar 7, 2005

I think it would be a similar situation if youwere to try to tell someone how to raise their children. Youmay not like what they are doing, and you may not agree -- but as longas they are not violating any laws, it's really not your place tomanage their business (unless they have hired you to do so).

Pam

Suzy · Mar 7, 2005

I have to agree with Pam, here. If the rabbitsare well cared for, and you said they are, then you really don't have areasonable complaint here. The person must want to do a good job atcaring for the rabbits if they are willing to hire someone to helpclean cages. It really isn't necessary for a rabbit to be out of it'scage on a daily basis, or at all,to remain healthy. If thecage is of an adequate size, the rabbit can get the exercize it needsin the cage.

Most breeders clean cages once a week and they can get very dirty inthat short amount of time. Personally, I clean my cages twice a week,but to the best of my knowledge, I am the lone wolf in that area.

As for letting the rabbits run around on the floor, I simply would*not* allow that for my rabbits. They can pick up parasites and whoknows what all from the floor of a barn. They would also be runningthrough droppings and urine from the other rabbits, ugh! They couldescape through an open door and be in mortal danger from predators inthe area. Nope, my bunnies won't be put on the floor at all.

Suzy

rabbitgirl · Mar 8, 2005

Suzy wrote:

As for letting the rabbits run around on the floor, I simply would*not* allow that for my rabbits. They can pick up parasites and whoknows what all from the floor of a barn. They would also be runningthrough droppings and urine from the other rabbits, ugh! They couldescape through an open door and be in mortal danger from predators inthe area. Nope, my bunnies won't be put on the floor at all.

Suzy

I agree with the parasite thing. Dealing with that is NOT FUN!!!! grrrrr

Especially when it spreads and you have to treat everyone....andclean....and scrub...and sterilize.....:X(yucky yucky!)

hehe

Rose

pamnock · Mar 8, 2005

I agree with notallowing the rabbitsrun on the floor of the barn. Many diseases are easily spreadon people's shoes from barn to barn (also on car tires andclothing).This is ahuge concern withdiseases such as VHD. Barns practicing bio-security measuresto help curb the spread of disease havevisitors disinfecttheir shoes in a foot bathbefore entering and also have aroom to change their clothes(if they'll let anyone in at all).

Cage cleaning: We have a lot of rabbits in a relatively small area, so our cages are cleaned every 3 days.

Pam

bunnihun · Mar 10, 2005

Ok, I get your point about letting them on thefloor,but I dont really think the cages are large enough (notsure of the law on sizes). e.g. Three medium sized rabbits in a cagenot more than about 2ft wide and 3 feet long (approx), stuck in thereday after day? I clean out such cages and they are literallydripping with urine andrunny droppings (from being soaked bythe urine) and also mouldy droppings inthe drier areas. Is this right?

Fortunatley there are some larger outdoor runs being built soon, but Ifear there are still too many buns for them all to get a fair share athaving a regular turn.

P.S

I help voluntarily. I dont believe the owner makes enoughprofit to pay for help, that's why Iam giving my timefree....I'm doing it for the bunnies. I also respect theowner and like her and certainly wouldn't tell her how to run things, Ijust don't think she has enough time to cope. My concern is for thewelfare of the rabbits and was just asking you guys for advice on thesituationI find myself in.