My next door neighbours & cruelty to bunnies

[SaharaS]

Well..I'm struggling here.

I see the run & hutch..inside which live two rabbits..and a blue tarp over it all several layers thick covering it completely...the hutch is currently in the run..which is about the same size as a chest freezer...not big. there are logs & bricks on top to keep the tarp down. The daughter dashes out for half a minute twice a day & chucks feed in.

What a dismal life...well..existence.

They have lived like this since before autumn. A dismal dark little world. Makes me incredibly sad. To be honest..I have been out at feed times doing my horses so wasn't until Mum came to stay (is here now)that she noticed from her window..I just know that the covered hutch has been the same thru the autumn & winter till now and if there is feeding going on..the rabbits are obviously still alive & I've never once seen them out as i used to in summer or even last winter(when they were daily trying to commit suicide by running into my garden to try & get hit by my speeding dog-now I know why.)

My house is for sale..wondering if a viewer could possibly have spotted it or my estate agent...and if the RSPCA would do anything or who else I could call? Any bunny welfare organisations?

 

[Red30563]

That sounds very sad and not the right conditions for happy bunnies.

A quick google finds this charity

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/index.php

They have a helpline number on the contact page. Might be worth a call.

 

[bonny]

I think lots of rabbits have a sad and dull existence shut in a cage or a small run and ignored most of the time once the novelty of looking after them has gone off. Welfare organisations wouldn't get involved as long as the rabbits were fed, watered etc.....at the end of the day most rabbits are kept like you've described.

 

[Moomin1]

They are quite possibly covered up most of the time due to the awful weather conditions this winter.

 

[SaharaS]

That sounds very sad and not the right conditions for happy bunnies.

A quick google finds this charity

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/index.php

They have a helpline number on the contact page. Might be worth a call.

Thank you

I think lots of rabbits have a sad and dull existence shut in a cage or a small run and ignored most of the time once the novelty of looking after them has gone off. Welfare organisations wouldn't get involved as long as the rabbits were fed, watered etc.....at the end of the day most rabbits are kept like you've described.

I do agree tho its not simply the being shut in bit..its almost battery hen status..just without the eggs. Sorry if this sounds harsh Bonny, but I have to say I have NEVER seen rabbits kept like this..they will be like sardines in the hutch & I'm surprised if the two can turn easily..tho that would help keep them warm if nothing else..the whole set up is no higher than a foot from floor to ceiling..hutch & run included...not to mention the fact it has remained stationary & I can see the state of the wet ground/lawn & dread to think what they are living on floor wise. As with my other post the other day, I think you see life thru a very optimistic pair of 'see good in all glasses' -were this the case (for both posts), though I really wish it were... I can assure you I really would not have bothered posting

 

[SaharaS]

They are quite possibly covered up most of the time due to the awful weather conditions this winter.

I thought that they had long gone to be fair..I have not once seen the hutch uncovered since before autumn so presumed they were gone..I work from the study/bedroom daily and it over looks their garden & the rabbit dungeon very clearly.. the tarp is weighted down all round, all the time..no fresh air exchange or ventilation or anything I could use the word 'fresh' about..this is more than covered up some of the time..

Sorry if I'm sounding snarly, I'm not..just very tired & feel bad about what I can see but can't fix..

 

[catxx]

You can call an RSPCA officer out to investigate - but as long as it has shelter, food and water they generally don't give a hoot.

Have you tried actually talking to your neighbours? Casual convo and ask how their bunnies are doing in this awful weather? Maybe ask if they need any extra bits of hay for them? fishing to see when they were last cleaned out?

My rabbits are covered with plastic and tarp, but their run is open sided and they're out round the rest of the garden twice a day.

 

[ilvpippa]

Mine is covered when its awful as it blows into his cage & he hides so won't eat or drink! he is quite a grumpy bun so he tells me when I can go pick him up & bring him inside for a run around