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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be worried about the school rabbits? WWYD?

451 replies

lottieandmia · 13/05/2017 00:17

Dd's school acquired two very cute little rabbits recently. She has been very keen to sign up to take them home to look after for the weekend so today we collected them for the weekend.

I'm really shocked to see that they spend pretty much their entire lives in a tiny living space which does not allow them to move around or stretch out. My guinea pigs have a much bigger cage than they do. The rabbits cage allows them to only do one hop from length to length (if that)

We're animal lovers and I'm very worried about them. So much so that I'm willing to buy them a bigger hutch to donate to the school.

In my situation what would you do about this? We have never had rabbits but I do know they are intelligent, complex and are often rehomed due to a lack of understanding about their care needs. What would you do?

OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget · 21/05/2017 17:11

Does the school have an classes that do woodwork?

There's an opportunity for the pupils to research, design and build a run that would suit the rabbits. That would cover Design& Technology .

Fox safe- research how this is possible. Mesh floor under the grass to stop digging. Mesh skirt round the run to prevent something digging in
Look for the best deals in materials. Maybe write to B&Q or other timber yards to see if they'd donate some wood and wire. Enterprise , writing Business Letters
Some tunnels - get some ideas from Runaround, they do some wire tunnels to connect - should be do-able.

Make some 'hills' from earth and grass them over. Run a tuneel through the hill.
They can grow veg - that could come under Biology ?

Sell the potential for the pupils to learn.

The pupils can care for them at school and at the weekend, a member of staff can pop in, I'm sure between them all they could work out a rota.
Then the rabbits don't have the stress of moving about (more tricky in the holiday times though)

If they won't budge and won't consider a Plan B , then yes, they should rehome them. As long as they don't replace them.

Original poster
LottieandMia · 21/05/2017 17:31

I don't think they do have woodwork .. the rabbits do now have an area that I think is probably minimum in terms of the amount of space they need with regards to hutch & area to run. But the ongoing issue is that they have to remain stuck in a tiny cage on weekends and holidays and also being moved around to different settings all the time is so bad for their health. Not to mention that different children keep holding them all the time. Who knows what is happening to them from one weekend to the next?

I think that the school would need to keep them on site at the weekend but it seems they aren't prepared to do this. The head has been quite ignorant towards me about the whole issue. If he's determined to keep these poor rabbits at any cost then I think he will do.

If I look at the initial stuff on the information we received from school about the rabbits then it seems to me they were bought so that everyone would think how great it was for the children.

After I explained to my daughter what rabbits do in their natural habitat she said 'oh, so really they are like dogs and that's why they can't be kept in hutches all the time'. So the school is doing nothing that supports teaching children about the NEEDS of animals.

Of course I would gladly take them on if necessary because I think we are able to provide a nice home for them but I doubt that will ever happen sadly.

OP posts:
kali110 · 21/05/2017 23:44

Iwould have no trouble exposing him then, hes had enough chances.

Original poster
LottieandMia · 22/05/2017 04:13

I guess we're just going to have to see how this plays out. It's possible he may listen to reason eventually if it's a rabbit expert.

It may be necessary to go down the route of complaining about health and safety to get a fair outcome for the bunnies. It seems to me that there are far to many variables at weekends.

OP posts:
Original poster
LottieandMia · 22/05/2017 11:43

Head is apparently not responding to RWA Hmm

OP posts:
kali110 · 22/05/2017 13:41

What now then?

kali110 · 22/05/2017 13:42

What a man though Hmm

Fragglez · 22/05/2017 13:51

Might the rwa have a bit more influence with the rspca? They must have to contact them professionally at times.

Original poster
LottieandMia · 22/05/2017 13:51

She's going to ring him. I think if this was something he wanted to address then he would have spoken to me about it since last week. I still don't know whether the animals have been vaccinated. I suppose the next route is governors and Local Authority.

Does anyone think the rabbits would be ok if they were kept at school all the time?

OP posts:
Fragglez · 22/05/2017 14:50

Surely so long as they have food and water and protection from predators they would be fine? Rabbits don't actually like being handled particularly do they? So it's not like they are dogs or cats that would miss human contact.

It would just mean someone checking on and feeding them, maybe shutting them in the hutch if the run isn't secure enough to protect them over night.

He seems to be resistant to people having access to check on them for some reason though, from what you have said. Personally I can't see why there can't be a rota and a gate key, it's not like access to the building would be needed.

kali110 · 22/05/2017 15:06

I don't think they would be! They need contact! atleast mine all have. If iv been Out all day soon as i open the hutch they're all over me!

Fragglez · 23/05/2017 09:21

But i imagine you are nice to your bunnies kali ?

These poor little ones have the alternative of being carted about the countryside and stuck in a tiny hutch for two days. With intervals of being used like a teddy i expect.

Staying at the school would be better than that, surely?

I agree the best outcome would be for them to be rehomed, but the head would have to voluntarily give them up and he seems the type not to do that out of spite.

kali110 · 23/05/2017 10:05

Fragglez yes ofcourse i am!
Even when we first had ours, and they didnt know us they wanted company.
You're right though, i think id rather they were at school than being used as a toy.
( they'd be best off going home with op or another person. Id like to know what happens when/if one gets ill and no one knows till the next day Sad)

Original poster
LottieandMia · 23/05/2017 11:30

Just to update the head emailed me and said that the issues the RWA had contacted him about would present the school with financial difficulties/ considerations. I really think these considerations should have been made before buying them. He also asked to put my dd's picture in the newsletter re: the new hutch but I declined because we did this only for the rabbits and I think donations should be anonymous.

I sent an email back stating why I agree with the recommendations from RWA & said that I'm very concerned if they haven't been vaccinated for one thing. Wouldn't it be awful if they were to contract myxomatosis? And I also raised the issue of what would happen if a rabbit needed out of hours vet care when at people's homes on the weekend. I had to take my cat to the out of hours vet on Saturday because he's had an adverse reaction to a vaccination and the consultation and medication cost £223! Luckily we have insurance. I can't imagine anyone wanting to suddenly pay this.

There are just so many issues.

OP posts:
Cagliostro · 23/05/2017 11:37

Yes they should've thought through the financial implications of keeping animals in the first place 😡😡

Stormtreader · 23/05/2017 11:52

"Just to update the head emailed me and said that the issues the RWA had contacted him about would present the school with financial difficulties/ considerations."

Well yes, caring for animals properly is more expensive than shoving them in a starter hutch and feeding them pencil shavings and leftover biscuits Angry

Original poster
LottieandMia · 23/05/2017 11:55

I said the school have a responsibility to set an example of good practice.

OP posts:
JamPasty · 23/05/2017 12:39

Now is probably the time to volunteer to take them off the school's hands, and promise to send regular bunny updates to the kids instead. The Head might jump at the offer

MrsPringles · 23/05/2017 12:47

I second what jam said, I think they'll happily hand them over to you

Original poster
LottieandMia · 23/05/2017 14:21

Hmm I'm not so sure

OP posts:
MrsPringles · 23/05/2017 15:00

I think it sounds like the head doesn't care and his patience with the rabbits and being told how to look after them properly (because he thinks he knows best) will be wearing thin and he'll just want them gone

You are absolutely doing the right thing. This was a stupid idea by the school and I'm so pleased you're standing up for them and trying to better their lives

LemonDrizzle26 · 23/05/2017 15:28

Is this a local authority school? Sorry if I've missed that bit.

Original poster
LottieandMia · 23/05/2017 15:47

Yes it is a LA school.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 23/05/2017 15:52

Why don't you email him back and say that you will take the rabbits off his hands and he can simply explain to the children that it had become apparent that the rabbits needed more space now they were bigger and it isn't fair to keep them in school . Perhaps offer to take them in occasionally for an hour

Original poster
LottieandMia · 23/05/2017 16:07

The reason I haven't said this is that I don't want it to look like my intention all along has been to 'steal' the rabbits because that really isn't the case. If they needed to be rehomed then perhaps a member of staff would want them? If there isn't anyone and the school feels their needs can't be met then we could have them here as I have the garden space and dd2 who is 13 has always wanted bunnies.

OP posts:
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