AIBU to be so fed up/angry with people taking on animals they have no clue how to treat properly

[esloquehay]

I'm so sick of stupid people buying 'pets' unethically/ill-informed, then re-home-ing them, as they miraculously discover they are ill-equipped to care for them properly.

Then, the almost inevitable virtue-signalling of re-home-ing.

I agree with the poster who suggested cats as a pet that is easy to look after. If they go out, and there's a flap available, the only daily care needed is feeding them. No cages, little or no mess, no grooming, no walks.

I have been looking to get a kitten. I got my last 2 cats from people I know. My childhood cat lived until 19 years old. But sadly my recent cat died aged only 2.5 years old (the vet suspected poisoning).
I have registered with some animal rescues but have also looked on gumtree and pets4homes. I was really shocked how many young cats/kittens there are for sale (often for £100s or £1000) because person in family has an allergy/child is frightened of animal/unwanted gift/ don't have time needed. All of these things should surely have been thought about beforehand.

Rabbits are very misunderstood.
I ended up with two after seeing them on free ads locally. They were in the tiniest hutch I've ever seen - it was about 70cm long, they could barely move around.

They are brilliant and now live in a 12x5ft walk in aviary, so they have space to be rabbits 24/7.

They are actually far easier to care for now they have the appropriate space; I had them in a 6ft double hutch for a few months whilst sorting out their permanent accommodation, & was constantly cleaning it, moving them from hutch to run and back, emptying litter trays, hanging up fly traps as I was so worried about flystrike.

Now they have the right amount of space they are much better at using the litter tray so I just empty those every day or so and sweep up occasionally. They have annual vaccinations & daily bum checks, & I will apply flystrike deterrent during the warmest months. I don't even have to clip their nails now (although obviously keep an eye on them) as they wear them down through exercise.

They've cost a lot though - with neutering, vaccinating, temporary accommodation and then a (secondhand) enclosure they cost £800+ in the first year (that's not including food, hay, toys, forage etc).

I was watching The Yorkshire Vet and Julian had brought his sons rabbit in for an op. He said he was worried because Rabbits “like to die under GA”
They really aren’t hardy animals at all

My step daughter wanted a rabbit and eventually I relented. I spent months and months researching breeds, hutches, foods etc. I'd never had one before, we only had wild rabbits where I grew up.

We brought him home and he was nothing like I expected. Outgoing, mischievous, affectionate... everyone that met him commented on how fantastic he was. And he would curls up with our cats.

I totally fell head over heels in love with him and, even after my step daughter completely lost interest in him, I was still obsessed with this rabbit.

After about a year, he died of a heart attack. I was totally devastated. The vet explained that something had scared him. (Fox?) It was summer so he'd been outdoors in his hutch.

I still feel guilty now, all these years on... he died afraid in his hutch (cage!!) with nowhere to run. As a caged animal, I was 100% responsible for his entire environment and I let him down.

I still miss the shit out of that little guy, but I will never again have another rabbit as long as I live.

That's not to say I judge other rabbit owners, but I just can't do it again.

We adopted a bunny who was surrendered. He lived alone and it was too late to have him live with another bunny or he'd fight.

It has taken us 6 months to get him comfortable in our home. We didn't get him to be picked up and stroked. We got him to give him a safe warm home where he'd be loved and looked after. I got him from pets at home. They recommended a cage (like a big hamster cage) and I was just appalled.

We started him off in a big hutch. Now he has the whole house to run around. No cage. He has a cardboard box tipped over with fresh hay and bedding daily where he sleeps or if he gets spooked. He lays with us on the settee. He runs and runs around our house upstairs and down. Rabbits in the wild cover miles and miles in the night. They absolutely cannot be kept in a cage.

Rabbits are a lot of work and commitment and are not meant to be a good 'first pet' or children pets. It took months of time and patience for him just let him rake treats from our hands. People pick rabbits up all the time. They aren't meant to be picked up. If done wrongly can break their fragile spine. I think we've 'picked up' our rabbit maybe 2 or 3 times since having him. Only when necessary getting into his carrier for vets appointments and check ups.

They are meant to be in the wild. They're meant to be in pairs at least. They aren't meant to be pets. If we released him to the wild now he wouldn't survive the night. Rabbits need a lot of space to run.

I love my pets but they are bloody hard work and expensive to keep in the proper manner.

I generally feel a bit sorry for any animal kept in a cage, though I can't imagine a hamster or gerbil could roam free all day long without getting stuck in a pipe somewhere or down the sofa. Growing up we had a couple of budgies and then a dog. Now I wouldn't really want to have a pet although we sometimes think about getting a cat as my DH loves them and grew up with cats all his life right up to his 20s. It's just extra responsibility and work that I don't have the energy for. I often wonder about my friends who seem to get pets almost on a whim. A hamster or a fish or cats usually. I wonder if they were well prepared or just hoping for the best.

I was in pets at home on Sunday getting dog treats and there were a couple of rabbits there
It struck me that I could just buy one (or 2) and take them home with no checks or anything. I would probably be asked whether I had a suitable hutch or something but other than that they would just be handing over these living things with no idea if I could or would look after them properly
I’m not sure what the answer is

I grew up with caged animals, including birds, reptiles and rodents. I would never do it now. It seems so cruel to them. I first realised it when I learnt as an adult that hamsters will run about 2km a night in the wild. It’s so far! Yet they’re kept in tiny cages.

I can't stand when people have birds for pets. The bigger and more intelligent the bird, the worse it is. I've seen parrot type birds in cages they can't even stretch their wings out in. It's horrible.

Cats and dogs have their ethical issues but at least they are truly domestic animals, they do feel comfortable living with humans in a human home, as they have for tens of thousands of years.

@Chasingaftermidnight Is Ddog a cockapoo? My Dsis dog a Cockapoo is wracked with anxiety.

@Spidey66

I agree with the poster who suggested cats as a pet that is easy to look after. If they go out, and there's a flap available, the only daily care needed is feeding them. No cages, little or no mess, no grooming, no walks.

Although they may need a little help with grooming when they get older and are not quite as flexible.

@Hoppinggreen

I was in pets at home on Sunday getting dog treats and there were a couple of rabbits there It struck me that I could just buy one (or 2) and take them home with no checks or anything. I would probably be asked whether I had a suitable hutch or something but other than that they would just be handing over these living things with no idea if I could or would look after them properly I’m not sure what the answer is

Absolutely this. The answer is to not allow shops to sell small animals. They can’t sell dogs and cats so why rabbits and guinea pigs? They frequently mis-sex them and as you say, don’t home check.

Rabbit Sanctuaries are full of unwanted rabbits. They will home check. You will get lots of advice and a pair of neutered and vaccinated rabbits.

You shouldn’t be able to pop to the shops and pick up a pair of live animals on a whim. It’s wrong.

I think it is really important not to make people feel ashamed about rehoming their animals. People who don't want their dogs any more and who feel too ashamed to rehome them end up ignoring them, leaving them alone for extended periods of time, not walking them, not being kind to them, leaving them to rot in small yards and kennels. If someone is not going to give a dog a good home or at least an adequate home they should rehome them. It is much better for the dog. If someone makes a mistake when getting a puppy or any other animal they should admit it and give the animal a chance of a good and happy life by rehoming it. It is important for animals that we encourage this. Of course, people should consider whether they can cater for an animal's needs before they get one but am animal shouldn't hands to suffer a lifetime of neglect and boredom because people are embarrassed to be seen to surrender a pet.

@Feckaffoutofit 100% agree with this , I would much rather see any animal rehomed than suffering or someone keeping hold of one they clearly resent , also there will always be genuine cases where owners truly cannot cope and it is in the pets best interest ... that is doing right by the animal

@PeeAche2 it sounds like you gave him a lovely life.

I had a rabbit as a child who died suddenly too, & my mum said she thought he was scared to death by a fox. It was the mid-90s and I do wonder now if it was actually R(V)HD (rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease) as it can cause sudden death.

I partly wonder this as we get daily fox visits but my two boys honestly don't give a shit. They do have a big enclosure with the hutch inside it, so can go into the back corner, intonthe hutch or on their high lookout point if they feel worried but I've seen them sit just the other side of the mesh happily munching hay while the fox looks at them.

We use fox repellent, have 6ft fences all around the garden, 16g weldmesh on the emclosure and the enclosure is on paving slabs so nothing can dig in, so maybe they just feel safe, but I was surprised by how unconcerned they are!

I have two rabbits and that makes so sad. Rabbits are often seen as second-class pets and are regularly dumped because owners fail to research and don’t recognise how complex their needs are. They are not starter pets for children. So no to the OP, YANBU. It annoys me too.

We had the most beautiful little dwarf rabbit. She was so sweet natured. My DF found her, dumped, in a picnic area and brought her home. We took her to our local vet to be checked over, turned out she'd had a broken leg and the vet speculated she'd been abandoned rather than the owners paying for treatment. We'd had rabbits before, so kept her. She ended up very friendly with one our cats (also a rescue who'd been dumped by his owners) and they used to cuddle on the sofa.

I wouldn't keep rabbits again, I have to be honest. In the future I might be interested in a couple of degu or rats, but most likely I'll stick with a cat or two as I can't imagine my life without one!

Completely agree with you. I follow a couple of rabbit rescues on Instagram along with other animal rescues and the amount of neglected rabbits is shocking. If it were dogs, there would be more of an outcry. Animals kept as pets are complex beings and people should be more aware before taking them on but a lot just like the idea without thinking about the reality. I despair at the amount of people who buy from Pets4homes, Gumtree etc. They complain that the rescues wouldn't let then rehome or have "anything suitable" but they don't actually stop to think that perhaps their home isn't right and it's not Amazon where you can buy exactly what you want.
I also volunteer at a Cats Protection centre so have seen the fall out of unwanted animals (obviusly, there are also genuine reasons for rehoming). Luckily there are lots of people who want to welcome these cats into their homes.

I really dislike how people are shamed for admitting that they can't cope.

It's okay to struggle and it's definitely okay to say the animal would be better off elsewhere.

Circumstances change. Living situations change, Finances change. Health changes. People shouldn't be shamed for making a mistake and finding their pet a more suitable home.

@fairylightsandwaxmelts I tend to agree.

Posters get so much abuse if they dare to admit that getting a pet has turned out to be a mistake for them. It's true that in many cases it was a stupid decision, but some posters are so busy abusing the OP that they don't really signpost the next steps which are to surrender to a reputable breed specific rescue centre.

Circumstances change. Living situations change, Finances change. Health changes. People shouldn't be shamed for making a mistake and finding their pet a more suitable home.

This, 100%.
I have too many pets, almost all rescues, but luckily we can afford them and have space for them. If our circumstances significantly changed I would have to consider rehoming some of them.
The rabbits, for example - I have a garden with space for their big enclosure. If we moved into a studio flat I wouldn't expect them to live in the "rabbit cages" sold by pet shops, I'd look at finding them a home (or convincing my mum to have them!).
If something significant happened and I couldn't exercise my dog or afford a daily dog walker, it would be selfish of me to keep him (cocker spaniel so needs a good amount of exercise daily, throwing a ball in the garden wouldn't be enough). It'd break my heart but his needs have to come first.

Oh yes. Pygmy goats in gardens that have to be 'sadly re-homed' due to 'changes in circumstances'. Goats shouldn't be in gardens, they should be in fields - just because you can keep them on a tiny patch of rancid lawn, doesn't mean that you should. All of the trampolines and climbing frames in the world won't make up for the fact that they should be free to roam and browse, not kept on concrete. And then people that have done it for a couple of years trying to tell everyone else that 'goats' don't eat grass' - of course they eat bloody grass - they just don't eat the piss stained rancid lawn that you're keeping them on. And while we're on that tiny piece of rotten grass, it harbours diseases too - goats should be in fields and not spending time trying to eat around where they poop.

It breaks my heart everytime I see an excited new owner buying all of the things for their new pet that they love so very much, but providing none of the space that they need to live.

I agree. One of the reasons I like cats is I’m fairly confident if they don’t like the home you provide they will find one they do. It might be me kidding myself but I like to think there’s an element of choice from the cat that they’re happy living with us (or maybe it’s Stockholm syndrome!).

There’s loads of animals I’d love to provide a home for but very few I’m realistically set up for or have the skills to do them justice. I find myself scrutinising the ‘con’s’ lists of guides when I start considering other animals and usually something crops up that means I would be a less than ideal caretaker.

People shouldn't be shamed for making a mistake and finding their pet a more suitable home

I agree shame is unhelpful, but so many people don’t seem to feel obliged to take the time and really consider what they’re signing up for. Imho that’s pretty inexcusable in an age there’s a wealth of information at our fingertips.