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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel upset/angry about unintentional animal cruelty?

37 replies

Crowley · 04/02/2009 13:03

Last year my friend bought her daughter a single guinea pig. It lives on its own in a cage which is bad enough but now apparantly, none of the family bother with it.

My friend said the daughter got fed up of it and now only interacts with it when she's changing its food and water. They have shoved it in the greenhouse.

I just feel so sad thinking about the poor thing sat on its own day after day. Its such selfish behaviour but they don't seem to realise or care.

OP posts:
loobeylou · 04/02/2009 13:06

Talk to them about getting another so it has company, or getting it rehomeed to someone who wants it (and has relevant experience)

mollythetortoise · 04/02/2009 13:07

I suspect that is the fate of thousands of guniea pigs up and down the land. My neighbours have two hamsters that have spent the winter in the garage, definately not fed every day. They must be frozen. Mind you , my tortoises are in the fridge at mo (hibernating and totally legitimate place to keep them BTW)

Original poster
Crowley · 04/02/2009 13:08

But how can people be so cruel?

OP posts:
Gorionine · 04/02/2009 13:09

I did not know you could keep totoises in the fridge!

YANBU, I think loobeyloo is right.

fryalot · 04/02/2009 13:10

why don't you offer to take it off their hands?

Lulumama · 04/02/2009 13:10

sometimes people think that only dogs and cats are actually sentient animals who need human interaction
, not to mention feeding !

an acquaintance told me how she bought her children a rabbit, and everyone forgot about it as it was in teh garage and it froze to death one winter and no-one knew for days

themoon66 · 04/02/2009 13:10

Oh Crowley... YANBU. I get quite weepy about this sort of thing.

I'm currently distressed about my neighbours dogs who are locked in a freezing garage from 7.30am to 9pm ever single day whilst they are all out. They have been away this weekend and the poor dogs are in there, whineing and crying and hurling themselves against the metal doors Its freezing in there!

Tamarto · 04/02/2009 13:12

Have you reported it to anyone the moon?

OP YANBU

themoon66 · 04/02/2009 13:25

I don't know who to report it to really. And its a very small village so they will know it's me. I don't want to fall out with them

deepinlaundry · 04/02/2009 13:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tamarto · 04/02/2009 13:31

What deepinlaundry said. It's all very well being upset or angry about things, but to ignore them doesn't make a person much better than the owners.

fryalot · 04/02/2009 13:31

I agreee, themoon - give the RSPCA a call.

For starters, they won't know it's you, it could be anyone in the village, or even the postman or someone.

And secondly, there's a bit of neglect, then there's downright abuse and these people sound like they are seriously abusing those dogs.

(not that neglect is ok, but ykwim)

MarmadukeScarlet · 04/02/2009 13:37

I just keep my tortoise in an unheated room (almost external utility room) with three external walls so the temp does not fall below 4 degrees as I thought that was the temp at which their eyes get damaged?

MarmadukeScarlet · 04/02/2009 13:39

I am with you on the neglect though.

Looks lovingly at 3 inddor rabbits snuggled up in their organic hay.

I get saddened at this time of year by rabbits being out in flimsy wooden hutches with mesh doors - well a little bit of hay is not going to keep them very warm as the temp hist -8 as it did round here the other night.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 04/02/2009 13:40

themoon - please report it.

Ruby2shoes · 04/02/2009 13:53

Oh themoon - you must call the RSPCA! They won?t tell the owners who made the call.

I did this years ago when some neighbours were keeping some dogs in the most horrendous conditions, one was paralysed and dragging its hindquarters! They just turned up and removed the dogs.

You really shouldn?t be worried if people like this are willing to fall out with you because you have a conscience.

higgle · 04/02/2009 14:07

Tell us more about the tortoises in the fridge I am fascinated.

mollythetortoise · 04/02/2009 15:51

re. tortoises in fridge, for anyone interested! I have two and they are in separate cardboard boxes with insulation on top shelf of fridge. My fridge is about 5-6 degrees, less than 5 and too cold, more than 10 degrees too warm so fridge is perfect. You need to make sure you open door a few times a day for ventilation though (so you can't go off on hols for xmas for example). I got my tortoises from www.thetortoiseshop.com and their advice is to put in fridge. My mother does not approve This site was actually recommended by another tortoise keeping mumsnetter!

MarmadukeScarlet · 04/02/2009 16:26

My tortie is way too big to go in the fridge, but thanks for the info!

LucyEllensmummy · 04/02/2009 16:44

crawley - sadly, your friends aren't unusual, this is pretty much what happens to caged pets. Thats why they are banned in our house. Working as a vet nurse i have too often seen the effects of neglect on small animals.

I have to say though, i had two giant rabbits, they are no hardier than ordinary bunnies and they lived out, all year, all weathers, and NOT in a hutch either - they had one, they chose not to use it, one used to go to bed in the green house in the winter, we put straw down - the other dug a fully functional burrow under its hutch and hunkered down in there when it was cold. I think i had them indoors twice when the weather was extraordinarily cold. They had really thick fur coats and lived a long time in comparison to other giant bunnies Tough little buggers. I just couldnt stand to keep them penned up in hutches. I hate to see it now - i don't get it, its really sad. Why would you want to keep something like a rabbit in a cage, its only contact being morning and evening when you chuck some food in and change the water - its pants, and a waste of effort if you ask me.

LucyEllensmummy · 04/02/2009 16:50

at tortoise in the fridge!! But I suppose that IS warmer than it gets most winter nights.

This is a shameful tale - we had a tortoise when i was young. My mum would faithfully set it up for hibernation every year. One year, it died Being a tortoise, i guess it is pretty difficult to detect whether it is breathing. My mum wasn't sure - so she had the bright idea of leaving it in a bowl of water to see if any bubbles came out of its nose . I was about ten at the time, and even i KNEW it was dead, because of the STENCH!!! poor thing. She was a lovely tortoise, disappeared one year we had given her up for lost and then the next spring i looked out of my bedroom window and there she was - i picked her up and she promptly pissed in my face - well, i assume it was a girl, must have been, her name was elsa! After the lion in Born free.

OhHowMarvellous · 04/02/2009 17:01

Can you go and steal the guinea pig?

I am afraid I probably would

Or tell them you know someone who's looking for one, and then send it to me

bishboschone · 04/02/2009 17:04

I agree about caged animals..I love anaimals and dont agree with very non animal type people getting caged anaimals and just shoving them in the garden and after a month or so the kids are bored with it. I too have seen ,my friends do this time and time again and it upsets me every time.
Moon ...you must call the rspca!!

DaphneMoon · 04/02/2009 17:06

My rabbits are outside, but the hutch is double skinned with house insulation between the two layers. They also have a cover over the front which is see through so I can leave it down in the day to keep out cold winds but they can see out. They have loads of hay to sleep on and thick coats I really don't think they suffer. I really think you should offer to rehome the guinea pig though , my rabbits may be outside but they are very well cared for. If the Guinea pig is not being fed etc it is not fair.

newpup · 04/02/2009 17:36

Oh this really makes me mad! My sil has a cat she basically feeds and ignores but her DDs decided they wanted rabbits, last Christmas. So out she went and bought them a rabbit each, never thought to check what sex they were and ended up with babies that died as the mother suffocated them. Moaned and moaned about how much it then cost to nueter them! Inevitably her DDs got bored with them and they are ignored pretty much all the time, she flings water and food in when necessary. Also she does not clean them out often enough as she and Bil have recently split up and this was his job She waits until Pil visit every month and they do it.

Anyway, this Christmas she announces that she is donating them to a children's petting farm attached to her DD's school as she is fed up with them and dds no longer interested. At least the poor things will be looked after properly now. BUT......

a few weeks ago she went out and bought her DD's a kitten!!!!! They wanted one as my DD's have a puppy!!!!! I just know that once it is past the cute stage she will give up on that too. Just seems to treat pets as a fashion accessory or the latest toy for the DD's. Makes me so mad and sad

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