Neighbours Rabbit

[MRSAHILL]

I may be totally wrong and am prepared to be told its absolutely none of my business but I'm concerned about my neighbours new pet rabbit. They bought it for their 5 year old son a few weeks ago. It's a beautiful bunny and it lives in a small hutch in their garden, which I can see from my upstairs window. It is just sat in the small hutch all day long. They never let it out for a hop round the garden. They have a large dog with a ferocious bark and the poor rabbit looks terrified when the dog is let out and barks right near it. I know they can't let it out when the dog is out but surely they could keep the dog in, so the rabbit could have some freedom every day. I feel so sorry for it, just sat there alone 24 hours a day in a tiny hutch with just enough room to turn round in. It must be bored out of its little mind and so lonely. After the initial excitement the child seems bored of it. I work from home and my office is in the upstairs bedroom that overlooks their garden, so I do see it for quite a few hours of the day and I can see that no one bothers with it. Is this a normal way to treat rabbits? I'm prepared to be told to mind my own business but I just feel so sorry for it.

That is so cruel. Rabbits need to be in pairs and have a large space to roam. My two free roam in my house.

If it were me I would just take it. My conscience would be clear. I couldn’t stand watching it in that situation.

Sounds utterly cruel.

Rabbits should ideally live in bonded pairs, they do get lonely, they are intelligent little animals. Definitely should have access to a run, not be Sat cooped up all day.

The dog could quite feasibly frighten it to death too.

Sounds like they made a rash purchase with no proper thought to a sentient beings care and welfare.

Loads of people do this , it's horrid ! What is the point for the bloody rabbit ! Gerbils , birds , mice .. I hate pets in cages .. so cruel ! Do anything you can for the poor thing !

YANBU, the minimum space a rabbit needs is much bigger than most people realise. I have two and they live inside, we have a very large hutch and run for them in the corner of a room and then they are let out into the full area of the room when we are home. Even with this i sometimes feel guilty they don't have enough space!

Yes, I think it was a rash purchase for the child's birthday. Understandably, the little 5 year old has lost interest in it. The dog has a ferocious bark and barks if he's outside and hears the slightest noise, neighbours etc the dogs barking doesn't bother me, I'm a massive dog lover and that's what dogs do, but I've seen poor bunny flinch and it did cross my mind he could die from fright. I'd love to "rescue" him but I haven't the nerve and they'd soon see him in my garden. I'm also wondering how to approach them about its welfare. They seem a decent family, in a nice house but, as a previous poster said, I don't think they have realised that a rabbit needs more care than just being stuck in a tiny hutch all day. I might post something on our estate Facebook site, saying if anyone has a rabbit that they have found they don't really have time for and can't let have a daily run in the garden etc then I'm happy to rehome one as I've just lost my dog and want a smaller pet, have an enclosed garden, plenty of free time etc Thanks to everyone for all your advice and also thanks for not telling me to stop noseying out of the window!

you could also ask either directly or on SM saying someone you know has a rabbit that has lost it’s partner, everyone knows they are highly social etc etc, it’s pining away… does anyone know of a lone rabbit they could try bonding with.

you’d have to get another bin if they took the bait though!

• bun

@Reallyreallyborednow Great idea!

This is exactly how I kept my children's pet rabbits 20 years ago and I am SO ashamed of it. Admittedly they always started out with 2 but when one dies ..........

I would never cage any animal now - they would have a room sized run filled with sawdust and suchlike to play in and burrow in! And lots of friends to play with.

Could you ask them to let you look after the rabbit during the day as a favour to you ‘ I work from home, I’d like to get out into the garden with him for a while during the day’. That means you are not criticising them.

if you like having it, maybe they will lose interest and it would become permanent.

I'd have to admit that I've been looking over into their garden and I'm a bit reluctant to do that as I don't really know them. I think I'll just post a message on my estates Facebook page asking if anyone wants to rehome a rabbit with me as I'd offer a good home with an enclosed garden where a rabbit can safely have its daily exercise/run free etc I know both parents are active members on the Facebook page so, even if they don't want to rehome it, maybe it'll get through to them that they should be letting their rabbit have a run free round the garden everyday. I'll probably end up with half the neighbourhoods rabbits!

I always had a rabbit as a child (in the late 80s/early 90s) and it makes me feel sick to think of the conditions it lived in - exactly the same conditions as you describe OP.
It had a 'run' in the garden, which we put it in once in a blue moon.
I was responsible for cleaning out it's hutch and didnt do it often enough. In very cold weather, to prevent its water bowl from freezing over, I would secure cardboard to the wire on the door. So the poor thing would essentially spend its time in solitary confinement, in a smelly box without daylight.
I think so many small animals in cages live out miserable, cruel lives. It's disgraceful.
But all of this is totally legal and you have no grounds on which to approach your neighbours OP. It's so difficult and I'd hate to be in your situation.

@HikingBoots it's big of you to admit that. Try not to beat yourself up, you were only a child and didn't know any better. I wasn't sure about how to look after a rabbit, that's why I posted on here asking if my neighbours Rabbit was OK living like that, and I'm 54!

Calm down 🙄

It's not ideal of course for the rabbit to be on its own but as the PP doesn't own the rabbit there is little they can do, but merely observe and offer to care occassionally for it.

I do know the difference between straw and hay for bedding, funnily enough after having horses you get to know the difference rather well, but our rabbits are always given an abundance of hay each day in the winter so they have something to pick at when they are in their "house".

OP it does sound like the child has lost interest, mine has too to a degree but they still have to do the daily chores, I'm not getting anymore nor trying for another rabbit in case that bond breaks down too, each of our rabbits are in a 8ft x8ft hutch over three levels so plenty of space but no room to run and binky hence the access to the garden during the day.

Good luck with it and I hope the neighbour takes you up on your offer of access to the garden.

I wish pet shops had an obligation to explain properly to buyers the amount of care a rabbit needs. Like checking their teeth and nails to make sure they don't grow too long and having safe space to run around in. I have had up to 8 bunnies all rescued after being dumped in the undergrowth near our house usually after Easter when the novelty has worn off. Mine run free in the garden and have shelters to use when they want. The saddest sight was finding a dead bunny in a cage just dumped at the side of the road. Personally I think prospective owners of any pet should have to undergo a home check and a test of their knowledge in keeping an animal, but guess that would be impossible to implement. So sad.

Thank you for spotting this poor bun. As others have said, yes this is unfortunately extremely common but not right at ALL.

My first pair of rescue rabbits were signed over to rescue at 4 years old after the previous owner's dog was harassing them. I lost them at 12 and 13 years old and they were spoiled rotten <3 but never got over their fear of hearing neighbouring dogs.

There's looooads of good up to date rabbit advice on the RWAF website:
rabbitwelfare.co.uk/

Good luck trying to get through to these people! I would definitely recommend sooner rather than later as the chance of this bun being a Gumtree statistic - "child is bored of it, we don't have time" - is extremely high :(

@bunnygeek thanks for the information. It sounds like you gave your rabbits a wonderful life.

Probably come winter their insulation solution will be to throw a bit of old carpet over it

They sound really clueess and obviously haven't done any reseach .

That rabbit doesn't have enough space
Freedom from pain or fear (he;ll be scared of the dog and his muscle tone will suffer being cramped up)
He doesn't have appropriate companionship
I'll bet the farm he isn't vaccinated or neutered either .

Would they be appreciative of some leaflets ?

Or maybe book for the child about rabbits? One age apppropriate , what things rabbits eat and fcts like in the wild a rabbit will run 5 miles a day ( that rabbit next door can only dream of that)

Looking after animals in winter is hard work ( DD and I jad guinea-pigs that had a piggie shed then in for winter nights) , I very much doubt the bunny will be there come January .

i know this thread is a few months old now but what happened to the poor rabbit @MRSAHILL I hope it went on to have a much happier life.

@theblackradiator (I've name changed recently) Coincidence that you should ask, as I was thinking about poor bunny just yesterday. A coupe of days after I posted on here the bunny and hutch disappeared. I was hoping the neighbours had realised they couldn't give him the home he needed and had rehomed him somewhere better. Although, I was talking with my dh about it and he suspects they moved him into the garage for the winter. I know he would be warmer in there but I am also worried that he'd now be in the dark and he'd still be trapped in that tiny hutch. I'll only know if they've still got him if bunny and hutch reappear sometime outside this spring/summer. Then I'll be worrying about him all over again!

@MRSAHILL aww let's hope bunny was rehomed and went on to have a much happier life. I used to keep bunnies myself many years ago but mine had a huge fenced off area in my garden to run around in daily and I converted a 6x4ft shed into a giant hutch for winter mine had a happy life so it makes me sad to think their entire life is spent cramped into a tiny cage.
I'd imagine if the family didn't care enough about bunny getting exercise they also wouldn't care about it being cold over the winter so perhaps it was rehomed.
Me being me I would have had to strike up friendly conversation with the neighbours and mention I'd noticed it'd gone from their garden and has it gone to a new home or passed away, no harm in saying you could see it through the window whilst working. they must be able to see into your garden so will realise you can also see into theirs so won't think you are being nosey. it wouldn't have bothered me if a neighbour asked about my rabbits which I realise neighbours could see from their upstairs windows. let's hope it's been a happy outcome for bunny. come back and post op if it reappears in the summer.

@theblackradiator it sounds like you gave your rabbits a wonderful life. I'll just wait and see if the rabbit reappears. I've never actually spoken to the neighbours and they probably won't know who I am. Our houses sort of go round a corner, I'm in a semi and then there are big detached houses that go round the corner and down another street but the backs of them curve round so I can see into their back garden but their actual house is on another street to mine. If it had been one of my near neighbours, who I know, I would have approached them but I'm a bit nervous of approaching people I don't know. If bunny reappears and is in the same small hutch, not getting exercise etc then I think I'll arrange for a rabbit welfare leaflet to be sent to them anonymously.

@MRSAHILL yes I understand I also have back to back neighbours that are on a different street so it's difficult to get to know them and chat.
I do wish people would think more carefully about getting these pets as neglect like this happens way to often. fingers crossed that bunny doesn't reappear and has gone to a better home. I can no longer keep bunnies myself as I now have a terrier dog with a very strong prey drive so wouldn't be safe. Although when I did have my bunnies years ago I had a little Jack Russell dog and he and the bunnies were the best of friends!
Definitely wouldn't trust my current dog though so no more bunnies for me sadly.

@theblackradiator at least you are sensible enough to know that your current dog would be a danger to a rabbit so, by not getting one, you are putting the rabbits welfare first. I had a very gentle labrador, who loved just standing and watching ducks when we went for a walk but, previously, I had a jack Russell who I would never have let near ducks or any small animal. It's not their fault, it's in their nature but bunnies gets scared so easily and could die of fright. I'm hoping this little one has gone to a much better home where they know how to look after him properly.