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From Fawn

I got my rabbits from pet shops (never again) one was from pet shop in east Malvern (Vic) the only info we got was that they were both male (actually one ended up being female) and not to feed them lettuce. (That was 2 white buns). A black dwarf we got from a little pet shop in Werribee didn’t get any info off them at all...... and worst of all we had no idea about myximatosis, I was so upset unfortunately they all passed away I was really angry at the local pet shop as they would have know about the rabbit baiting going on in the area they could have warned us to keep the bunnies inside I don’t think pet shops should be legal i think all animals should be adopted not shopped for

Brandon Park Pets  
Centro Brandon Park Shopping Centre, Ferntree Gully Rd, Brandon Park VIC 3170 (03) 9560 6776 ‎

Animal House Pet & Aquarium Supplies 6 Rushford La, Werribee VIC 3030 (03) 9731 0022 ‎

ok i could have sworn that the 1st one was in East Malvern but its actually Mulgrave ha-ha and it’s not a pets paradise sorry but they are both equally opposite sides of town showing no matter where you go it’s all the same
After not knowing one of the buns was a girl  I thought I could save a bit of money up before getting them de-sexed......I don’t think i need to explain what happened there, not knowing our girl was pregnant I went to clean the enclosure out and there were dead babies (5) and she was a bit worse for wear i took her to the lort Smith Animal Hospital (as they do centre pay deductions for any procedures so it’s more affordable, in case you wanted to pass that on)  anyway $200 later they gave her the all clear. Took her home and separated her from the male buns had her inside most of the night for cuddles, but the next morning she was fitting and there appeared to be another dead baby in her enclosure anyway after that ordeal our dwarf got really lethargic I was about to take him to the vet and he had a fit and died.... the last survivor seemed fine he was bouncing around and seemingly happy he good most of the share of food now but over night he died........ I did some research after remembering some years back that they were introducing some sort of baiting to kill of wild scary (sarcasm)  rabbits and then checked with my local council website and yes they have been baiting in my area!! Had i know all of this at the time a purchased these buns i would have kept them inside or at the very least mozzie proofed their cage. Now I don’t care how much I paid for them (which was $45 each) but you would think even if they gave you a link to a website this could save the pain and torture for these little guys.

I have since found a miracle spray for mozzies that protects inside the house; I have also been spraying the old enclosures. This miracle spray is Listerine!! Someone told me about it in a spam email and I was sooo sick of all the bites I tried it and it worked!! you pray it on all of your flyscreens door frames and curtains your house will smell like a fresh mouth but its so worth it!!
Also a friend of mine that live around the corner has had her buns (2) for 5 yrs besides being a little over weight they are in perfect health and live outside!! But they are amongst about 20 birds in a giant every....so I’m guessing they birds are saving the buns from the mozzies!! (Just a few ideas to pass along)

Sorry for the rant I’m just still so upset that my poor buns had to go through all that when all it took was for the pet shop to give me some info!! Not to mention my poor 7 yr old who thinks we did something wrong to them to make them die.

thanks for reading

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Judi and I visited Pet Barn Fountain Gate on Sunday and our questions about the purchase of a rabbit for our nonexistent preschool grandson were answered by a very helpful young man . Unfortunately his advice was incorrect. They obtain rabbits from a local breeder and not Lort Smith as adoptions. This may have repercussions with the trade practices act.

The saleman started off by showing hutches “ hutch for outside needs a place for rabbit to hide” (referring to the closed in portion) no mention was made for mosquito protection and  he then showed other products needed such as water bottles. The seed mix shown had corn kernel in it.  Corn can cause caecal blockage which has a very poor prognosis and usually results in the death of the rabbit. Hay was only mentioned after prompting.
The Rabbit enclosure had seed mix, corn cobs, a little hay and a sparse layer of paper pellets.

Some comments were
•      Great pet for young children “ ok with kids if kid spends lots of time with the rabbit”
•     “Can be vaccinated for myxomatosis”
•     Diet is grains and seed with a little hay, water is from a bottle or bowl.
•     “Not hand weaned so more suited to the back yard, would take effort to become a house rabbit”.
•     “There is a specialised vet in Hallam”

Bryce

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From E.P.
Pets Paradise  235 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverly. 3150  
(This was found out through a phone call; I imagine the hutches he referred to are those standards seen in all pet shops - far too small, not even big enough for a fully-grown rabbit to stand up or stretch out).

Rabbit + set up will cost between $400 and $500.  Includes hutch and food, worming and mite spray.
Food consists of dry food (grains and pellet mix) + hay (non-specified).
They require worming and mite spray regularly.
Vaccniation annually against Calici.
Better housed indoors for protection against mosquitoes and extreme weather conditions.
Cages require cleaning up to twice a week, or at least three times a fortnight.
Rabbits can be toilet trained.  Best to have companions if you are not at home much.

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GREENSBOROUGH PETS PARADISE  

I myself am not a rabbit owner, but am great friends with Ben and Kerrie who set up the "Save Rabbit Ruanawy Orphanage" facebook page.  
I know a liitle bit about rabbits and how to care for them from what I've learnt from Ben and Kerrie. But am in no way an expert, I think this may have worked in my favour as I quizzed the mangaer at Pets Paradise in Greensborough.

  I went in under the guise I was making an enquiry for my sister, who was interested in buying 2 rabbits for her children (3 and 1 years old) for an  easter present. I was told they had no rabbits available today, but were getiing some in at the start of April, he also commented that there had been a lot of enquiries about Rabbits this week. I was told the rabbits would be fine with children that age, when I asked if the children could hurt the rabbits, he said "well if they really tried they could hurt them"

He showed me a $160 hutch to house both rabbits in (the standard small cage type hutch) which he said would accomadate 2 rabbits comfortably. He suggested keeping it in the garage, but as my sister doesn't have one, he said outside would be fine as long as they was shade cloth around it to protect them from cats and mozzies - as myxo was an issue.  
When I asked if there was a vaccine for myxo I was told no, but could get the vaccine for Calici from around $100

He suggested to get 2 female rabbits, which would be $65 each (lop-eared dwarf)
Asking if they would be desexed, he said no, but that I could get them desexed for about $120 each.
Food reccommended was pellets and grains. When asked for the price of feed,  he said that hay was available for $9 a bag and that would last about a month.
He said the rabbits could roam her backyard as long as her cat and dog were inside and that the area was fenced properly.

No pamphlet or information in writing was provided to me and I was under the strong impression that if they had rabbits in the store, he would have sold one to me right there and then.

I hope this helps your cause.
You guys are doing a great job.

Thanks, Rachael

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This was my experience at Pets Parasite Eastland Ringwood.
Sorry but I have to put it in point form.

Pet Rabbit ok for 6 year old niece.
Two small hutches to choose from.
Only need hay for bedding, rabbit may eat some.
Change bedding/clean once per week depending on the size of rabbit.
Pallets for diet. Greens and fruit once or twice per week as this upsets stomach.
Don't need hay for food as may eat from his bedding.
You can keep inside or outside.
You can take them to the vet and get a shot, I did once but wouldn't bother, you don't have to. (The shop assistant owns a rabbit)
Worm and flea treat every 3 months.
What's Mixo?
Was there an info sheet? I had to ask for one. A typical generic type.


Regards
Jenny

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From S.M

I visited Pets Paradise at Doncaster Westfield on the weekend:

What do I need?
- Cage.
Showed me the cages they had but didn't indicate what size for which size of rabbit.

How often should I clean the cage?
- "every 2 days although I never did"
Put 2-3 sheets of newspaper, then put hay on top.

What do they eat? Lettuce?
"Yes, lettuce, any kind of scraps, except potato peels I fed my rabbit potato peel and it killed him. So don't do that!"

Should I get them desexed soon?
Yes, you should get them desexed as early as possible.

Price:
$65 male or female (desexed)

Cheers,
S,  

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From E.P.
Hi Judi, Hi Bryce,

KEYSBOROUGH PETS PARADISE: Shop Q12 Parkmore Shopping Centre"
I'm thinking about buying a rabbit for my children..."
You need a hutch.  Food bowls, food.  Something to chew on.  A mineral block or salt chew (to keep intestinal flora).  Hay or straw.  Rabbits can use a litter tray.  They eat fruits and vegetables.  Definately need to worm them regularly.  They can survive outside but it's recommended to keep them inside.  Recommend vaccination.  They're the main things to worry about.

THE PET PROFESSIONALS: Brandon Park Shopping Centre,   
You need a hutch.  Sml, Lrg, different shapes and different bottoms, depending on if they're kept inside or out.  Every cage comes with a rabbit.  Pet hay ($9.95) will last around 1 mt.  4k of food ($10.95) will last for around 1 mth.  You need to give them fresh food and water everyday.  Any fruits and vegetables, but no citrus fruits or lettuces.  They are easier than a cat or dog to look after because you can leave them in their cage over the holidays (and have someone come to your house and feed them).  If you are going to handle it, you can keep just one, but if you're not going to handle it, you should get two.


PET WONDERLAND: 184 Chapel Street, Prahran,  
Initial set up costs, around $150 for a good sized hutch (indoor or outdoors) and about $50 for other things: mite and lice spray.  Wormer.  After that, very easy and inexpensive to look after a rabbit.  Fresh water and food everyday, clean the hutch once a week.  Go to our website for more info.

Everyone has different advice about rabbits, even amongst the most professional people.  I think rabbits forced to live in hutches they can't move freely in or stretch out in is very sad.  All of these pet shops sold tiny hutches.