There is a cute little ND in at the local pet shop and for the past three days I have gone in there gotten him out of his cage (I am pretty sure he is a he) and washed his butt as he is got the runs pretty bad.  he also seems to have a large hard belly.  The two other rabbits he are in with seem fine.

He is eating and is moving around well and is getting more friendly as i handle him but the poo issue and the belly issue worry me.  i told the pet shop that I would take him to the vet at my expense if they gave him to me.  i even said that if there was nothing wrong with the rabbit then i would return or pay for him.

They are asking $60 for him and I am not sure how much longer he will last, I have alerted them to the issue but all they have done is worm him.  They are happy for me to treat him but refuse to take him to the vet.  I don't want to report this store as normally they are REALLY good however the manger and the owner are on holidays and a family member has taken over and she is the one that is stopping me.  If he holds on till Thursday of next week i will be able to get my hands on him.

Any suggestions as to what it could be or something that i could give him?  he is being feed pet store straw and those rabbit/piggie/rat mixes which is no good for the rabbit in the first place.
 

Please help

Well if I was in that same situation I would badger them into letting me have him to have him for free ...and feel better from poopy butt,,,, Don't take my advice as serious because I am very errr...I don't want to say careless because I can care for my rabbits... but I act on instinct and want to do what is best. Obviously the store isn't going to sell a sick animal so maybe you could work something out with them???When I worked at petco here in the states we HAd to bring them to the vet if ANY animal was sick. I don't know, how is anya and bugz doing? do you want a 3rd? It's very nice you are willing to help...are you looking for a trio? It sounds like that little fellow needs someone to save him and quick. If I was you, I would adopt him and do whatever I can to save him, but I am not you, and I don't know your situation. I know it can eat away at your heart. but when we buy from a petstore we don't solve the problem of homeless rabbits from a shelter looking for a new home. Its tough I know. But I know if I saw that I would take him home with me and try my hardest to make him well, petstore, craigslist or shelters or not.

 

Remember I basically got all 3 of my rabbits as random and didn't think clearly but this is how I feel when I read this. If I saw a rabbit in need from a petstore I would do what I could to help. It just sucks to know that if you do adopt him, that just opens up a new spot for them to buy more rabbits. It's just a vicious cycle that never stops. It's really up to you and how you feel.

Thanks Lintini, if they would give him to me for free then he would be gone. Having another rabbit does not bother me, Bugz has been fixed and he just gets along with everyone including the bird that wants to kill him (ever seen a rabbit try and groom a bird???) Anya would be the tricky one but she is getting fixed in the next few weeks however if i buy him at say $60 then then have to take him to the vet which will be around $200 there goes Anya spay money so then she has to wait while i save up again. the other issue is that I can't get him to a rabbit vet untill next saturday as i have to work and i have no time saved up and next week is not a good week to ask for time off. I am so confused as to what to do.

Do you know the manager and owner fairly well? Just thinking perhaps you could get the current caretaker to contact them for you. Perhaps the direction needs to come from them. Hopefully that would be to direct the caretaker to seek vet care - especially if they're looking to maintain their good reputation. It really is the stores responsibility. I kinda think this guy needs to be seen now. That they need to do this too, not you have to carry the worry. Is he a baby?

My thought would be to report the store REGARDLESS of whether or not you get the baby. One report does not mean they will get closed down, but it may be a wake-up call to ALL involved that they need to step up and do the right thing. The manager and owner are responsible b/c they are the ones who left this other person in charge in their absence. What is going to happen next month when another new baby bunny is sick? You can't possibly take them all and treat them all. It's not about the money at this point, but rather about their attitudes towards all the animals in their care.

What if you suggest to them that they at least get a stool sample checked on this bunny?  If he has coccidia and has had it for awhile that can cause runny stool- and can be fatal if left untreated- and is contagious to other rabbits in the cage.  Coccidia is not treated by regular dewormer- they need a course of Albon or maybe Panacur- and the cage would need to be cleaned daily to prevent reinfection during treatment. 

I know it can be frustrating- but unless you have a good area to quarantine him if you get him- you should not get him.  It could be more than an intestinal parasite or crappy diet going on with this guy and you don't want to endanger your other bunnies.  I know one of members here got another bunny and then was worried about either pasteurella or e. cuniculli (can't remember which) and she was really scared that she had inadvertantly exposed her other rabbits- so she felt scared and guilty while waiting for the test results to come back- and I think she spent a lot of money treating the new bunny that she rescued from a crappy pet store.

I totally get where you are coming from- it hurts your heart to see him this way- but make sure to protect your bunnies.  I would immediately wash your clothes when you get home and even take a shower after handling him- yes, a bit extreme- but worth the extra caution.

i don't think it matters if its a pet store or not. it is a rabbit and it needs help, i think you should try to help him as much as you can. why would it be $200 dollars for a check up at the vet my vet only cost $45 dollars for a check up. or do you think that he has other problems that would cost money?

Ok I went up there and had a chat to them, finally one of the regulars said that they would call the owner who then directed them to put him in a holding cage at the back and to give him some meds that they have on hand for their rabbits. They also had to move all the rabbits he was in with into another pen and clean the original pen and it is not allowed to be used for 3 days. i will go in and check on the little guy but at least the owner is doing something, he is annoyed that the lady he left in charge let it go on for this long. He even called me and gave me his mobile in case anything like this happens again, so feeling a little better.

I'm glad you kept after them. Anytime I've been in a store that sells animals, I have to always keep reminding myself that this is a business to them. They are not doing it b/c they love animals and want them all to be safe and cared for... they want the paycheck. I'm not saying no one there loves animals, but at the end of the day, it's always about sales in retail.