Help!!!Now she's bringing rabbits.....

[lorihadams]

My mother-in-law is on a crusade to make me and my husband crazy. First she brought my children a lizard. Izzy lasted 6 months and died. Then she tried fish...3 betas over the course of 2 months....they all died. Then she brings us a hamster...still got Hammy...still annoying listening to him run on that little wheel ALL very NIGHT LONG. Then she brings 2 african pygmy water frogs...blissfully low maintenance but have to have special water cause we have well water...it figures. Then she brings us 2 roosters. Don't get me wrong...I love them and we have ended up spending about $500 to get a dog run, supplies, and build a decent coop...oh, and did I mention we got some hens so we could at least have eggs? Now she is showing up this weekend with 2 more chickens, 2 rabbits, and a pac man frog. We have managed to scrounge up a free rabbit hutch and the chickens are covered, but where am I going to put a pac man frog? Did I mention that we live in an 1100 sq ft house that is already too small for us?

I have no idea how to care for rabbits...the chickens have been fun and relatively easy once we got the coop built. Nor do I know how to deal with the pac man frog.

They are coming tomorrow.....anyone got any advice...other than to tell my MIL where to go?

Thanks,

Lori

 

[texaschickmama]

You have to tell her absolutely no more. I had to make myself clear to my MIL, before she moved to Oregon, that under no circumstances did my kids need anymore pets. She tried to give them her hamsters, uh, NOPE. Politely tell her you have your hands full and can't really afford anything else.

 

[Katy]

I have no idea what to tell you other than you and your husband need to sit her down and tell her to stop in no uncertain terms. I guess you could start sending her bills for upkeep on the animals that she keeps dumping on you.

 

[birdlover]

DON'T accept the rabbits if you don't want them. They don't deserve it! People who view rabbits as pets (like chickens) keep them in the house. They train the rabbit to go in a litter box and, basically, treat them like you would a house cat. It's the ones that get stuck out in a pen with no love or attention that suffer and I'm sure you don't want that. I agree with the others that you MUST stand your ground and tell her NO MORE. I'd make her take the pac man frog back when she leaves too. In case you keep the rabbits, here is a website where I learned how to care for my rabbit: www.rabbitsonline.net

 

[nerfy]

She probably means well, but yes, you have to talk to her.
No more critters!
Wish you luck!

 

[Cetawin]

Sorry but I would tell her she needs to bring cages, food and needed accessories for all the animals she continues to bring to your house and to show up weekly with more food for said animals. Enough is enough!

Good luck with her I know what a problem some MILs can be I had a real dousy my first time around. I had to finally put my foot down with her and tell her point blank..."when you step through my door I expect you to conduct yourself in a civil manner and oblige by my wishes or do not come through the door". She got the message and straightened her act up. We had issues involving my son and my rules for him. I refused to let her walk in and completely ignore our routine and his rules just because she was "grandma" and totally dismiss me in the process. Sometimes you just have to tell them like it is. Good luck with your decision.

 

[poultrykeeper08]

wish some one would bring me animals weekly i have to drive 45 minutes to the auction to get my new pets every week lol
But thats me i can never have enouph pets . Just dont put anything in wit the pac man from he will eat it or at least try to eat it !

 

[lorihadams]

*****UPDATE*****

Okay, funny story about the rabbits and my MIL.

She brought us the 2 rabbits saturday and they are beautiful...holland lops. She brought us a male and a female....yeah, gonna kill her, but wait, it gets better!

She brought them in a crate with water bottle, food and bowls, and bedding. She neglected to tell us that she was leaving that night and taking the crate with her.

So, my hubby goes outside...in the dark, and puts hardwire cloth around the bottom of our chicken coop as a temporary pen with a bale of straw in there. He put both rabbits in there and made a hole in the straw so that they could curl up and keep warm for the night. We were able to get a free rabbit hutch from our neighbor but he couldn't get it to us until Sunday.

We get up Sunday morning and meet our neighbor outside with the hutch and go in to get the rabbits.........no rabbits.

So now my kids are upset and we have an empty rabbit hutch. My mother felt bad and drove to Gum Spring and bought 2 look-a-likes (only both female this time...go mom!) We get them home and put them in the hutch....everything is good.

Monday morning I get a phone call from my other neighbor. Conversation as follows:
"Do you guys have rabbits?"
"Yes, why?"
"Are you missing one?
"Actually we're missing 2, why?"
"Yesterday Bubba (her son) was playing football out in the front yard and got tackled and while he was laying on the ground recovering a little white rabbit hopped out of the ditch and jumped up on his chest and put both paws on his face. She's in my bathtub if you want to come get her. Nikki (her daughter) has been calling her Bambi."
"Actually, that's her name...I'll be there in a minute"

So, now I have 2 Bambi's and a Thumper......

My MIL says that for christmas she'll bring us a pig....I told her absolutely not unless she was going to bring us a check after we've spent $400 on the chicken coop...Her eyes got real big and she said, "Are you kidding me?"

I said , "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"OH, maybe not"

Yeah, I thought so......love her but she is killing me!

Lori

 

[silkiechicken]

Oh boy, these "pets" get expensive... rabbit soup and a pig roast?

I'd say if you can't keep them or even want them, gotta have it stopped.

 

[mrsengeseth]

my FIL keeps trying to unload his kittens on us. I told him they'd be taken immediately to his house right back where they started. LOL< he hasn't tried to bring em back since.


That being said, DH dragged home two holland lops recently...plus my four chickens...and our two dogs...and cockatiel and parakeets...fish...