*sigh* I'm loosing my touch. (Warning: Hi-jacked by Em)

[chickwhispers]

DSO has given the order that the 4 week olds must move out. So 2 days early they will be going out to the big coop. This morning I will have to section off part of the big girls area. Thank goodness I can do this easily enough. And there is room enough. My next batch of 10 will arrive in 2 weeks, that's where I'll have to get creative to make room for them and storage. Because the only room I'll have left will be the storage area!

 

[Alaskan]

A bit tricky, the growing out and combing part.

 

[Bunnylady]

A bit tricky, the growing out and combing part.

Particularly for those of us who have little or nothing left to comb.

 

[Alaskan]

A bit tricky, the growing out and combing part.

Particularly for those of us who have little or nothing left to comb.:/

And I was thinking it would be easy and fun to comb silkies.

 

[EmtheFishLady]

Ah, the aftermath of Easter. I've already had three bunnies and 5 chicks dropped off here.And people wonder why we don't sell them.

 

[Bunnylady]

There be ways, and there be ways, but this sort of thing still happens.

During previous years, the hardware store near me that does a bunch of chick sales during the spring months just didn't have chicks the week before Easter. This year, they've had 100-200 chicks come in on the Wednesday of each week, and they have all sold out by Friday. They had them last week, too, but they were all BLACK (Barred Rocks).

They've maintained a 6 chick minimum purchase all along to try to weed out the clueless impulse buyers, too.

Like a lot of rabbit breeders, I make a point of not having bunnies that are of sell-able age at Easter. I will have some that are too young to sell, but old enough to go make (supervised) visits. That way, kids get to see them, touch them, learn a little bit about them, and then they go home, and nobody gets stuck with a living, breathing party favor that will need care for the next several years. Want to talk to me about getting one in a few weeks when they are old enough to re-home? Sure, here's my number.

If you deal in animals, you can't stop the irresponsible from acquiring them, but there are some things you can do to try to avoid adding to the problem.

 

[chickwhispers]

And that is why you are a Smart Bunnylady!

 

[EmtheFishLady]

I just don't sell bunnies, chicks, kittens, or puppies.

I think there are enough shelter dogs and cats, and I don't want to add to that. To me, rabbits and chicks are livestock and don't really belong in our store anyway. We are mostly exotics, reptiles, and fish. BUT, our policy is we'll take anything and find it a safe, loving home. So we do end up with everyone else's impulse sales. Guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets, birds, etc. We even had a couple come in with their cat and just casually leave...without the cat.

 

[chickwhispers]

Awesome! too! That is an very generous "return" policy. No where else can you buy something and "return" it elsewhere. Those poor animals would end up who knows where! You are a Kind and Benovolent Queen! Three cheers for our Queen Em! e

 

[Bunnylady]

I just don't sell bunnies, chicks, kittens, or puppies.

I think there are enough shelter dogs and cats, and I don't want to add to that. To me, rabbits and chicks are livestock and don't really belong in our store anyway. We are mostly exotics, reptiles, and fish. BUT, our policy is we'll take anything and find it a safe, loving home. So we do end up with everyone else's impulse sales. Guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets, birds, etc. We even had a couple come in with their cat and just casually leave...without the cat.

I'm curious - do you get many reptiles to re-home? I currently have a couple of Red-eared Sliders that someone just had to have, then got tired of cleaning up after. For a little while, we had an Iguana that was found wandering in someone's yard (I was so glad to find that guy another home - he was MEAN!). We only have a couple vets in town that sees "exotics;" for some reason, rabbits are included in that classification.

The Serpentarium downtown has been taking in birds for a number of years now. I think they may have more birds than snakes! So many of them are just plain obnoxious, too - and LOUD! I can't help but wonder how many of those birds' original owners had any idea what they were getting into when they bought them.