My best friend's guinea pigs and rabbits are treated terribly. What should I do?

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aussiegirl

I went there tonight and was horrified at what I saw. This was the setup:

Hutch 1:
Roughly 90cm by 150cm. Two male rabbits, one mounting the other. Dry mixed feed in a dish. Very dirty bowl of water. No protection from mosquitoes (which can cause myxomatosis in rabbits). Straw bedding.

Hutch 2:
Roughly 130cm by 50cm. Two rabbits (I think both male). Dirty water. Feed mix in dish, but very little and there were also droppings in there. No protection from mosquitoes. Wire bottom. Straw bedding.

Hutch 3:
Roughly 120cm by 40cm. Three medium-sized rabbits (I don't know the genders). No food. No water. Wire bottom. Straw bedding.

Hutch 4:
Roughly 110cm by 40cm. Three female guinea pigs and one large rabbit. NO bedding; bedding area was FULL of faeces and old waste (straw I suppose) embedded into it. It was WET and disgusting. The rabbit was sitting in the empty food dish in the main part of the cage. It was that, or the wire or faeces. Guinea pigs were squeaking lots. NO food. Water in a dish. No mosquito protection.

I gave all of the animals grass and hay ('Pasture hay' from the supermarket. I don't know how good the quality was.) and they were SO hungry. The rabbits with no water or food were desperate for food, tried to get out when I opened the cage door, and all stuck their heads in the water dish and drank heavily when I filled the dish.

I don't know what to do. Should I call the RSPCA? Should I talk to my friend about it? I'm so annoyed and I don't know what I should do.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
You said that she is your best friend... so it's likely that you'll be able to communicate the importance that her pigs and rabbits are given better care and proper housing.

If she is for the moral treatment of animals, focus your speech and links on the welfare of the animals and their health and that both rabbits and guinea pigs are herbivores and due to their internal make up the MUST have food continuously moving through their digestive systems to prevent stasis (when their GI tract stops moving, leading to death).

If she is for budget care, you could stress that using hay as a bedding will be more beneficial to the animals and that they'll be good buckets for edible human-grade veggies (NOT rotten veg). Also, that by not providing them with adequate care, the likelihood of them becoming ill - and requiring a lot of money to be spent on vet bills - will increase exponentially. Also, that the guinea pigs require a high vitamin C diet which they will not be getting by eating a bunny diet. Furthermore, wire floors can cause bumblefoot and torn nails which are also a pain in the pocket to care for.

You could finish by having a discussion about how it upsets you to see her animals not being provided for, ask her if she's having any problems meeting the cost of their care and if you can, offer to take them off her hands and to a rescue or into your care if it's feasible. Perhaps offer to go with her to the shop to buy a mosquito net and together you can "have fun" re-designing the cage and how the bunnies and piggies are housed. Perhaps let her know that they'll need vaccinations against deadly and contagious diseases that could wipe out her little warren and encourage her to look into having those boys neutered or given a lot more room to get away from each other.
 
I wanted to mention:

If you want to bring their care to the local SPCA, you'll need solid photographic and documented accurate notes on their neglect. Depending on your laws in Aussie-land, you'll need to prove that their WELFARE is not being met (SPCA's are in support of animal Welfare not Ethics. So, you must prove that their basic needs for food, water, adequate housing and appropriate vet care aren't being met.) over a period of time.

This will include noting and perhaps photographing the state of the cages, injuries, when they aren't fed or watered and intervening as little as possible lest you be considered a carer.

This could cause a lot of conflict between yourself and your friend, so you may want to approach her in a non-confrontational, understanding way about their care (perhaps have piggie parties?) especially if you begin a motion to have her animals seized.
 
I think I would try and talk to her concerning the welfare of the animals, as they cannot fend for themselves and are reliant on her for food and water etc. If she doesn't take any notice after a friendly chat and perhaps a offer of help from you, I would report her, it would probably be the end of a beautiful friendship though.
I know someone who reported her daughter-in-law to the RSPCA.
 
I would try and talk to her first about your concerns, perhaps giving her some information leaflets on how best to care for the animals. If after that, and I wouldn't give her long to sort herself out, I would contact the RSPCA because the health and welfare of those animals is in serious danger.
 
I think I will try and talk to her about it, sometime when I am at her house. I will suggest we clean out the cages and cut up some veggies for the rabbits and guinea pigs, and as we go I can mention things, such as 'hay consists of 80% of a guinea pigs diet' and while they are not going to buy new hutches (she's only 17 and her mother takes most responsibility for them, but i'm too scared to speak to her mother) I could suggest we find some wood or something similar to cover the wire floors in. Does that sound like a good idea?

I think I'll also encourage her to think of names for the animals and I will ask about them often.

Also, if I find any friends that want rabbits or guinea pigs I'll ask my friend if she's willing to give them some!

Oh, and one more thing, I'm going to try and adopt a guinea pig from her rather than through the Australian Cavy Sanctuary, because hers definitely need a better home! But I don't know how I could decide which one deserves a better life. They're all beautiful :)

Thanks for the wonderful advice.
 
Good luck when you speak to your friend - I know it will be really difficult but it sounds like you have it all planned out on how you are going to deal with it.

If they are willing to co-operate with you to make a better life for the animals then you have to phone the RSCPA, it's not fair on the animals and their lives are at risk.

Let us know how you get on.
 
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