Right, here goes. On the 10th January I collected a rabbit from nearby Bedford (i dont normally collect, least of all out of mk, but she sounded desperate and told me the rabbit was only being fed and watered every 3 days). When i went into the garden and saw this massive rabbit, a continental giant cross, stuffed into the bedroom compartment of a 3ft hutch, i was gobsmacked, but remained silent. I asked the usual questions to get some background info, was told the rabbit had started as a kids pet indoors, got bored of, and ended up in the shed outside. I reached into the hutch (barely room for my hands plus buns body) and got bun out. I just about managed to fit her into the cat carrier i brought with me, and went on my way to collect another bun from Harpenden.
Anyway, Health check showed no problems apart from being overweight, and also that bun was actually a female, not male, as had been thought for the previous 3 years of its life.
Behavioural assessment showed that she was a grumbler when picked up and would squat herself as low to the ground/floor of the hutch as possible.
I know does are more prone to being grumpy than bucks, and that giant rabbits are not as confident being picked up as smaller buns, but in my experience, rabbits that had previously been owned by small children with this much fear normally had normally been caused by the animal being dropped or incorrectly handled.
When it came to the listing on my site for bun, i did in fact list that she had previously been kept in a hutch far too small, so it was essential that her new owner understood that a rabbit of this size needed much more than a 3ft hutch, and that her fear of being handled, i believed, MAY have stemmed from being dropped or incorrectly handled.
Last night, just 3 hours after being discharged from hospital following emergency surgery the day before, i had a call from the previous owner, calling me all sort of unrepeatable names, telling me to eff off when i tried to speak slamming the phone down on me. Today, i found it strange that my site had over 50 hits yesterday, and 60 today (the average being 20-30 a day) and upon inspection, found a whole thread on a bidding website dedicated to this 'poor woman' that had been branded an abusive owner by this 'awful woman' at a 'rescue'. She had gone to elaborate measures to bad mouth me, telling such lies it was almost comical.
I had already offered, and have since done, to take down the offending wording, but this wasnt enough, she has since reported me to gumtree, preloved, and the website owners who i use for my rescue efforts, and has now said she has complained to the police for slander and harrassment (i rang her back after she put the phone down to try and talk like adults?!) and has pretty much dragged my name, and what i do, through the mud.
Has pretty irreversable damage already been done? Do i just say stuff it, shut my doors, not take any more in and just give up like i feel like doing?
I'm so stressed out at the moment i really dont need all of this, and yes while i know i maybe shouldnt publicly express my opinions, but the rabbits name had been changed anyway, and not once did i say she HAD been dropped, or give the name or details of the woman to identify her.
I really dont feel like contacting her again to ask her to check the website listing to see if theres anything else she wants me to change to keep her happy and quiet, and dont feel i should have to. Just lost and stuck, i am relatively new to all this and its the first time anyone has made me want to disappear under my duvet!
Also, before i set all of this rescue up, i checked with my local environmental health and council, both said i didnt need a license, but some of the womans buddies who stuck up for her on the forum said i ought to be inspected as i was 'no sort of rescue' blah blah.
Any ideas, comments etc welcomed
Anyway, Health check showed no problems apart from being overweight, and also that bun was actually a female, not male, as had been thought for the previous 3 years of its life.
Behavioural assessment showed that she was a grumbler when picked up and would squat herself as low to the ground/floor of the hutch as possible.
I know does are more prone to being grumpy than bucks, and that giant rabbits are not as confident being picked up as smaller buns, but in my experience, rabbits that had previously been owned by small children with this much fear normally had normally been caused by the animal being dropped or incorrectly handled.
When it came to the listing on my site for bun, i did in fact list that she had previously been kept in a hutch far too small, so it was essential that her new owner understood that a rabbit of this size needed much more than a 3ft hutch, and that her fear of being handled, i believed, MAY have stemmed from being dropped or incorrectly handled.
Last night, just 3 hours after being discharged from hospital following emergency surgery the day before, i had a call from the previous owner, calling me all sort of unrepeatable names, telling me to eff off when i tried to speak slamming the phone down on me. Today, i found it strange that my site had over 50 hits yesterday, and 60 today (the average being 20-30 a day) and upon inspection, found a whole thread on a bidding website dedicated to this 'poor woman' that had been branded an abusive owner by this 'awful woman' at a 'rescue'. She had gone to elaborate measures to bad mouth me, telling such lies it was almost comical.
I had already offered, and have since done, to take down the offending wording, but this wasnt enough, she has since reported me to gumtree, preloved, and the website owners who i use for my rescue efforts, and has now said she has complained to the police for slander and harrassment (i rang her back after she put the phone down to try and talk like adults?!) and has pretty much dragged my name, and what i do, through the mud.
Has pretty irreversable damage already been done? Do i just say stuff it, shut my doors, not take any more in and just give up like i feel like doing?
I'm so stressed out at the moment i really dont need all of this, and yes while i know i maybe shouldnt publicly express my opinions, but the rabbits name had been changed anyway, and not once did i say she HAD been dropped, or give the name or details of the woman to identify her.
I really dont feel like contacting her again to ask her to check the website listing to see if theres anything else she wants me to change to keep her happy and quiet, and dont feel i should have to. Just lost and stuck, i am relatively new to all this and its the first time anyone has made me want to disappear under my duvet!
Also, before i set all of this rescue up, i checked with my local environmental health and council, both said i didnt need a license, but some of the womans buddies who stuck up for her on the forum said i ought to be inspected as i was 'no sort of rescue' blah blah.
Any ideas, comments etc welcomed
