Pet owners warned not to buy from Gumtree after Gravesend breeder allegedly told woman to put ‘pet to sleep or bin’

Would-be pet owners have been warned not to buy ‘aggressive’ rabbits on Gumtree after a woman was told to put them to sleep or ‘bin’ them.

The woman, who bought Midge from a Gravesend breeder in December after seeing him listed on the classifieds website, decided to surrender him after she became “scared to interact with him”.

After contacting Croydon Animal Samaritans a few weeks ago, rabbit rescuer Rachel Parsons got in touch.

She told KentOnline: “The owner, who lives in Sutton, said the rabbit was very aggressive and biting, so I asked him if maybe he was nervous and if he had been neutered and she said he was.

“They contacted the breeder but he was very unhelpful and said he didn’t want the rabbit back. He basically said he doesn’t breed rabbits that have that kind of standard.”

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Rachel then decided to call the breeder, who, she says, told her “he doesn’t raise rabbits like that and if they’re wrong, they’ll just go to the bin.”

She added: “I then told him I was from a rescue and he said all his rabbits are trained to be incredibly tidy and use their litter trays and not spray.

“The way he talked about them was in a very disciplinary way. It wasn’t that he was talking about his beloved animals.”

The rabbit’s rescuer said after talking to him for about 20 minutes, he didn’t give him proof that Midge had been vaccinated.

Midge is a 14-month-old Dutch Dwarf, which is one of the smallest rabbit breeds.

“They are famous for being small, but they have a strong personality,” she added.

“The owner only had him and it’s really essential for rabbits to have companionship from another rabbit. This is probably one of the reasons for its aggressive nature.

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“I think she looked after him but the breeder didn’t advise her to get another one. For him it’s just a matter of making money.

“The owner vaccinated him because the breeder had no proof of this and sterilized him. But that didn’t change his temper.

“We don’t know if the rabbit was abused, the breeder obviously said he wasn’t, but when I asked him what kind of space the rabbits were kept in, he said they were in hatches in a shed.

“When the owner went to get Midge, she was on the doorstep when the alarm bells would have gone off.”

Rachel says the breeder is part of the British Rabbit Council, which is an organization that organizes rabbit shows.

“It’s incredibly cruel,” she said. “It’s a very outdated hobby where rabbits are kept in cages and the judges take them out and put them in and prick them and score them like a cake.

“If this rabbit was used for this, it would be even more terrified. She said she didn’t use it for that, as if the rabbit had bit her it wouldn’t do her any good.

She says there are currently 100,000 rescued rabbits in the UK.

“Once again, as a small salvation, we are dealing with someone else’s problem…”

“Obviously we’re really struggling,” she added.

“Once again, as a small salvation, we are dealing with someone else’s problem.

“We never advise anyone to buy rabbits from Gumtree or any of these sites because you don’t know their health, they are often incorrectly sexed.

“I told the breeder that he is personally adding to the problem by not advising people properly and rehoming rabbits alone.

“When I asked him if he would consider stopping, he said no because it’s his job.

“Rabbit raising is easy, unfortunately he is not aware of the bigger problem.”

Rachel reported the breeder to the British Rabbit Council.

Midge is now with a foster carer who is part of the national rabbit rescue group Bunny Angels.

Rachel said: “She hasn’t shown any signs of aggression, she can lunge for food but she’s nervous, but she can already see some improvement.”