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sometimes sanity takes vacation time on me ([info]keieeeye) wrote,
@ 2009-10-09 18:55:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Current mood: cranky
Entry tags:bunbun, faith in humanity

*sigh*
Yeah, I totally just threw a politely worded shit-fit at an American pet food company.

Despite your website urging pet owners to research the required nutrition of their animals, you seem to be unaware that rabbits are not rodents, rather lagomorphs.

"Rabbits require a rich varied diet of quality seeds, grains, vitamin enriched pellets, fruits, nuts, and veggies." as stated on this website selling your product http://farm-and-pet.hardwarestore.com/109-606-rabbit-and-hamster-food/bonanza-rabbit-food-521876.aspx is not only an exaggeration but blatantly untrue. Rabbits should not be fed seeds or nuts, and fruits and grains should be limited as they can lead to obesity. Corn is never listed as a recommended food for rabbits by any expert. Foods such as nuts, corn and sunflower seeds are high in carbohydrates and fat and when fed to a domestic, desexed rabbit, contribute to a high rate of obesity and the build up of fat in the liver and arteries (atherosclerosis) - rabbits fed seed-rich diets have a higher incidence of hepatic steatosis, fatty liver disease, which can be fatal. The starches also present in these foods can lead to bloat and GI stasis when they reach the cecum, which can be extremely dangerous in an animal that requires its digestive system to be constantly active. While a wild animal may eat these things to supplement its diet out of necessity, in pets it should be strongly avoided.

There is already a lot of false information spread about rabbits, largely from pet stores, and adding to this misinformation with advertising that is so utterly misleading is irresponsible at best.


Not that I expect it to do anything, but at least I feel better?


(Post a new comment)


[info]liebe_maus
2009-10-09 08:20 pm UTC (link)
I think it's awesome that you wrote this. I've never had a rabbit, only cats and the occasional hamster, but I always thought it was strange that rabbit-related items were sold next to guinea pig stuff - like they were interchangeable!

I can't even imagine the disservice pet stores and big food companies are doing the chinchilla and ferret owners, if they're already so careless about rabbits.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]keieeeye
2009-10-09 08:35 pm UTC (link)
God, seriously. I'm not sure about the exact legal status of ferrets here at the moment - whether you can keep them but not buy or breed, or if there's an outright ban - but we do have chinchillas, when I was in high school a friend's younger brother had two of them and actually I think my city has a specific chinchilla rescue group. If you're talking exotic pets, rabbits are positively normal compared to chins. Personally I think pet stores shouldn't even be allowed to sell animals (exceptions possibly of feeder animals and maybe fish, though god knows plenty of people think fish are just decorative), both because of the controversy over treatment, knowledge and sourcing, and to reduce impulse buying of animals because they're JUST SO CUTE.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]amethystfirefly
2009-10-10 12:09 am UTC (link)
Good for you!!

(Reply to this)



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