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BUNNYRABBIT.com News 2002 issue 2
Presentation IS Everything
by Joy Kretzer
The cleanliness of carriers.
I cannot tell you how many times I have been at a show and
find myself looking around for the source of a disgusting smell, and find the
smell is coming from someone’s carrier!
I see carriers with bare pans and just a pool of urine and
poop swirling around underneath the rabbits! No shavings, no hay, or even
newspapers. Just nothing!
Not only is the smell very overpowering to the people
standing around the carriers, but if the odor is that strong to us…… can you
imagine how it must be to the rabbits!
Sometimes I am in a position to move away from the nasty
smelling carriers, but at time’s I found myself not being able to. At times
they were right next to where I was showing my rabbits, so I was unable to move.
The poor rabbits in the carriers must have had their
nostrils burning from the smell and talk about rabbits getting lung infections!
I have also seen along with bare “soupy” pans, carriers
covered in dirty old hair, cobwebs, and filthy coup cups or sometimes none at
all.
There is no excuse for treating your rabbits like this and
having your carriers that way. I know I personally spend at least 1 hour before
every show cleaning and washing my carriers and cups, and stocking the pans with
bedding and the right amount of food and water, for the time appropriate I will
be away from home. I actually hate doing my carriers. It is the one thing I
dislike most about showing, but I DO IT. If you are not willing to fully clean
and prepare your carriers for the show, than you should not go. I would rather
stay home than go to a show with dirty carriers. I love my rabbits and would
never put my rabbits, myself, or anybody else through that kind of filth and
smell. I personally feel that no matter how good the rabbits look in the
carrier, I will COMPLETELY JUDGE the owner as a horrible rabbit owner by how
their carriers look. Most people do. Not only is health everything… but
presentation is also everything.
Oh, one more thing……. You can be asked to leave a show
if it is found that your rabbits are being mistreated or neglected. Cleanliness
in Carriers fall under those rules. It would be very embarrassing if the Superintendent of a show
had to ask you to leave.
So, -- CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN and use proper bedding in your
pans!
Thank you –
The Holland Hut
hollandhut@indian-creek.net